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Solving For Tanking, We're smart, let's figure it out

Thanks for the thoughts!! I think you've understood and analyzed it well.

I think you're right it would create some weird dynamics, including the best teams perhaps trying to tank a bit toward the end in hopes that they can catch draft magic in the small, but slightly higher odds.

I'm still not sure what can be done about the issue of not risking creating superteams while at the same time getting rid of most tanking (without completely changing the long-time principles of NBA CBAs, which seems unlikely to me).
Here's a thought, make teams ineligible to receive the top pick or top 3-4 picks if they already have an all NBA first team or maybe first or second team player.
 
More ideas:

Teams 1-5 all have equal odds at picks 1-5.

Teams 6-10 get two draft picks in the top 15 (6-6,11 7-7,12, 8-8,13, 9-9,14, 10-10,15). The draft moves on from there with picks 16 to 35.

All teams 11 and higher make the play-in. Teams that make the play in, but lose in the play in get revenue sharing equal to the amount of a 7 game playoff series.
 
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Also tie revenue sharing to a minimum number of games won.

More ideas:

Teams 1-5 all have equal odds at picks 1-5.

Teams 6-10 get two draft picks in the top 15 (6-6,11 7-7,12, 8-8,13, 9-9,14, 10-10,15). The draft moves on from there with picks 16 to 35.

All teams 11 and higher make the play-in. Teams that make the play in, but lose in the play in get revenue sharing equal to the amount of a 7 game playoff series.
Interesting. If I'm understanding right, these are not fully getting rid of tanking incentives, but rather having revenue sharing and tanking incentives be mutually exclusive or at least compete against each other more than currently, thus lowering the number of teams that will tank.

Probably could have some success with this.
 
Interesting. If I'm understanding right, these are not fully getting rid of tanking incentives, but rather having revenue sharing and tanking incentives be mutually exclusive or at least compete against each other more than currently, thus lowering the number of teams that will tank.

Probably could have some success with this.

Yes. I strongly prefer a solution that removes any incentive to be bad, but since those ideas are not likely to ever gain traction, I'm considering alternatives, or in other words ideas that greatly reduce tanking, or at least the very worst forms of tanking like the Jazz executed this year where they sat young healthy players for the sole purpose of losing games.

The main reasoning with that last idea is to smooth out the difference between tiers. If there is a generational or maybe even just consensus #1 pick available, this probably isn't enough to dissuade teams from tanking. I'm not sure I love it, but it is just something I'm throwing out there.
 
I have thought of this way more than I should. My first thought is hit the teams in the wallet. Maybe penalized the eligible teams on the shared payout for teams under the salary cap.

Maybe penalize the bottom 5 or so teams, in a descending amount.

In addition if you win the lottery you are not eligible the following year or you are not eligible for that pick for a years. They can still win other one just not that pick.
 
I have thought of this way more than I should. My first thought is hit the teams in the wallet. Maybe penalized the eligible teams on the shared payout for teams under the salary cap.

Maybe penalize the bottom 5 or so teams, in a descending amount.

In addition if you win the lottery you are not eligible the following year or you are not eligible for that pick for a years. They can still win other one just not that pick.
Tanking tax. Interesting proposal.

It would have to not count against the cap tho. Otherwise it would limit those teams in FA (making it harder for them to build up) while also helping them reach minimum salary floor with lower player salary totals.

Also it shouldnt work as a honey trap for teams to stay mid and cash in on both luxury tax and tanking tax. So the money shouldnt go to the other lottery teams missing out on the top picks.

Would it cause some money grubbing owners to force trade their looming top pick away just to avoid getting taxed? That could cause some wild "unfair" trades and also further emphasize imbalances between teams who have cheap owners and those who dont.
 
OK, with a little thought this is what I'm thinking on trades:

- Teams can trade their current cap space that other teams can use or save for future years. It only effects the team that trades the cap space for the year they trade it, but the team that acquires the cap space can use it indefinitely.
- Teams can't carry over or save their own cap space, only cap space money they get in trades.
- Teams can aggregate their current cap space and cap space acquired in trades, but they can only exceed the difference between the salary floor and cap on picks after 4. (If salaries are tied to bid amounts then the drafted player's salary would be capped at the difference between the floor and the cap so that the 5th pick isn't paid more than the first 4).
- Teams can combine cap space acquired from previous teams to trade to other teams. Again, this isn't actual money that goes in to the team's bank account, but a "Cap Space" number that is just tracked. The actual money is only physically transferred to the new team at the time of the first trade.

Again complicated, but I think it can kind of work and not be too different that trades today.

Not that anyone else cares, but I was thinking about this idea the other day and I think you would have to put a time limit on how long you can carry over cap space that you trade for. I think probably somewhere between 3-5 years. That way teams aren't just hoarding it and waiting for the generational talent to come along.

I also go back and forth on whether there should be a max bid for the top 4 picks. If you keep it at a set amount then teams know they just need to have a certain amount of cap space saved up in order to be in the running for the top pick, it would prevent hoarding by too much. On the other hand if it was just the maximum amount, teams could get really strategic and the picks wouldn't be based on luck at that point, which I like. It could be really interesting if the bid ends up as the players' salary, because you could end up with a guy like Wemby making more than anybody in the NBA (Which maybe he should), but would also really hurt that team's ability to build around them, which again makes it an interesting choice for a team to consider.
 
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