NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will address media on Saturday and will certainly broach the topic of tanking. Meanwhile, the first slate of games after the All-Star Break will have some extremely high stakes in the tank race:
Source: https://lasentinel.net/nba-all-star-2026-times-details-how-to-watch-the-weekends-events.html
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will address the media Saturday as part of All-Star Weekend events.
One of the most likely topics: tanking — and how it looks to fans.
The irony is that the first slate of games coming out of the All-Star break includes:
• Nets (15 wins) vs. Cavaliers
• Pacers (15) vs. Wizards (14)
• Kings (12) vs. Magic
The Nets currently have the fifth-worst record in the NBA and are projected for the No. 5 pick in a chalk draft. It’s unlikely they beat Cleveland, but a Nets loss — while either the Pacers or Wizards must win — could move Brooklyn up to 4th (if Indiana wins) or create a four-team tie at 15 wins (if Washington wins) between the Wizards, Pelicans, Pacers and Nets.
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The Pacers, meanwhile, are somehow on a two-game win streak with a trip to Washington coming up. According to Tankathon, their odds of keeping the pick they owe the Clippers (if it lands 5–9) dropped dramatically because of this mini-streak. A win over Washington would move Indiana’s pick from 4th to 5th in a chalk draft — right into the range where the Clippers would receive it. The Wizards, meanwhile, would fall from sole possession of the second-best lottery odds into a four-way tie with a win.
And it gets worse: Indiana and Washington play twice in a back-to-back set immediately after the All-Star break. It’s possible that merely 5 days after Adam Silver addresses the tanking issue, we could see tanking at levels we’ve never seen before.
And it gets worse: Indiana and Washington play twice in a back-to-back set immediately after the All-Star break. Just days after Silver addresses tanking, we could see teams actively jockeying for lottery position.
If Washington loses both games, they likely lock themselves into a top-3 lottery spot. Their only remaining game against a projected bottom-five team would be Brooklyn on April 5 — the second night of a back-to-back, when they could rest or shut down players.
If Indiana loses both, that’s huge for their pick-retention odds, especially with remaining games against Sacramento (March 10) and Brooklyn (April 9).
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Then there’s Sacramento, which has lost 14 straight and opens against a struggling Orlando team. They won’t actually lose out, but the trajectory is clear. With a two-game lead for the league’s worst record, they’re unlikely to be caught for No. 1 odds — though that won’t stop other teams from trying.
If you’ve been annoyed with all the tanking… get ready. Cause the tank race is about to truly begin after the All-Star break.