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Tanking is an effort by the front office to build a team bad enough to lose a ton of games, but with enough flexibility for the future and maybe some young guys that can be pieces of that future core. So, the way to fix an overachieving team is to sell off pieces.
It is always important to remember that players don’t want to tank and don’t actively participate in it. They play hard and try to win because that’s what professional athletes do. Coaches, for the most part, try to win as well. Tanking involves taking an organizational focus that is something other than "win the next game."
There are several ways that teams use in tanking:
1. Waiting for a key player to be "100%" before they return from injury.
2. Giving minutes to young players over veterans who are currently better
3. Using actual game possessions to improve players' weaknesses
4. Trying mismatched line-ups and developing new offensive sets in season
5. Trading current assets for future value
The reason it happens is that the 8th seed is the worst spot to be in as an NBA franchise. You have no shot at a lottery pick and are probably going to be decimated by LeBron James or the Golden State Warriors. So, let's give new meaning to the 8th seed!
Only a certain percentage of players selected in the Top 5 going on to be franchise-altering players. The talent evaluation is considered when deciding whether to tank. This year'ss top 5 is widely considered to be wildly talented. That should be relevant to any team's decision whether to tank.
Honorable Mention: Phoenix Suns
There should be no rush to compete in Phoenix, especially when possessing the youngest roster in the league. Their way of tanking should be using real game situations to develop their future stars. It is impressive that Devin Booker and TJ Warren have made leaps in their development and show enough promise to be the pillars of the franchise.
However, basketball in the NBA is a man’s game. The youngsters need to mature vastly to hit the next stage of winning. As far as the second half of the season is concerned, losing will be inevitable for the Suns. They have one of the toughest schedules with 9 games in a row against teams over .500, hello top 5 draft pick!
They might need to move veteran center Tyson Chandler and or Greg Monroe to clear cap space and salaries as the market slowly develops before the trade deadline.
#5 Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers might have discovered that rock bottom might have a basement. Between the season-ending injuries to Patrick Beverly and indefinite absentia from starters, Blake Griffin, and Danilo Gallinari, they hold one of the worst records in the NBA.
I think it’s time to hit the tanking button for them. With DeAndre Jordan’s impending free agency, they should shop him for younger talent and future draft picks (some of which might be marginalized), entertain offers for Lou Williams and his contract-year detonation whose value might fetch a draft pick or a prospect, if a contender is willing to get him, and shut down Blake Griffin for the rest of the season.
This will be a chance to usher in the Blake Griffin era on a clean slate with a possibility of a top-five pick and re-evaluating the remaining players on the roster.
#4 Orlando Magic
The Magic overpaid for role players hoping to overturn the franchise and make noise this season. They looked good on paper, but the experiment backfired in the worst way. They had a hot start to this season, but their fire burned out.
While Bismack Biyombo and Evan Fournier might seem like valuable trade baits for good teams, their contracts trap them in the franchise-at least for now. They need to build on Aaron Gordon’s development as he’s the best chance they have to a franchise player. A top pick might help get them the identity they had in Shaq or Dwight Howard
Plummeting to the bottom 3 won’t be hard for the Magic, so no drastic measures need to be taken. They should, however, toy with the idea of shipping center Vucevic for prospects and or picks before the trade deadline to clear salary space.
#3 Memphis Grizzlies
Most championship teams are led by lottery players, who became All-Stars and those guys don't sign with Memphis ever - not even if they go to the playoffs for 7 straight years. Teams rarely deal those players, either, because they're too valuable. By the time they do, they're over the hill like when the Celtics dealt their stars.
So how do they get those players if they don't draft them?
Mike Conley’s injury dealt a major blow to the Grizzlies’ plans. They can’t depend on free agency to get superstars since they are in a small market. They’re having a lackluster season and things won’t get better soon.
First, they’re stuck with Chandler Parsons’ moribund contract, Conley’s injury history and huge contract render him immovable. Marc Gasol is too valuable to the franchise yet they may only get marginalized assets for him. This leaves Tyreke Evans- who’s having a career season, as the easily movable asset. He may not fetch much given his expiring contract.
They need to take a shot at acquiring a new prospect that might just be capable of a culture change in Memphis.
#2 Atlanta Hawks
The tanking process has already begun in Atlanta, and they didn’t even bother hiding it. Their young roster is full of promising youngsters, seasoned veterans, and a bunch of misfits.
At this point, their focus should be on giving their young players minutes to hasten their development. As the good teams tease with the idea of acquiring Marco Belinelli and Kent Bazemore, they should be evaluating their options with the talent they have.
After allowing Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha and Tim Hardaway Jr to go, they have to continue languishing in the dust if they want to draft a franchise-altering prospect. The promising young prospects in their books must step up led by the ever-improving Dennis Schroeder.
#1 Sacramento Kings
For a team that has gathered enough draft picks to have a promising roster over the past few seasons, the Kings’ front office needs to borrow a leaf from the Los Angeles Lakers. They remain an island of misfits as they continue drafting big-men year in year out.
There seems to be no light at the end of their tunnel as they lack identity. After signing veterans in Vince Carter, George Hill, and Zach Randolph, one would think they had a vision moving forward. While Vince may play the role of a locker room leader, Randolph and Hill clearly want to win. That can not be done in Sacramento.
De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovich, and Skal Labissiere don’t need to get buried because of the veterans eating all the valuable minutes, instead, their development should be enhanced with their departures.
Their assets are very trade-able, and they should clear some cap space while aiming for the top picks.
Guess the Lakers players!
