10 Times Tanking Worked For NBA Franchises:

NBA franchises tend to do what’s best for their future, and if that means sacrificing short-term wins for long-term ones, they will certainly do that. Tanking is the term used for teams losing on purpose in order to gain a higher chance of drafting an elite prospect from the draft lottery.

We have seen that done throughout history, and commissioner Adam Silver might have had enough of it. There are reports coming out that Silver will look to address this issue, because it takes away from the parity of the game as fans miss out on seeing stars play to win.

One thing is for certain: tanking seems to work. Throughout history, teams have engaged in tanking because it has yielded them significant draft results that completely shaped their future. Let’s dive into the 10 instances when tanking worked for these NBA franchises.

10. Washington Wizards (2009-2010): Hitting On John Wall

The Washington Wizards tore everything down in 2009-10, trading veterans and committing to a reset. They finished 26-56, securing the No. 1 overall pick in a loaded draft.

With that selection, Washington drafted John Wall, a lightning-quick floor general who immediately became the face of the franchise. Wall’s arrival shifted the organization’s identity from chaotic to competitive, and there was no secret that every NBA team at the time wanted the speedy point guard.

By 2014, the Wizards were back in the playoffs and knocking on the Eastern Conference Finals door. While injuries ultimately derailed the ceiling, the tank successfully delivered a franchise point guard and four playoff runs.

9. Dallas Mavericks (1997-1998): The Dirk Gamble

The Dallas Mavericks were drifting through the late 1990s with no clear direction. After finishing 19-63 in 1997-98, they leaned fully into a youth movement and embraced the losing in one of the ugliest seasons in franchise history.

The losing positioned them to draft high and gave new ownership under Mark Cuban a foundational piece to build around. Through draft-night maneuvering (by swapping No. 6 overall pick Robert Taylor), Dallas landed Dirk Nowitzki (No. 9 overall) in 1998.

At the time, taking a relatively unknown German teenager was a massive gamble. But the Mavericks were bad enough to afford patience, and patience proved everything.

Nowitzki became a 14-time All-Star, league MVP in 2007, and the centerpiece of the 2011 championship team. That late-90s tank didn’t just yield a star; it produced the greatest player in franchise history and two decades of relevance.

8. Chicago Bulls (2007-2008): The Derrick Rose Reset

After years of mediocrity, the Chicago Bulls shut down veterans late in the 2007-08 season and slid to 33-49. Despite slim lottery odds, they won the No. 1 pick. Coincidence? Maybe, but the Bulls lost games as if they knew who was coming home.

They drafted hometown phenom Derrick Rose, instantly reigniting the United Center. Rose’s explosiveness and charisma restored Chicago’s swagger.

By 2011, Rose became the youngest MVP in league history, and the Bulls were the East’s top seed. Injuries prevented a title run, but the tank produced a superstar and revived one of the NBA’s flagship franchises.

7. Philadelphia 76ers (2013-2016): “The Process” Pays Off

No franchise embraced tanking more openly than the Philadelphia 76ers under GM Sam Hinkie. The strategy was clear: lose big, stockpile picks, trust the math.

The losing seasons produced high selections like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid, despite early injuries, became the cornerstone.

Embiid developed into an MVP (2023) and perennial contender centerpiece. While the Sixers haven’t broken through for a title, “The Process” undeniably turned a basement team into a sustained contender.

6. Orlando Magic (1992-1993): The Shaq-Penny Era

The Orlando Magic were intentionally terrible in their early expansion years. After drafting Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, they stayed near the bottom and miraculously won the lottery again in 1993.

That second pick became Chris Webber, who was traded for Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway and future assets.

Within three seasons, Orlando reached the 1995 Finals. The tank transformed an expansion afterthought into a Finals team almost overnight.

5. Seattle SuperSonics (2007): Saying Goodbye To Two Stars For Kevin Durant

The Seattle SuperSonics made a calculated decision in 2007 that signaled a full reset. After years of hovering around mediocrity, Seattle chose to move on from its veteran core rather than chase another low playoff seed. The franchise traded All-Star forward Rashard Lewis in a sign-and-trade deal and later dealt franchise icon Ray Allen, fully embracing a rebuild centered around draft positioning.

The result was a 31-51 season that placed Seattle near the top of the 2007 draft order. With the No. 2 overall pick, the Sonics selected Kevin Durant out of Texas.

Moving off two established stars created immediate short-term pain, but it guaranteed the franchise a foundational player to build around.

Durant averaged over 20 points per game as a rookie and quickly emerged as one of the league’s most unstoppable offensive forces.

Though the franchise relocated and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, that reset laid the groundwork for a Finals appearance in 2012 and a decade of contention.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (2021-2024): The Modern Blueprint

The Oklahoma City Thunder made it no secret they were interested in losing as much as possible as soon as they traded superstars Russell Westbrook and Paul George to the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. In doing so, they stockpiled a warchest of draft picks while losing 22 games in 2021 and 24 games in 2022 in what was obvious tanking.

Now, they didn’t expect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to become an MVP and the greatest player in franchise history, but that wasn’t the only thing they got out of tanking.

The Thunder were able to draft and find Jalen Williams (No. 12 overall in 2022 Draft), Chet Holmgren (No. 2 overall in 2022 Draft), and Luguentz Dort (undrafted) from tanking, and each of these players became invaluable as the Thunder won the NBA championship in 2025. Patience was a virtue from Sam Presti, the 2025 Executive of the Year.

He is currently the third-longest tenured executive in the NBA, and based on what he has done for Oklahoma City sports, he has to be revered for some incredibly successful tanking.

3. Houston Rockets (1983-1984): The Race For The No. 1 Overall Pick

The Houston Rockets entered the 1983-84 season with a clear understanding of what was at stake. After a 14-68 campaign the year before, Houston remained near the bottom of the standings, fully aware that the upcoming draft featured generational talent at the top. The organization knew it needed to finish with one of the league’s worst records to secure a chance at the No. 1 overall pick via coin flip, a system used before the lottery era began.

That race came down to positioning for the right to draft either Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston’s clear priority, or Michael Jordan, who was widely viewed as a transcendent prospect out of North Carolina. The Rockets finished 29-53, the worst record in the Western Conference, and earned their spot in the coin flip. Houston won the flip, securing the No. 1 selection.

The Rockets chose Olajuwon, a dominant two-way center from the University of Houston, and the tank paid off historically. “The Dream” led Houston to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995, won Finals MVP both times, earned league MVP honors in 1994, and became one of the greatest centers in NBA history.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2014): Tanking For LeBron, And Doing It Again For LeBron

The Cavaliers knew they had to lose to draft LeBron James and eventually sell the team. The Cavs made some confusing trades, such as moving budding point guard Andre Miller for Darius Miles, who had a bad knee. They also moved Lamond Murray and Wesley Person, two productive players for role players who weren’t a part of the future.

By the time the 2023 season ended, the team had 17 wins and knew exactly what the goal would be: draft the kid from Akron. That’s what they did, and the rest is history as James would become the greatest player in Cavaliers history. But one could argue that the Cavs weren’t done tanking around LeBron.

After LeBron left in 2010 to join the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers bottomed out again. They won multiple lotteries, selecting Kyrie Irving and Anthony Bennett in two of the next three drafts with the No. 1 overall picks.

Irving became a star, and the assets helped attract LeBron back in 2014. The Cavs then traded the No. 1 pick in the 2014 Draft (Andrew Wiggins) for Kevin Love.

Two years later, Cleveland completed a historic 3-1 comeback to win the 2016 championship. The tank not only secured talent, but it set up a title in one of the greatest Finals ever.

1. San Antonio Spurs (1996-1997): The Tim Duncan Dynasty

The San Antonio Spurs fell to 20-62 in 1996-97 after injuries decimated the roster. But the organization made no desperate win-now moves, because the upcoming draft was a one-man show. They let the season collapse, especially since David Robinson only appeared in six games.

That collapse landed them the No. 1 pick and Tim Duncan in 1997, and the Spurs immediately won 56 games the season after, and went on to win an NBA Title in 1999. It’s amazing how one “bad” season could lead to this immediate success.

Overall, Duncan delivered five championships, three Finals MVPs, and two regular-season MVPs. The Spurs became the gold standard of sustained excellence for nearly two decades.

No tank in NBA history produced a longer, more stable dynasty, which is why this stands as the greatest tank job ever executed. Amazingly enough, the Spurs did it again a few decades later by losing as much as possible (22-60) in the 2022-23 season to draft future superstar Victor Wembanyama.