The NBA’s tanking conversation just took a dramatic turn.
During a recent appearance on NBA Today, Insider Bobby Marks revealed that an anonymous team not currently in the lottery texted him saying they would ‘basically write a blank check’ for a chance to draft in the top three of the 2026 NBA Draft.
That tells you everything about how this class is being viewed around the league.
“I had a team text me last night after this came out, and this is a team not in the lottery, and they said they would basically write a blank check if they had the opportunity to pick in the top three of this year’s draft based on how good this draft is, based on what the fines could be here.”
“So that is the approach. And here’s the thing. This is the system. This is the system that the NBA has created. This is the system that teams are following, whether it was Indiana or Toronto last year, or certainly with Utah. Other teams we’re probably going to see in the next couple days here.”
“And that is the big thing. How do you fix the system?”
“But I’ll say this one more thing. I’m part of the system because I remember here last week we were talking about Giannis and Milwaukee, and I said the best thing for Milwaukee to do is rest Giannis for the rest of the season so they can get a good draft pick.”
“But unless we fix that system, we’re always going to have that kind of discussion.”
This revelation comes shortly after the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violating player participation policies. The Jazz have been especially scrutinized for sitting key players in competitive situations, including entire fourth quarters, while technically remaining ‘healthy.’
The Pacers were also penalized for similar behavior tied to draft positioning.
Yet despite the fines, the appetite for top-end draft talent has not cooled.
When an executive says they would write a blank check, that is not literal, it is symbolic. It means they understand the financial penalty is minor compared to the potential long-term payoff. A generational star on a rookie-scale contract is the single most valuable asset in basketball.
And this particular 2026 draft class is loaded at the top.
Prospects like Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa are being discussed as potential All-NBA caliber talents. Cameron Boozer continues to dominate at Duke, and Caleb Wilson’s two-way upside is turning heads. The guard depth, with names like Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler, is strong and rising.
Front offices are not just evaluating players. They are evaluating trajectories. The difference between picking fourth and picking second in this class could mean the difference between a solid starter and a franchise centerpiece.
That is why tanking conversations intensify when a draft is viewed as elite.
Richard Jefferson recently floated an alternative solution on his Road Trippin’ podcast, suggesting that teams eliminated from playoff contention should actually receive improved lottery odds if they continue winning late in the season.
The idea is to reward competitiveness rather than incentivize collapse. It is creative, though it comes with its own complications, including potentially punishing genuinely bad teams even further.
The larger issue remains structural.
As long as draft positioning is tied directly to record, and as long as rookie-scale contracts dramatically underpay elite talent relative to market value, there will always be motivation to lose strategically. Fines of $100,000 or even $500,000 barely register in a league where television deals are worth billions and franchise values continue to skyrocket.
The anonymous team’s message was not reckless. It was rational.
Until the system changes, teams will continue to follow the math. And if the prize is a top-three pick in a draft that executives believe can define the next decade, you better believe more than one franchise is ready to cook.
