Warriors' Draymond Green floats NBA tanking fix, says play-in tournament 'ain't working'

The signifier of NBA teams losing games to boost their draught lottery likelihood continues to beryllium wide debated.

The NBA whitethorn assertion progress, and conscionable past period introduced aggregate anti-tanking proposals to its committee of governors. But that hasn’t stopped Warriors guardant Draymond Green from offering a tougher imaginable solution.

After the Warriors’ 110-105 triumph implicit the Kings connected Tuesday, Green urged the NBA to instrumentality a much bold stance connected issuing teams for tanking.

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"I deliberation I get fined erstwhile I bash wrong," Green said. "Just good the hellhole retired of people. We emotion taking wealth from players, support fining the teams. I’ve seen 2 fines. And we each cognize everybody tanking. But you’ve seen 2 fines."

Nov 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guardant Draymond Green (23) argues a telephone with referee Brian Forte (45) during the 3rd 4th against the Memphis Grizzlies astatine Chase Center. (D. Ross Cameron/Imagn Image)

Green’s comments appeared to notation caller fines the NBA issued to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers. The league ruled the Jazz committed "conduct detrimental to the league" aft respective apical players were pulled precocious successful 2 February games.

Utah was fined $500,000. The Pacers were fined $100,000 for violating the NBA’s Player Participation Policy during an aboriginal February crippled against the Jazz. Green is pushing for the league to much aggressively good teams erstwhile tanking is suspected.

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"If it was players (the league) would person snatched that wealth successful a heartbeat," Green continued. "Why isn’t it the same? Everybody emotion money. The punishment for players is always, let’s instrumentality the money. Well, present it becomes clip to punish teams and each of a abrupt cipher don’t cognize what to do. Why not? We cognize precisely what to bash erstwhile idiosyncratic gets a method foul. Or suspended for a game. We cognize precisely what to do."

A hoops is placed connected the tribunal adjacent to an NBA logo during a interruption successful the archetypal fractional of a 2023 NBA Summer League crippled betwixt the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets astatine the Thomas & Mack Center connected July 07, 2023 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The second portion of the 2025-26 play sparked renewed statement implicit however to curb tanking, arsenic teams with fading playoff hopes appeared to oculus apical prospects successful this summer’s draft.

"All of a abrupt we got squad issues, we don’t cognize what to do," Green added. "What happened to the full instrumentality the wealth stuff? Everybody other trying to scope a quota too. But erstwhile it comes to subordinate discipline, we privation to snatch the wealth arsenic accelerated arsenic we can. When it comes to squad subject and we spot 12 teams tanking, we’ve seen 2 fines. If my mathematics serves maine correctly, that’s 10 that ain’t been fined. Just immoderate speedy math. It could beryllium incorrect truthful don’t justice maine if it’s wrong.

"But we don’t support that aforesaid vigor erstwhile it comes to teams, erstwhile it comes to officials, erstwhile it comes to everybody but players, we don’t support that aforesaid energy. But this is simply a players’ league."

Before addressing tanking, Green weighed successful connected the Play-In Tournament, a conception wide credited to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The format was designed, successful part, with the purpose of curbing tanking.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during property league astatine the Emirates NBA Cup Final astatine T-Mobile Arena connected Dec. 16, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

"I deliberation it worked initially, and present to person a squad stuck successful 10th, it ain’t working," Green said. "So we could person mislaid our past 15 games and been stuck successful 10th, it ain’t working. It worked for a small bit, but if you tin beryllium stuck successful 10th and suffer the past 15 games of your season, and you tin beryllium stuck successful 10th, it ain’t working."

Golden State enters Wednesday successful the 10th spot successful the Western Conference standings and has clinched a Play-In berth. Green recalled what the format was designed to bash erstwhile it was archetypal introduced.

"I deliberation the Play-In was made for teams to not tank," helium said. "I deliberation that’s the portion that everyone forgets. The Play-In came astir to marque teams similar possibly done 12 oregon 13th support going. They ain’t support going. They kinda slowed down, and past they deed the brakes."

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Green, who has spent his full vocation with the Warriors and won 4 NBA titles, acknowledged the stark opposition betwixt preparing for the Play-In Tournament and a heavy playoff tally arsenic a existent contender.

"You spell connected the roadworthy successful a crippled that you request to triumph I think, arsenic a competitor, you’re going to emergence to the challenge," the four-time All-Star said. "But I’m not going to slumber (Wednesday) nighttime like, man, we got this Play-In adjacent week, I got to get my rest. Nah, it ain’t that exciting."

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