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NBA teams are 'tanking' to get better draft picks. Here are some possible solutions

NPR | By Keith Romer

Published March 13, 2026 at 4:44 AM EDT

This NBA season has featured an epidemic of "tanking" -- teams intentionally losing games to try to secure a higher pick in next year's draft. Planet Money considers possible solutions.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Keith Romer

Keith Romer has been a contributing reporter for Planet Money since 2015. He has reported stories on risk-pooling among poker players, whether it's legal to write a spin-off of the children's book Goodnight Moon and the time one man cornered the American market in onions. Sometimes on the show, he sings.

See stories by Keith Romer

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