Report: Adam Silver Says NBA 'Put Teams on Notice,' Will Be Watching Tanking Closely

With so much attention being paid to Victor Wembanyama and the top of the 2023 NBA draft, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is keeping a close eye on how teams handle their rosters during the regular season.

Per ESPN's Baxter Holmes, during a recent meeting with employees of the Phoenix Suns, Silver said the league has "put teams on notice" regarding potentially tanking to improve their draft position this season.

After Wembanyama's performance in two exhibition games against fellow top prospect Scoot Henderson this month, it was immediately assumed by analysts and fans that non-contending teams would go all-in on a race to the bottom of the standings.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony reported on Oct. 5, one day after Wembanyama dropped 37 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting for Metropolitans 92 against Henderson and the G League Ignite, that the game was "expected to become a factor in how aggressively teams might proceed in joining that race to the bottom of the standings."

One general manager told Wojnarowski and Givony the 18-year-old French superstar is "a 7'4" (Kevin) Durant who blocks shots" and "will be the most hyped player since LeBron."

Speaking to reporters on Oct. 6, Silver attempted to downplay any suggestion teams might attempt to lose games on purpose to improve their lottery odds.

"I know that many of our NBA teams are salivating at the notion that potentially through our lottery, they can get him, so they should all still compete very hard next season," he said.

According to Holmes, Silver did note the league has considered a possible relegation system that's used in soccer but acknowledged it would be disruptive to the NBA's entire business model.

"And even if you took two teams up from the G League," Silver told Suns employees, "they wouldn't be equipped to compete in the NBA."

The concept of tanking is nothing new in the NBA. There are examples of it happening virtually every year, but this could be a special circumstance because of how physically impressive Wembanyama is and how much talent he possesses.

This time around, though, it seems like Silver and other league officials will be keeping a close eye on how often teams are resting their best players.