Green Pushes NBA Fines for Tanking Teams
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called for the NBA to impose heavy fines on teams suspected of tanking, drawing a comparison to player penalties. Speaking after his team's 110-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, Green also said the play-in tournament no longer curbs tanking incentives. The Warriors hold the 10th spot in the Western Conference and have secured a play-in berth.
Green referenced recent league fines against the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers. The NBA fined Utah $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league after pulling top players late in two February games. Indiana drew a $100,000 penalty for violating the player participation policy in an early February matchup against Utah.
Green argued the league fines players swiftly but hesitates with teams. "I think I get fined when I do wrong," he said. "Just fine the hell out of people. We love taking money from players, keep fining the teams. I’ve seen two fines. And we all know everybody tanking. But you’ve seen two fines."
The four-time NBA champion and All-Star, who has played his entire career with Golden State, questioned inconsistent enforcement. "If it was players (the league) would have snatched that money in a heartbeat," he said. He estimated 12 teams tanking this season with only two fined.
On the play-in format, introduced under Commissioner Adam Silver to discourage tanking by seeding teams through 10th, Green said it has lost effectiveness. "I think it worked initially, and now to have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working," he said. "So we could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th, it ain’t working."
The NBA presented multiple anti-tanking proposals to its board of governors last month amid ongoing debate. The National Basketball Players Association has also criticized tanking practices.
