NBA to Forgive Player's Tanking Admission, Avoid Punishment
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Washington Wizards player Babe Carrington admitted to intentionally tanking for draft picks, a violation of NBA rules. However, the league will not punish Carrington or the Wizards. The NBA is also changing its draft lottery system to discourage tanking.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Wizards player Babe Carrington admitted to intentional tanking.
- The NBA will not punish Carrington or the Wizards.
- The league is changing its draft lottery to discourage tanking.
- Carrington's pick was traded for Danny Avedia in 2024.
Washington Wizards player Babe Carrington admitted to intentional "tanking" to improve the team's chances of securing the first pick in the NBA draft, specifically to select AJ Dybantsa. Speaking to "WUSA9," Carrington stated, "We weren't told to be the best version of ourselves. We held back because we were trying to get AJ Dybantsa. It's not a secret." While tanking is a common, albeit unacknowledged, practice in the league, an explicit admission is a violation of NBA rules.
Despite the infraction, The Athletic reports that Carrington and the Wizards will not face penalties from the NBA, which has decided to overlook the incident. This contrasts with past cases where teams were punished for deliberate tanking. The Utah Jazz were penalized for reporting false injuries to key players, and the Dallas Mavericks were accused of intentionally losing games to retain a draft pick.
In an effort to combat tanking, the NBA is implementing changes to the draft lottery system starting next season. The three teams with the worst records will have reduced odds for top picks, while playoff teams will be included in the lottery to incentivize competitive play. The lottery mechanism itself is shifting from number combinations to a ball-draw system, with the worst-performing teams receiving one fewer ball in the draw.
For Israeli fans, Carrington is a familiar name. His draft selection was traded in 2024 for Danny Avedia, who then moved to the Portland Trail Blazers. Avedia has played two seasons in the NBA, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 assists per game in his last season, and recorded the league's lowest plus-minus rating at 746-.