Green urges heavy NBA fines for tanking teams
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called for the NBA to impose heavy fines on teams suspected of tanking after his team's 110-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. He questioned the league's enforcement, noting only two fines amid widespread tanking, and criticized the play-in tournament as ineffective. Green argued that the league readily fines players but hesitates with teams.
The NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league after pulling top players late in two February games. The Indiana Pacers received a $100,000 fine for violating the player participation policy in an early February matchup against Utah. Green referenced these penalties while pushing for broader, harsher financial punishments, stating teams love money just as much as players.
Green, a four-time NBA champion who has played his entire career with Golden State, also dismissed the play-in tournament's impact. Introduced under Commissioner Adam Silver partly to deter tanking, the format requires the seventh through 10th seeds in each conference to compete for playoff spots. He said it worked initially but fails now, as teams can lose their final 15 games and remain stuck in 10th place.
Golden State holds the 10th position in the Western Conference entering Wednesday and has secured a play-in berth. Green contrasted the motivation for a play-in road game against that of a deep playoff run, calling the former far less exciting. The league presented multiple anti-tanking proposals to its board of governors last month amid ongoing debates.
