Here’s a dirty little secret that the NBA recently acknowledged: tanking works.

More often than not, having the first overall pick in the NBA Draft can instantly change a franchise’s fortunes in one season. It’s why teams often jockey for better draft position (i.e. tank) in the second half of the season. The emergence of Victor Wembanyama in his third season catapulted the San Antonio Spurs from 34 to 62 wins and an NBA Finals berth. They are set to contend for the crown for the next decade.

The Cleveland Cavs drafting Kyrie Irving first overall in 2011 would eventually lead to the city’s first sports championship since 1964. The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 lottery allowing them to draft Cooper Flagg —the best teenager to enter the NBA since LeBron James —softening the blow from the ill-advised Luka Doncic trade.

But it doesn’t always work out that way.…