NBA tanking is dead. Long live NBA tanking

The NBA Board of Governors adopted NBA draft lottery reform rules on Thursday by a reported vote of 28-1-1. (Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Thunder opposed and the Mavericks abstained.) The rules won’t go into effect until 2019, which means the Kings, Hawks, Bulls, Suns, Knicks, and Mavericks can lose to their hearts’ content without suffering this season. (What a weird sentence.)

Next year, what the changes will really do is make it much more profitable to be something like the fifth-to-10th-worst team and less profitable to be a bottom-three team. That’s just compared to the current scheme that’s been in place for 25 years. It will still be best to be a bottom-three team; the incentive has just been shaved down a bit.

As such, there will still be some level of tanking, in all likelihood: During rebuilding years, teams will try to maximize their odds of landing a top pick to the extent possible. You may not have teams openly gunning for the worst record and sitting healthy players to that effect (ahem, Phoenix). But there is still incentive in being bad.

Until the NBA abolishes the draft, that is.

Once more: J.J. Barea on how much help Puerto Rico needs. You can donate to J.J’s foundation here, which is on the ground in P.R. now. The stories out of Puerto Rico are harrowing, frustrating, and tragic. Here’s J.J. talking to Chris Ballard. Help if you can.

Here’s Zach Lowe’s take on tanking reform.

Adam Silver reiterates that he expects players to stand for the national anthem. This comes after a milquetoast response to President Trump’s attack on Stephen Curry over the weekend. As a single observer, I am increasingly less confident about Silver’s ability to navigate the politics of the moment in his league. Prove me wrong.

The Sparks’ Essence Carson explains why her team has not been on the court during the national anthem during the WNBA Finals.

Carmelo Anthony reveals that he was almost traded to the Cavaliers (with Paul George!) and the Rockets before eventually being moved to the Thunder.

Markelle Fultz is seriously in peril with this Chick-fil-A thing.

College basketball is in the throes of an FBI investigation over players getting paid under the table. Michael Beasley, who decided to spend a year playing for a mid-rung program in lovely Manhattan, Kan., has something to say.

The Warriors, a sports team that will receive $20 million to put a patch on their jerseys this season, expresses disappointment with the City of Oakland over cost overruns for their championship parade. A rather tone-deaf statement.

Uh oh! Andy Miller, whose offices was raided by FBI agents this week as a part of the college basketball scandal, is losing clients. Plus Willie Reed has filed a claim over lost wages ($13 million!) due to bad advice given by a Miller employee who has been arrested amid the scandal. This is getting increasingly messy!