NBA's rumored anti-tanking overhaul would gift Spurs an embarrassment of riches

The NBA's recent attempt to crack down on tanking has been the talk of the league, with the San Antonio Spurs partly to blame. Tanking has long been a problem, but only recently has the NBA seriously attempted to solve it.

The league is right to want to curb tanking, and the Spurs' recent lottery luck has come into focus. Of course, they selected first, fourth, and second in three straight NBA drafts.

That landed them superstar Victor Wembanyama and rising stars Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Obviously, it's great for them, but other teams and even the league itself clearly have a problem with it.

However, one potential rule change could help to curb tanking while also giving a lifeline to contending teams hoping to stay out of the first and second aprons.

The NBA must overhaul the second round to curb tanking

As CBS's Sam Quinn points out, the NBA shouldn't be looking to fix tanking without addressing the second round of the NBA Draft.

The focus has been on penalizing teams for tanking, but the second round gives those teams additional help.

Quinn suggests flipping the second round, allowing for contending teams such as the Spurs to get picks in the thirties. On the other hand, bad teams would pick late in the second round.

Why would the NBA reward contenders by giving them high second-round picks? Well, the recent collective bargaining agreement made it much more difficult for excellent teams to remain competitive long-term.

The second round should reward good teams, not bad teams

The aforementioned first and second aprons have forced playoff teams to slash salaries while sacrificing talent. The Boston Celtics are a case in point, with them overhauling their roster to stay out of the second apron.

To their credit, they are still one of the best teams in the NBA. Nevertheless, the CBA could eventually force other great teams, including the Spurs, to make moves that hurt their title hopes.

That shouldn't be the NBA's goal, however. They should want a great team to remain great while also spending responsibly. Therefore, reward good teams for their success by giving them a high second-rounder.

Ideally a good team would have a late first-round selection and an early second-round pick to work with. In San Antonio's case, that would give them the 27th pick—if they didn't have swap rights with the Atlanta Hawks—and the 33rd pick.

Giving good teams the opportunity to add two cheap and young prospects every year would help those teams remain competitive and out of the luxury tax. It would also help the NBA curb tanking—win-win.