Spurs’ prized possession is being ruined by NBA’s rampant tanking issue

The tanking conversation has taken on a life of its own, and I don't really care to get into the discussion of what's right and wrong in team-building strategies. However, I do have a problem with the number of franchises aiming for the bottom of the standings because it's disrupting the chances that San Antonio's first-rounder from Atlanta will be a high lottery pick.

The Hawks are sitting in 10th place right now. If the season were to end today, they'd get a chance to make the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. Losing would kick them down into the lottery, and that's good, but when you look at the number of teams spiraling, you can't help but wonder what ATL's record might be if everyone was actually trying.

The 2026 NBA Draft has teams acting differently

By all accounts, this is supposed to be the draft of all drafts. The analysts all say the depth of talent is historic. That's not the only factor here, though. The expectations for the following years are much lower. The 2027 and 2028 classes are looked at as lackluster, to say the least, so if an organization can't get a game-changer now, they may be screwed for a couple of years.

Hitting on draft picks has never been more important in this era. The restrictive rules in the CBA make it almost impossible to build through trade and free agency. That's not too different from the way San Antonio has typically operated in the past, but they're not exempt from dealing with the same weak talent pool as everyone else.

Just like the rest of the league, the Spurs are likely looking at this draft with wide eyes, but their choices are going to be limited. They jumped the line for Dylan Harper last offseason and have landed a top-four pick three years in a row. The odds are against another jump like that for the Silver and Black.

Too many tankings teams are muddying the bottom of the standings

Their best chance to land one of the upper echelon elite prospects is Atlanta's downfall. Out of the five teams below them in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks are the only ones who seem like they at least want to win. They got on a roll with Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the lineup recently, so maybe when he comes back, Milwaukee will take off.

If only the East were the only conference to worry about. The Mavericks just ruled Kyrie Irving out for the year, the Kings are awful, the Jazz are tanking so hard that Adam Silver fined them half a million bucks, and the Pelicans and Grizzlies are going nowhere fast.

Atlanta is 10-11 since January 1. That record could be, at minimum, one game and probably more. They won a two-point game against Utah just over a week ago and blew the doors off the Pelicans in early January. This team shouldn't be blowing anybody out. It just goes to show how thirsty everyone is for a lottery pick this summer, and their desperation is getting in the Spurs' way.