Bub Carrington admits to "tanking" to get the No. 1 pick in the Draft

There comes a point every season—if not throughout it—when some NBA teams do not offer their best version with the intention of losing games, finishing as low as possible in the standings, and having a better chance of selecting in the top spots of the draft the best young players who are coming up. "Tanking," as evident as it is difficult to prove.

However, there are times when someone lets something slip and reveals what was there for all to see but no one dared to confront. That happened to Bub Carrington, a Wizards player, whose team was the worst in the NBA last season with a 17-65 record. The 21-year-old acknowledged that they did everything possible to lose in hopes of landing promising AJ Dybantsa in the draft, which is ultimately what happened.

“Everyone was held back, in a way, simply because we were trying to land AJ Dybantsa. That’s no secret. But now, no. No one has handcuffs on. Everyone is free of ties,” said Carrington, who sees the team aiming for the title playoffs: "If you add the coaching staff and the veterans to that, we have a playoff team. That’s going to happen. If not now, then whenever it does."

Carrington's words could prompt an NBA investigation, as the league has recently shown great concern over "tanking," has considered measures to combat it, and has sanctioned some franchises. The Mavericks were fined $750,000 in 2023 after resting players in the final two games. In February of this year, the Jazz had to pay $500,000 for deliberately keeping key players on the bench. And it cost the Pacers $100,000 to misrepresent the availability of their players for a game.

However, journalist Sam Amick of "The Athletic" states that despite Carrington's admission, the Wizards are going to come out of this case unscathed. "According to a source, the NBA will not sanction the Wizards' point guard or the team for their candid comments about the strategy of losing on purpose," he wrote.