![\"SACRAMENTO,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770838390_206_GettyImages-2210653934-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Sacramento Kings aren\u2019t the only team with aspirations of obtaining a high draft pick this summer\u2013not by a long shot.<\/p>\n
As Sacramento enters the All-Star break on a franchise-record-tying 14-game losing streak, more teams around the NBA have unofficially waved the white flag as they look towards a loaded 2026 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n
Aside from the NBA-worst Kings (12-44), the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets are all in the mix to have strong odds of securing the top draft pick in May\u2019s draft lottery.<\/p>\n
While a rebuild may be exactly what a team like Sacramento needs to establish a new core, is it concerning that so many teams are all but calling it a season before the All-Star break?<\/p>\n
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(Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The NBA\u2019s tanking problem may have reached a new low this season, at least in terms of how widespread it has become. While there have been more blatant examples in the past, the current landscape feels different \u2014 and arguably worse.<\/p>\n
The Athletic\u2018s Sam Amick<\/a> joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his thoughts on where things stand for the league and tanking as we enter the break.<\/p>\n \u201cThis might be recency bias, but it does feel like the worst we\u2019ve seen,\u201d Amick said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen individual tank jobs that were more egregious, obviously the Sixers and their famous Process.\u201d<\/p>\n What separates this era from previous ones, Amick explained, is the sheer volume of teams engaging in some form of intentional losing. Rather than a handful of franchises bottoming out, the league now resembles a full-blown race to the bottom\u2013or top, in this case, of the Tankathon odds standings.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is so many teams,\u201d Amick continued. \u201cIt\u2019s like a race to the bottom, in spite of the flattening of the odds.\u201d<\/p>\n The flattened lottery odds were designed to discourage tanking by reducing the advantage of finishing with the league\u2019s worst record. Yet even with that change, the behavior persists \u2014 and the results back it up.<\/p>\n (Photo by Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst team hasn\u2019t gotten the first pick since the system was changed, and nobody seems to care,\u201d Amick said.<\/p>\n To Amick\u2019s point, Sactown Sports\u2019 Brenden Nunes laid out that same fact<\/a> earlier this week:<\/p>\n In 2019, the Knicks had the best odds and fell to third as the Pelicans (7th-best odds) and Grizzlies (8th) leapfrogged them into first and second.<\/p>\n One year later, Golden State had the worst record and finished second, while the Timberwolves (3rd) earned the first pick. The 2021 lottery was more tame as Detroit (2nd best odds) ended up first, the only team to surpass the Rockets, who owned the worst record.<\/p>\n It was a somewhat similar story in 2022, as the worst-seeded Rockets fell to third, while Orlando (2nd) and Oklahoma City (4th) jumped to the first two spots.<\/p>\n But in the three most recent seasons, the team with the worst record has walked away from the lottery with their worst possible outcome, the fifth overall pick. So, since the NBA flattened its lottery odds, the team with the worst record has yet to come away with the first pick in the lottery. Here\u2019s a simpler look at how the top four picks have panned out.<\/p>\n Sactown Sports\u2019 Brenden Nunes<\/a> \u2013 February 10, 2026<\/p>\n That reality, Amick noted, is becoming a major talking point around the league and among media members, with broader implications for the product itself.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s definitely going to be a topic of discussion,\u201d Amick continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a big deal because your casual NBA fan doesn\u2019t even realize that roughly 30 percent of the games right now aren\u2019t on a level playing field.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got to do something, here. It\u2019s loud,\u201d Amick added. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be change coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out the full interview with The Athletic\u2018s Sam Amick by scrolling to the top of the page or by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n Listen to\u00a0The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross\u00a0from 6 \u2013 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on\u00a0Sactown Sports 1140.<\/a><\/p>\n Click here for full episodes of\u00a0The Carmichael Dave Show with\u00a0Jason Ross<\/a><\/p>\n More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n When is the next Sacramento Kings game?<\/p>\n The Sacramento Kings will return from the All-Star break on Thursday, February 19th, and face the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center.<\/p>\n Last season, Orlando swept the season series vs. Sacramento (2-0).<\/p>\n Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Orlando Magic action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on\u00a0Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n Thursday, February 19th\u00a0vs. Orlando Magic \u2013 7:00 PM PT Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-1404783278-300x200.jpg\")
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\nSaturday, February 21st\u00a0@ San Antonio Spurs \u2013 5:00 PM PT
\nMonday, February 23rd\u00a0@ Memphis Grizzlies \u2013 5:00 PM PT
\nWednesday, February 25th\u00a0\u2013 @ Houston Rockets \u2013 5:00 PM PT
\nThursday, February 26th @ Dallas Mavericks \u2013 5:30 PM PT<\/p>\n
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