Looking at the current NBA standings, it doesn't seem like tanking is the recipe to compete for a title.
Look at the teams that are good this year:
Golden State 54-24. Never fully tanked. They had a run of poor records from 2009 to 2012, but they never had a pick higher than #6 in the NBA draft (BTW, that #6 pick was someone named Ekpe Udoh from Baylor who never averaged more than 5 ppg). The key pieces that they drafted were obviously Curry (#7 pick in 2009; Klay Thompson #11 pick in 2011; Draymond #35 pick in 2012).
Bucks 59-20. Never fully tanked. They had one tank worthy season in the last 10 years: 2013-4 when they went 15-67. They got the #2 pick and drafted Jabari Parker, who never contributed to their current success; so tanking didn't really help. The path of the franchise changed in 2013, when with the #15 pick in the draft, the Bucks landed the Greek Freak. The year leading into the drafting of the Freak, the Bucks made the playoffs at 38-44. So, tanking didn't lead to the foundation of the franchise.
Raptors 56-23. Never tanked. Have not had a draft pick better than #5 in the last 13 drafts. The one #5 pick was Jonas Valanciunas, who the Raptors just traded. Raptors have essentially built their team through shrewd trades and solid mid-round draft picks.
Rockets 51-28. Never tanked; in fact, #14 in the NBA Draft is the best Rockets' draft position since 2006. Like Toronto, the Rockets have built their team through shrewd trades and FA acquisitions.
Spurs 45-34. Have not tanked since 1997. Even though the Spurs have the longest current streak of NBA relevance, the Spurs have not picked higher than #18 the NBA draft in 21 years.
Blazers 50-28. Never tanked . Blazers will have won 50 or more games 4 times in the last 7 years, yet they haven't picked higher than #13 in the NBA draft since taking Greg Oden #1 in 2007.
Jazz 48-30. Never tanked. In 2011, the Jazz just missed the playoffs with 39 wins, and got lucky and landed the #3 pick in the NBA draft lottery. They picked Enes Kanter, who had little role in the Jazz success. The Jazz made shrewd player acquisitions, and a great late first round pick, Donovan Mitchell to build their current team.
Nuggets 52-26. Never tanked. Haven't lost less than 30 games in 16 years. Haven't picked better than #7 in the NBA draft in 16 years.
76ers 49-30. Massively tanked. It has worked for them, but that seems like the exception, rather than the rule. Even so, they endured several truly awful seasons, and have had some horrendous draft selections over the last 10 years: 2010 - Evan Turner #2, 2015 Jahlil Okafor #3, 2017 Markelle Fultz #1.
Celtics 47-32. Never tanked. They have made the playoffs 11 times in the last 12 years. They have gained high draft picks through smart trades.
Pacers 47-32. Never tanked. Haven't won less than 32 games for the last 29 years. Have made the playoffs 8 times in the last 9 seasons. Paul George at #10 in the 2010 NBA draft is the Pacers highest pick in the last 20+ years.
Teams that have tanked in the last 10 years:
Suns 18-61. Have not made the playoffs in 9 years. They have had a top 5 draft pick five times in the last 6 years, but their best player, Devin Booker, was picked #13 in 2015, during one of the few seasons when the didn't have a top 10 pick.
Magic 39-40. Have not made the playoffs in 8 years. The Magic have had top 6 draft picks 5 times in the last 6 years. They have had the #2 pick once: Victor Oladipo and the #5 pick once: Mario Hezonja.
Kings 39-40. Have not made the playoffs in 12 years. In the last 10 NBA drafts, the Kings have had five top 5 picks, including #2 last year - Marvin Bagley.
Knicks 15-63. Have not made the playoffs in 6 years. Have drafted in the top 10; 3 times (will be 4, and maybe 5, after this year), and have almost nothing to show for it: Frank Ntilkina, Kevin Knox and the Dallas #1 pick for Porzingis.
Lakers 35-44. Haven't made the playoffs in 6 years. Had the #2 pick in the NBA draft (fixed?) 3 years in a row. To show for that: D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Blah.
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