Warriors of the Golden State Star Stephen Curry downplayed the NBA’s recent fines against the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for tanking during All-Star Media Day. After Warriors veteran Draymond Green called out Adam Silver For the NBA’s new All-Star Game format, Curry addressed the intriguing topic of teams improving their chances of landing a good draft pick by benching their best players.
Curry questioned the severity of the NBA’s sanctions tanking problem during his press briefing on Saturday.
“Is it really that big of a deal? I ask. We feel like there’s obviously a lot of competition,” Curry said. “It’s something the NBA wants to address every year, I’m sure: why the Play-in Tournament exists. Things evolve, problems arise and everyone wants to shine a spotlight on all the negatives in the league. But let’s focus on the positives of the quality of competition at the top. There’s always relevance in terms of the regular season in terms of standings and the playoff race.
“I know there’s a conversation around the number of games we play. That’s probably where I would focus more of my attention. Let’s not forget the league is in a great place overall in terms of attention, skill level, global reach, all that. Every year you’ll address the issues. But I don’t have those answers,” Curry concluded.
Steph Curry was asked what he thinks the NBA should do to reduce tanking:
“Is it really that big of a deal? I ask. We feel like there’s obviously a lot of competition. That’s something I’m sure every year the NBA wants to address, why does the Play-in tournament exist. Things… pic.twitter.com/tMVMb1VaNK
– aly ✶ (@jinthirty) February 14, 2026
For Curry, the 82-game regular season should also be a talking point. Perhaps reducing the 82 games or adding a week or two to the season would help explain just how demanding the NBA regular season can be, as Stephen Curry noted.
Adam Silver talks tanking NBA teams
Without any specific ideas to divulge, the NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that tanking is a problem in the league, an issue that will be addressed beyond the recent fines levied against the league. Money broached the subject during his availability at Media Day.
“We are now talking about every possible remedy to stop this behavior,” Silver responded.
“We are now talking about all possible remedies to put an end to this behavior.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on taking away draft picks from teams instead of imposing fines 🗣️pic.twitter.com/q9f45Xj0rd
– Clutch Points (@ClutchPoints) February 14, 2026
New sanctions for teams with their best players could be announced by the NBA in the near future.
