The Miami Heat may finally be able to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to playing for the playoffs while also getting their shot at the NBA lottery. That's because if one of the new proposed anti-tanking proposals does pass, the Heat would be one of the few winners across the league.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on a few of the NBA's plans to enact anti-tanking beginning next season. One of those proposals speaks right to the Heat, in which teams that make the Play-In Tournament would also be eligible to participate in the lottery.
It's a move that would've given the hit a shot to win the lottery, despite still making the playoffs each of the last few seasons. It would also help bridge the difference of philosophy between fans that want the Heat to flat out tank vs. playing for the playoffs (especially when creeping out of the Play-In Tournament seems unlikely).
Here are the rest of the proposals that could be implemented as soon as next season:
- First-round draft picks can be protected only for top-four or top-14-plus selections
- Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date
- No longer allowing a team to pick in the top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes
- Teams can't pick in the top four the year after making the conference finals
- Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records
- Lottery extended to include all play-in teams
- Flatten odds for all lottery teams
In hopes of getting control of the tanking wave that has taken the league by storm, the NBA is looking for ways to make the product more digestible for all fans. The Heat, specifically, would seemingly be one of the teams that would be in favor of many of these anti-tanking proposals.
And based on their philosophy of late, you'd have to imagine that at least a few of these rules would be beneficial to their culture.
The Heat seem destined for another Play-In Tournament appearance
For example, the Heat is currently destined for another Play-In Tournament appearance this year. But if the new proposals were in effect right now, even if the Heat were to make the Play-In, they'd still be eligible for the lottery.
That would essentially mean that the Heat can still make a push for the playoffs while maintaining their odds of winning the lottery. You'd have to think that, in the Heat's eyes, that's a big win-win for the front office.
The NBA is looking for more competitiveness across the league, especially down the stretch. It's not clear whether these proposals would solve all of the league's tanking issues, but you can't fault them for attempting to improve their product.
And, in the process, the Heat would be at least one team that would be pleased with these changes.