NBA Teams Who Are Expert and Amateur Tankers Pt. 2

Image Courtesy of Vote the Process on YouTube.

By Sam Bergstrom

If you read the first part of this article, then you know how addicted NBA teams can become to tanking. When a team finds itself stuck in mediocrity, they unload all of their talent in the hopes of finding superior franchise talent in the draft. It is safe to say that some teams are quick to escape the tank, while others remain in a vicious cycle. Here are more instances of teams that reached basketball heaven, and others that remained stuck in tanking purgatory. 

Image Courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Experts: Boston Celtics 

Following Boston’s dominance in the late 2000s, it became clear that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were reaching the twilight of their careers. In the 2013 offseason, the Celtics made a blockbuster trade, shipping Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets for five players and three future first-round picks. For Boston, this is regarded as one of the greatest trades in NBA history. 

Following this trade, the Celtics went a measly 25-57 in 2014. Behind the unexpected rise of Isaiah Thomas, it took only one year for Boston to get back on track. In 2016, Boston used Brooklyn’s 3rd overall pick to select future Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. They then traded the Nets’ 1st overall pick for the 3rd overall pick in 2017, selecting franchise superstar Jayson Tatum. With this killer combo, the Celtics reached the playoffs for eight straight seasons (and counting). Brown and Tatum led Boston to their NBA-record 18th championship in 2023, proving just how important homegrown talent is. One big trade and bad season was all it took for Boston to march back to the promised land. 

Image Courtesy of NBC Sports.

Amateurs: Brooklyn Nets 

On the flip side of Boston’s brilliance, we find Brooklyn’s debauchery. After Pierce and Garnett brought Brooklyn to two playoff appearances, the Nets would suffer three seasons of misery; they won no more than 28 games from 2015 to 2018. To make the wounds saltier, Brooklyn watched Boston select franchise icons with the picks they traded away in 2013. Following a dark horse playoff appearance in 2019, Brooklyn fully escaped their tank by signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant that offseason. 

In 2021, Brooklyn conducted another boisterous blockbuster trade, unloading three players and four first-round picks for James Harden in an attempt to assemble a superteam. Much like the Pierce and Garnett era, Brooklyn would crash and burn after just two playoff appearances. Their stars dropped like flies in 2023, and Brooklyn was yet again back to square one. Square two has yet to be reached, as the Nets have been at the bottom of the barrel for the last three seasons. It seems Brooklyn has been more patient with their current rebuild, waiting for talent to come in the draft rather than looking to purchase a powerhouse. Who knows? Maybe with their current haul of future first-round picks, the Nets will become experts of the tank. 

Image Courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Experts: Chicago Bulls 

In the early 1980s, the Chicago Bulls were a bit of an afterthought, struggling to put together 40-win seasons. Despite playing in one of America’s most exciting cities, the Bulls had yet to find a star to put them on the map. Despite a melancholy 27-55 record in 1984, Chicago missed out on the first overall pick. Instead, the Bulls landed at pick number three. They watched Hakeem Olajuwon go first overall to Houston, and then Sam Bowie came off the board to Portland. As a result, a man by the name of Michael Jordan fell into their laps. Six titles later, and it is safe to say that Chicago has more than perfected their tank.

Image Courtesy of ESPN.

Amateurs: Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers have not struggled as much as the other teams I have mentioned, but they still need to be labeled as amateurs. Why? From 2012 to 2016, 76ers GM Sam Hinkie made it his mission to construct a championship winner solely by tanking. He notoriously told Philly fans to “Trust the Process,” as they watched their team constantly finish at the bottom of the barrel. 

“The Process” resulted in Philadelphia receiving numerous top-three draft picks in the 2010s. With these picks, the 76ers drafted players such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Of these selections, Embiid is the only player who became a 76ers legend, winning the 2022 NBA MVP. While Simmons was a 3x All-Star, his 76ers career spiraled out of control after a disappointing showing in the 2021 playoffs. What stings most for Philly fans is how they infamously traded up with the Celtics to select Markelle Fultz first overall in 2017. While Boston’s Tatum—who was selected third overall—became a superstar, Fultz played a meager 33 games for Philly before being traded in 2019. 

Following Hinkie’s resignation in 2016, Philadelphia cruised to seven consecutive playoff appearances, and all of them ended in heartbreaking fashion. Since the 76ers have yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs, it might be time to say “The Process” has failed.