5 Worst tanking attempts by NBA teams in recent history

The NBA has seen some superb tank jobs in the last decade, whether it is the Sam Hinkie-'The Process' Philadelphia 76ers or the post-Steve Nash era Phoenix Suns. The Suns managed to reach the NBA Finals last season courtesy of their stellar tank job, as Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges all played pivotal roles in their memorable playoff run.

However, there are certain instances of things going wrong as well. In this article, we will take a look at the five worst tank jobs in recent NBA history.

5 worst NBA tank jobs that teams attempted in the last few years

Here are the five teams that ended up botching their attempts to pull off a tank job in the last decade. The likes of the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings feature on this list -

#5 - Sacramento Kings

Milwaukee Bucks v Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings attempted to tank around the 2008-2009 season, but they ended up using their valuable first-round pick on DeMarcus Cousins in the 2010 draft. Cousins gave them decent output in his first few years, but the franchise was unable to achieve anything of note during his tenure.

Once again: BUDDY HIELD, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, one future first-round pick & one future second for DeMarcus Cousins, sources say

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 20, 2017

Their subsequent picks ended up being Thomas Robinson, Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas, Willie Cauley-Stein, Harry Giles, and Justin Jackson. None of these players made the NBA All-Star team even once, and a majority of them are role players on various teams now.

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#4 - Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets v Washington Wizards

The Charlotte Hornets' front office has been lauded for their superb decision-making lately, whether it is the draft or the trade market. However, it was not the case earlier, as the Hornets made a horrific attempt to tank in the earlier part of the decade.

OFFICIAL: Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & GM Mitch Kupchak announced today that the team has waived F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist🔗 https://t.co/Dx2vdLYNKG pic.twitter.com/U8kjlivfic

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 8, 2020

They went 34-48 in the 2010-2011 season and followed it by trading their A-listers in the hopes of tanking in subsequent seasons. The result was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh and Frank Kaminsky. Kidd-Gilchrist was taken over talents like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. He, like the other three aforementioned front-court players, has had a below-average NBA career so far.

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#3 - Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic v New York Knicks NBA game

The Orlando Magic's life post the Dwight Howard era did not go as planned, as the best player they could acquire after tanking for a couple of years was Nikola Vucevic. The European big became the leading scorer on the Magic, but the franchise was not able to do much in the playoffs with him as their best option.

They made a few other good picks like Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon but failed to capitalize on their talents. Oladipo, Gordon, and Vucevic are all now on different NBA teams.

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#2 - New York Knicks

New York Knicks Introduce New Signees

The New York Knicks tanked hard to get Zion Williamson, but the college superstar ended up in the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans instead. The Knicks drafted RJ Barrett instead, who has turned out to be a fine player, but it remains to be seen whether he will be worth the tank.

They also missed out on Ja Morant, who has established himself as a franchise point guard. The Knicks' dream of landing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant also didn't materialize, making them one of the worst tanking teams of recent years.

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#1 - Cleveland Cavaliers

2021 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot

The Cleveland Cavaliers tanked badly in the mid-2010s to draft players who could go on to build a superteam alongside their 2011 no. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving. They succeeded in getting the first pick in 2013 and 2014 but wasted it by drafting Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.

Andrew Wiggins was a part of the Kevin Love trade, which led to the formation of the 'big 3' of Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, and LeBron James. The trio delivered a championship, but Love did not play a significant role as James and Irving did the majority of the heavy lifting. Anthony Bennett, on the other hand, is considered to be one of the worst NBA busts of all time.