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

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.

#4 - Charlotte Hornets

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.