NBA tanking is a problem, so here is one possible solution to encourage quality regular-season play

The NBA’s current lottery system incentivizes less-than-blessed franchises to do all they can to do as little as possible in order to be in the best position to draft someone like, say, Victor Wembanyama.

The league has tried various initiatives to curb the scourge that is tanking — something commissioner Adam Silver is so concerned about he addressed it to team employees with the Phoenix Suns recently — a franchise that seemingly has very little chance of such a worry.

As tantalizingly good as Wembanyama is, it isn’t exclusive to his future draft eligibility. It’s a strategy so many struggling franchises have engaged in it’s almost common practice.

But the league should consider taking a more drastic step, one that would at least prevent years on years of tanking that embarrasses the competitive balance of the league and its integrity.

The NBA should implement a rule preventing teams that wind up in the top three of the draft to be eligible for the top three of the next draft — by way of the lottery.

Rarely do teams get top-three picks in consecutive years, which is decided by the randomness of the draft lottery. But fixing the draft lottery isn’t the problem; fixing the regular-season tanking is the issue.

In this scenario, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Houston would not be eligible to obtain top-three picks in next year’s draft lottery. The best any of the teams could do would be fourth, and that’s if — if — they finish with records that would have warranted the absolute best odds at 14 percent.

Under the current system, the worst three teams have equal odds, followed by teams’ odds starting at 12.5 percent and descending by order of record. Here’s where it can potentially be fun.

If Orlando, Oklahoma City or Houston is in that top tier of worst records, the best odds for a top-three pick would go to the next…