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[RGP1981]

This is an idea that I've been thinking about a lot, but not all drafts are created equal and if you are bad in the wrong year (2000, 2006, 2013, etc.), your team might not have improved and are locked out of getting better through no fault of your own.  I do wonder if just reducing it to no top 4 picks in back-to-back years might have the same impact.  Or at the very least, use some form of this concept to prevent "The Process" from happening.

You make a good point, but I don't know if reducing it to no Top 4 picks in back-to-back years will be enough of a deterrent. Look at the picks the Spurs got in the last 3 years: #1, #4 and #2. If that #4 pick had been a #5 pick, it would not have been any different than no Top 4 picks in back-to-back years.

I think the 1-4 years solution mentioned above strikes a better balance that will limit the number of teams who are actively tanking. This seems to be the most that can be done to provide equal opportunity and entice teams not to tank. Teams will still be able to get a Top 5 pick and above (which is nothing to sneeze at), and they will just have to do a better job of scouting, drafting and developing players.

If they implement this rule in conjunction with taking the average of 2-years standing, it would also prevent the NBA from fixing the draft to keep teams they want at the top, or to reward teams who tow the company line. It would also prevent teams doing a Spurs-like tank for Tim Duncan.