After trading Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut back in 2012, it became so clear that the Golden State Warriors would not be winning enough games to make the playoffs that tanking was truly the only option.
The most memorable moment for me was the final game of the season against the San Antonio Spurs on April 26, 2012. The Spurs didn’t need to win so Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker were inactive while a young Kawhi Leonard just didn’t play. The Warriors didn’t want to win because another win would put them at a greater risk of losing their 2012 draft pick (click here for more about that).