As the 2026 NBA Postseason Rolls on, We Rank the "Free-Throw Merchants" with the Most Shameless Theatrics
Among the handful of issues plaguing the NBA's product in recent years, flopping has come to the forefront. Going back to the 2012-13 season, the league officially introduced anti-flopping rules, starting with warnings and escalating to fines ($5,000 min.) for repeat offenders. The next season, they upped the max fine to $30,000. The problem was that these fines were rarely issued to those who consistently found banana peels under their Nikes. Plus, what is $30,000 to a player making $40 million a year? As fans and league officials began to murmur, stricter measures were explored.
After a trial run, the league permanently adopted a rule with more teeth and the potential to affect wins and losses. Ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, the offending player is charged with a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, and the opposing team is awarded one free throw attempt, which can be made by any player who is in the game when the tech is called. They also kept the fines, adding a minimum $2,000 tag for obvious flops not called by the referee. That said, just one missed-call post-game fine has been issued this season. According to Spotrac, only Malik Monk was fined $2,000 for a flop-tacular job of acting as if he had been nailed by a wooden chair in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies in late November.
Even players like Cade Cunningham, known for his gritty, no-nonsense approach, have had enough. Speaking to GQ's Matthew Roberson back in February 2026, the Pistons floor general blasted some of his peers:
"The flopping is just too much. ... Three of the top 5, 10 guys [in the NBA] are doing it constantly."
While Cade didn't name names, it got us thinking as the NBA playoffs roll on: who are the top master foul baiters? The free-throw merchants, as the kids say. As Round 1 of the postseason takes shape, let's shake out the most notorious flop-offenders.
