The NBA on Thursday night fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000, penalties that came after the league said both teams sat healthy players during recent games in moves that reignited criticism of tanking to improve draft position.
“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”
The Jazz fine came due to the team’s actions in games against the Orlando Magic on Feb. 7 (a 120-117 loss) and the Miami Heat on Feb. 9 (a 115-111 win). During them, Utah benched stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the fourth quarter “even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt,” the league said.
The Pacers, meanwhile, violated the player participation policy against the Jazz on Feb. 3. The league said an investigation showed that Indiana star Pascal Siakam and two other Pacers starters who sat out the game “could have played under the medical standard in the Policy, including by playing reduced minutes. Alternatively, the team could have held the players out of other games in a way that would have better promoted compliance with the Policy.”
Utah owner Ryan Smith took to social media after the NBA announced the punishment, writing: “Agree to disagree … Also, we won the game in Miami and got fined? That makes sense …”
Tanking to improve draft position has taken on a renewed focus this season given the potential 2026 class includes three strong contenders to be the No. 1 pick — Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.
The Pacers (15-40) and Jazz (18-37) are among the bottom-six teams in the league.