The NBA has fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 for what league officials called “conduct detrimental to the league” and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy, league officials announced Thursday night.
In addition, commissioner Adam Silver said in an NBA news release that the league is seeking “to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”
“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,” Silver said in the news release. “Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”
On Feb. 7, the Jazz played the Orlando Magic in Orlando. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. had combined to score 49 points over the first three quarters, helping Utah to a 94-87 lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Jazz held out Markkanen, Jackson and fellow starter Jusuf Nurkić for the entire fourth quarter and lost the game to the Magic 120-117.
Two nights later, the Jazz carried an 85-82 lead over the Miami Heat into the fourth quarter and once again did not play Markkanen, Jackson and Nurkić in the final period. But Utah wound up beating Miami 115-111.
Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith responded to the fine in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday night with an eye roll emoji. “agree to disagree … Also, we won the game in Miami and got fined? That makes sense …”
The Jazz owe a protected first-round pick in the 2026 draft. If the Jazz’s own pick falls outside the top eight, the Jazz must convey that pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That gives the Jazz added incentive to lose this season. If a team finishes in the bottom four of the league standings, it can fall in the lottery to no worse than eighth in the draft order.
A team that finishes the season with the league’s fifth-worst record will have a 0.6 percent chance of dropping in the lottery and receiving the No. 9 pick.
The Pacers’ fine stems from their Feb. 3 game against the Jazz — a game the Pacers lost 131-122.
That game took place on the second night of a back-to-back. Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith were held out of the game. At the time, the Pacers said Siakam was resting, Nembhard was said to be on low back injury management, and Nesmith was said to have a left hand strain.
In a news release, league officials said they had conducted an investigation of the Pacers that included a review by an independent physician. League officials said they determined that Siakam, who is considered a star player under the policy, and two Pacers starters who did not play in the game could have played under the medical standard detailed by 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,” the league said in its news release.