The NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver are no longer in a joking mood when it comes to tanking, and the league’s latest disciplinary action against two teams has served as a warning to the rest of the franchises.
With the regular season now at its midpoint, a crucial stretch when the playoff picture in both conferences begins to take shape, especially at the top, the battle at the bottom of the standings has also intensified, as struggling teams position themselves for a higher draft pick to accelerate their rebuilds.
One of the teams expected to land in the lottery is the Utah Jazz, though with a caveat.
The franchise’s draft pick could end up belonging to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top eight. Utah’s pick is protected from No. 1 through No. 8, meaning that if it lands at No. 9 or lower, it would be conveyed to Oklahoma City.
As a result, the Jazz have a clear incentive not to win too many games in order to secure another top-tier prospect.
In recent outings, head coach Will Hardy did not play Keyonte George (ankle) and limited the fourth-quarter minutes of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen in games against the Orlando Magic, a loss, and the Miami Heat, which Utah won at the buzzer.
That approach, widely viewed as deliberate, proved costly. On Thursday, the NBA fined the Jazz $500,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league,” stating that “the integrity of the games was compromised.”
The Indiana Pacers also drew the league’s attention. Near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings since the start of the season, Indiana was fined $100,000 in the same statement that announced Utah’s penalty.
The Pacers were cited for violating the league’s player participation policy after resting star forward Pascal Siakam and two other starters without documented injuries.
“This type of overt behavior, prioritizing Draft position over winning games, undermines the foundation of NBA competition,” Silver said in response to the sanctions against the Jazz and Pacers.
“We will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games.”