The NBA fined the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers for what they perceived as attempts to tank for a better draft position by resting starters at the end of competitive games.
The league fined the Jazz $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for violating its player participation policy with what league officials called “conduct detrimental to the league.”
In addition, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a 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. “Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”
The Pacers (15-40) sit 14th in the Eastern Conference standings. The Jazz (18-38) are 13th in the Western Conference.
On Feb. 7, the Jazz played the Orlando Magic in Orlando. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. 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 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 an X post 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 Utah’s own pick falls outside the top eight, the team 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 Indiana 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 release, league officials said they had conducted an investigation of the Pacers that included a review by an independent physician. 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.
The Pacers, like the Jazz, also have an incentive to keep losing the rest of the season. Two days after the majority of its starters did not play against Utah, Indiana acquired center Ivica Zubac from the LA Clippers in a multi-player trade.
As part of the deal, Indiana sent the Clippers a 2026 first-round pick that would only go to LA if Indiana lands between the fifth and ninth spots in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery. If the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick lands in the top four or any spot after No. 10, LA would instead receive Indiana’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick. The Pacers have a 48.1 percent chance to land a top-four pick and, therefore, retain their 2026 first-round selection.
Zubac, an All-Defensive Second Team member last season, has yet to make his Indiana debut. He missed the last two games before the All-Star break with what the Pacers have described as a lingering left ankle sprain from his time with the Clippers. Zubac missed five consecutive games in late December through early January because of that injury, but had been playing through it ever since.
“Initially, it was deemed to be a four-to-six-week injury. … He pushed to come back early. Their team was struggling,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday on 107.5 The Fan. “There’s just something in there still. There’s some discomfort. There’s some swelling.
“You admire the guy for slugging through, but at this point, it makes zero sense for him to be out on the floor in an NBA game if he’s not feeling as close to 100 percent as possible.”