The National Basketball Association is expressing significant dissatisfaction with what appears to be highly transparent attempts at deliberately losing games lately.
On Thursday, the organization declared penalties: a $500,000 fine for the Utah Jazz and a $100,000 fine for the Indiana Pacers, citing their recent decisions regarding player lineups. Within the official announcement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver unusually characterized the conduct of both franchises as clear efforts to enhance their standing in the upcoming draft through intentional defeats:
“Such explicit actions, which prioritize draft seeding over achieving victories, erode the core principles of NBA rivalry, and we will take appropriate action against any subsequent behaviors that jeopardize the fairness of our matchups,” stated NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “Furthermore, we are collaborating with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to introduce additional strategies to eliminate this kind of practice.”
The official communication highlighted particular instances concerning both organizations. The Jazz’s behavior was categorized as “actions harmful to the league,” as the NBA pointed out that the team pulled key players Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. from games against the Orlando Magic on February 7th and the Miami Heat on February 9th, subsequent to the third quarter.
No health concerns or alternative explanations were given for the withdrawal of Markkanen or Jackson, although subsequent reports indicated Jackson was under a minutes cap owing to a knee problem requiring surgical intervention. Utah held a 94-87 advantage over the Magic going into the final period and an 85-82 lead against the Heat at the identical juncture, precisely when both prominent players were taken out.
Ironically, the Jazz emerged victorious in that subsequent match with a score of 115-111. The Magic, conversely, staged a comeback to triumph 120-117 in the initial contest.
Ryan Smith, the proprietor of the Jazz, voiced his disagreement with the penalty through a social media statement: “I beg to differ … Furthermore, we secured a win in the Miami game and still incurred a penalty? That seems illogical …”
The Pacers, on the other hand, are alleged to have breached the NBA’s Player Involvement Guidelines in relation to their game versus the Jazz on February 3rd. A league inquiry, which incorporated an assessment by an unbiased physician, concluded that standout forward Pascal Siakam and a pair of additional starting players, all of whom were benched, were medically cleared to participate according to the policy’s health criteria.
Siakam’s absence was officially attributed to a rest day, yet the NBA indicated that the Pacers had the option to rest players in alternative contests “in a manner that would have more effectively supported adherence to the Guidelines.” The Jazz ultimately secured a 131-122 victory in that encounter.
These penalties signify the NBA’s firm stance against intentional losing, although the implicated franchises might simply perceive them as an unavoidable operational expense. It appears unlikely that their performance will improve moving ahead, as Jackson was declared out for the remainder of the season earlier on Thursday, and Markkanen sat out games on both Tuesday and Thursday for recovery.
Alongside the Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and New Orleans Pelicans (whose unrestricted 2026 first-round selection is held by the Atlanta Hawks), the Jazz and Pacers constitute two of five organizations with 18 or fewer victories this current season. The incentive is apparent for any squad that concludes the season with the poorest record in the NBA: an assured selection within the top five in a draft featuring one of the most talented collegiate freshman groups ever witnessed in basketball.
Individuals such as Darryn Peterson from Kansas, AJ Dybantsa from BYU, Cameron Boozer from Duke, and Caleb Wilson from UNC are all considered potential transformative players for franchises, with numerous other impactful prospects following them for teams that experience misfortune in the lottery drawing. Organizations have been anticipating this particular draft for an extended period, making their strategic moves in line with that expectation.
Similar to the Jazz, the Wizards also possess a towering player obtained during the trade period who may not participate further this season, namely Anthony Davis. The ex-Mavericks standout has not yet appeared for the squad due to an ailment to his finger, nor has Trae Young, who was brought in last month and continues to be sidelined with an MCL ailment.
