NBA fines Jazz, Pacers, says integrity can’t be compromised

The NBA on Thursday night fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000, with the league saying both teams sat healthy players in recent games while noting that moves that compromise its integrity won’t be tolerated.

“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.

Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked after the Miami game whether he considered playing Markkanen and Jackson in the fourth quarter.

“I wasn’t,” Hardy said succinctly.

The Pacers, meanwhile, violated the player participation policy against the Jazz on Feb. 3. The league said an investigation showed that 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 …”

The player participation policy was put in place in September 2023 to try to discourage clubs from purposely losing to improve their chances in the draft lottery. It has taken on renewed focus this year because of the potential 2026 class considered the strongest in several years, with 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.

The NBA fined Utah $100,000 last season after the Jazz rested Markkanen in multiple games.

He and the recently acquired Jackson are the building blocks for the Jazz to try to get back into contention. They traded with Memphis on Feb. 3 for the two-time All-Star and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.

Jackson, however, will be out for the foreseeable future. He will undergo surgery over the NBA All-Star break to remove a growth from his left knee, discovered by an MRI in a physical after the trade Feb. 3.

Utah has prioritized player development with younger players on its roster at the expense of chasing wins. The front office is motivated to hold on to a first-round pick in this year’s draft that is top-eight protected. Falling outside the bottom eight means Utah would lose that pick to Oklahoma City.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.