Why the NBA fined Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers over roster management decisions

The NBA handed out a pair of fines to teams that were accussed of tanking on Thursday, adding another chapter to what has proven to be one of the most polarizing debates in the basketball world.

The league fined the Jazz $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for management of their rosters in recent games. The punishment came amid calls for the NBA to take a stand against tanking -- the act of deliberately attempting to lose games.

Here's what you need to know about the league's decision to Utah and Indiana.

Why did the NBA fine the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers?

Commissioner Adam Silver cited conduct detrimental to the league and a violation of the league's Player Participation Policy as reason to levee fines on the Jazz and Pacers, respectively.

For Utah, the charges are related to two incidents. During a Feb. 7 matchup with the Magic and Feb. 9 duel with the Heat, the Jazz removed Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. at the start of the fourth quarter. The decision was a curious one. Utah was up by as many as 17 against Orlando and led by three at the start of the fourth against Miami.

Nevertheless, head coach Will Hardy pulled Jackson and Markkanen from the two contests. The Jazz went on to lose its game with the Magic and squeaked out a win vs. the Heat. According to the league office, Utah's conduct undermined the league's push to spur on competition. Hence, the Hardy-led team was hit with a $500,000 fine.

Indiana, meanwhile, was deemed to have deliberately kept Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith -- all starters -- out of their Feb. 3 loss with the Jazz. All three were ruled out with injury. However, the league found that the trio could have played under the medical standard laid out in the Player Participation Policy. Siakam and Co. played the night before and proceeded to play each of Indiana's next three games following their tilt with Utah.

"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 a statement.

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Are the Utah Jazz tanking this season?

All signs point to the Jazz deliberately attempting to lose games.

The roster is fairly underwhelming, to be sure. But Utah's etiquette, particularly in its matchups against Orlando and Miami, has left something to be desired, at least among certain segments of NBA fandom.

The league has stated, quite clearly, that it expects its stars and starting-caliber players to play if they're healthy. The Jazz have fulfilled that requirement, playing the likes of Jackson, Markannen and Nurkic more than 20 minutes throughout the past five games.

But they're decision to sit the trio against the Magic and Heat had some questioning the ethics of their pursuit. There's no doubt that Utah wants to keep its first-round pick, which will go to Oklahoma City if the Jazz land outside of the top-eight in the NBA Draft. They have no incentive to win games. So, they're not.

Here's what Marc Stein wrote on his Substack regarding Utah's antics, citing a conversation with an unnamed Western Conference executive:

“Yet one executive I spoke to from another team in Utah’s conference defended what the Jazz just did, saying: ‘They played all those players against Orlando. They didn’t just sit everybody. You can’t tell a team how to use their guys during a game.'”

Are the Indiana Pacers tanking this season?

The Pacers, too, appear to be tanking, filling up their injury reports with the names of pivotal contributors.

For what it's worth, Indiana didn't plan to struggle so immensely this campaign. Prior to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers looked in prime position to compete atop the Eastern Conference.

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Then, Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles. The injury, coupled with Myles Turner's departure in the offseason, left the Pacers light in star power outside of Siakam. They remained competitive in spite of Haliburton's injury, although the roster's deficiencies were exposed. But with Indiana sending its first-round pick to the Clippers if it falls outside of the top-four, Rick Carlisle's side also has no reason to attempt to win.