The NBA has fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for allegedly sitting healthy players in recent games, marking the league's latest crackdown on 'tanking' strategies. The Jazz, who have won only 18 of 56 games this season, drew scrutiny for not playing stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarters of close games against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.

The league's player participation policy, implemented in September 2023, aims to prevent teams from deliberately losing to improve draft lottery odds. The Jazz's tactics appeared to exploit a loophole in this policy, but Commissioner Adam Silver made clear such behavior undermines NBA competition. The Pacers were penalized for holding out Pascal Siakam and two other starters during a game against Utah.

With this year's draft considered one of the strongest in years, featuring potential franchise-changers like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, teams at the bottom of the standings face increased temptation to prioritize draft position. Silver warned that the competition committee and team owners will implement further measures to address this issue, stating that overt behavior prioritizing draft position over winning compromises the integrity of NBA games.