Adam Silver got the fans’ memo. In a definitive crackdown on late-season roster manipulation, the NBA has levied a combined $600,000 in fines against the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers, both of which have been found guilty. Amid outrage over alleged tanking, the community demanded accountability from the league. That spurred a very stern message from the NBA Commissioner.

“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,” Adam Silver said in an official statement.

The league announced on Thursday that the Jazz have been fined $500,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league,” while the Pacers were fined $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy. The substantial fines serve as a warning shot to teams perceived to be prioritizing draft lottery positioning over competitive integrity as the 2026 All-Star break approaches.

The league’s investigation into the Jazz centered on their February 7 and 9 games against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. The NBA concluded that in both contests, the Jazz removed stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., who had been acquired recently, before the start of the fourth quarter.

They did not return to the floor “even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt,” the league said.

The outcomes were still up for grabs, and both players were on a combined scoring tear. The Jazz lost to the Magic by three points. But they beat the Heat, 115-111. After the nail-biter, though, head coach Will Hardy admitted he had no intention of subbing Markkanen and Jackson Jr. in. The Jazz owner, Ryan Smith, also took to social media after the NBA announced the punishment.

“🙄 agree to disagree … Also, we won the game in Miami and got fined? That makes sense …” Smith wrote on X.

The Jazz initially rested Markkanen for the Heat game, but the reaction from fans who suspected Adam Silver had given the front office a call prompted them to reverse their decision. Jackson Jr has been a key addition to the Jazz, and young fans show up to games because of Markkanen. Hence, it led fans to see the Finnish star’s questionable status as a direct act of self-sabotage.

Many allege that the Jazz are trying to tank to prevent their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected) from conveying to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz were also fined $100,000 last season after resting Markkanen in multiple games. While the NBA community has considered these instances of shameless tanking, the other side of this punishment came as a rather milder surprise to fans.

Why the Pacers also fell under the NBA’s Player Participation Policy scrutiny

The Pacers’ penalty stems from a February 3 game against these same Jazz (which is somehow a double whammy for Utah, since suspicions about them began with this game). The NBA’s statement revealed that an independent physician determined that Pascal Siakam and two other starters were healthy enough to play reduced minutes.

According to the league, the Pacers’ decision to hold out the trio violated the Participation Policy, which mandates that star players remain available for games unless a legitimate medical necessity prevents them from doing so. The Jazz ended up winning, but the Pacers put up a tough fight, 131-122.

Unlike the relatively healthier Jazz, the Pacers are a skeleton crew with more injuries than backups. They acquired Ivica Zubac, who is recovering from an ankle injury. But since the Pacers don’t have a clear timeline on him, New York Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier accused them of tanking. Draymond Green also made his observations about league-wide tanking clear.

As has been the case, the Pacers beat the Knicks in the February 10 overtime game with a massive effort from Siakam. However, the tanking accusations have followed them throughout the season, even as Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined.

The NBA’s report noted that even if the Pacers wanted to manage minutes, the team “could have held the players out of other games in a way that would have better promoted compliance with the Policy.”

As the All-Star festivities begin this weekend in Los Angeles, fans are already signaling Silver’s office to look into other teams for intentional losing. With the Jazz and Pacers now on notice, the NBA indicates that any further attempts to shut down star players will result in escalating six-figure penalties.