It is that time of the year when teams try to tank, and the NBA puts them under the scanner. There were a few teams that were on the danger line this season, and on Thursday, the NBA pulled the trigger.

The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000, and the Indiana Pacers were fined $100,000 as the league penalized them for sitting healthy players in recent games. It won’t allow any jeopardization of the integrity. While many felt that the fines were required to stop the teams from tanking, others speculated that it was the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who moved the needle behind the scenes and pushed the NBA to take strong action in their tanking investigation.

On Friday, Utah-based commentator Jason Shepherd also highlighted that multiple NBA insiders have also stated that it was OKC that started complaining to the league.

“It was mentioned twice today, by two separate national NBA guys, on two separate local sports radio stations, I might add, that most of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and complaining to the league is being driven by OKC,” Shepherd wrote.

One of the people who spoke openly about the Thunder’s involvement in this was The Athletic’s Tony Jones. He, in his latest appearance on KSL Sports Zone’s “Scotty G. & Friends” shared some shocking ‘behind the scenes’ insights on the entire fiasco underlining Thunder’s influence in NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s anti-tanking policies.

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“It’s cr*p. I will tell you what it is. It’s Oklahoma City going through back channels to try to put pressure on the Jazz to play the season out in order for them to get the pick,” Jones said. “It’s OKC going through back channels, planting stuff, planting stories in order to pressure the Jazz into playing the season.”

Other than the fines, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is planning to solve the tanking issue. According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, Silver has proposed a tournament between lottery teams to determine the draft order. While the entire process is in development, it will be interesting to see how the NBA manages with scheduling and other processes in an already stacked season.

However, the Jazz has a clear motive behind tanking, whereas the OKC Thunder also has an ulterior motive behind all of this.

Are the OKC Thunder moving the needle in NBA’s anti-tanking investigations?

There’s a clear motive behind Utah’s tanking this season, despite them trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. They owe a top-eight protected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the pick lands from No. 1 to 8, then the Jazz keep it; otherwise, it gets moved to OKC. As of today, Utah holds the sixth-best odds at the No. 1 pick at 9%.

The Jazz gained widespread attention when they decided to bench both Jackson and Lauri Markkanen throughout the fourth quarter in recent games against the Orlando Magic on February 7 and the Miami Heat on February 9. The league statement suggested that the players were able to continue to play, and therefore, the results could have been altered.

Later, it was revealed that the former Defensive Player of the Year would undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee to remove a growth and secure his long-term health with the Jazz.

Interestingly, the Oklahoma City Thunder have received immense favor while tanking during the 2020-21 season when they finished the season with a 22-50 record. They had a shot at two top-five draft picks with one top-four protected selection tied to the Houston Rockets.

However, fortunes didn’t go their way, and they could only secure the no. 6 pick, and they drafted Josh Giddey, whereas the Rockets landed the No. 2 pick, and they made the move for Jalen Green. They finished the following 2021-22 season with a 24-58 record, which helped them secure the no. 2 pick in the draft, and they landed Chet Holmgren.

The Thunder also came close to landing the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round pick last year. It was an asset tied to the Al Horford and Danny Green trade from more than half a decade back. But the top six protection meant the Philadelphia 76ers landed the No. 3 pick, and they drafted VJ Edgecombe.

If the claims are true, then it is hilarious how the Thunder, who used tanking methods to win the league, are now complaining to the NBA about another team trying to do the same.

Apart from them, the San Antonio Spurs have tanked multiple times, and that worked to their benefit as they are now one of the strongest contenders for the Championship. Meanwhile, the Jazz are 18-37, currently entering the All-Star break.