Lead
On Feb. 12, 2026, the NBA announced fines of $500,000 against the Utah Jazz and $100,000 against the Indiana Pacers after investigating recent games in which healthy starters were held out. The league said the teams rested players in situations where the outcomes remained in doubt, a practice it says risks the integrity of competition. Commissioner Adam Silver warned the league will pursue additional measures with its Competition Committee and Board of Governors. Both clubs are among the league’s bottom-six teams as the draft lottery discussion intensifies.
Key Takeaways
- The NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 on Feb. 12, 2026 for violations of the player participation policy.
- Utah’s penalties stem from benching Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarters of games on Feb. 7 (120-117 vs. Orlando) and Feb. 9 (115-111 vs. Miami).
- The Pacers were cited for resting Pascal Siakam and two other starters on Feb. 3 against the Jazz; the league said those players could have met the medical standard or been managed with reduced minutes.
- The policy was instituted in September 2023 to discourage teams from reducing competitiveness to improve draft-lottery odds, a concern renewed by the strong 2026 draft class.
- Utah is 18-37 and Indiana is 15-40; Utah’s front office is also protecting a first-round pick that is top-eight protected in 2026.
- Jazz owner Ryan Smith publicly disagreed with the fine on social media, while the league signaled further policy work is underway with governance bodies.
Background
The player participation policy was adopted in September 2023 after concerns that teams might rest healthy players to influence draft positioning. The rule sets medical standards and expectations that players who are physically able should play, or else teams must demonstrate legitimate health reasons or use alternative scheduling to comply. That framework has been tested repeatedly as franchises balance development of young talent, load management and competitive results.
This season the policy drew fresh attention because the 2026 draft class is widely seen as deep, with top prospects such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer potentially vying for the No. 1 pick. For teams near the bottom of the standings, maintaining draft assets while developing younger players has created tensions between short-term wins and long-term planning. The NBA has previously fined Utah $100,000 last season for resting Lauri Markkanen in several games, signaling a continuing scrutiny of the franchise’s approach to player usage.
Main Event
The league’s investigation found that in the Jazz’s Feb. 7 loss to the Orlando Magic (120-117) and Feb. 9 win over the Miami Heat (115-111), starters Lauri Markkanen and newly acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. were benched for the fourth quarter despite being deemed able to continue. The NBA said outcomes were still in doubt when the players were held out, and thus the actions violated the policy’s intent to preserve competitive integrity.
In Indiana’s case, the Pacers were cited for their Feb. 3 game against Utah. The league concluded Pascal Siakam and two other starters “could have played under the medical standard in the Policy, including by playing reduced minutes,” or the team could have managed absences across other games to better align with policy requirements. The Pacers sit 15-40 in the standings at the time of the fine.
Commissioner Adam Silver characterized the behavior as prioritizing draft position over winning and said the league would respond to further actions that compromise competition. Silver noted the Competition Committee and Board of Governors are working on additional measures to deter similar conduct, though he did not publicly specify the next steps. Jazz coach Will Hardy’s brief postgame comment after the Miami matchup — “I wasn’t” when asked if he considered playing Markkanen and Jackson in the fourth — was highlighted in the league’s findings.
Jaren Jackson Jr., acquired from Memphis on Feb. 3, is a two-time All-Star and the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year; he will undergo surgery during the NBA All-Star break to remove a growth from his left knee, discovered by MRI after the trade. Utah has emphasized development of younger pieces and is holding a first-round pick that is top-eight protected; if the pick falls outside the top eight, it will convey to Oklahoma City under prior conditions of the pick swap.
Analysis & Implications
The fines reflect the league’s effort to enforce a standard that prevents deliberate manipulation of competitive outcomes for draft advantage. With the 2026 class judged as especially strong, the incentive for low-tier teams to influence their lottery odds is higher, raising enforcement stakes. The NBA’s decision-making here signals a willingness to apply financial penalties and to seek structural changes through governance channels.
For Utah, the $500,000 fine is significant but not crippling financially; however, the reputational impact may be larger as the franchise seeks to rebuild around Markkanen and Jackson. The Jazz’s choice to prioritize development minutes for younger players has been a conscious strategy, but the league’s ruling draws a clearer line on when that strategy becomes impermissible. Indiana’s smaller fine reflects a different scale of violation but establishes that the policy applies across the standings.
Operationally, teams will likely review medical documentation practices, in-game minute management and scheduling of rest to avoid future violations. Coaches and medical staffs may be asked to provide more contemporaneous explanations for absences, or the league could adopt stricter reporting and monitoring protocols. If the Board of Governors approves new penalties or clearer thresholds, clubs could face expanded sanctions beyond fines, including potential draft or competitive impacts.
Comparison & Data
| Team | Fine | Record (at announcement) | Game(s) cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Jazz | $500,000 | 18-37 | Feb. 7 (Orlando, 120-117), Feb. 9 (Miami, 115-111) |
| Indiana Pacers | $100,000 | 15-40 | Feb. 3 (at Utah) |
The table above summarizes the penalties and immediate context. Financially, the Jazz fine is five times the Pacers’ and is the largest single-team fine related to the participation policy since its adoption. The data underscore the league’s intent to scale sanctions according to the severity and pattern of conduct.
Reactions & Quotes
League and team responses were swift and pointed, reflecting different perspectives on intent and consequence.
“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, NBA Commissioner (official statement)
Silver’s statement framed the fines as part of a broader integrity effort and signaled forthcoming policy work. The NBA emphasized that the Competition Committee and Board of Governors will consider additional measures to deter such conduct.
“Agree to disagree … Also, we won the game in Miami and got fined? That makes sense …”
Ryan Smith, Utah Jazz owner (social media)
Jazz ownership publicly disputed the league’s ruling, stressing the team’s win in Miami and questioning the fine’s logic. That reaction illustrates the tension between competitive outcomes and the league’s interpretation of the participation standards.
“I wasn’t.”
Will Hardy, Utah Jazz head coach (postgame comment)
Coach Hardy’s terse reply after the Miami game was cited by the league and drew scrutiny because it suggested coaching decisions, not medical incapacity, dictated the benching of starters.
Unconfirmed
- Whether front-office directives explicitly ordered the specific fourth-quarter benchings has not been independently verified beyond the league’s summary.
- The precise additional measures the Competition Committee and Board of Governors will propose remain unspecified and unannounced.
- Any internal medical notes or team-level documentation that formed part of the NBA’s review have not been publicly released.
Bottom Line
The NBA’s fines of $500,000 and $100,000 against the Jazz and Pacers, respectively, reinforce the league’s intent to police competitive integrity amid a high-stakes draft year. The penalties and accompanying statements make clear that the league will escalate oversight and consider new measures to deter deliberate non-competitive behavior.
For teams, the ruling raises the operational bar for documenting rests and managing player minutes; organizations near the bottom of the standings will face closer scrutiny as they weigh development against results. Observers should watch the Competition Committee and Board of Governors for any policy refinements that could alter roster and medical reporting practices ahead of the 2026 draft.