Utah Jazz Fined $100K For Tanking After Benching Lauri Markkanen

The Utah Jazz have been fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the 'Player Participation Policy' introduced by the league last season. The Policy is designed to ensure healthy players are actively participating in NBA games, whether it's to combat load management or even tanking. 

The Jazz's attempts at tanking by ruling out multiple stars, particularly former All-Star Lauri Markkanen, before a game against the Washington Wizards have backfired. The league has fined them and will likely do so again if they continue tanking by ruling players out.

"The NBA announced today that the Utah Jazz organization has been fined $100,000 for violating the league's Player Participation Policy. The violation occurred when the Jazz failed to make Lauri Markkanen, a star player under the Policy, available for the team's game against the Washington Wizards on March 5 at Capital One Arena, as well as other recent games. The Policy, which was adopted prior to the 2023-24 season, is intended to promote participation in the NBA's regular season."

Markkanen is averaging 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds this season. He's only played 43 games, with some absences resulting from legitimate injuries while others being orchestrated by the Jazz to consolidate their position as the worst team in the West and a bottom-three team overall to have the best odds for the No. 1 draft selection.

Jazz Upset Over Lakers Being Handed Luka Doncic 'Gift'

The Utah Jazz don't have a lot to play for this season, so analyzing what they're doing is a wasted exercise. They'll likely move on from veteran stars for assets finally in the summer, but in the meantime, they have to reconcile with the reality of playing against Luka Doncic on the Los Angeles Lakers for the rest of this decade.

The Jazz were used as a third team in the Doncic trade with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, with even Jazz President Danny Ainge not knowing he was helping the Lakers land Doncic by accepting a cap dump for Jalen Hood-Schifino.

"Even Jazz president Danny Ainge, who hails from the Lakers' hated rival, the Boston Celtics, had only about 30 minutes notice, sources said, that Los Angeles was about to acquire Doncic to be the new face of its franchise."

Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik openly discussed the deal as a gift.

"Obviously, Rob Pelinka even said in his press conference introducing Luka that it was a gift. I think that's how a lot of my colleagues don't want to speak for them, but that's how a lot of us felt."

"This reshaped the Western Conference. When we are up there with these guys very soon, maybe I'd care a little more about being the third team. At this point, where we are, if we were in the Playoff right now, I'd ask them both what is going on here, and I'm not doing it. But where we are, the ability to pick up stuff for basically free and do something another team would've done anyway, that was really sweet."

Things haven't been going Utah's way this season, but they'll be hoping for a major comeback and a return to competitive basketball in the 2025-26 NBA season.