NBA Fines Jazz, Pacers For Roster Management Violations

On February 13, the league office announced that it has fined the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for roster management issues in recent games.

The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the league during their games against the Orlando Magic on February 8 and the Miami Heat on February 10. In those contests, the Jazz removed All-Stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. prior to the start of the fourth quarter and did not reinsert them into the game, despite the players being available to continue competing and the outcome of the games being impacted as a result.

Separately, the Indiana Pacers were fined $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy in connection with their February 4 game against Utah. Following an investigation, including a review by independent physicians, the NBA determined that star Pascal Siakam and two other Pacers starters (neither of whom played) were medically eligible to participate under the policy—including in limited minutes. Alternatively, the team could have held these players out of other games in a manner more consistent with the policy.

“This overt prioritization of draft position over winning undermines the foundational integrity of NBA competition, and we will respond appropriately to any further actions that compromise the fairness of our game,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated. “Additionally, we are working with the Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement additional measures to eliminate such conduct.”

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