At long last, NBA fans who are tired of tanking got their wish. Commissioner Adam Silver finally penalized two teams for purposely losing on Thursday, as the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for roster management reasons. In other words, they were fined for instances of tanking to improve their draft position.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/0JFQpOnOmF
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 13, 2026
The question is whether this punishment is enough to dissuade teams from tanking. Let's dive in.
Why the Jazz and Pacers were punished by the NBA
First, we need to discuss why the Jazz and Pacers in particular were singled out by Silver. For Utah, their case comes from games on Feb. 7 and 9 against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, respectively. The Jazz were leading after three quarters in both games, yet elected to bench Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., their two best players, for the entire fourth quarter in both games. They only lost one of those games, but their clear intentions were to lose both, which hurts the integrity of the game.
As for the Pacers, they were fined because it was determined that Pascal Siakam and two other starters were healthy enough to play in their Feb. 3 game against the Jazz, but they sat out. The reason for this was almost certainly due to tanking. Sure enough, Indiana lost that game.
The Jazz and Pacers went about it differently, but they made clear efforts to lose NBA games. The league made it clear that kind of behavior is unacceptable.
Was NBA's anti-tanking punishment harsh enough?
Are fines for less than $1 million really harsh enough to dissuade teams from tanking? My answer is no, probably not. There's simply too much at stake when teams like the Pacers and Jazz could realistically land a franchise-altering superstar like Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or AJ Dybantsa in the 2026 NBA Draft. Most billionaire owners will be more than fine paying $100,000 or $500,000 for better odds at a blue-chip prospect. Silver's statement did leave room for harsher discipline, though.
"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. Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct," Silver wrote.
This first set of punishments was to send a message. Small-ish fines by themselves aren't enough to dissuade tanking, but the threat of further measures down the road could ultimately be enough to combat the issue.
Why Adam Silver's message is bad news for Jazz and Pacers
Every bad team has every incentive to lose, with draft positioning being so important. This is especially bad news for the Jazz and Pacers because of their situations.
The Jazz have the sixth-worst record in the NBA right now, but their first-round pick is only top-eight protected. This means if Utah lands outside of the top eight, the Oklahoma City Thunder will get the pick. With that, the Jazz have been attempting to lose as many games as possible, improving their odds of keeping their pick in the process. This news, though, could ultimately force them to play Markkanen and other good players on their roster in fourth quarters, which could lead to more wins than they'd like.
The Pacers are in a similar spot. They currently have the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but their first-round pick is only protected in the top four and from picks 10 through 30 after they made a trade for Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline. In other words, if the pick lands anywhere from fifth through ninth, it'll go to the Los Angeles Clippers. Having to play Siakam against subpar teams like Utah could lead to more wins, which could then result in Indiana losing its pick to Los Angeles.
Adam Silver must keep foot on gas to combat tanking
Losing games with rebuilding rosters is one thing. Attempting to rebuild around young players but still doing everything possible to win with the players you have should be the expectation. Tanking cannot be a thing in the NBA, on the other hand.
Teams cannot be resting players who are fully healthy and able to play just to protect their draft position. Teams cannot be benching star players in the fourth quarter of close games just to try to protect their draft position. This kind of conduct is unacceptable for fans who spend their time and money watching and going to games. It makes the product very hard to watch.
Silver deserves credit for finally cracking down on tanking. Now that the statement has been made, he must keep his foot on the gas and follow through on harsher penalties to completely root out this issue. Whether that means harsher fines, a loss of draft picks, or something else, punishments cannot stop until egregious tanking is taken out of the game for good.
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