NBA fines Jazz $100,000 for violating player participation policy

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz's blatant tanking job has caught the eye of the NBA.

The league fined the Jazz $100,000 for violating the player participation policy, the NBA announced on Wednesday.

The league said the violation occurred when the Jazz didn't make Lauri Markkanen available for a game against the Washington Wizards on March 5 as "well as other recent games."

After all, there have been plenty to choose from lately.

Markkanen is considered a "star player" under the policy because he was an All-Star in 2023 during his first season with Utah. Star players are defined as any player who has made the NBA All-Star Game in the past three seasons.

Markkanen, though, hasn't played since Feb. 22 with the team citing "injury management" for his lower back.

The policy states that "teams must refrain from any long-term shutdown (or near shutdown) whereby a star player ceases participating in games or begins to play a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game."

Shortly after the fine was announced, Markkanen was made available to play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday — that timing doesn't appear to be a coincidence.

And Markkanen might become more of a mainstay in the lineup moving forward, too. A second violation would cost Utah $250,000 — and things would just go up from there. A third offense would result in a $1.25 million fine with each subsequent offense going up by $1 million after that.

Markkanen is the only Jazz player considered a "star" under the policy.

Related topics