Overview
- At All-Star Weekend, Adam Silver said tanking is worse this season than in recent memory and vowed increased scrutiny of team behavior.
- The NBA fined the Jazz $500,000 for benching Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in fourth quarters on Feb. 7 and 9, and fined the Pacers $100,000 for holding out Pascal Siakam on Feb. 3 after an independent physician determined he could have played.
- Silver said the league is discussing every possible remedy to deter tanking, including stripping draft picks, because current punishments are not working.
- The Competition Committee has begun reexamining the lottery and broader draft process, and any structural changes would require Board of Governors approval.
- Silver cited misaligned incentives and a widely perceived deep 2026 draft class as drivers of current tactics and said teams have been put on notice for further penalties.