(02-13-2026, 01:15 AM)F Gump Wrote: They stepped over the line. The teams KNOW what the line is. Smart teams can tank and still avoid penalties. UT had the nerve to be stupid as they tanked, and it cost them not only a fine but also a warning that they are on notice.
Most fans don't know the line, however, so they get all up in arms over BOTH tanking and fines for tanking.
Other teams have done worse and more blatantly. This is targeted stuff from Adam Silver, IMHO, because the Jazz are going against his desired story-line and desired outcome. The Jazz were supposed to be 'satisfied' and 'content' with the consolation prize of JJJ, who was supposed to make up for having Cooper Flagg yanked away from them and sent elsewhere. Adam Silver and the NBA does not want the Jazz deciding to also get a high draft pick in addition to JJJ. That is the real reason for this fine. Of course, they couldn't fine only the Jazz and show their intentions so blatantly, so they gave the Jazz a $500K fine and threw the Pacers in there too but at a lowly $100K fine. The NBA has got to stop working their desired outcomes into the fabric of the league, because then this is no longer a sporting competition.
Here's another fun fact... only 2 teams have never benefited from the NBA Draft Lottery: The Utah Jazz & Indiana Pacers.
Neither the Jazz or the Pacers have EVER won a Top 4 pick since the inception of the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985. The Jazz have been in the lottery 11 times and the Pacers 10 times. Both teams have picked in the Top 4, but only once for the Pacers (#2 in 1988 for Rick Smits) and twice for the Jazz (#3 in 2005 for Deron Williams and #3 in 2011 for Enes Kanter). These picks were gotten from other teams through trades.