Jazz Dealt Major Fine After Violating League Rule

The Utah Jazz got hit with a financial slap on the wrist.

Feb 28, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (right) reacts to forward John Collins heading to the bench during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz have been hit by the fine hammer for a chunk of change worth six-figures.

According to an NBA release, the Jazz have been fined $100,000 for violating the league's Player Participation Policy by not making Lauri Markkanen available to play against the Washington Wizards.

The NBA has fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for violations of the player participation policy.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 12, 2025

Here's the full statement from the league:

"The NBA announced today that the Utah Jazz organization has been fined $100,000 for violating the league's Player Participation Policy. The violation occurred when the Jazz failed to make Lauri Markkanen, a star player under the Policy, available for the team's game against the Washington Wizards on March 5 at Capital One Arena, as well as other recent games. The Policy, which was adopted prior to the 2023-24 season, is intended to promote participation in the NBA's regular season."

The decision from the NBA is essentially a punishment for the Jazz due to their recent actions of sitting out their star player in Markkanen against not just the Wizards; but on multiple occasions down the stretch run of the season.

Markkanen has missed the last nine games of the Jazz's campaign due to lower back injury management, only suiting up twice moving past the All-Star Break. Now, the league has taken clear notice of Utah's strategy, and hit them with a six-figure fine as a result.

When in the Jazz lineup throughout the season, Markkanen has remained a key cog within the team's game plan, averaging 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 42.5% shooting in 43 games.

The newly-developed discipline dealt from the league office now leads to some interesting questions about how the Jazz will approach the remainder of their regular season. At just under 20 games to go, Utah is now officially out of postseason contention and primed to continue its tanking endeavors. However, it might be easier said than done as the league will likely keep a keen eye on how the team's availability looks for the rest of the year.

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