NBA Plans Tanking Crackdown After Jazz Pacers Fines

Merlin sees the NBA weighing rule changes to curb tanking, according to Shams Charania. Commissioner Adam Silver warned teams and the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for benching healthy players. Silver asked, "Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes," and urged the league to protect fans and the product on the court. Merlin senses a tug-of-war between small-market survival and the spectacle fans pay to see. Modern analytics make tanking a precise strategy, so the league may tweak lottery odds, add playing-time requirements, or create new incentives to keep stars playing. Expect measured changes and loud debate as owners, players, and fans adjust.