Lauri Markkanen hasn’t stepped on the court for the Jazz since Feb. 22, missing nine games and counting with what the team described as a back issue. With the Jazz tanking and trying to land a top-three spot in the lottery, nobody expected to see Markkanen again this season.
Except for NBA league executives. Markkanen, an All-Star in 2023, qualifies as a “star player” under the league’s Player Participation Policy — the policy put in place a couple of years ago to ensure the league’s biggest names are on the court for regular season games (trying to slow the trend of load management).
The NBA has fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for violating that policy. Why? From the NBA:
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.
Not so coincidentally, Markkanen is available Wednesday night when the Jazz take on the Grizzlies. The escalation of fines for violating the Player Participation Policy climb fast: a second Jazz offense would cost $250,000, a third violation $1.25 million, a fourth violation $2.25 million.
Most of the time, discussion of the Player Participation Policy is focused on players being available for televised games. However, one section of the policy reads:
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.
While the Jazz have listed Markkanen as out due to back issues for these nine games, an independent doctor reviews the medical records and determines whether the Jazz (or any team) is following the rules. In this case, the Jazz were just doing this to tank, which cost them.
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