Tanking has become a severe issue in the NBA. It has been clear that squads like the Nets, Jazz, and Pacers have engaged in strange behavior, particularly by sitting healthy players in winnable games. League officials have finally taken action, with Commissioner Adam Silver issuing a statement revealing that Utah was fined $500,000 and Indiana $100,000 for these actions. But is that penalty enough?
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Silver, in a press release, stated that prioritizing draft picks over winning “undermines the foundation of NBA competition.” He also promised that if this behavior continued, repercussions would be dealt with accordingly. He later mentioned that the Board of Governors would be looking into “further measures” to better monitor teams that are clearly attempting to lose on purpose.
It has become an infamous hot topic in a season that already seems surrounded by off-court controversy. One person who is sick of seeing it is Kendrick Perkins. The former NBA player went off on the Jazz and Pacers on the latest edition of NBA on ESPN. Big Perk even demanded that Silver fine them larger amounts to truly send a message.
“I wish Adam Silver would have fined them $5 million for disrespecting the game of basketball. Let’s stop being nice about it and throwing out the word tanking. No, it’s actually throwing games. You’re trying to throw games to lose games,” Perkins said.
While Perkins often tends to say the wrong thing in at least one media cycle, his passion for the integrity of basketball cannot be denied. It is certainly not just the NBA that has resorted to such moves, but the league finds itself under the brightest spotlight.
Can you really blame a franchise like Utah, though? They have been irrelevant for so long that this at least guarantees them an early crack at the stacked 2026 draft class. But Perk doesn’t care about that either. He doesn’t think that the 2026 class is worth losing games on purpose.
“In one of the best sports in the world, in a competitive sport, you’re teaching to try to lose games. That’s what you’re trying to do. I totally disagree with whatever front office expert you wanna talk to…there’s not a generational talent in this draft. Are there some good franchise guys? Absolutely,” the former Celtics baller added.
“I wish Adam Silver would’ve fined them $5M for disrespecting the game of basketball. Let’s stop being nice about it and throwing out the word ‘tanking.’ No, it’s actually throwing games.”
—@KendrickPerkins weighs in on the Jazz and Pacers being fined for sitting healthy players… pic.twitter.com/GoTP7vfQO2
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 13, 2026
This whole situation feels like a wake-up call for the NBA. Fans are not dumb. They can tell when the product on the floor is not about winning, and over time, that chips away at trust. Draft reform, or even more flattened lottery odds, might do more than fines ever will, because financial penalties often feel like nothing more than a cost of doing business.
Silver is right to crack down, and even if Perkins comes in hot, the core point still stands. Competition is the league’s lifeblood. If the NBA wants to keep its edge, it has to make trying to win every night the smartest strategy, not just the moral one.
