With a month to spend in the NBA season, there are eight teams (conservatives, you could discuss 10) more concentrated as a organization on lottery dimensions than winning matches. Or, to put it frankly, they sunbathe their eyes on Cooper Flagg. This means that many good players lack games for dubious reasons.
The NBA pushes these teams to keep their best players on the field. The League has already inflicted a fine at $ 100,000 from Utah Jazz for not having played Lauri Markkanen against the Wizards and in other games – and, shocking, it was suddenly available for the next match after the fine. NOW, Shams Charania d’Espn Reports that the Thunder and the 76ers are the subject of an investigation for having violated the participation policy of the league players.
The Thunder are not tanking – they fled with the West at 54-12 – but on March 7, they were sitting with six key players (Shai Gilgeous -Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace) in what was still a house at Portland. Only two of these players, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, respond to the NBA qualifications for a star player under the participation policy of league players (an All-Star in the past three years), but sitting that many players have raised the eyebrows. However, it was a home match that was not a televised national in the middle of a brutal game section, so it is a little difficult to work on OKC’s decision.
The NBA is hilarious to “investigate” this Portland match. Common sense tells you everything you need to know. The NBA forced them to go through a brutal post-Asb calendar and planted this match just before a B2B that the league wanted to present. All except Shai managed the alignments.
– Rylan Stiles (@rylan_stiles) March 15, 2025
The investigation league on Philadelphia “for recent absences of players such as Paul George (knee, back, finger) and Tyrese Maxey (back, finger)”, according to the ESPN report. George admitted that he was playing pain and, with the 76ers season, everything except finished, He will meet doctors on the treatment of his knee and groin / back problems. It seems difficult to blame him for not having played pain. Do not expect a lot to see a lot of Maxey either.
Philadelphia has a real motivation for tank. His first round choice this year belongs to Oklahoma City but is protected from the first six. Philly tries to make his way to keep this choice, the 76ers are currently on par with the nets for the 5th / 6th record of the NBA. If the Sixers can keep the fifth scheme, they have a 62.1% chance of keeping this choice among the first six after the lottery.
It would be shocking if we were seeing George again this season, Embiid is already absent for the season to obtain a knee treatment (although no final plan was released) and, while Nick Nurse spoke of a Maxey return during their next trip, expect it to be limited.
Once again, is it worth the league? Where is this line?
The first fine to violate the participation policy of the league players is $ 100,000 – enough to attract the attention of a team, but this is the cost of a 10 -day contract for the teams, so that will not break them. However, a second violation is $ 250,000 and the third million dollars – teams can live with the first fine but want to avoid climbing this scale. Philadelphia has already received a fine of $ 100,000 this season, so their next one would be for a quarter of a million.
All this will make the last month of the season interesting for teams such as Toronto (Scottie Barnes qualifies for the playing policy of players) and others trying to tank but avoid a fine. It’s a fine line that everyone is trying to walk.
