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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 27: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz reacts prior to the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center on December 27, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
The Utah Jazz have been under heavy scrutiny in the last few weeks over their handling of lineups. With Utah having one of the worst records in the league, they are a team that doesn’t mind losses. The league has accused them of outright tanking.
In fact, the NBA has already fined the Jazz $500,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy. That didn’t sit well with owner Ryan Smith, who publicly decried the move on social media. Now, it seems the league has taken things a step further.
Lauri Markkanen has been the subject of most of the scrutiny. Now, the league wants to verify if he is actually hurt.
GettyUtah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen reacts. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
The NBA is Sending Someone to Verify Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen’s MRI Results
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the NBA is actually sending a representative to certify the results of Markkanen’s MRI. It seems that the league is taking things a step further in its policies to curtail tanking, and it might be a step too far.
Utah shouldn’t have to verify MRI results with the NBA. No other team has done that, and it seems like that could be a personal health issue, as well. Markkanen is the Jazz’s best player, and he currently has an injury designation of a hip injury.
This is a very unusual step that Adam Silver is taking. He has already announced that changes will be made to curtail tanking heading into next season. The Pacers were also fined for violating the Player Participation Policy in a game against the Jazz in early February.
If Markkanen is found to have a serious injury, the league will have a massive problem on its hands. They haven’t sent representatives to verify any other injuries from star players. The Jazz are going to have a massive problem with this.
GettyUtah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen handles the ball. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
The Utah Jazz Will Likely Continue Tanking
With the way the rules are and with how strong the 2026 NBA Draft is, the Jazz are likely unfazed. They will continue to do what they need to do in order to get a top-four pick. Right now, they have the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
Utah has been poor on defense all season long without the services of Walker Kessler. They have the worst defense in the NBA, and that will continue for the rest of the year. If Markkanen is out for an extended period of time, that poor defense will continue.
The Jazz have already indicated that they are going to try to win next season after trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. Adding him to the frontcourt, as well as a solid rookie from the draft, signals they will be done tanking for a while. They don’t believe the changes next year will affect them.
The NBA will have a lot of questions to answer from other teams in the league about this decision.
Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano
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