Insider accuses Jazz of compromising ‘integrity of the NBA’ with late-game tanking

The Utah Jazz are trying to walk a very thin line for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season.

On one hand, the team clearly wants to put a bow on their rebuilding process in a major way, as they traded three picks and multiple former prospects to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr., but the Jazz really want to go all-in on their playoff pursuit next season, as they could still add one more lottery pick to a roster that looks ready to compete thanks to Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and company if they have a bad enough record.

This have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too strategy has forced Will Hardy, one of the better head coaches in the NBA, to bench his starters in the fourth quarter and avoid calling time-outs when he could easily set his players up for success, even if the strategy hasn’t always worked, as evidenced by the team’s unlikely win over the Miami Heat.

Is the NBA cool with this iteration of tanking? In the opinion of ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, the answer should be a resounding no, as he believes the Jazz are actually “messing around with the integrity of the NBA.”

“I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA. The ability to sit players, starters, in the fourth quarter, to not call timeouts in the fourth quarter,” Marks said. “Orlando won the game on Saturday because they basically rested players. It backfired on them last night. So I think if you’re the league, you’re looking at it, alright, can we do some gimmicks, can we alter protections, eliminate protections as far as picks, or can we put the hammer down?”

After losing 15 of their 18 games before the trade deadline in 2026, the Jazz are 1-2 since acquiring JJJ from the Grizzlies, including a loss to the Orlando Magic where the new No. 20 played 25 minutes in his Utah debut. While the Jazz may be able to rack up the losses down the stretch, with 29 games left to play, if things get downright comical, Adam Silver may need to make another change to the NBA’s tanking policy in order to maintain the integrity of the game.

Bobby Marks:

"I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA" pic.twitter.com/7KBRrt2Auq

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 10, 2026

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