Jazz's Walker Kessler Decision Pushes Ethical Tanking Boundaries

The Utah Jazz are on a mission.

Jan 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) secures the ball after a rebound during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are taking no prisoners in an attempt to maximize their lottery odds, but have they gone too far? It's a valid question, considering what’s been happening in Salt Lake City this season. 

In Utah’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, starting center Walker Kessler missed his second game this week due to ‘rest.’ Having a breakthrough season, John Collins has missed seven consecutive games with a hip injury. Lauri Markkanen has already missed five games in January.

Also, before the Pelicans game, the Jazz had eight players on the injury report in a game versus the Charlotte Hornets. Utah is in direct competition with Charlotte for the best lottery odds in what's projected to be a talented 2025 draft class.

One can’t blame Utah’s approach. Since starting its rebuild in 2022, the highest draft pick Utah has received was the No. 9 selection used to select Taylor Hendricks. However, trying to lose isn’t helping the NBA  in what’s already a watered-down regular season. 

The Brooklyn Nets were the first team this year to get aggressive with their tanking. After winning 10 of their first 25 games, the Nets let its foot off the gas by trading  Dennis Schroeder, followed by Dorian-Finney Smith. Since the Schroeder exchange, the Nets are 4-13 and losers in seven of its last eight games.

 
Tanking doesn't happen in the NFL or MLB. In fact, the Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts in the last game of the 2022 season and, in the process, lost the rights to the No.1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The competitive integrity of the NFL is sacrosanct. 

It’s no coincidence that the NFL regular season viewership crushes the NBA. The Kansas City Chiefs - Pittsburgh Steelers matchup streamed on Netflix drew in a combined  65 million viewers on Christmas Day. On the same day, the Los Angeles Lakers - Golden State Warriors game had 5.2 million viewers on ABC/ ESPN.

In the NBA, crossing the line can come with consequences. In 2023, the Dallas Mavericks were fined $750,000 for ‘conduct detrimental to the league’ for resting players in a game with the Chicago Bulls. The NBA released a statement after an investigation.

“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” NBA executive vice president, head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”

The Mavericks needed to lose the game to keep their 2023 first-round pick. Comparing Utah’s circumstances may be apples and oranges, but it also feels close to crossing the integrity line. 

So, does the NBA crack down on franchises not putting their best foot forward? It’s not an easy rule to enforce when everyone does it to some degree during the season.

Resting 23-year-old Kessler twice in a week and 26-year-old Collin Sexton deserves a fine from the NBA. Being loose with injury designations is one thing,  but resting starters on one or more days rest is another level of tanking. At some point, the league's integrity trumps a team's mission to stockpile losses. We can expect the Jazz to push the limits until there's more clarity on where the NBA is willing to draw that line.

Follow Utah Jazz On SI on Facebook and Twitter/X and Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!