The NBA is reportedly investigating the floundering Philadelphia 76ers and the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder for sitting stars in violation of the league’s Player Participation Policy.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the league is looking into the Sixers over recently reported injuries to Tyrese Maxey and Paul George amid what many consider to be a lost season.
The team was already without reigning MVP Joel Embiid for the remainder of the year due to another in a series of knee injuries. Then on Thursday, ESPN revealed George is contemplating a medical procedure for groin and knee injuries, and on Friday coach Nick Nurse said he doesn’t expect Maxey to play Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks due to back and finger issues.
Now ESPN is reporting the NBA is investigating the 76ers for a potential violation of the league’s Player Participation Policy – the same guidelines that recently cost the Utah Jazz a $100,000 fine.
‘The NBA is looking at a couple other teams,’ NBA insider Shams Charania told Pat McAfee. ‘I’m told the Philadelphia 76ers are another team the NBA has started an investigation on and looked into. Just based on, Tyrese Maxey has missed time, Paul George has missed time.’
Of course, the 76ers have a good reason to lose.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Justin Edwards, Oshae Brissett, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Andre Drummond, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry watch from the bench
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates while sitting out on March 7
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Without Embiid at just 22-44, the team has no chance at clawing back into the playoff picture.
More importantly, their first-round draft pick goes to the Thunder if it falls outside the first six selections. So the Sixers are incentivized to give themselves the best chances at this year’s NBA Draft Lottery, and logically, that could involve benching stars like Maxey and George.
‘They’ve looked into Philadelphia a little bit,’ Charania continued. ‘They’re also in a position, they’ve got a top-six protected pick that could go to Oklahoma City if they don’t keep it. This is something the NBA is definitely keeping an eye on.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NBA and 76ers for comment.
Charania added another report Friday night, claiming the league is also investigating the Thunder’s decision to sit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace for the team’s March 7 game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
By league rule, ‘unless a team demonstrates an approved reason for a star player not to participate in a game,’ it must have the star players ‘for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.’
The two-year-old rules focus primarily on star players — someone who has been an All-Star or on the All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons.
Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz looks on from the bench on March 7 in Toronto
Earlier this month the league said Utah’s violation involved Lauri Markkanen, who is a star player under terms of the policy. The NBA said Utah failed to make him available for a March 5 game against the Washington Wizards as well as some other games.
After Wednesday’s announcement of the fine, the Jazz changed Markkanen’s status from questionable to available to play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. He was again listed with a back injury.
It would be Markkanen’s first game action since February 22.
Markkanen has been held out of recent games despite the general ᴀssumption that he is now healthy. Part of the decision to hold him out might be due to Utah possessing a 15-50 record and seeking a better draft position for next season. The Jazz have lost six straight games entering Wednesday’s contest against Memphis.
Leading the Jazz in scoring, Markkanen is averaging 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 43 games this season, his third with Utah and his eighth in the NBA. He was an All-Star during the 2022-23 season.
