Let's be honest: following the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, the Utah Jazz have enough talent on their current roster that, if they wanted, they could have made a playoff push. They're not because tanking was in their best interest, which the NBA has seemingly been paying even closer attention to than last year, but why?
The NBA has controversially fined the Jazz for their manner of tanking, even though that manner was not against the rules. But why now? The Deseret News' Sarah Todd believes it's because the NBA's partnership with gambling companies and their patrons has put them in a position to crack down on what teams like the Jazz are doing.