The Sacramento Kings have officially ruled out six players for Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz: De’Andre Hunter, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis, and Russell Westbrook. On paper, it looks like an injury report. In reality, it feels like something much bigger.
Sacramento currently owns the worst record in the NBA at 12–43 and has dropped 13 straight games. At this point, it is not as if they need help losing. They have been doing that just fine on their own.
But sitting that many key rotation players against another struggling team raises eyebrows, especially in a season where tanking has become one of the league’s loudest conversations.
The Kings’ expected starting lineup for this game could feature Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, DeMar DeRozan, Dylan Cardwell, and Maxime Raynaud.
The Utah Jazz have become the poster team for tanking. Over the past week, Utah has been accused of manipulating fourth quarters by benching healthy starters like Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. late in close games.
Against the Kings, the Jazz ruled out Keyonte George and Walker Kessler with what are considered legitimate injuries. Lauri Markkanen, on the other hand, was listed for rest.
George and Kessler missing time can be explained medically. Markkanen, the team’s leading scorer, sitting out key stretches has raised eyebrows, particularly when Utah has also pulled healthy starters from fourth quarters of close games.
The Jazz starting lineup for this game is expected to feature Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks did not mince words on NBA Today, as he took the Jazz to school:
“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.”
“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 like, alright, can we do some gimmicks? Can we alter protections, eliminate protections as far as picks, or can we put the hammer down?”
The race to the bottom is real, especially with the 2026 draft class headlined by prospects like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer.
Unlike Utah, Sacramento does not appear to be hiding behind fourth-quarter rotations. They are just pulling the plug earlier. If the Jazz are tanking creatively, the Kings might be tanking conventionally by shutting things down altogether.
The league attempted to combat tanking in 2019 by flattening lottery odds, so the three worst teams each have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick. Even so, the incentive remains. A generational talent changes everything.
For a franchise stuck in mediocrity or worse, that temptation is difficult to resist.
The broader concern is competitive balance. When teams fighting for playoff positioning face opponents missing half their roster, it affects the standings. It impacts seeding, home-court advantage, and even postseason matchups.
Sacramento may not be copying Utah’s exact blueprint, but the message is similar. With the All-Star break approaching and the draft looming, development and lottery odds seem to matter more than wins.
Whether that is smart rebuilding or damaging to the league’s credibility depends on where you sit. What is clear is this: tanking season has arrived, and the Kings are now firmly part of the conversation.
