The Indiana Pacers are having a down season. The team sits second to last in the East with a dismal 15-40 record. It was unexpected from the 2025 NBA finalist, even without franchise star Tyrese Haliburton. Their recent tanking efforts also didn’t sit well with the NBA, which fined the team $100,000.
Meanwhile, the league is preparing to change anti-tanking rules to curb such attempts and keep competition strong. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had a blunt response to reports of proposed rule changes.
Rick Carlisle Reacts After NBA Discusses New Anti-Tanking Rules
Carlisle gave a brief response when asked about the NBA’s reported plans to change its anti-tanking rules. According to Pacers reporter Tony East, Carlisle said:
“Yes. I mean, it’s great news.”
Here’s Rick Carlisle on ESPNs report that anti-tanking rule changes could be coming: pic.twitter.com/LbE15EMcMr
— Tony East (@TonyREast) February 19, 2026
The reaction comes at a difficult time for Indiana. Earlier this month, the NBA fined the Pacers $100,000 after the team rested multiple key players, including Pascal Siakam, during the second game of a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 3.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the incident violated the Player Participation Policy, which is meant to prevent teams from sitting healthy star players without proper reasons.
The conversation around tanking has increased across the league. ESPN insider Shams Charania reported on Feb. 19 that Silver told all 30 general managers the league plans to move forward with anti-tanking changes for next season.
Updating on Thursday’s GM meeting, Charania reported that the NBA is reviewing several possible rule changes to discourage teams from losing games on purpose to improve draft position.
Multiple sources with knowledge of Thursday’s GM meeting as well as a late January Competition Committee meeting told ESPN that the following concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:
•First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
•Lottery odds freeze at the… https://t.co/Vk2n1cSzde— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2026
Indiana is not the only team punished. The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 after benching starters like Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkić, and Jaren Jackson Jr. late in games against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic earlier this month.
The league office addressed the issue clearly in a statement at the time:
“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition, and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games.”
For the Pacers, the situation shows how closely the league is watching teams near the bottom of the standings. With new rules possibly coming soon, Carlisle and the Pacers may have to adjust how they manage players for the rest of the season.
