Cavaliers fined $250,000 for Violating NBA Player Participation Policy

Things haven’t exactly been going great for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. And on Thursday, they were dealt another blow.

The Cavaliers were penalized $250,000 for violating the NBA’s player participation policy, according to a league statement on Thursday.

The violation centered around Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland, who the league stated was intentionally held out of a nationally televised game on November 24. According to the policy, the league can penalize a team if it rests a “star” player for a marquee game that has national attention, such as an NBA Cup game or one that is nationally televised. 

The policy was introduced in 2023 in an effort to stop teams from resting healthy players. The league wants its stars showcased in big games, and when they’re held out, it affects the public interest. While it can pertain to any player, the NBA is targeting teams that specifically rest elite players.

Garland played in the Cavaliers’ November 23 game against the Los Angeles Clippers and showed no signs of any injury. But the Cavaliers did not want to play him on back-to-back nights, so they rested him in the team’s game on November 24. Garland returned and competed in the NBA Cup Group Stage game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 30.

This is not the first time the Cavaliers have violated the policy this season. They were fined $100,000 for resting Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley against the Miami Heat on November 12.