The NBA fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $250,000 on Thursday for violating the league’s player participation policy by resting All-Star guard Darius Garland for a nationally televised game against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 24.
Cavaliers Have Violated NBA Policy Twice
Cleveland was also missing De’Andre Hunter (rest) and Jarrett Allen (sprained finger) for that game at Toronto last month.
It is the second time this season the Cavaliers have been fined for violating the policy. They received a $100,000 fine Nov. 18 for resting Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley against the Miami Heat on Nov. 12.
A third violation will result in a $1.25 million fine, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
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The league said an investigation confirmed that Garland was able to play in one of the Cavs’ games in a back-to-back set. He played Nov. 23 at home against the Los Angeles Clippers but not the next night in Toronto.
The Cavaliers-Raptors game was carried by Peacock in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.
The NBA adopted a new player participation policy ahead of the 2023-24 season to reduce instances of teams holding out star players during the regular season.
Two Star Players Cannot Be Rested
Under the player participation policy, the NBA defines a star as a player who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team within the past three seasons. Both Mitchell and Mobley meet that criteria.
Per the NBA’s player participation policy, no more than one star player can be unavailable for the same game. The league allows pre-approved designated back-to-back allowances for players who are 35 years old on opening night.
Players with career workloads of 34,000 regular-season minutes or 1,000 regular-season and playoff games combined are also exceptions. Those such veteran stars are given pre-approved designated back-to-back allowances.
However, the NBA listed several other exceptions that will be granted.
Those include multigame absences for bona fide injury, personal reasons, and rare and unusual circumstances. Roster management of unavailable star players and end-of-season flexibility are other acceptable reasons.
The Cavaliers will continue their three-game homestand on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, then host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday before going on a five-day break.
