According to the league, Garland, classified as a "star player" under the player participation guidelines, was permitted to play in only one of the two consecutive games on November 23 and 24.

"The breach happened when the Cavaliers did not make Garland available for the nationally televised game on November 24, opting instead to play him on November 23, which was not broadcast nationally," the NBA stated.

This marks the second instance this season that the Cavaliers have been fined for breaking the player participation rules.

They were previously fined $100,000 for resting Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley during a November matchup against Miami.

The NBA introduced the player participation policy before the 2023-24 season to restrict teams from resting healthy players during regular-season games, aiming to ensure star players participate in key matchups.