![]() ![]() Owner Mark Cuban spoke to the media on Wednesday and did not mention this possibility. Even if trying to keep their pick was the right move for the organization (and it was), many people felt blindsided - including coach Jason Kidd, who was clearly unhappy about it as he discussed the plan in his pregame press conference. However, none of that was as sudden, or gave the league the black eye, that the Mavericks did. That’s not good for the regular season product or fans who have tickets that night, but this has been a problem all season and it’s a little late to put the genie back in the bottle. This happens on both ends of the spectrum - the Bucks, Celtics and 76ers are sitting their stars in games to rest them for a playoff run. One could argue Detroit did 12 games into the season after Cade Cunningham was injured, or that San Antonio did before the season tipped off. ![]() Charlotte pulled back as injuries changed their season. Utah kept stripping the roster with trades (despite being in the play-in mix midseason). Portland pivoted a few weeks ago and sat Damian Lillard and its other name players to try and hold on to top-five lottery odds. Other NBA teams have blatantly tanked, with the possible prize of Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson making it particularly tempting this season. “The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions.” It was a bad look for the league and the NBA, which is now investigating, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. It was naked tanking - and it worked, the Bulls won, eliminating the Mavericks from the postseason and keeping Dallas in the top 10 in draft order. So management pulled the plug at the last minute - Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood all were out and Dončić played one quarter then was pulled (he only played that quarter because it was “I Feel Slovenia” night in the Dallas arena). On Tuesday Luka Dončić was saying he wanted to keep playing as long as there was a mathematical chance to make the play-in, and there was still one Friday night, but a win (against a Chicago team sitting all its stars) would have severely hurt Dallas’ chances of holding on to their pick (owed the Knicks but top-10 protected). However, few have been more naked about it than the Mavericks were Friday night. Based on their assets and the available free agent class, Dallas believed their best shot at contention was giving the Luka-Kyrie backcourt an honest shot and a full program together.There has been tanking in the NBA this season, as there has been every season for more than a decade. The Mavericks had also roped in a star early. ![]() Instead, the Mavericks went to work early to fill out their rotation with quality players that they expect to help better support perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic. In a different era, Dallas would have been one of the franchises caught stargazing at the list of impact talent, seeking to elbow their way into the mega star conversation, only to be left to fill their roster with stop-gaps and third choices when they were eventually told no. While superstar malcontents in Portland and Philadelphia continue to hold up the remaining musical chairs as they wait out their front offices in divorce proceedings, the Dallas Mavericks have moved on to wait and see mode, looking for one or two strategic imports to round out an otherwise successful retooling. Dallas Mavs offseason makeover a step in the right direction for team ![]()
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