The Dallas Mavericks found themselves in hot water with the NBA late during the 2022-23 season by tanking when a shot in the postseason was on the line.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Co. fined Mark Cuban’s organization $750,000 for sitting out core players late in the regular season when they still had a chance at the play-in tournamnet.
Per the league, Dallas “undermined the integrity of our sport” by sitting Kyrie Irving and others during a late-season game against the Chicago Bulls. Luka Doncic only played one quarter in a game that had postseason ramifications.
We now have this note from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer indicating that both Irving and Doncic were upset about the idea of tanking.
“The tanking was actually supposed to begin sooner," O'Connor said. "My sources say that in late March, Dallas coaches met with players to discuss a plan for Markieff Morris and JaVale McGee to play heavier minutes. That is when the tanking was supposed to begin but Luka and especially Kyrie were agitated that the team was waving the white flag and both refused to sit.”
Dallas’ decision to tank was with the 2023 NBA Draft in mind. Its first-round pick in the annual event will head to the New York Knicks stemming from the Kristaps Porzingis trade if it is outside of the top-10. By tanking in the final two games, the Mavericks upped their odds of retaining said pick.
The last thing Mark Cuban and Co. want to do right now is upset both Irving and Doncic. Acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Brookyn Nets back in February, Irving is slated to become a free agent. Meanwhile, Doncic is seemingly unhappy with the direction of the organization after a down 2022-23 season.
While Doncic is not going to request a trade, he did indicate that “something’s got to change” during the summer.
As for the enigmatic Irving, there is a solid chance that he returns to Dallas in NBA free agency.
The Mavericks were 28-26 when they acquired Irving from Brooklyn on Feb. 6. They finished 10-18 after the Irving trade.
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