The NBA is reportedly launching an investigation into the Dallas Mavericks regarding questionable roster decisions the team made for Friday night’s 115-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The result eliminated them from Western Conference play-in contention.
“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,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Saturday afternoon.
Mark Cuban On The Sidelines
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd described the move as an “organizational decision” after the game. He also said that it isn’t an example of his team forfeiting. “It’s not so much waving the white flag,” Kidd further explained. “It’s [that] decisions sometimes are hard in this business. We’re trying to build a championship team. With this decision, this is maybe a step back. But hopefully it leads to going forward.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told Phoenix Suns employees in October that tanking will be a serious issue from now on. “We put teams on notice,” he said per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “We’re going to be paying particular attention to the issue this year.” The NBA previously fined Mavericks governor Mark Cuban $600,000 for publically admitting to tanking back in 2018. When asked about the idea of tanking, earlier this week, Cuban said: “The guys don’t want to do that. Players aren’t going to do that. Players don’t do that.” As it stands, the Mavs owe the New York Knicks a first-round draft pick. However, Dallas can retain it if it’s inside the top 10. The pick is the final payment for the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Potentially losing their first-round pick isn’t the only worry for the Mavericks. Star guard Luka Doncic is reportedly also considering leaving the organization if the state of the team doesn’t improve. Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports that the 24-year-old will leave if the team doesn’t start competing for titles by the summer of 2024.
[Via]