It’s been a disaster close to the 2022-23 season for the Dallas Mavericks. They went from an exciting new-look team to missing the playoffs altogether in a matter of six weeks.
To make matters worse, a report surfaced on Saturday, that “fear exists” within the Mavericks organization that star guard Luka Doncic may request a trade as soon as next summer, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“Team sources have acknowledged to ESPN that fear exists that Doncic, who publicly and privately expressed extreme frustration this season, could consider requesting a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if Dallas doesn’t make significant progress by then,” MacMahon wrote.
That news, paired with Doncic’s sad rant after the Mavs’ first of two losses to the Charlotte Hornets, is a pretty scary combination for the team’s fans.
“It’s really frustrating,” Doncic said via the Fanatics YouTube channel. “I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes, I don’t feel it’s me. Just being out there. I used to have [a lot of] fun. Smiling on the court. But it’s just been so frustrating. For a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”
NBA Launches Investigation After Mavs Tank Against Bulls
MacMahon’s report was just another drop in the bucket of bad news surrounding the Mavericks. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention, after tanking their April 7 matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
The NBA was not pleased with the organization’s decision to punt their remaining games in order to increase the odds of retaining their draft pick, which would go to the New York Knicks if it falls outside of the top 10.
Multiple reports surfaced Saturday, indicating that the league was launching an investigation into the Mavs organization, after their decision to sit several key players against the Bulls.
“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 Spokesman Mike Bass said via MacMahon.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass: “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.”
Shortly before Friday’s meeting with Chicago, Dallas announced that Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Max Kelber, and Christian Wood would all be sitting out with the season on the line.
“Kyrie Irving (right foot injury recovery), Josh Green (rest), Tim Hardaway Jr. (left ankle soreness), Maxi Kleber (right hamstring injury recovery) and Christian Wood (rest) will all miss tonight’s game against the Bulls,” the Mavs announced via Twitter.
Kyrie Irving (right foot injury recovery), Josh Green (rest), Tim Hardaway Jr. (left ankle soreness), Maxi Kleber (right hamstring injury recovery) and Christian Wood (rest) will all miss tonight’s game against the Bulls.
Jason Kidd Reveals that Mavericks Ordered Players to Rest
While five of the team’s key players sat out of the crucial matchup, the young star, Doncic, did suit up. The catch was that he was only allowed to play the first quarter.
Head coach Jason Kidd had broken that news to reporters prior to tipoff, as well as letting them know that the organization had decided against fighting for a playoff spot.
“We were fighting for our lives, and understanding this is a situation we’re in, but the organization has made the decision to change,” Jason Kidd said via the “Dallas Morning News’” Brad Townsend. “So, you know, we have to go by that and that’s something that happens. So the guys that are playing, we got to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we talked about that this afternoon… And the guys that are playing are gonna go out and try to play to win. You gotta be pros. You can’t cheat the game.”
Couple of tweets, Jason Kidd explaining the organization’s decision to in effect pull the plug.
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Mavs ‘Fear’ Luka Doncic’s Future With Team Is At Risk After Tank-Job: Report