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Dallas Mavericks fans have had a rough few months. The team was looking primed for a playoff run, and now will be watching the postseason from the couch, just like you and me. To make matters worse, the NBA is now launching an investigation into the organization, regarding their decision to tank their April 7 meeting with the Chicago Bulls, according to multiple reports.
“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 ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
The actions that Bass spoke about, involved the Mavs straight up sitting several of their key players for the must-win matchup with the Bulls.
Just hours before tip, the team announced that Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Max Kelber, and Christian Wood would all be sidelined for the crucial showdown.
“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 Mavericks announced via Twitter.
On top of that, the Mavs decided that they’d let Luka Doncic play for the first quarter, but then effectively shut him down for the year.
Head coach Jason Kidd shared that information with reporters before the game, as well as informing them that the organization had decided to change course.
“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.”
Mavs’ Decision to Tank Could Lead to Luka Doncic Departure
After the whole tanking charade ended any hopes for the Mavericks to make a playoff run, a report surfaced that there’s fear within the organization that Doncic may request a trade after next season.
“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 in a piece recapping the bizarre night.
Report Brings New Meaning to Mavs’ Luka Doncic’s Sad Rant
With new information coming to light from MacMahon, Doncic’s comments about being sad a few weeks back, just got a whole lot more interesting.
“It’s really frustrating,” Doncic said after the team’s first of two losses to the Charlotte Hornets. “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.”
