NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard warns Blazers, KD’s Warriors regret, Mavs fined
By Mark Powell
NBA Rumors: Adam Silver fines the Mavs for tanking
When the Dallas Mavericks sat the majority of their stars for their April 7 game against the Chicago Bulls, it was clear they only had one objective — lose at all costs. And Dallas did just that.
By losing to the Bulls, Dallas all but ensured they would keep their 2023 draft pick, as they’re slotted in No. 10 via the NBA Draft lottery. Luka Doncic played just one quarter before being benched, something Jason Kidd called an “organizational decision.”
From the NBA’s perspective, this is exactly the kind of activity they want to avoid. Dallas was still alive for the No. 10 spot, which would have slotted them in to the play-in tournament. Instead, they chose to keep their draft pick and essentially lose on purpose. The Mavs were roasted by NBA Executive Vice President Joe Dumars:
“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport. The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league,” Dumars said.
The league fined Dallas $750k on Friday, setting an example that this sort of behavior won’t be tolerated in the future:
"“The Mavericks violated the league’s player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organization’s desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft,” the league said. “The league did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win.”"
From the Mavs perspective, the fine may have been worth it, with a chance to add to their roster in this offseason’s NBA Draft.