BERLIN, (dpa/EP)
The NBA is investigating the Dallas Mavericks for their discards and casualties in last Friday’s loss against the Chicago Bulls (115-112), which left them out of the ‘Playoffs’ to presumably benefit from having better options in the future ‘Draft’.
The loss ensured Dallas would miss the PlayIn tournament but retain its No. 10 pick in the 2023 Draft lottery, still owing the New York Knicks a protected Top 10 pick as part of a 2019 trade. to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
The Mavericks left out Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood, while Luka Doncic only played the first quarter at the American Airlines Center.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd had called it an “organizational decision.” “It’s not so much waving the white flag. It’s that decisions are sometimes difficult in this business. We try to build a champion team. With this decision, we may have taken a step back. But hopefully it will lead us to move forward,” he said.
Owner Mark Cuban had previously denied that his team was deliberately scuttled. “Guys don’t want to do that. Players aren’t going to do that. Players don’t do that,” he said.
However, the league is looking into the matter, according to NBA spokesman Mike Bass. “The NBA today began an investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and conduct in last night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and Mavericks, including the motivations behind those actions,” Bass said.
Kidd has already confirmed that his star players will not participate in the last game of the season that Dallas will play on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.