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Cuban's Revenge? Resting Mavericks Toy With Knicks' Draft Pick
The Dallas Mavericks can either go all-out for a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament but draft positioning could be on the line.
And for that reason, it appears, Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are out.
The owner of the Mavericks is overseeing what will likely go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, a campaign that's on pace to be a failed follow-up to a surprising appearance in the Western Conference Finals. A look at the Mavericks' injury report for their penultimate game of the regular season, one essential to keep their campaign alive, hints that they have little, if any, interest in changing their fate ... much to the ostensible chagrin of the New York Knicks.
Dallas (38-42) closes its season out with two home games at American Airlines Center, the first tipping off on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls (8:30 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Southwest). As it stands, the Mavericks are a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth and final Play-In spot but come up short in the season series tiebreaker (1-2). Their season closes with a visit from the woebegone San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
But even against a Bulls team whose postseason fate is sealed (locked into East's fourth Play-In spot), the Mavericks are going into Friday's game voluntarily shorthanded: All-Star Kyrie Irving is listed as out with a foot injury despite playing in the last seven games while other contributors like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber are said to be respectively out for soreness and recovery purposes.
The Mavericks make no secrets when it comes to the status of Josh Green and Christian Wood, who are each listed as resting. Some have theorized that superstar and franchise face Luka Dončić would also be sitting if not for his fellow countrymen descending upon North Texas for "Slovenia Night" at AAC.
So where does New York fit in? Conspiracy theorists could argue that the Mavericks' roster gambit is an attempt at petty revenge for staging a family reunion for Jalen Brunson.
The matchup in Dallas carries strong implications for the outskirts of the NBA Draft Lottery: the loser will likely land in the final spot amongst the top 10 odds for the top overall pick. While that hardly hints at a chance for Victor Wembanyama, the Mavericks will lose their first-round choice to the Knicks if it lands outside the top 10 as the final piece of the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. Should that protected choice not transfer to the Knicks this summer, it could still do so in the following two years, after which it'd become a second-round choice.
Cuban reopened the controversy around the Knicks' tempting of Brunson earlier this week, as he implied that Dallas never had a chance to lure him back after New York hired the point guard's father Rick to serve as an assistant coach. A subsequent tampering investigation from the NBA eventually charged the Knicks with a loss of a second-round pick in 2025. New York does not have its 2023 first-round pick, having traded it to Portland in February for Josh Hart.
While the Knicks could potentially use a Top 12 choice from Dallas to barter in offseason dealings (previously trading away their 2022 choices to build a Brunson budget), there's no doubt they're pleased with the way things have panned out. Brunson has carried on momentum built during last season's playoff run and has set career-bests in nearly every major statistical category. His collegiate teammate Hart has been an undeniable spark off the bench since coming East, as the Knicks are 17-6 since he first took the floor in blue and orange.
Like the Mavericks, the Knicks (47-33) are also packing their injury report as the regular season ends, albeit for entirely different reasons. New York is locked into the fifth seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket and has opted to rest both Brunson and fellow starter Mitchell Robinson when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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