NBA Insider: Mavs ‘March Tank Plan’ Shut Down By Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving
It costs to build a championship team in the NBA, but apparently, it costs to tank as well.
On Friday, the NBA announced that the Dallas Mavericks have been fined $750,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league” due to resting key players while their play-in hopes were still alive. NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars issues an official statement and said what Dallas did “undermined the integrity of our sport.”
Though Dallas was still mathematically alive in the play-in race, their chances became bleak after a 1-7 stretch, which led the Mavericks’ brass to rest the likes of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the final two games of the regular season to help better their chance to keep their top-10 protected pick.
But, according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the Mavericks had originally planned to hit the tank button at the end of March.
"The tanking was actually supposed to begin sooner," O'Connor said. "My sources say that in late March, Dallas coaches met with players to discuss a plan for Markieff Morris and JaVale McGee to play heavier minutes. That is when the tanking was supposed to begin but Luka and especially Kyrie were agitated that the team was waving the white flag and both refused to sit."
Dallas ultimately got their wish and tanked the final two games to secure the 10th best odds in the draft lottery, but seems like it came at the cost of upsetting their two best players in Doncic and Irving in what's arguably the most crucial time in this franchise's history.
You can watch the full clip from O'Connor below:
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