Mavericks' Jason Kidd Sounds Off on NBA's Tanking Epidemic After Losing 10th Straight

One of the big topics around the NBA right now is tanking, as the league fined the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers for practices that could be deemed as tanking. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on some of the NBA's proposals that they think may fix tanking, which include flattening lottery odds, freezing the lottery odds at the trade deadline, and basing lottery odds on the team's record over two years.

The Dallas Mavericks could be seen as one of the teams tanking, as they've lost 10 straight games, their longest losing streak since the late 1990s, and they have a 19-36 record. Head coach Jason Kidd was asked about tanking after Friday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he doesn't think all tanking is the same.

“I think we will look at putting in some rule or something will change,” Kidd said, via Christian Clark of The Athletic. “We are in discussions with that right now. At some point, the NBA will come out. And understand there probably will be a big change. It’s in discussion right now.”

“Understanding that word ‘tanking,’ it’s sometimes misused. Sometimes teams aren’t trying to tank. Sometimes teams don’t have enough firepower to win. A serious injury to a star player can pivot a franchise. That happens.”

Feb 20, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talks with referee Dedric Taylor (21) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks May Not Say It, But They're Tanking

The Mavericks can blame their poor record on injuries. Anthony Davis only played 20 games before he was traded to the Washington Wizards, Cooper Flagg has missed a few games in this 10-game losing streak, Kyrie Irving has been out for the year, and Dereck Lively II only played 7 games before needing season-ending foot surgery. Those are four of the five players who would've been in their preferred starting lineup if everyone were healthy.

And those are just injuries to the starters. Daniel Gafford has been in and out of the lineup with a nagging ankle issue, P.J. Washington has had his fair share of injuries, and Dante Exum didn't play at all before he was traded.

However, the Mavericks are still tanking. In Friday's game against the Timberwolves, Tyus Jones, who was a +11 for the game, was taken out with 3:26 to go and the team down by 4. They ended up losing by 11 and were down by as much as 13 in the final few minutes. It'll be interesting to see what the rotation looks like once Cooper Flagg is back healthy.

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