The NBA announced on Saturday that they are investigating the Dallas Mavericks’ roster management over concerns of tanking.
On Friday, the Mavericks ruled Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber out for the team’s must-win home game against the Chicago Bulls. Wood and Green were ruled out due to “rest”, while the other three were dealing with minor injuries.
As well, superstar Luka Doncic was removed for the game early in the second quarter despite a strong start that saw him post 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Dallas fell 115-112 in a must-win game. The loss ended their hopes of qualifying for the play-in tournament, a fitting end to what has been a highly disappointing season for the organization.
In a statement to the New York Post, NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed that the league is investigating the Mavericks’ roster decisions in Friday’s game:
“The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivation behind those actions.”
One important note here: The Mavericks owe the New York Knicks their 2023 first-round pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019. But the pick is top-10 protected, so Dallas’ loss to Chicago greatly improved their chances of retaining the draft selection.
2023 marks the first year of no playoff basketball in Dallas since 2019. The 2022 Western Conference runner-ups fell well below expectations this year, and it will be interesting to see how Mark Cuban and company go about their business this summer.
