The Mavericks accomplished their mission on Friday night, and will officially miss the playoffs after resting their stars and getting beaten at home by the Bulls.
Dallas rested Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Josh Green and Christian Wood and only played Luka Doncic for 13 minutes as the Bulls beat the Mavs 115-112.
Want to catch a game? The Knicks schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, despite presumably being the architect of the plan to rest the stars, had an anguished reaction to McKinley Wright IV missing what would have been a game-tying three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the game.
The Mavericks entered the night in contention for the 10th seed in the Western Conference and a spot in the play-in tournament, but the bizarre incentive structure in the NBA made it arguably in their best interest to throw in the towel.
The 2019 trade with the Knicks that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas included a first-round pick in 2023 that is top-10 protected.
By losing Friday night, the Mavericks became a bottom-10 in the NBA, greatly increasing their chances of drawing a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery and thus getting to keep it.
Therefore, what the Mavericks did Friday night was seen as a clear subversion of athletic competition, and also a chess move that could pay off in the long run if they’re able to add a great player in the draft.
The Mavericks had high expectations when they acquired Irving from the Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and second-round selections in 2027 and 2029.
The team failed to meet them.
The Mavericks were 29-26 and ranked fifth in the Western Conference at the time the trade went down, and went 9-17 after the deal — and 8-13 in games in which Irving played.
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