Dallas Mavericks fined $750,000 by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league
The Dallas Mavericks have been fined $750,000 by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league.
The NBA announced the fine in a statement on Friday. The Mavs were fined for sitting several key players in an April 7 matchup against the Chicago Bulls that ended their playoff chances.
Heading into their game against the Bulls, the Mavs sat Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood while Luka Doncic only played during the first quarter.
The Mavs even sat Markieff Morris after he had played only eight minutes despite him scoring 13 points while shooting five-of-six from the field.
After the game when asked about waving the white flag on the season, Kidd said decisions were made by his bosses and he had to follow them but added that he did trust both Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison to guide them to championship contention.
The NBA cited Mavs’ public statements and ascertained that the team sat players with the goal of retaining their first-round draft pick.
The NBA said the players who did play did so with no intention of losing.
The Mavs’ loss to the Bulls gave them an 80% chance of keeping their draft pick this year instead of it going to the New York Knicks, who own the pick if it falls outside of the top 10.
This is the second time the Mavericks have been fined for tanking-related reasons in six years. Owner Mark Cuban was fined for comments he made about tanking on a podcast with Julius Erving in 2018.
NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumar said the Mavericks actions failed their fans and the NBA.
This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 12:09 PM.
