NBA Fines Dallas Mavericks $750,000 for Resting Players Against Bulls

• The NBA have fined the Dallas Mavericks $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the league
• An NBA investigation determined the Mavericks were trying to improve their draft lottery odds by losing the game against the Bulls on purpose by resting players
• The Mavericks missed the playoffs despite trading for Kyrie Irving

The NBA have fined the Dallas Mavericks for conduct detrimental to the league after resting players against the Chicago Bulls on April 7th.

The Mavericks were caught in a dilemma in their last two games of the regular season. Play to win and fight for a spot in the Play-in Tournament or lose to keep their top-10 pick. They finished the season with the 10th worst record; if the draft pick fell out of the top 10, they would have to send it to the New York Knicks, the final payment from the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

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Before the Bulls game, they released an injury report, listing Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Maxi Kleber out. Luka Doncic only played for the first quarter, per CBS Sports.

The Mavericks decided to tank to get the draft pick which was important to their future. However, the blatant nature of their actions caught the league's attention.

Doncic and Irving were regarded as one of the best duos in the NBA, but they failed to build any form of chemistry to lead the team to the postseason. When they played together, they went 5-11, per Dallas News.

NBA fines Mavericks

The NBA announced they are fining the Mavericks $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the league.

“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”

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The Mavericks will have many questions to answer in the offseason. Doncic and Irving were heavily criticized for not making the postseason. Mark Cuban will be under pressure to make changes to the roster.

Doncic wants changes

Sports Brief earlier reported on Mavericks superstar Doncic saying that something has to change on his team after a dreadful 2022/23 season.

The 2011 NBA champions finished the season 11th in the West with a 38-44 record, their first losing record since Doncic's rookie season (2017/18). Their blockbuster trade, which brought Kyrie Irving to Dallas, didn't bear fruit as the team collapsed in the last two months of the season.

"Something's got to change, for sure. I mean, last year we went to Western Conference finals. We were having fun. I always talk about the chemistry we had. It was great. But something's got to change for sure," Doncic said.