Mavs head coach Jason Kidd didn’t have much to say about the NBA’s ongoing investigation into his team.
The NBA recently announced they would be investigating the Dallas Mavericks on suspicion of tanking after they sat the likes of Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green and Christian Wood for Friday’s defeat to the Chicago Bulls.
“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 Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said on Saturday.
Although highly unlikely, the Mavs made those game time decisions while there was still a possibility of making the final play-in spot so in essence, they were waving the white flag on their season.
Kidd was asked about the ongoing investigation and delivered a blunt response to say the least.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Kidd was quoted as saying by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I haven’t been contacted. I’m not going to comment on it.”
So why did Mavs rest so many key players in what was still considered a must-win game? As aforementioned, making the final play-in spot was extremely unlikely. They were one win behind the Oklahoma City Thunder who also notably had the tiebreaker on them.
But additionally, making the playoffs would have cost Dallas its first-round top-10 protected draft pick owed to the New York Knicks. With the loss to Chicago, Dallas is now most likely to land the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft lottery and won’t need to give the pick up.
Considering that, it makes sense why there is an investigation even though for many, it’s a needless endeavor.
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