The NBA puts itself in profile with the Mavericks

In the end, nothing. Just like it was done with Kyrie Irving or with I Morant, the NBA has put a symbolic fine (to put it in some way) to the Mavericks for their controversial attitude in the last days of the regular season. The Texan team, still with mathematical options to enter the tenth place in the Western Conference that gives access to the play in, decided not to field their best players to lose and have a better chance of getting a top 10 in the next drafta round that would be protected and that in the event of going above the top ten positions would go to the Knicks due to the agreement that both franchises signed in the transfer of Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas in 2019.

Following the decision of, according to Jason Kidd, the Mavericks directive to seat the noble part of the squad in a game that went from being key to irrelevant caused a lot of controversy: the Texans depended on the Thunder to sneak into tenth place and some saw favorably the decision to think about the future. Others considered it a real embarrassment for the way to impoverish the competition, erase themselves from the fight and thus leave the top ten places in the Western Conference decided. One way or another, The NBA took action on the matter and Mike Bass, spokesman for commissioner Adam Silver, assured that there would be consequences for the Mavs for the decision..

In the end, everything has been resolved that way: $750,000 fine for the Mavs, a ridiculous penalty for a franchise valued at more than 3,000 million dollars and whose owner, Mark Cuban, has a net worth of more than 4,000 million. Thus, a situation that has caused a lot of controversy is settled but in which the NBA has once again entered on tiptoe, pronouncing half after saying that he would do it completely and forcing to pay money that does not mean anything to anyone and that does not finish convincing those who think one thing or, of course, the other. The NBA has justified this fine by saying that the Mavericks’ decision “undermines the integrity of our sport” and “they have failed the fans and the League”.

The Mavericks, oblivious to all this (it’s not that I’ve specially explained to them), plunge into a summer full of uncertainty. The season has ended in the worst possible way and has seen absolute failure and a slowdown for a project that has gone from playing in the Conference finals to even staying out of the play in. From 52 victories to 38. From an entirely positive record to a worryingly negative one. And rumors that Luka Doncic only has patience until 2024 and that there are decisions to be made on the bench (Jason Kidd), those who are going to be free agents in the summer (Christian Wood and Kyrie Irving) and, ultimately, the entire project. That wobbles in a total and utter way. So are the things.