Photo Credit: Mavs Moneyball
The Dallas Mavericks has been fined $750,000 by the NBA for resting key players against the Chicago Bulls on April 7.
In a statement, the NBA said the action showed the organization’s desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
NBA Executive Vice President, Joe Dumars said the Mavericks’ actions had failed the fans and the league.
Mavericks were defeated 115-112 by the Bulls on 7 April.
Dallas said Kyle Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr and Maxi Kleber were all nursing injuries while Josh Green and Christian Wood were being rested.
All five players – plus Luka Doncic, who played only 12 minutes – featured in their previous win over the Sacramento Kings, which led to the accusations of ‘tanking’ – fielding a weakened side in order to lose and improve their draft chances.
Writing by Chinasa Ossai; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu