The Dallas Mavericks got in trouble last week for their… curious end-of-season decision. With a legitimate shot at a Play-In berth on the line, the Mavs decided to sit Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, among other players. The goal was seemingly clear: intentionally lose and skip the Play-In altogether for a higher draft pick. Almost immediately after, Dallas was investigated by the league. As a result, the Mavs were slapped with a $750,000 fine for their troubles.

The Mavs decide to sit Irving and have Doncic play only one quarter during a must-win game against the Bulls. They needed to win that game and their finale against the Spurs, all while praying for the Grizzlies to win their game. Those were clearly reachable milestones for the team, but the Mavs seemingly decided to prioritize the tank.

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It doesn't help that the Mavs were incredibly blatant about their decision. They didn't explicitly say that it was for tanking… but they didn't also hide their intentions. A day after the loss, the NBA put Dallas under the microscope and investigated their actions. Now, they've decided that the blatant tanking was worth a fine.

The Mavs did that in order to secure a better draft position: had they made the playoffs, their top-10 protected pick would be conveyed to the Knicks. It's a sound decision, but it's one that could cost them their relationship with Luka Doncic. Their tanktastic end to the year was in complete contradiction with Luka's public goals. We'll see how Mark Cuban and co. responds to this fine.