The Dallas Mavericks did what many believe to be tanking against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, and Luka Doncic was not a fan of the maneuver, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“I didn't like it. That's it,” Luka Doncic said, according to MacMahon.
The Mavericks end the season with a 38-44 record, and failed to qualify for the play-in tournament, despite trading for Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the trade deadline. Doncic played just 13 minutes in the team's loss to the Bulls on Friday.
The status of the Mavericks' first-round pick is important in this context. It was part of the trade with the New York Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis, but it is top-10 protected. When the trade was initially made, it would have been a surprise if there was any possibility of the protection coming into play. However, that is the reality of the situation.
There are scenarios that the Mavericks still lose their pick to the Knicks, and it depends on how the NBA lottery plays out. If enough teams leapfrog the Mavericks in the NBA lottery, the pick would go to the Knicks.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said that the team wants to keep Kyrie Irving this offseason. Some believe that Doncic could become frustrated enough to request a trade, although he denied that in his media appearance.
It will be an interesting offseason for the Mavericks. Will they keep their first-round pick? Will they be able to retain Irving? There are a lot of questions to answer.
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