Jason Kidd confirms Mark Cuban made the call for Mavs to lose and INTENTIONALLY miss the playoffs

Mark Cuban’s tanking gamble: A bad move for the Mavericks?

Jason Kidd confirms Mark Cuban made the call for Mavs to lose and INTENTIONALLY miss the playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks had a chance to make the playoffs, but the head coach Jason Kidd implied that the owner Mark Cuban decided to throw it away.

On Friday night, the Mavericks lost to the Chicago Bulls 115-112, a result that eliminated them from playoff contention. But it was not a hard-fought defeat. It was a deliberate tanking move by Cuban and his front office. The Mavericks rested most of their key players, including Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Maxi Kleber. Luka Doncic, their All-Star leader, only played one quarter and then watched from the bench. The team’s final shots were taken by fringe players who had barely seen any action this season.

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Head coach Jason Kidd confirmed after the game that he was not part of the decision and that he had to follow the orders of his bosses. He said that they were trying to build a championship team and that sometimes they had to make hard decisions and take a step back.

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“Just understanding it’s not so much waving a white flag, decisions sometimes are hard in this business,” said Jason Kidd while addressing the media after the game. “And you have to make hard decisions. We’re trying to build a championship team. And sometimes you gotta step back and understand again, this is maybe a step back.”

“It’s not always easy to make decisions, but these are decisions that are made by my bosses, and we have to follow them. And we trust Cuban and Nico are going to put the pieces together to put us in a position to win a championship. And that process started today.“

Also Read: “Oh this can’t be serious!?” – Mavericks fans in DISBELIEF as latest report suggests the team giving up on playoff hopes this season

What was Cuban’s motive behind asking Jason Kidd to intentionally bench key players?

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Via LA Times

Cuban’s motive was to increase the chances of keeping their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The Mavericks owed their pick to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but it was top-10 protected. By losing to the Bulls, they ensured that they had the ninth-worst record in the league and a 72 percent chance of keeping their pick.

The 2023 draft class is considered to be a talented one and quite deep, featuring prospects like Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson. The Mavericks could use their pick to add a young star to their core or trade it for an established player who could help them win now.

However, Cuban’s strategy is not without risk. There is still a 28 percent chance that their pick would fall outside the top 10 and go to the Knicks. There is also no guarantee that they would land a franchise-changing player with their pick or that they would be able to improve their roster significantly in the offseason.

Moreover, Cuban’s decision angered many fans and players who wanted to see the Mavericks compete for a playoff spot. Doncic had said earlier that he would never sit out as long as there was still a chance to make the playoffs.

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