Dallas Mavericks handed $750,000 fine by NBA after being found guilty of tanking

Organisation decided to rest key players for a game against Chicago Bulls, which resulted in Dallas failing to qualify for the play-in tournament but protected their first-round draft pick

Mark Cuban at the Dallas Mavericks game against the Chicago Bulls, which resulted in the $750,000 fine. AP

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has handed the Dallas Mavericks a $750,000 fine after determining the team was resting players in an effort to lose and keep its first-round draft pick, essentially finding the organisation guilty of "tanking".

The Mavericks, owned by billionaire Mark Cuban, “violated the league’s player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organisation’s desire to lose the game” against the Chicago Bulls on April 7, the NBA said on Friday in a statement.

The $750,000 fine exceeds the $600,000 that Cuban had to pay in 2018, when he revealed in a podcast with Julius Erving that he had dinner with players and suggested that “losing is our best option”.

Cuban, 64, bought the Mavericks in 2000. He has an estimated net worth of $6.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with almost half of that a result of his team ownership.

Tanking has become a growing problem for the NBA, a league in which getting a top draft pick can quickly turn around the fortunes of a franchise. The draft system generally works by allowing the teams who finished in the lower positions the previous system to pick first, giving them the opportunity to select the best talent.

Cuban’s decision was particularly controversial because the Mavericks were still eligible to qualify for the play-in tournament, which would have given them the chance to make the play-offs.

The Mavericks finished the regular season 38-44. The record left the team in jeopardy of having to hand over itheir first-round draft pick to the New York Knicks, which would happen if the selection falls outside the top 10. But losing improved the odds of making the top 10 and therefore protecting it.

Dallas Mavericks star player Luka Doncic, left, along with Josh Green and Kyrie Irving, right, did not feature against the Chicago Bulls. AP

“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president, said in the statement. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”

The Mavericks held out several players from the game against the Bulls, including Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. They also largely sat star player Luka Doncic.

Coach Jason Kidd said “the organisation has made the decision to change,” including Cuban and Nico Harrison, the general manager.

The NBA said it didn’t find that the players who participated were trying to lose.