Two months after the Mavericks officially acquired Kyrie Irving from the Nets in a blockbuster trade, they find themselves sitting in an unexpected position.
As of Friday, Dallas is a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the final Play-In Tournament spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder also own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mavericks, only making the path to the postseason more difficult.
Now, with two games left on their regular season schedule, the Mavs must decide whether the dynamic duo of Irving and Luka Doncic will remain in the starting lineup.
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Will Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving sit out Mavericks' final games?
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Monday that Dallas was "seriously considering the possibility of shutting down" Doncic and Irving. Why? It's all about draft capital.
As Charania noted, the Mavericks have a top-10 protected pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. If it falls outside of the top 10, the pick would go to the Knicks. (It was part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019.)
However, if it stays within that range, Dallas would take a key asset into the offseason.
"At that point, you have the flexibility of having that potentially top-10 pick," Charania said on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" show. "You have three first-round picks that you can trade this offseason to go get a star and potentially more players in the marketplace. They're gonna be one of the more active teams."
“I think the Mavericks have to seriously look at whether you shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving these last 3 games of the regular season” 😬@ShamsCharania on the #Mavs mindset going into the final 3 games#RunItBack #MFFL pic.twitter.com/IPqgwS2YHm
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) April 3, 2023
While the Mavs have struggled to find success with Irving — they are just 5-11 when he plays with Doncic and 8-12 overall — they still plan to re-sign him in free agency, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.
The front office will attempt to surround Irving and Doncic with "versatile wing defenders and rim protectors to improve a defense that has been subpar," per Haynes.
Both Irving and Doncic played against the Kings on Wednesday, but Irving is one of five Mavericks who will not be available for Friday's game against the Bulls. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Doncic will sit out after the first quarter, and Mavs coach Jason Kidd confirmed that Doncic would play limited minutes and "most likely" sit out the rest of the season.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd confirms sitting players is a managerial decision, but he’s confident the team could win two play-in games on the road.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) April 7, 2023
While things could change based on tonight’s outcome, Kidd expects Luka Doncic’s season to be done after the 1st quarter. pic.twitter.com/gPSYSeNsAA
Mavericks upcoming schedule
Dallas will finish the regular season with matchups against Chicago and San Antonio. Both games will be played at the American Airlines Center.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| April 7 | vs. Bulls | 8:30 p.m. |
| April 9 | vs. Spurs | 3:30 p.m. |
In order to earn a Play-In Tournament berth, the Mavs will need to win their final two games and have the Thunder lose their last contest (vs. Grizzlies).
