The Dallas Mavericks protecting their 2023 first-round draft pick had nothing to do with the New York Knicks, according to Mark Cuban.
Over the final two games of the 2022-23 season, the Mavericks sat key veterans like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, seemingly forfeiting their season, despite still having a chance to make the play-in tournament.
The Mavericks would have had to send their 2023 first-round pick to the Knicks if it fell out of the top 10, as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019.
Instead, the Mavs lost their last two games of the year and kept their pick.
In addition to keeping the pick, some wondered if the decision was also a shot at the Knicks for tampering with Jalen Brunson ahead of free agency in 2022. Cuban was reportedly furious with the Knicks' actions, even calling out Jalen's father and Knicks assistant Rick Brunson for taking over contract negotiations.
Cuban told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that the decision had nothing to do with the Knicks and wasn't even tanking in the Mavericks eyes.
"I’m not a revenge guy," Cuban said.
"We never tanked anything," Cuban told Bondy. "We just decided to play our younger players the last couple of games. But it’s [general manager] Nico Harrison’s and mine’s and [coach] Jason Kidd’s job to make the tough decisions. Nobody who decides to rebuild effectively likes it. When you play your young players, it’s not always fun. So we just felt it was time to go young."
The NBA didn't see the Mavericks' intentions the same way. The NBA fined the Mavericks $750,000, saying the decision "violated the NBA's player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organization's desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick."
Meanwhile, the Knicks were docked a second-round pick for "engaging in free agency discussions involving Jalen Brunson prior to the date when such discussions were permitted."
The Mavs ultimately made a draft-night deal that netted them center Dereck Lively II, who has been a key reserve during the Mavs' run to the Finals.
The Knicks will get the 24th pick in this year's draft from the Mavs. They also own the 25th pick in the draft.
