(Reuters) – The National Basketball Association fined the Dallas Mavericks $750,000 on Friday for resting multiple players during a game last week that had draft implications and while they were not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
The NBA said Dallas violated the player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements a desire to lose the contest in order to improve their chances of keeping their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“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,” NBA Executive Vice President Joe Dumars said in a news release.
“The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”
If Dallas land a top-10 pick for the 2023 NBA Draft they get to keep it, but if the pick is 11th or lower it goes to the New York Knicks as final payment for the January 2019 trade to acquire Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis.
A lottery to determine the final order for the June 22 draft will be held on May 16.
The Mavericks, for a game last Friday against the visiting Chicago Bulls in which they were facing elimination from postseason contention, sat Kyrie Irving and four other regulars while severely limiting All-Star Luka Doncic’s minutes.
Despite the move, the Mavericks led by double digits during the second half before a group of players who spent much of the season on the bench squandered the lead and lost 115-112.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
