Tanking Debate Continues As NBA Weighs Potential Fixes
The NBA had a record-setting trade deadline earlier this month and celebrated its biggest stars at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles this past weekend. However, tanking has been perhaps the most popular subject of discussion during the break in the regular season schedule.
A report 10 days ago indicated that the NBA is increasingly concerned about the issue and discussed it extensively at the most recent meeting of the league’s Competition Committee in January. Three days later, the league hit the Jazz with a $500K fine and docked the Pacers $100K for behavior that “prioritizes draft position over winning.” And two days after that, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at his annual All-Star press conference that the NBA is considering “every possibly remedy” to reduce the practice of tanking.
As Adam Zagoria writes for Forbes, Silver acknowledged that tanking may be worse this season due to the widespread perception that the 2026 draft class is significant stronger than the ’27 and ’28 classes will be. Still, the league doesn’t seem content to sit back and let the issue sort itself out in the coming years.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, approximately 10 potential solutions were discussed by league officials during All-Star week. Abolishing the draft entirely wasn’t among those possible rule changes, per Vardon, but Sam Amick of The Athletic says the “draft wheel” concept first proposed more than a decade ago by Celtics executive Mike Zarren has reentered the discussion.
Of course, any significant changes would require the approval of the NBA’s owners and likely the players’ union as well, Vardon notes.
Here’s more on the tanking dialogue that has taken off in recent weeks:
- In a pair of lengthy tweets, Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban offered his thoughts on why it seems like tanking has gotten worse in recent years and makes a case for why the NBA should embrace it – or at least live with it – as a legitimate team-building strategy. By contrast, Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia strongly opposed the idea that tanking is a legitimate strategy, arguing (via Twitter) that it’s “much worse than any prop bet scandal” and that Silver and the NBA should be willing to make “massive changes” to fix the issue.
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is in favor of tweaking the lottery system so that after a certain point in the season – perhaps at the trade deadline, the All-Star break, or after a set number of games – wins would essentially count as losses for the sake of determining a club’s lottery record. For instance, if the cutoff were 50 games and a team opened the season by going 22-28, then tanked late in the year and went 4-28 down the stretch, that team’s record for lottery purposes would be 50-32, with those late-season losses added to the win column. The logic, Bontemps explains, would be to penalize – rather than reward – teams that are aggressively trying to lose during the last couple months of the season.
- Sam Quinn of CBS Sports breaks down several of the hypothetical tanking solutions that have been floated by fans and pundits, breaking down the positives and the negatives of each suggestion.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Injuries, Ayton, Front Office
Luka Doncic believes the trade that sent him from Dallas to the Lakers last year put him in a better position to compete for championships, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). After making a brief appearance in Sunday’s All-Star game, Doncic conducted an interview with Slovenia’s SportKlub in which he was asked to compare the two teams.
“I think the organization here is better,” Doncic replied. “The Lakers are a truly legendary club, and the organization is legendary too.”
The Lakers have won 17 NBA titles and are regularly filled with star power, so there’s plenty of history to back up Doncic’s claim. The Mavericks reached the Finals with Doncic in 2024, but have gone sharply downhill since the trade and appear likely to miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
Sources close to Doncic told Afseth that it’s unlikely he’ll ever consider returning to Dallas. Doncic and other members of his camp were unhappy with negative comments from the Mavs regarding his conditioning and other internal rationale for the trade. Afseth states that Doncic remains close to some of his former teammates and staff members, including interim co-general manager Matt Riccardi, but points out that he hasn’t embraced Dallas coach Jason Kidd since being dealt.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- It’s not easy to determine if the Lakers are legitimate contenders this season, states Law Murray of The Athletic. L.A. entered the break at 33-21 despite only having Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves together for 10 games. All three of their stars have been sidelined for extended stretches, with 12 missed games for Doncic, 18 for James and 26 for Reaves. Despite being 12 games over .500, the Lakers have a negative point differential and have relied on a league-best 15-3 record in clutch games to build their winning record.
- Deandre Ayton was briefly detained but not arrested Tuesday at an airport in the Bahamas on suspicion of being in possession of a small amount of marijuana, according to Jasper Ward of Reuters. “The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn’t in Deandre’s bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously,” said Ayton’s attorney, Devard Francis, who added that the substance was actually in someone else’s luggage.
- President of business operations Tim Harris told staff members Monday that this is his last season with the team, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Woike notes that Harris has been with the organization for more than 35 years and describes him as the “driving force” behind the Lakers’ “massive” local TV deal with Spectrum SportsNet.
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving Won’t Return This Season
Star guard Kyrie Irving won’t make his return from an ACL tear this season, the Mavericks announced today in a press release. According to the team, Irving has made “steady progress” in his recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery on his left knee but will continue his rehab work and will wait until the fall to make his comeback.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows. And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day. THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”
Irving’s agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, also issued a statement to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) to explain the decision to postpone Kyrie’s return until the start of the 2026/27 season.
“This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season,” she said.
Irving tore the ACL in his left knee nearly a year ago, suffering the injury in a March 3 game against Sacramento. He underwent surgery about three-and-a-half weeks later and was ruled out indefinitely.
It’s not uncommon for players to take a full year – or longer – to return from an ACL tear, so it was never considered a sure thing that Irving would be back on the floor this season, even with head coach Jason Kidd making headlines at the start of November by expressing hope that his point guard would be back in 2025 rather than 2026.
While his recovery seemed to be progressing well, the 33-year-old consistently made an effort to keep expectations in check, advising fans last summer to not “hold your breath” on seeing him return during the 2025/26 regular season.
With Dallas out of the playoff picture and retooling its roster around Cooper Flagg after trading Anthony Davis to Washington earlier this month, there was even less urgency to bring back Irving down the stretch. The veteran guard indicated last week that he’d soon provide an update on his status, with Marc Stein reporting that the decision would be a collaborative one between Irving and the Mavs.
Irving, who signed a new three-year, $118MM+ contract with Dallas as a free agent last summer, will earn a $39.5MM guaranteed salary next season, with a $42.4MM player option for 2027/28. If the Mavs fully lean into a youth movement, he could emerge as a trade candidate during the ’26/27 league year, but the team has repeatedly messaged that it has no plans to trade Irving and that it views him as an ideal fit alongside Flagg.
Of course, the organization is also expected to hire a new permanent head of basketball operations at some point in the coming months, so it’s possible that executive will hold a different view. But for now, there has been no indication Irving won’t still be a Maverick when the ’26/27 season tips off.
While it’s in the Mavs’ best interest to lose more than they win during this season’s final two months in order to maximize their position in the draft lottery, they won’t have the same incentive beginning next season. The team doesn’t control its own first-round picks for the four years from 2027-30.
Prior to the ACL injury last season, Irving continued to perform at an All-Star level, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 36.1 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .473/.401/.916.
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Irving, Durant, Coward
Cooper Flagg appeared at Saturday’s game between Duke and Clemson with a boot on his left foot, but league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that the Mavericks believe they’re lucky that his midfoot sprain is not a more severe injury .
There’s still no specific timeline for how long Flagg will be out as a result of the injury, according to Stein, who says the more pressing concern for the team is how to keep the star rookie’s energy and enthusiasm up through what is likely the longest losing streak of his basketball life.
The Mavericks lost their last nine games prior to the All-Star break, which Stein notes is the team’s longest losing streak since the 1997/98 season. At No. 12 in the Western Conference, Dallas is currently two games up on the Jazz and 1.5 games behind the Grizzlies, who have embarked on their own rebuild after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah.
With Jackson out for the rest of the season following knee surgery and Utah owing its pick to the Thunder if it falls outside of the top eight, it will be worth keeping an eye on just how quickly Dallas brings the productive Flagg.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Kyrie Irving announced on Saturday that he will soon be giving an update on whether or not he plans to return for the Mavericks this season. While it would be beneficial for Dallas’ draft outlook for Irving to sit the rest of the season, Stein’s sources tell him that the decision will ultimately be a collaborative one between Irving and the team, as he writes in his latest Substack article. The decision will depend in part on whether the star point guard feels like his body needs more time to recover or whether he wants to try to work some rust off in-season.
- In the midst of his 18th season in the league, Kevin Durant is more concerned with making sure he remembers all the moves in his arsenal than adding new ones to it, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle. “There’s so much I’m thinking about. I don’t want to forget some stuff in my package and it goes away,” Durant said. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Shankar details the Rockets‘ star’s meticulous pregame workouts, including the balance drills designed to engage his legs. When it comes to a bad workout, assistant coach Royal Ivey puts it bluntly. “I haven’t seen one,” he said.
- Cedric Coward has gone from mystery box draft prospect to breakout player for the Grizzlies, starting 35 of the 48 games he’s played this season with averages of 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. He recently sat down with Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports to talk about his rookie year and what improvements come next. When asked about lessons taken away from being guarded by some of the league’s premier defenders, Coward spoke to a late-game situation against the Thunder and Alex Caruso. “Just keep it simple. The biggest moment I learned that was when we played Oklahoma City at home,” Coward said. “Last possession, Caruso put me in a box. And I was too complicated in what I was trying to do, so for me, I wish I could get that moment back, I know I’ll have that moment again — it might not be against Caruso, but I know the moment will come again.”
Kyrie Irving Will Provide An Update After The All-Star Break
- Posting on Twitch, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said he’s planning to provide an update after the All-Star break on his recovery from ACL surgery and the possibility of a return this season, relays Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). There has been speculation for months that Irving may be able to return around this point of the season, but the team hasn’t announced any sort of timetable. “It’s not easy to come back from any injury,” Irving said (Twitter video link), “but you gotta be mentally, spiritually, physically ready and the frustrating portion has been not being able to push myself to that brink, where you’re just dog tired.”
Southwest Notes: Mavs, Bryant, Coward, Wemby, Rockets
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is in the process of vetting candidates for the team’s head of basketball operations role, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The list of contenders for the job includes multiple veteran executives with “proven track records” of running a team’s front office, according to MacMahon — including some who currently hold that position in rival teams’ front offices.
League sources who have spoken to Christian Clark of The Athletic have “consistently” conveyed that the Mavericks don’t plan to make an out-of-left-field hire after the way things played out with longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison. High-level front office experience is a top priority for the Mavs this time around, Clark explains.
“After Nico, there’s not much room for creativity,” one source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic.
Clark, who also hears that Dallas is expected to interview executives currently working for other teams, adds that a promotion to a top front office position for head coach Jason Kidd is unlikely. While Kidd has reportedly had a say in personnel decisions and wouldn’t be the first head coach to transition to a GM role, it doesn’t sound as if that’s a path the club is seriously considering.
- Spurs rookie forward Carter Bryant has been named an injury replacement for Friday’s Rising Stars event, per the NBA (Twitter link). Bryant will be taking the spot of Grizzlies rookie forward Cedric Coward, who has been ruled out due to right knee soreness.
- Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points in 26 minutes in the Spurs‘ victory over the Lakers on Tuesday, and despite the team’s sizable lead in the fourth quarter, he wanted more, Tim MacMahon writes for ESPN. “I was also pushing to go back, but I mean, they did the right thing by keeping me on the bench,” Wembanyama said. “We got to think long term. But yeah, these kind of games, you got to have the greed.” McMahon adds that coming into the game, the Spurs’ star was committed to ensuring the team did not let its guard down simply because it was facing the Lakers, whose squad was decimated by injuries. Wembanyama ended up playing over 33 minutes the next night in San Antonio’s 126-113 victory over the Warriors.
- The Rockets have the profile of a very good team, but they don’t feel like an inner-circle title contender, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle. However, for a team missing its starting point guard (Fred VanVleet) since opening night, as well as one of its identity setters (Steven Adams) since mid-January, it’s not unexpected that the Rockets have struggled to play to the level they were predicted to be at before the season. “It’s all about perspective,” Kevin Durant said. “… My presence is allowing people on the outside to put heavy expectations on us and put the microscope on us and not realize that we’re still growing individually as players. Continuity matters. We had injuries too. But when I’m around, the expectations go up. Nobody cares about context.” Even if a championship isn’t in the cards this season, Shankar writes, the rest of the season still matters from a developmental perspective, especially with so many players contributing at a young age. Winning a playoff series or two would show the team is taking its next steps and positioning itself to be ready next year when it’s fully healthy again.
Blazers’ Cissoko Latest Two-Way Player To Reach Active Game Limit
Several teams will head into the NBA’s All-Star break with roster decisions to make before their schedules resume next week. One of those teams in the Trail Blazers, who deployed two-way player Sidy Cissoko for his 50th game of the season on Thursday in Utah.
Cissoko, who made his 24th start of the season and played 30 minutes in Portland’s win over the Jazz, has now reached the active game limit for two-way players and will no longer be able to suit up for the NBA team unless he’s promoted from his two-way contract to the Blazers’ standard 15-man roster.
Cissoko is one of several players in that boat, along with Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, Timberwolves guard Johnny Juzang, and Sixers forward Jabari Walker. All four two-way players have been active for 50 NBA games this season.
Cissoko and Jones have emerged as key contributors for their respective teams and will likely be promoted to standard contracts sooner rather than later. The Nuggets might have taken that route with Jones already if not for the concussion that sidelined him for the final three games before the All-Star break, which allowed the team to put off an official roster move for an extra couple weeks.
Denver has two openings on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Jones, making the club’s decision even more straightforward.
That’s not the case in Portland though, where one of the team’s 15 players currently holding standard contracts will need to be cut if the Blazers want to promote Cissoko. If the team decides to convert both Cissoko and its other standout two-way player, Caleb Love (who is at 45 active games), two cuts would be required. Rayan Rupert and Matisse Thybulle have been mentioned as possible odd men out, but that’s not necessarily a given.
There’s less urgency for certain other teams whose two-way players have reached – or are fast approaching – their active game limits. For instance, while Juzang has been active for 50 games this season, he only actually saw the floor in 21 of them — he was a DNP-CD in the other 29. As such, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Wolves haven’t rushed to promote him to the standard roster. Juzang was on the inactive list for Minnesota’s last three games prior to the All-Star break.
Rockets two-way guard JD Davison is another player nearing his 50-game limit (he has five games left), but like Juzang, he hasn’t been a crucial part of his team’s rotation when he’s active. Davison has appeared in 24 games and been a DNP-CD in 21 others. With that in mind, Houston may not be in a rush to move him to the 15-man roster when he gets to his game limit.
It’s also worth noting that promoting a two-way player or leaving him in limbo aren’t the only two options a team has at its disposal after he reaches his active game limit. When two-way player Chris Youngblood found himself in that situation last week, the Thunder decided to waive him, recognizing that there was no room for him on their 15-man roster and wanting to give him the chance to explore other opportunities before the end of the season.
Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (six games left) and center Moussa Cisse (eight games left), Wizards big man Tristan Vukcevic (nine games left), Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens (nine games left), and Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (10 games left) are among the other notable two-way players whose teams will have roster decisions to make in the coming weeks.
The full list of players who have already been converted from two-way deals to standard contracts can be found here.
Mavericks Notes: Cuban, Ownership, New Arena, Middleton
After reporting on Wednesday that the Dumont and Adelson families have no interest in selling the Mavericks back to Mark Cuban, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required) sheds some light on Cuban’s diminishing role with the franchise. Cuban was brought back to the inner circle of decision makers after former general manager Nico Harrison was fired in November, but sources tell Stein that his influence has already started to wane.
Co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley were solely responsible for the decision to trade Anthony Davis to Washington last week, according to Stein. He also hears that Riccardi addressed the players on Saturday to explain the trade deadline moves and set expectations for the remainder of the season.
Stein notes that the 2023 sale agreement gives the Dumonts and Adelsons an option — believed to be in effect through December of 2027 — to buy more of Cuban’s shares in the franchise and reduce his minority stake from 27% to as low as 7%. Stein adds that the families’ strong public denial of sale rumors could be interpreted as a message to Cuban to be more careful in his public comments.
Cuban told Stein on Wednesday that he hasn’t talked with team governor Patrick Dumont recently, but stated that he has received calls from “individuals, groups, financial people, you name it” who expressed interest in getting involved if the opportunity arises to repurchase the team.
There’s more from Dallas:
- It’s unlikely that the Adelsons would consider selling the Mavericks at any price, writes Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Although they recognize it could take several years, the family bought the team with the vision of linking it to their casino business and they want to be ready if gambling is ever legalized in Texas.
- The Mavericks have reached an agreement with CAA Sports to handle their commercial strategy for a planned new arena, the team announced in a press release. The effort will focus on finding “world class brands” for naming rights and other opportunities. “We have an ambitious vision for the future of the Dallas Mavericks,” CEO Rick Welts said. “The opportunity ahead of us is significant. CAA Sports brings global expertise, deep industry relationships and a strong track record of delivering transformational partnerships for top echelon sports properties. They are the right teammate as we move into this next chapter.”
- There’s been speculation that Khris Middleton may be a buyout candidate after being acquired from Washington in the Davis deal, but coach Jason Kidd likes having him on the roster, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Middleton came off the bench to contribute 13 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes on Tuesday in his Mavericks debut. “Some would say he was a throw-in,” said Kidd, who formerly coached Middleton in Milwaukee. “He’s a lot bigger than you think. He can post. He can shoot it. For me, it was exciting to be able to work with Khris early on in his basketball journey. He did all the hard work. When we got him, he was our best player at the time. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) not that far behind.”
Mavs Owners Have No Plans To Sell
While rumors circulated this week that there was an investor group interested in teaming up with Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban to buy the franchise back from its new owners, it appears that any such efforts may be futile.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports (via Twitter) that the Dumont and Adelson families, led by Mavs governor Patrick Dumont, have no intentions of selling the team.
“The Dumont and Adelson families remain fully committed to the Dallas Mavericks’ franchise and to the Dallas community,” Stein’s source close to the Dumont family says (Twitter link). “They remain focused on building a championship organization for the long term.”
Since Monday’s report, Cuban expressed skepticism to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that the current ownership group would be interested in selling the Mavs after having just bought the team in 2023, though he did confirm that he’s been approached by parties interested in making an attempt.
“I have been contacted by multiple groups and individuals who have interest in buying the Mavs,” Cuban told Townsend. “[But] I don’t know who the report was talking about. … I get asked fairly often if I would be part of a group if they could buy the team. I tell them all the same thing: I don’t see them selling
Townsend confirms Stein’s reporting and notes that the new ownership group has until December 2027 to buy out all but 7% of Cuban’s stake in the team. The Dumont/Adelson group does plan to at least buy some part of Cuban’s remaining 27% stake, Townsend writes, adding that he believes that Dumont is planning to be with the Mavericks for the long term.
Cooper Flagg Diagnosed With Foot Sprain
Cooper Flagg has been diagnosed with a left midfoot sprain, the Mavericks announced (Twitter link). Flagg injured the foot in Tuesday’s game against the Suns and underwent an MRI, which revealed the sprain.
The team notes that Flagg will miss Thursday’s matchup against the Lakers as well as Friday’s Castrol Rising Stars game in All-Star weekend.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Flagg is not expected to miss additional time following the All-Star break.
The star rookie has played in 49 of the Mavericks’ 53 games this season, averaging 20.4 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.