Mark Cuban has admitted it’s in his team’s best interests to tank once more. But after this season he insists his team is done trying to lose and will once again join the hunt for the postseason.
The Dallas Mavericks owner appeared on Dr. J’s new podcast, House Call, and talked about a wide range of topics. When the issue of tanking comes up, he was his usual open and honest self and admitted he communicated to some of his players recently that tanking is the franchise’s “best option” right now.
Cuban is no stranger to tanking and the way the NBA Draft Lottery is organized, and he’s keenly aware of the importance of a struggling team’s record and their chances at getting the top overall pick. With the Mavs’ limping to a 18-40 record this season behind a roster of young players mixed in with embattled vets, he wanted to make his players aware of the long-term plan for the franchise so they could see his vision and why losing now was for the best.
Cuban said on the podcast he told his players at a team dinner that losing is best for the team, with the transcription coming courtesy of ESPN,
“I’m probably not supposed to say this, but, like, I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night, and here we are, you know, we weren’t competing for the playoffs. I was like, ‘Look, losing is our best option,'” Cuban said on the podcast. “Adam [Silver] would hate hearing that, but I at least sat down and I explained it to them. And I explained what our plans were going to be this summer, that we’re not going to tank again. This was, like, a year-and-a-half tanking, and that was too brutal for me. But being transparent, I think that’s the key to being kind of a players owner and having stability.”
Cuban’s honestly here might cost him some money, but he feels telling his players the truth is important here. And it probably is. That said, Cuban’s sudden lack of interest in tanking next season may not be because the franchise is where he wants it to be. Instead, it could be that the incentive for tanking will be significantly diminished.
In 2019, the three teams with the worst records in the league each get a 14 percent chance to get the top pick, essentially limiting the importance of the race to the bottom. Between those new rules and the Mavs being one of the few teams in the league with significant cap space this summer, there’s no better time to become buyers once again if you’re Dallas.
