NBA fines Mavericks $750K for violating league's resting policy

The Dallas Mavericks were fined $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the NBA, including violating the league's player resting policy and demonstrating a "desire to lose" their contest on April 7 against the Chicago Bulls, the league announced Friday.

Dallas sat most of its starters and pulled star Luka Doncic after the first quarter of the contest. The Mavericks' defeat eliminated them from playoff contention and put them in a better position to retain their top-10 protected draft pick.

"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," said Joe Dumars, the NBA's executive vice president. "The Mavericks' actions failed our fans and league."

The team needed to beat the Bulls and the conference-worst San Antonio Spurs and hope for an Oklahoma City Thunder loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the final day of the regular season to sneak into the final play-in spot.

The Mavericks blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to lose to the Bulls and set themselves up with the No. 10 spot in the draft lottery. As long as none of the four teams placed above them jump into the top three, the team will keep its pick. If it falls out of the top 10, the selection belongs to the New York Knicks.

Dallas was sitting in the Western Conference's No. 3 spot near midseason and traded for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving. Irving is a free agent this summer, and reports suggest the Mavericks fear franchise cornerstone Doncic may request a trade in 2024.