Four years later, the effects of the exchange were still with us. In 2019, the Knicks and the Mavericks agreed on a transfer around Kristaps Porzingis, sent to Dallas. Among the many rewards obtained by the New Yorkers, a choice in the first round of the 2023 Draft.
A protected Top 10 pick. In other words, if the Mavs were required to select among the top 10 positions, they kept their pick. By resting their players last year at the very end of the regular season, the Texans, who failed to qualify for the final stages, increased their chance of keeping their pick.
And thus, indirectly, to deprive the Knicks, prevented from selecting beyond 10th place. Knowing that the latter had no other Draft option that year.
“We never tanked”
Was this to be seen as a deliberate intention on the part of Mark Cuban and the Mavs towards the New York franchise, a franchise sanctioned for “tampering” in the context of the arrival of Jalen Brunson a year earlier? Response from Mark Cuban to the New York Post : « I’m not the type to take revenge. »
« We never ‘tanked’. We simply decided to play our young players in the last two matches. But it’s Nico Harrison’s job, mine and Jason Kidd’s job to make the tough decisions. Nobody likes the decision to rebuild. When you make your young people play, it’s not always pleasant “, he said.
A positioning which did not convince the league, it inflicting a record fine on the Mavs of 750,000 dollars for having displayed the desire to deliberately lose. In the meantime, the Mavs were able to keep their 10th pick in the Draft, thanks to which they will manage to get their hands on Derek Lively II (via a transaction with the Thunder).
Don’t be resentful
« We made the decision that ten other teams made, right? We just took it a little later. Obviously it went well », Continues Mark Cuban, in reference to the impact of the rookie in the playoffs. “ We sanctioned them, we did what we thought was appropriate. The success they are experiencing this season, I do not attribute it to a Draft pick, as important as that pick was for their team “, minors Adam Silver for his part.
More than five years after trading their Latvian, today in the NBA final with the Celtics, and against the Mavs, the Knicks will be able to benefit from their Draft choice acquired at the time: it will be the 24th of the next vintage, while they also have their own, the 25th.
History of turning the page on the departure of Jalen Brunson for good. “ I have no problem with (Rick Brunson, his father, assistant in New York). When we played you (the Knicks), I saw him and said, ‘Hi.’ I shook his hand. What is done is done. You can’t hold grudges in this league. This is useless. The guy you hate will be your best player tomorrow », Philosophizes Mark Cuban.
2024-06-10 08:22:43
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