NBA insider indicates the Dallas Mavericks may 'shut down' Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
Shams Charania of The Athletic went on Run it Back on FanDuel TV and speculated that the Dallas Mavericks could shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The Dallas Mavericks — limping to the finish of the NBA season — are seriously considering throwing in the towel.
Dallas sits in 11th in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. This season wasn't what the Mavericks front office envisioned, not even a full year removed from a trip to the Western Conferences finals and two months removed from trading for Kyrie Irving near the NBA's trade deadline.
Shams Charania, of The Athletic, went on FanDuel TV on Monday and reported that the Mavericks are seriously considering resting Irving and Doncic for the remainder of the season, as the Mavericks hope to hold on to their draft pick that is top-10 protected.
"I'm told the organization is seriously considering the possibility of shutting down those guys," Charania said. "They have a top-10 protected pick. So, being out of the play-in race, it behooves them not to try to keep their pick."
With only three games left in their regular season, many of the scenarios that land Dallas in the playoffs fall out of the team's control. With the Thunder being a full game up, Dallas would have to go 3-0, while the Thunder go 1-2 in the final days of the regular season to have a shot at reaching the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The Mavs only have one win in its last eight games for context.
Since trading for Irving, the Mavericks are 7-12 in the 19 games since his arrival. When the Mavericks play with Doncic and Irving, the team possesses a 4-11 record.
The outlook for the Mavericks isn't great. In more than one way, the season is slipping away. And with the limited tiebreakers Dallas possesses, there is little the team can do to control its own fate.
In more ways than one, Dallas' loss to Atlanta on Sunday had an air of finality to it. If the Mavericks rest their stars moving forward, it appears that the brain trust behind the team also agrees.
