Dallas Mavericks tanked, fined $750,000, in order to secure the 10th pick in the draft

The Dallas Mavericks were painfully close to winning the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history, and in the position to select the most intriguing basketball prospect the world has seen since LeBron James.

Actually, the Mavs weren’t close at all but they did go through a lot of pain to secure the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday evening in Chicago, otherwise called the Night We Found Out Which Team Will Pick Victor Wembanyama.

The man who is taller than most giraffes and plays basketball like a 6-foot-5 scoring guard will soon be headed to ... the University of Kansas to earn his college degree and play basketball.

(Sorry. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)

Of course the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery, and will likely select the 7-foot-5 Frenchmen who can shoot it from three, take defenders off the dribble, and is the latest player who will “revolutionize the game.”

The Spurs own the draft lottery, and coach Gregg Popovich will remain on the sidelines for another 35 years.

The NBA Draft is June 22.

So, about the Mavericks, what had happened was ... a roster that featured a first-team All-NBA player, and a team that traded for an NBA All-Star, tanked at the end of the season to avoid making the play-in round in favor the 10th pick in the draft.

The Mavericks had a three percent chance of winning the lottery. They have never won the lottery in 16 appearances.

Read all of this aloud and this plan sounds even worse than it is to type.

Especially after the Miami Heat, which finished eighth in the East in the regular season, is now in the conference finals.

Don’t worry; the Mavericks as constructed were not going to do anything in the playoffs other than lose in the playoffs. Not rebounding, or defending, is an effective way to lose both in the regular season and post season.

The best news is the Mavs didn’t lose the 10th pick. There was a chance they would have dropped out of the top 10, which in that case the pick would have been traded to New York to complete the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

If you want to feel great, famous 10th overall picks include future Basketball Hall of Famers Johnny Davis, Ziaire Williams, Jalen Smith, Cam Reddish, and a looooooooooooooong line of other guys who average 8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench.

The last 10th overall pick who really hit was Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum, who was picked in 2013 and has built a nice career in Portland.

Mikal Bridges was the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, and he is well on his way to All-Star status with the Nets.

The best 10th pick is Paul Pierce, who went to Boston in 1998. That was the same year Milwaukee drafted Dirk Nowitzki ninth, and traded him to the Mavericks for the sixth pick, Robert Traylor.

Other quality No. 10s include Jason Terry, Brook Lopez, and Paul George.

Also coming in at 10th was Jimmer Fredette. Remember Jimmer?

It’s the 10th pick.

Keep your expectations modest.

NBA 2023 Draft lottery order:

1. Spurs

2. Hornets

3. Trail Blazers

4. Rockets

5. Pistons

6. Magic

7. Pacers

8. Wizards

9. Jazz

10. Mavericks

11. Magic

12. Thunder

13. Raptors

14. Pelicans