Even Mark Cuban knows the NBA has a far worse problem than tanking

There have been a ton of discussions in the NBA world when it comes to tanking recently, but the current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, says that the problem is fan experience, not tanking.

The Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were recently fined for "conduct detrimental to the league." It looked obvious, as the Jazz intentionally took out Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the entire fourth quarter, leading to fines for intentionally tanking. Cuban says it's not necessarily the tank ruining the game. It's the fans who are looking for a night to remember, and they can't get it.

Although the term "tanking" isn't really used by higher-ups in the NBA office, it looks to be an issue this year thanks to a loaded freshman draft class. The Mavs have a great opportunity to pair Cooper Flagg with a young sniper in Keaton Wagler, an underrated shooting guard who has taken college basketball by storm with his limitless range. But Cuban says the quality matters way more than anything else.

Mark Cuban says decreased fan experience is worse than tanking

"The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking," Cuban said. "It should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking. You know who cares the least about tanking, a parent who can't afford to bring their 3 kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their fave player."

In terms of ticket prices for teams like the Pacers and the Jazz, it's a great chance for all families to have the chance to go see their favorite team, as the prices will probably dip down to a somewhat more affordable price. Cuban says that even if a team is tanking, that shouldn't take away from the experience of having a fun night out.

What Cuban is saying does hold some weight. NBA teams still have to care about driving revenue to the arenas. Even if the team is tanking to get the best pick in the next NBA Draft, the fan engagement needs to be better, and ticket prices need to be lower, according to Cuban.

Mavs fans are lucky that they have Cooper Flagg to keep them company for the remainder of the season. They're a lucky team in general, as they only had a 1.8 percent Hail Mary chance to get the best player in the draft in Flagg. Now, the fan base actually has a reason to be excited. The Mavs aren't going to get anywhere near the playoffs, but they're going to be entertained looking at Flagg's instant rise.

If Flagg wasn't on this roster, the Mavs might actually be in the running for one of the worst records in the NBA. Injuries have derailed their season once again, but at least they have Flagg to look forward to. With Kyrie Irving now out for the season, and rightfully so, there isn't much pressure from the fan base to get him back. They don't need Irving as is, but they have Flagg to watch now.