Mavericks are running out of time to fix this franchise-altering mistake

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but a tendency to delay the inevitable has left the Dallas Mavericks in an increasingly difficult spot. With just four games remaining, Dallas sits eighth in the draft order, now trailing the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, who have dropped five and eight straight games, respectively.

That’s what makes the current approach so puzzling. Even if the Mavericks haven’t fully committed to it, the path forward is clear: the tank should already be in full motion.

The Mavericks’ missed opportunity

Yet, rewind a week ago, and the Grizzlies and Pelicans were each at least a full game ahead of the Mavericks. Since then, amid a questionable push to remain competitive, buoyed by unexpected Herculean efforts from Cooper Flagg, Dallas has only worsened its draft position.

This has come as Memphis has prioritized minutes for players like Adama Bal, Lucas Williamson, and Toby Okani (no, those aren’t made-up names), while New Orleans has just been bad. The pick isn’t even theirs — it was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in last year’s draft, so it’s not as if the Pelicans have any incentive to lose. Regardless, both situations are hurting Dallas’ chances of landing a future star.

But here’s the catch: the Mavericks didn’t have to be in this position. The Pelicans could have kept losing without consequence if Dallas had embraced what it should have weeks ago.

Competitiveness has backfired in Dallas

Of course, tanking isn’t always as simple as it sounds. The Mavericks can’t just manufacture injuries (even if it sometimes feels like that’s part of the modern tanking playbook). But there are subtler ways to go about it. There’s no penalty for limiting Flagg to 25 minutes, or scaling back Naji Marshall to 15 while giving those extra reps to a two-way player like Tyler Smith.

There are levels to this, some newly uncovered, as teams like the aforementioned Grizzlies have shown — along with the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards, among others.

The tanking race that Dallas must win

Fortunately for the Mavericks, there are still four games left this season. Three of which come against Western Conference playoff teams: the LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs, plus a fellow tank-averse team, the Chicago Bulls. It wouldn’t be shocking if Dallas lost out.

Still, Dallas’ tanking adversaries, Memphis and New Orleans, face similarly difficult schedules, with one fewer game remaining. Memphis is set to take on the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Utah Jazz, while New Orleans will face the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and, once again, the Jazz.

There’s a chance the Mavericks could leapfrog both teams if they lose out and the Grizzlies and Pelicans fall to the even more furiously tanking Jazz. But this shouldn’t be left to hypotheticals. Dallas shouldn’t need other teams to lose to protect its draft position. The Mavericks have had nothing to play for for quite some time, yet they continue to act as they do.