Thunder just exposed exactly why the Mavericks had to flat-out tank

The Oklahoma City Thunder's 119-84 win over the Phoenix Suns just proved exactly why the Dallas Mavericks made the right call to tank during the end of the season. Dallas waved the white flag on their 2025-26 season when they shut down Kyrie Irving and traded Anthony Davis in February, and this move couldn't look any better after the first few days of the NBA Playoffs.

The Thunder, the likely opponent the Mavericks would've faced if they pushed for the playoffs and brought back Irving, would've had their way with Dallas. They look unbeatable after one playoff game, and the Mavericks would've been outmatched from the jump.

The Thunder look like a team the Mavericks wouldn't have survived

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 25 points and seven assists against Phoenix, and he would've undoubtedly been the best player in a potential series between the Mavs and Thunder. He just led Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals last season, and a short series against Gilgeous-Alexander and company wouldn't be a fun outcome for Dallas.

Seeing Cooper Flagg in a playoff environment would've been a sight for sore eyes, but seeing his squad have the chance to compete would've been worth the wait. The Thunder have the size, physicality, depth, and defense to survive in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference, and they just showed the world why they've been NBA Finals favorites for the entire season.

Instead of pushing for the Play-In Tournament, the Mavericks decided to focus on their future by trading Davis, sitting Irving out for the rest of the season, and even tanking some games at the end of the regular season.

These moves helped put them in a better position to build the best possible roster around Flagg as he enters his second season, and this wouldn't have been the case if they tried to make the postseason. Dallas ended up losing 30 of their final 37 games, tying with the New Orleans Pelicans for the seventh-worst record in the NBA.

Dallas missing the playoffs is a blessing in disguise

This isn't where anyone expected them to finish before the season began, but their disastrous season will be worth it this summer.

They now have a prime spot in the draft lottery to find a co-star for Flagg, and they created significant financial flexibility by trading Davis for mostly expiring contracts. This move helped give Dallas access to the mid-level exception and created a massive trade exception.

The Mavericks wouldn't have been able to utilize either of those things if they had held onto their star big man.

Even if they did keep Davis, he likely wouldn't have been able to return in time for the playoffs. Despite initial reports that he could return in March, Davis never played in a game after being traded to the Washington Wizards. The hand injury that he suffered in January was extremely serious, and his doctor said that he had never seen anything like it.

Dallas made the right call by trading Davis when they did, simultaneously punting on their season. They would've faced OKC even if they did find a way to get out of the play-in, and Gilgeous-Alexander and company would've been waiting for them with home-court advantage and a hunger to get revenge for what happened in 2024.

The storylines heading into a Mavericks-Thunder playoff series would've been intriguing for a moment, but a more promising future around Flagg was the much better choice.

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