There are still three games left in the 2022-23 NBA regular season, but it looks like the Dallas Mavericks are considering shutting down their two superstar players.
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Mavericks. The acquisition of Kyrie Irving back in early February was supposed to put the team over the top. They finally got their hands on a legit co-star to run alongside Luka Dončić, making them one of the top duos in the league.
Dallas Mavericks Appear To Have Given Up On 2023 Season
The Mavericks are ‘seriously considering’ shutting down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to push for a top 10 pick, per @ShamsCharania
(h/t @RealGM) pic.twitter.com/VwHMSZsVzV
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2023
The Mavs had been middling around the .500 mark for much of the season, and Irving was going to be the boost that put them over the top and into title contention.
They’ve moved the opposite way. When the trade happened, Dallas was sitting in the 6 seed in the Western Conference. Today, after sporting an 8-16 record since Irving’s arrival, the Mavericks are out of the playoff picture altogether.
Their free fall has landed them all the way down in the 11th seed, on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in. They’ve been in that spot for a few days now, and have had multiple chances to pull themselves back up into 10th, but have simply failed to deliver. Three losses in the last 5 days, capped off with a brutal overtime defeat on Sunday against the Hawks, have sent Dallas into a tail spin.
Mavericks In Line For Top-10 Pick
“I think the Mavericks have to seriously look at whether you shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving these last 3 games of the regular season”
(Via @FanDuelTV ) pic.twitter.com/kplyDeHjJJ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2023
There is a full game that separates the Mavericks from the 10th seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, but it looks as though Dallas has already punted on their chances during the 2023 season. There are reports that the team is considering shutting down both Irving and Doncic for the final three games of the season, as the team believes that they are closer to a top-10 pick than they are competing for a championship.
They’d be exactly correct. If the season ended today, the Mavericks would have the 10th worst record in the league and in line for a top-10 pick, pending the results of the lottery.
Dallas plays all three of their remaining games at home, with dates against the Kings, Bulls and Spurs.
Was Irving’s stint with the Mavericks a short one, and have we seen the last of his days there? There will be questions surrounding the team all summer in regards with what to do with Irving as he is a free agent.
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