The Dallas Mavericks are shamelessly embracing tanking for the 2026 NBA Draft, and it's hard to blame them, especially after factoring in their lack of draft capital.
The Dallas Mavericks are riddled with injuries. Kyrie Irvin and Derrick Lively II's ailments, it seems, are totally legitimate. Cooper Flagg, Daniel Gafford, and Max Christie, who are also on the injury report? Maybe not as much!
However, as the NBA rushes to solve its tanking "crisis," it misses a key factor: basketball is the only major sport where adding one player can take a team from the bottom to the top of the standings in only a matter of years.
Look at the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs. All were rudderless teams before they landed their superstar in the draft, and now all of them are in Finals contention. The Mavericks landed their guy in Flagg last year, but with no reason to win games, they can't be blamed for their shameless losing.
Dallas Mavericks Must Tank Now
Forget about the fact that the 2026 Draft class is absolutely stacked, and upcoming classes are expected to be weaker. The Mavericks, if they're going to commit to a tank, have to do it now.
Why now? Because there aren't any other options.
In 2027, they owe a pick to the Hornets. In 2028, it's a swap with the Thunder. In 2029, they swap with the Rockets and own the Lakers' pick, and in 2030, they will swap with the Spurs. It's not until 2031 that they own their pick outright, so tanking in any other season would be a waste.
"Mark Cuban says embrace the tank, so who are we to argue?" asked Yahoo's Tom Haberstroh. "Normally, a sighting of Cooper Flagg in a walking boot would be a nightmare scenario for the Mavericks. But in a world in which Dallas wins by losing, news of Flagg’s gimpy foot will likely help its tanking efforts. Because the Mavericks don’t control their first-round pick until 2031 after this, they receive a maximum tanking incentive score for this season."
Of course, tanking doesn't always work. For years, the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets sat at the bottom of the standings. Only now are the Hornets halfway relevant, and the Jazz and Wizards are still bottom feeders.
Fortunately, the Mavericks boast Flagg, and once he hits his prime, he should be enough for Dallas to compete. To really go over the top, though, fans need to get used to losing, at least for the rest of this season.
To their credit, MFFLers seem to be on board with the idea.