Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: Tanking is 'our best option'
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said tanking is his team's "best option" in 2017-18.
"I'm probably not supposed to say this, but, like, I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night, and here we are, you know, we weren't competing for the playoffs. I was like, 'Look, losing is our best option,'" Cuban said Monday on the Dr. J podcast with Hall of Famer Julius Irving.
"(Commissioner Adam Silver) would hate hearing that, but I at least sat down and I explained it to them. And I explained what our plans were going to be this summer, that we're not going to tank again. This was, like, a year-and-a-half tanking, and that was too brutal for me. But being transparent, I think that's the key to being kind of a players owner and having stability."
More NBA:
Silver after NBA All-Star success: 'Sounds like we're going to have a televised draft'
All things Mavs: Latest Dallas Mavericks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
LeBron James:Playing with Kyrie Irving again 'a great moment'
The Mavericks (18-40) have the third-worst record in the NBA in 2017-18, and are well-positioned to acquire a high draft pick in June's draft. The team with the worst record has a 25% chance of getting the No. 1 pick. Beginning in 2019, that will dip down to 14% to lessen a losing incentive.