Dallas Mavericks Rumors: Operation Tank Job About To Begin? Frank Isola Says Mavs Will Try ‘To Beat The System’


Dallas Mavericks rumors suggest the team is ready to tank the 2015-16 NBA season. The Mavericks lost out on free agent DeAndre Jordan when he decided to stay with the LA Clippers, putting owner Mark Cuban and his team in a very difficult position. A report from CBS Sports quote Cuban as saying that Jordan didn’t even contact him or the team when he decided not to honor his verbal commitment to sign with Dallas.

On the Thursday episode (July 9) of Around the Horn, NBA analyst Frank Isola stated, “I think he’s going to try to beat the system. Absolutely. Right now.”

This was in response to a question from host Tony Reali asking whether Isola thought the Mavericks would begin tanking this season. A recent report from the Sporting News echoes that thought process, as Cuban himself stated that the front office had considered tanking the season already.

“We wanted to get Wes, he was a target for us all summer, and obviously DeAndre as well. But if we got shut out, we weren’t going to just try to fill the roster. We had the discussion that if we couldn’t get a serious free agent, whether it was one of the guys still out there or some of the guys who already went, then it was time to take a step back.

“The reason we thought this year over other years was simple math. This year, we felt there aren’t going to be six teams in a race to the bottom, particularly in the Western Conference. But fortunately, that didn’t happen.”

These Dallas Mavericks rumors likely won’t sit well with season ticket holders, especially since this is a team that finished 50-32 during the 2014-15 NBA season. It’s not devoid of talent, but a tough Western Conference might convince an owner or general manager that it is time to start trading off the difference-makers left on the roster. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the team didn’t miss out entirely in free agency, signing Wesley Matthews to an expensive four-year deal. He might miss the beginning of the 2015-16 NBA season, though, possibly giving Cuban every excuse necessary to begin the tanking process.

Tanking in the NBA is when a team just puts players on the court that aren’t necessarily the best available. It often leads to a lot of losses, which translates to a better chance at winning the league lottery and getting the top pick in the next draft. It’s a practice that the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers just about perfected in recent seasons, which got the team a good young core of players to compete with for years to come. Now the Mavericks might be ready to attempt that same thing.

For the tanking process to really work for Dallas, the team will need to start trading away some pieces. That includes former All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who could certainly help out a few contenders around the league. It’s possible, though, that Cuban backs off from his prior claim and grows stubborn after Jordan turned his back on the team. That could lead to the franchise waiting too long to trade off key parts. Either way, many more Dallas Mavericks rumors are going to hit social media soon, with even more popping up if the team struggles to start next season.

[Image Source Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]

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