Knicks fans and the organization are already preparing for the first round of the playoffs, but they can still follow another team whose final position can affect the team for the upcoming draft.
The Knicks own the Mavericks’ 2023 first-round pick thanks to the Kristaps Porzingis trade. However, it’s top-10 protected.
Dallas entered Friday tied for 10th place in the Western Conference and the 11th-worst record in the NBA. So if the Mavs won their final two games, New York would get their pick. It would have been anywhere between pick No. 11-14. Unfortunately, the Mavericks brass including owner Mark Cuban, decided to punt trying to sneak into the play-in tournament and that was evident Friday.
Prior to the Mavs’ game against the Chicago Bulls, the team put starters like Kyrie Irving on the injury report and allowed Luka Doncic to play just the first quarter. Predictably, these moves allowed the Bulls to come back and win 115-113.
The loss officially eliminated Dallas from playoff contention, but it also put the any chance the Knicks can grab the Mavs’ 2023 pick in jeopardy.
A loss Sunday in the Mavs’ regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs — who are also looking to lose to increase their chances at the No. 1 pick — would clinch the 10th-worst record for Dallas.
To put it simply. Knicks fans should root for a Mavericks win.
Considering the Mavericks were in the Western Conference Finals last season and were the No. 6 seed in the conference when they traded for Irving, this has become a massive collapse for the organization.
Since the trade, Dallas went 9-17. The team has now missed the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season when Doncic was a rookie.