Game 75: DAL (36-38) @ CHA (24-51)

[DanSchwartzgan]

I have to think (hope?) that the franchise has been tanking for some time, and continues to do so. You don't ever give your players a mandate to play bad, but odd rotations and using players in ways that don't fit their strengths are a way to frustrate a team's effort and add baffling losses to keep the tanking goal within arm's reach. Just a thought.

This is my leaning also.  If so, I’ll carry it a step further and double down on my prediction that Turner will be a Mav next season.  The Turner salary was set so that semi-expiring Bertans is a match.  2027 for Turner probably isn’t enough.  #9 or #10 plus the 2027 pick is probably too much.  But, Indy has a ton of draft capital at the end of the first and the beginning of the second this season.  I think the deal is #9/#10 plus 2027 and Bertans for Turner and one of Indy’s late firsts.  All of this assumes the lottery odds hold and Dallas doesn’t move up or get jumped.  You announce the deal at the draft, but you have to wait for Turner’s 23/24 salary to become effective to consummate.

At only 36 wins it looks to me that Dallas either ends up 11th, 10th or 9th depending on what happens with Utah and Chicago.  The Mav’s control their destiny against the 37 win teams and probably can’t catch anyone below them.  There really isn’t a reason for Chicago or Utah to try to lose, so 9th is certainly within reach.  The scary thing is the ‘controls their destiny’ part.  That means they can both achieve their goal and blow it.  Given how things have gone this season, the thing that probably happens is 11th in the draft order and 11th in the West.  The worst of both worlds.