NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants nothing to do with tanking, and he really doesn't want team owners in his league to openly discuss it.
Mark Cuban told Julius Erving on the "House Call with Dr. J" podcast this week that it would be best for the Mavericks to keep losing, and that comment is going to cost his team a pretty penny.
Dallas has been fined $600,000 for the comments.
"Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined $600,000 for public statements detrimental to the NBA, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver," a statement from the league read. "Cuban’s comments, which concerned his perspective on the team’s competitive success this season, were made during a podcast that posted on Feb. 18."
This is the second biggest NBA fine issued in league history, according to Finances Online. Only the Timberwolves have been handed a bigger fine when they were issued a $3.5 million penalty for tampering with the salary cap in 2000.
Before the season, the NBA issued new rules to prevent tanking in the league as teams that finished with worse records would not have as good a chance to get the No. 1 pick as they've had in years past. The rules however do not go into effect until the 2019 draft, so the Mavericks, who are 18-40, may be better served by losing this season.
Silver just doesn't want team owners saying in public that teams aren't trying to win.
This is the largest fine in Cuban's history as well. He was issued two separate $250,000 fines in 2001 for over-criticizing officiating.
