Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd says the decision that saw All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, as well as four other key players, sit out Friday’s 115-112 home loss to the Chicago Bulls - a defeat that eliminated the Mavs from play-in contention - was one made by the franchise with the draft in mind.
It was announced late Friday morning that Irving, shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr, small forward Josh Green, Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood would all sit out against the Bulls for precautionary reasons. Ahead of play, the Mavs were also tied with the Bulls for the 10th-best lottery odds - but they owe the New York Knicks a top-10-protected pick as the final payment for the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Kidd said: “We were fighting for our lives, and understanding this is a situation we're in, but the organisation has made the decision to change. So, you know, we have to go by that and that's something that happens. So the guys that are playing, we got to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we talked about that this afternoon.
