NBA: 6 Team blueprints that could be on the line in the playoffs

Dallas Mavericks

Considering how aggressive the Dallas Mavericks generally are in trying to acquire talent, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the team decided to acquire Kyrie Irving at the NBA Trade Deadline. However, this team has yet to prove that the Luka Doncic-Kyrie dynamic is working this season or that it will work moving forward. And, point blank, that’s something that the Mavs will have to answer with their play in the postseason.

The Mavs are only 5-7 in games that Kyrie plays. That’s not ideal and even less so considering that they have to make a big decision regarding his contract status during the offseason. You may say, “why would the Mavs trade him without plans of re-signing him during the offseason?” And that’s a fair point. But, at the same time, why in the world would the Mavs want to re-sign Kyrie (especially to a long-term deal, which he’ll be seeking), if they know it’s not going to be good enough to compete at a high level in the Western Conference?

Heading into the playoffs, the Mavs have to see something, anything from this core of Luka and Kyrie. And if they don’t, there’s a good chance that they could end up letting Kyrie walk in free agency and pursue other options.