NBA Rumors: 1 Important question for all 30 teams as countdown to offseason begins

Dallas Mavericks

Burning question: What is the next step of the build, with or without Kyrie Irving?

Compared to how the Dallas Mavericks closed their season last year, in which they missed the playoffs entirely, it's safe to say that the team has taken a step forward in the progression with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. However, the big question for the Mavs is, how do they get better without completely blowing up the roster? Even with their dynamic duo, the Mavs are still not a premier team in the Western Conference. Heading into the playoffs, the Mavs are not even going to be favored in their first-round playoff series. In fact, if Dallas is able to win in the first round, it would be viewed as a major upset.

Heading into the summer, the Mavs' front office must figure out what the next step of the build is, with or without Kyrie. On one hand, he may give the Mavs the best shot to drastically improve the roster via trade. At the same time, losing him would certainly move the Mavs back a couple of steps.

Either way, Dallas can't afford not to try to build a contender around Luka. At the level he's playing at this point in his career, it would be a huge disservice if the Mavs didn't go all-in on another big move this offseason. the question is, how is that exactly going to come to fruition?