After trading for Kyrie Irving near the NBA's trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks have limped to the end of the NBA's regular season. 

Since the Irving trade that sent away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and draft capital, the Mavericks have gone 7-12 when Irving plays. There is no way around it — Dallas has been a bad basketball team with Irving. But those struggles haven't deterred the organization from wanting to bring Irving back on a long-term contract. 

According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, Dallas hopes to bring Irving back on a long-term contract extension; however, Irving is waiting until free agency to decide his future. 

When Irving was traded to Dallas, the goal was to push all of the chips to the center of the table to get over the hump and into the NBA Finals. 

Things haven't transpired that way. 

With Irving and Luka Doncic, Dallas is 4-11. That record doesn't fall squarely on the shoulders of the Mavs' two stars, but their lack of execution in crunch time hasn't helped their case. 

In practice on Tuesday, Doncic took the blame for what has become a "disappointing" season. He also burdened the blame for Dallas' lack of defensive intensity that set the team apart in 2022. 

If the Mavericks bring back Irving, the front office will also need to figure out how to construct a roster that is willing to play defense around two non-threats on the perimeter. 

The Mavericks' plan involves surrounding Irving and Doncic with a versatile wing defender, according to Haynes. Additionally, Dallas hopes to find a rim protector to shore up the defensive side of the basketball. 

Currently, the Mavericks sit outside of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, a full game back from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sit in 10th place. The Thunder owns the tiebreaker, and the Mavericks have three games left to prove they belong in the NBA postseason.