It’s almost here. After an 82-game slog through airports, shootarounds and back-to-backs, in just over a week, nearly half the teams in the NBA will reach the most critical point of their season.



We’re talking about the offseason, of course.



The league attempted to curtail tanking with reduced lottery odds for the worst teams, but that hasn’t stopped them from trotting out G League lineups. For the teams that won’t make the playoffs, the focus is on the future—and in most cases, that’s been the case all season.



But not all horizons glow with equal promise. Some teams are flush with young stars, multiple first-round picks and cash to spend. Others are hampered by declining rosters and capped-out books. Some feature a clear franchise player. Others have a collection of young talent, but no fulcrum. And in the case of the Mavericks, one of their two building blocks is dealing with serious legal allegations.



To...