The Dallas Mavericks are looking to made a big splash one way or another this offseason. Mark Cuban has already been fined for "tampering" when he mentioned every team in the league would be after LeBron James, including his Mavericks. While it's highly unlikely that Dallas will win the LeBron Sweepstakes, the Mavericks are poised to get someone big in free agency or by trading current players away.
Earlier today, sources claimed the Mavericks have discussed a deal to acquire Al Jefferson from Minnesota in exchange for Erick Dampier and his expiring contract. This would be a great move for both sides and if the Mavs can keep free agent Dirk Nowitzki, who yesterday officially opted out of his contract, this would give them a dangerous front court duo. Jefferson would also be the best big man to line up alongside Nowitzki since he was drafted by the franchise.The Mavs could also make other deals to acquire All-Star help this summer. It has just been reported that Amare Stoudemire could potentially go to Dallas in a sign-and-trade scenario. Cuban would jump on a Stoudemire for Dampier trade any day of the week. Also, it has been reported that Vince Carter has been shopped by the Magic, although it's unlikely the Mavericks have an enticing enough offer for Orlando to bite. Washington may look to move Gilbert Arenas since they took John Wall 1st overall in last week's NBA Draft and acquired Kirk Hinrich in a trade. If that is the case, they could send Dampier's expiring contract to them along with another player and some cash, and the Wizards would gladly accept to save the money and continue rebuilding.
If the Mavericks could acquire Arenas, they could offer Jason Kidd and DeShawn Stevenson to the Timberwolves along with a pair of future draft picks for Jefferson and perhaps Lazar Hayward. Minnesota would bite in a heartbeat. In fact, Kahn would be a fool to turn down this deal considering he is getting two quality players and picks for a bloated contract and third string small forward. Arenas-Butler-Marion-Nowitzki-Jefferson along with a bench including Jason Terry, Rodrique Beabuois, and possibly signing Shaq to play off the bench, would give the Mavericks the second best team out West with strong championship potential.Mark Cuban will likely pull off atleast one blockbuster deal over the next few weeks and I expect the Mavericks to add atleast one major piece that is available this offseason. Dallas has been on the border of contention for the better part of the past decade and this may be Cuban's last opportunity to build a championship team around franchise player Dirk Nowitzki.
