The Dallas Mavericks ended the week with two losses to Western Conference foes, including the Houston Rockets. The Rockets picked apart by the Mavericks and now sit only one game back of the Mavs in the standings. Because of losses to the Warriors and Rockets, Memphis jumped the Mavericks in the standings, the Mavericks now sit at 6th. Unless a miraculous turnaround never before seen in NBA history happens, the Mavericks will remain non-contenders for the Larry O’Brien trophy. However, there is one way Dallas can make this season exciting in big D, all the while putting together a young and talented core for the future. The NBA trade deadline is always an unpredictable as trades go down in the last-minute. In the 2016 version I see the Mavs landing uber talented center Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat. Sounds crazy? Yes it is, but I know a deal that will have both teams grinning.

The only reason the Miami Heat wouldn’t slam the phone on the hook when Mark Cuban calls and asks about this offer is there are no more hooks for phones and Hassan Whiteside is on an expiring contract. Right now, Hassan Whiteside is playing for the league minimum, which is just under 1 million dollars and this summer he will be an unrestricted free agent. Whiteside, who is averaging 12 points, 13 rebounds and 3.9 blocks a game this year, is about to cash in on an enormous contract and likely become the highest paid center. The feeling in South Beach is that Whiteside wishes to take his talents far away from Miami, which is all the more reason to trade him now and at least receive some compensation for him. The problem is, the Heat are still contenders in the Eastern Conference, and by trading Whiteside away they will lose one of their best players; meaning the return will have to keep them in the hunt, as well as set them up for the future. Luckily the Mavericks can do both of those.

Last week I wrote on how Zaza Pachulia might be an All-Star, well now I’m looking to trade him away. It is no question that Pachulia has been the biggest steal acquisition by any team this off-season; he has helped Dallas stay in the thick of the Western Conference this long. The reason the Mavericks trade Zaza Pachulia is because frankly the trade has no chance unless Pachulia is involved. Secondly, this is Pachulia’s best season of his career and his value is at an all time high, so trade him now or forever hold your peace. Zaza Pachulia would be a good replacement for Whiteside, although no player can match his production fully, Pachulia will be a stable player that is more than capable of manning the 5th spot on a playoff run.

That brings me to another point, the Heat must be realistic when it comes to what they will receive for Whiteside. At the NBA trade deadline rarely do good players get exchanged for other good players. Take for instance the Lakers will not trade D’Angelo Russell (A) and Julius Randall (A-) for Whiteside. No, the Heat would get closer to Jordan Clarkson (B-), Nick Young (B) and Brandon Bass (C) in return. No team that is sane will trade secured valuable assets for a player who could very well go “see ya!” in the off-season. I will predict that the Heat won’t receive any “A” players from the potential trade.

Another player that the Mavs will try to lure the Heat with is Dwight Powell. Yes, he is not a household name in the NBA, yet. Powell, a lanky, fast and raw player the Mavs got from Boston as part of the Rajon Rondo trade, is about to explode in the NBA in a big way. The numbers are not jumping off the page, but any NBA scout can see the great potential in this kid. Just Wednesday night Powell found out news that he would be competing in the Rising Stars game as part of the All-Star weekend. Powell competes on every single possession, he has a reliable mid range game and is an above average rebounder. If the Heat can make Whiteside a great center in this league, then they can certainly make a great player out of the similarly talented Powell.

As for how this affects the Mavericks, they receive a very talented Hassan Whiteside without touching Chandler Parsons, Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams (Dirk has a no trade clause anyways). The team rebounding will increase incredibly, as well as the scoring production from the center position. All of a sudden Dallas will boast one of the best starting fives in basketball. The only catch is after this year, Whiteside can pack his bags and leave Dallas. Last year Dallas made a trade like this with Boston for Rajon Rondo and it failed. However, as a GM you’re always trying to build a championship team and in order to do that you have to make a splash. This would definitely be a bold move that could propel the Mavericks into the West’s elite. The Heat would have to throw in Chris Anderson for finance reasons, but with Powell as a power forward that won’t be a problem.