Grade the Trade: Mavericks get third star in massive blockbuster proposal

The Dallas Mavericks appear to be hunting for a star. And hunting for depth. And looking to trade down. And out. And in. Nico Harrison and the Mavs front office is exploring every single possible path to an upgrade, including names as big as LeBron James and as small as Clint Capela (no offense, Clint).

The Mavericks have the most important part figured out: they have a superstar in Luka Doncic. A lead creator who can be the first option on offense. They also hope to re-sign Kyrie Irving to be his No. 2, and given that they can (and likely will have to) outbid any other suitors, they will have the inside track to bring him back.

How do the Dallas Mavericks add a third star?

But how exactly do the Mavericks add a third star? They can't do it using cap space, so it will have to be on the trade market.

They could certainly load up the contracts and go after a star themselves, but what if the trick is actually to look at the other rumors swirling around the league and attempt to be a benevolent helper stepping in to make a deal work?

The Washington Wizards are likely planning to trade their All-Star guard Bradley Beal, and plenty of contenders would like to bring him aboard. The problem is that they don't always have the assets a rebuilding team would want.

Armed with the No. 10 pick, the Mavericks have one of those assets. What would it look like for them to play middleman and help Beal get to a contender and, in the process, add a third star of their own?

Let's spin up the trade machine and build just such a deal for the Mavs to take a big swing.