The more it looks like Dirk is to be involved in any Shaq trade, the more it looks like the Mavs will pull out of the sweepstakes.

On June 18, O'Neal demanded a trade from the Lakers. About the same time, McGrady talked about wanting to get traded to the Mavericks. That prompted Cuban to call both the Lakers and the Magic.

"We said, 'Hey, we're interested, and if there's something that you think will work, give us a call,' " Cuban said. "And our phone's not ringing."

Apparently Cuban has let it be known Dirk Nowitzki is not going anywhere.

"We'll have to take a look at it," Cuban said. "But it just depends on which players [are involved]."

"We think we've got the Big Three, which is a great nucleus for now," Cuban said. "And we think we've got the next Big Three with Josh and Marquis and Devin.

"Anything is possible, but we really like the group of guys that we have now. We've got a young nucleus and an experienced nucleus, and that's a great combination."