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Although LeBron James has already made it known that he is opting out of his contract with the Heat, he is yet to reveal on whether or not he is going to entertain pitches from other teams next week on July 1 when the 2014 NBA free agency officially starts. Maybe he is just trying to land a multi-year contract from the Heat or perhaps pressure the front office from spending money on roster improvements. No one really knows.

But if he is to entertain the Dallas Mavericks as his next possible destination, Mark Cuban can make the pitch that the Mavs are a winning franchise and have an elite coach that can take a team to the top - which LeBron knows firsthand when they met in the 2011 finals. Mark Cuban can also tell LeBron that he can have a better Big Three in Dallas than what he currently has in Miami. Surprised? Just look at these comparisons.

Wade vs Ellis: Wade averaged 19.0 points and 4.7 assists but missed 28 games because of health problems and some preemptive rest for the long grind of the playoffs. The world also saw a Wade on the decline in the Heat's recent finals match up with the Spurs. Ellis meanwhile, averaged 19.0 points and 5.7 assists without missing a single game for the Mavs and caused a lot of problems for the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

Bosh vs Dirk: Bosh was able to spread the floor for Miami while averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. Wasn't much of a third option for the Heat though, when LeBron needed him the most against the Spurs. Dirk meanwhile was back to his all-star form last season averaging 21.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. Dirk is still one of the best shooters in the NBA today even at an advanced age - nearly nailed the elusive 50-40-90 field goal stat for the second time in his career last season.

At this stage in their carers, the duo of Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki look a lot better than Dwyane Wade and Cris Bosh, at least on paper. But of course we should consider the fatigue factor that Bosh and Wade felt after four consecutive trips to the finals. But it is clear that Dirk Nowitzki can deliver more clutch buckets than Bosh and Monta Ellis still has the quickness and explosiveness that Wade lost due to a declining age and health.

And of course, the Heat only won once against the Spurs while the Mavs took them to Game 7.