Put Kobe Bryant on the Mavs, and it's as close to a guaranteed championship as Dallas will get in the next few years. And unlike a few months ago, I'm not suggesting the Mavs move Dirk Nowitzki to get the deal done.

Trading for Bryant will be painful because you must give up quality pieces to acquire a megastar. The centerpieces of my proposal are Josh Howard and Devin Harris.

Anyone else included in the deal is needed to make the money work because Bryant will earn $19 million this season, and the Mavs must send the Lakers players who earn within 25 percent of his salary to meet the NBA requirements for a deal.

Bryant also gets a 15 percent bonus — a trade kicker they call it — if he's dealt, though we all know he could forgo that money to facilitate a deal.

Here's an offer that could get it done: Howard, Harris, Erick Dampier and Moe Ager, first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 and some cash for Bryant and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Or the same four Mavs for Bryant, Brian Cook and Sasha Vujacic, if the Lakers want to keep Radmanovic.

If the Lakers prefer Jason Terry instead of Harris, then a package of Terry, Howard, DeSagana Diop and Ager could get it done. There's been no indication the Lakers want Terry over Harris.

There is no negotiating when it comes to Howard. He should be an All-Star this season and must be included in any deal for Bryant.

This is all Dr. Jerry Buss' fault because the Lakers owner couldn't leave well enough alone. Instead of dealing Bryant in the off-season, when a bunch of teams could have been players, he waited until the worst possible time to say publicly that he would listen to any and all offers for Bryant

According to multiple published and Internet reports, Dallas and Chicago are at the top of Bryant's wish list. Bryant has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he's not going anywhere he doesn't want to go.

So the Mavs have a great opportunity to get him.

No one from the Mavs has spoken to the Lakers about acquiring Bryant. That's completely irresponsible.

Maybe the Mavs can make a deal for Bryant. Maybe they can't.

But Cuban, Nelson and Johnson owe it to themselves and their loyal fan base to place the phone call and see exactly what it takes to get Bryant.

Yes, Bryant is selfish. Yes, he's narcissistic. Yes, his petty feud with Shaq is the primary reason the Lakers have no chance to win a championship these days.

Let's hope he's learned from his mistakes. More important, he can give the Mavs a mental edge that Nowitzki can't provide on a consistent basis.

Bryant's magnificent talent and ruthless competitive nature allow him to will his team to victory on occasion. Jerry Stackhouse could do it when he was younger, and he can still do it on occasion. But he can't do it every night.

Don't worry about Nowitzki and Bryant co-existing on the court because there's no more selfless NBA superstar than the Mavs' 7-foot German. Besides, Bryant will make him a better player.

Golden State harassed Nowitzki into poor playoff performances last season, in part, because no one else made them pay for focusing so much attention on Nowitzki. You know that won't be the case with Bryant on the court.

They could play on the same side of the court because no one is going sag off Bryant to guard Nowitzki in the post, which means he'll have more room to maneuver. Thus, giving the Mavs a much better inside-outside offensive attack than they've ever had.

I've always believed you need at least two superstars to win a title, but there are so many good players in today's NBA that sometimes you need three superstars. Add Bryant to Nowitzki, and the Mavericks clearly have the talent to win a title because they'll still have enough role players — Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Devean George and Trent Hassell — to win a championship.

The Mavericks won't be the Celtics, who acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team with Paul Pierce. The rest of the roster is filled out with a bunch of guys named Joe.

The Mavericks already match up well with San Antonio. Put Bryant on the team, and it gives the Mavs a dynamic perimeter player, which means they're much more capable of beating Phoenix or Golden State in the playoffs.