Dallas ? The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a major deal with Denver just before the NBA trading deadline Thursday, getting Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel from the Nuggets.

Dallas sent Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey, cash and a first-round pick in the upcoming draft to the Nuggets for Van Exel, LaFrentz, Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

“We feel by making this trade we will be better down the stretch and in the playoffs,” Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. “We believe by the end of the season we will be a better team.”

Van Exel, the Nuggets’ leading scorer with a 21.4 average, went public with a trade demand Dec. 8.

Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe had been trying all month to find a team willing to take Van Exel without having to include former Kansas University player LaFrentz in the deal, but in the end the trade with the Mavericks was his best remaining option.

LaFrentz will provide an upgrade at center, a position that the Mavericks have manned this season with Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Bradley, Wang Zhi-Zhi, Danny Manning and Evan Eschmeyer. Nowitzki will now be able to play exclusively at power forward. Van Exel and LaFrentz were Denver’s two leading scorers.