Shawn Marion won over a lot of Dallas Mavericks fans last season with his defense and team-first attitude.

But, as the starting small forward, the Matrix didn't provide much dynamic offense, having averaged 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds. It was the second consecutive season he's averaged 12 points and third in a row under 15 a game. Then there's the reduced playing time. With the exception of one post-game mini-rant during the playoffs, Marion mostly kept his cool publicly as coach Rick Carlisle sliced his minutes, from 31.8 in the regular season to 24.7, and largely kept him off the floor in crunch time. It does open questions as to Carlisle's thought process with Marion moving forward.

Ideally, if the Mavs are going to make a splash with a summer sign-and-trade for a player such as Atlanta shooting guard Joe Johnson, Marion would be the desired piece to move.

The problem is the $32 million the Mavs owe him over the next four seasons. It makes Marion virtually untradeable. Another team, such as the Hawks, would have to agree to take on the remainder of his salary when most teams are seeking salary relief.

If Marion could be moved rather than Caron Butler and his attactive, $10.8 million expiring contract, it could possibly be a boon for Butler and the Mavs. Butler could slide over to his natural small forward position, where he is clearly more comfortable and provides more scoring than Marion, particularly on the perimeter (Butler averaged more than 20 points the two seasons prior to splitting last season between Washington and Dallas), and about equal rebounding.

Johnson would become the 6-foot-7 starting shooting guard the Mavs have long craved. Roddy Beaubois could emerge as the sixth man, backing up Johnson and Jason Kidd. Jason Terry, coming off two subpar postseasons, would see a reduced role off the bench, but still an important one for instant offense.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, Marion's contract is a deal-breaker. A sign-and-trade to get Johnson, who has always been a Mavs priority behind the front-line free agents, would likely include Butler. Of course, it would still leave Johnson, Beaubois, Terry and rookie Dominique Jones in a long line at shooting guard -- assuming Jones is not part of a deal -- but everyone would be playing their preferred position.

All-in-all, Marion appears to be the Mavs' starting small forward next season (barring another trade that could move Marion to the bench), but in an ideal world, the Mavs would probably be happier if Butler, two years younger than Marion, could just slide on over.