Heat Acquires Mashburn From Mavericks

Pat Riley, never quite satisfied, even when his team is winning, made one of his typical midseason trades Friday, trying to make a good Miami Heat team better by acquiring forward Jamal Mashburn from Dallas.

In exchange for Mashburn, Dallas got forward Kurt Thomas and reserves Sasha Danilovic and Martin Muursepp.

“I said if there was an opportunity for a front-line player who was young and long-term I would consider a trade, and I did,” said Riley, who is in his second season as coach of the Heat.

“Any time you make a trade there are always risks involved. But to get a starter who averages 21 points a night, it is a risk we have to take in light of the injury to Dan Majerle.”

The Heat has won eight games in a row, and with a patchwork bench, it has overcome injuries to three key players: Majerle, Thomas and Gary Grant.

Mashburn, 24, the Mavericks’ first-round draft pick in 1993 from Kentucky, is averaging 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 37 games. Over his four seasons in the league, Mashburn is averaging 19.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Despite Miami’s success--the Heat is 38-12--Riley has been eager to improve its play against the top NBA teams. All the team’s losses in January were to playoff-bound teams: Utah, Seattle, the Lakers, Orlando and New York.

Mashburn has been unhappy and has been rumored to be on the trading block for much of the season, but it was believed that plan would be shelved until after the season.

“I think it’s just time for a change for Jamal,” said Don Nelson, the Mavericks’ new general manager. “We wish him the best; I think he’s a very fine player.”

Thomas, who played high school ball in Dallas before attending Texas Christian, had surgery Feb. 4 after breaking an ankle Jan. 24. The Mavericks will put him on the injured list.