The Dallas Mavericks are expected to make their run at Chris Bosh when the Miami Heat forward becomes a free agent next summer, a reliable league source disclosed on Thursday.

The Mavericks, who expressed their interest in keeping Dirk Nowitzki at the end of this season, are also targeting the perennial All-Star forward, who was born and raised in the Forth-Wayne area.

According to sources, the Mavs consider signing Bosh as a top priority right after signing Nowitzki for the final years of his playing career.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said they are looking to sign Dirk at a bargain price, allowing them to have the financial flexibility to sign A-list free agents next summer.

"We'll just sit down and we decide," Cuban said on Wednesday via Real GM. "We've been doing this for 14 years, so I don't expect the drill to change.

Nowitzki is in the last year of the four-year, $80 million contract with the Mavericks. The German is very willing to have a major pay cut just to surround him with talents in an attempt to make one final run at the championship.

Bosh, who averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and one block through four seasons with the Heat, is seen as a perfect fit for the Mavs' future after the Dirk's retirement.

"The Dallas Mavericks will have cap space and some star power but league executives expect them to target another Heat free agent, Dallas native Bosh.

Chances of Bosh signing with the Dallas

There's no doubt that Bosh can produced double-double averages again with the kind of offensive the Mavericks are executing. With Nowitzki's days in Big D now numbered, Bosh will have the opportunity to be the man for a solid franchise.

The question now is how the Mavericks will entice Bosh to leave South Beach and join the team that defeated them in the 2011 NBA Finals. Bosh, at age 29, is very much at the height of his career and expected to command lucrative contracts, if he opts out of his current deal with the Heat.

Bold Prediction: Chances of Bosh joining the Mavs will depend on the Heat's performance this season. If the Heat wins their third straight championship, the Mavs is going to have zero chance of landing the power forward. However, if disaster strikes this year in Miami, then expect Bosh to switch team, and Dallas is certainly up there on his free agency wish list.