DALLAS - The ever-tinkering Dallas Mavericks made a surprising move to bolster their rotation Thursday, getting Keith Van Horn from the Milwaukee Bucks for Alan Henderson, Calvin Booth and cash.

When healthy, Van Horn would provide Dallas with another scorer, especially when star Dirk Nowitzki rests. Coach Don Nelson loves creating mismatches, so he might even pair the two perimeter-oriented big men, either at center and power forward, or power forward and small forward.

Problem is, Van Horn isn’t always healthy. He’s been hobbled often in his 10-year career, the latest problem being tendinitis in his right ankle that kept him out of 19 games this season.

Milwaukee was cautious with him after he came off the injured list in January, holding him 17.8 minutes over 19 games; he averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in that span. He’s averaged 17 points and 7.3 rebounds over his entire career, which includes stints with the Nets, 76ers and Knicks before being dealt to the Bucks last February.

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“Keith’s versatility, experience and shooting ability were the factors for us to make this decision,” said Donnie Nelson, Dallas’ head of basketball operations.

In addition to Van Horn’s lessened role, Milwaukee was willing to give him up for salary-cap reasons. He’s due nearly $16 million next season, while Henderson becomes a free agent and Booth is owed a little more than $6 million; Booth also gets a small raise the following season. The Bucks are expected to spend the extra money on a contract extension for shooting guard Michael Redd.

Dallas acquired Henderson and Booth over the summer, with Henderson basically a throw-in on a deal with Atlanta after he played just six games last season. He wound up becoming a key part of the team’s rotation — he was the only Mavericks player to appear in all 52 games so far this season.

The timing is a bit awkward for Dallas because center Erick Dampier just went on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right foot and Henderson started in his place the last two games. Booth’s role had increased, too. The Mavs had no choice, though, because Thursday was the trade deadline.

Milwaukee made another deadline-beating deal, sending point guard Mike James and center Zendon Hamilton to the Houston Rockets for seldom-used Reece Gaines and second-round picks in 2006 and ’07.

After turning over more than half their roster last summer, the Mavericks said they planned to either sit out the final day of dealings or make only a minor move to bolster the back end of their bench. But owner Mark Cuban and both Nelsons are always up for a bigger deal. They’ve made many blockbusters in their five years together, including at the trade deadline in 2001 and ’02.

Dallas’ latest overhaul has worked out well, as the Mavs went into Thursday night’s game against Sacramento with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, which would earn them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.