Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has proposed realigning the NBA conferences in order to level the playing field between the East and West.

Cuban's plan involves a total of eight teams switching conferences, with the Mavs, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans moving to the East.

The Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks would move in the opposite direction.

"It just changes things up and it changes the thought process of a lot of teams. It makes both conferences very competitive, at least for the short term and I think, based on the history of the teams, for the long term as well," Cuban told reporters.

The Mavs ended last season with a 49-33 record which saw them finish eighth in the West, but the same record would have secured the third seed in the East.