Breaking: While Stephen Jackson Plots His Way Out Of Golden State, DB.com Learns Nellie Is Prepping To Talk Trade With Mavs

    Two breaking stories are about to collide, meld together, and possibly entangle two franchises many outsiders thought unlikely to ever engage in transaction-talk business again.

   Breaking Story No. 1: On Friday morning, I spoke with a source very close to the Golden State front office who tells me that Nellie is leading serious in-house conversation about proposing a trade to the Mavs that would move a rotation-caliber player from Golden State to Dallas in exchange for cap relief.

   Breaking Story No. 2: On Friday evening, Dime magazine visited with the Warriors’ Stephen Jackson, who suggested rather matter-of-factly that Golden State management is aware of his desire “to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship. … either Cleveland, anywhere in Texas or out here … in New York.’’

   Two breaking stories … leaking out within hours of one another.

   Coincidence?

    This is a multi-faceted story, not the least of which is the notion that Don Nelson’s team is gearing up to discuss business with Mark Cuban’s team. Stay with DallasBasketball.com in the coming days and we will break down that issue, as well as play “Amateur GM’’ with some very specific possibilities.

    For now, some elements that figure into the eventual proposal (some of the following I know as fact, some is sourced information, some comes from Jackson himself and some is my educated guessing):

   *Nellie is a fan of Stephen Jackson, who has reined in his behavior under the coach and become a team captain and a 20-ppg guy who is enough of an assist man to be Nellie's "point forward'' and is also a defensive pest. (Just ask Dirk.) Still, Jackson has announced here that he not be a fan of remaining with a program that experienced one peak (as Mavs fans know all too well) and so many valleys.

   *The Warriors are financially committed to Jackson with four years and $36 million remaining on his deal. (Wow!) The Mavs would have to be very fond of Capt. Jack’s attributes to lock themselves into such a bloated contract. I don’t have any indication either way whether Dallas likes him that much.

     *Jackson is stinging from the way Nellie handled his buddy Al Harrington. Harrington is now in New York – most likely the reason Jackson mentioned the Knicks on his wish list. Jackson is 31; “winning a championship’’ with the Knicks seems less likely than being a part of a now-contender in Cleveland, Dallas or San Antonio, where he played previously. Jackson is, by the way, a native of Port Arthur, Texas.

    *The player I’m told Nellie would like to move is guard Monta Ellis. Ellis and Nellie have locked horns numerous times, he’s part of a backcourt overflow (the coach is in love with rookie Stephen Curry) and his contract is, like Jackson’s, a bloated one.

    Talent-wise – and forgetting the dollars involved – I can envision both Ellis and Jackson fitting into the front of Dallas’ rotation. Ellis is a waterbug; Jackson is a bad-ass. There are reasons Dallas' roster could use either of those traits.

     *Forget the name of Anthony Randolph here. Nellie has no intention of letting go of another of his new toys.

     *Don’t get too excited about the name of Josh Howard here. The Mavs still love him, and more, the Warriors have concerns that Nellie’s old friend Josh is fragile.

     *So what would Golden State want? There’s a great theory from my man JES up with the rest of the deep thinkers at DB.com Boards (in this excellent thread) that J.J. Barea has always been well thought of by the Warriors. Point being, there are probably talent fits that go from Dallas to Oakland.

    But I’m told mostly what Golden State would want is, not coincidentally, the one thing Dallas has in surplus: Expiring contracts and cap room. This would seem to be a place for “The Buck Shot,’’ though again the Mavs have to weigh the value of simply taking for themselves the savings from releasing Greg Buckner (which Donnie tells me is a distinct possibility) vs. leveraging him into a player acquisition that representing a long-term financial load. (Which I find more logical, more desirous and more in step with the actions in the Cuban Era.)

   How much do the Warriors want to simply dump Jackson's contract and Jackson's attitude? How willing are the Mavs to absorb both? How much is Jackson seen as a get-us-over-the-top piece, and is there a way to obtain such a piece without taking on such an obscene contract?

   Oh, and when Nellie calls the Mavs offices, who answers? Who is the first one to say, "Let's hug it out''?

   Like I say, this is a multi-faceted story. But two of the facets of it are breaking now, and getting ready to collide soon.

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901pm aug 29 2009