Malone a fit for big 3 out West

Even before the NBA's summer free-agency market opened, Karl Malone, the Jazz's biggest-name free agent, identified four of the teams with which he would be interested in signing should The Mailman decide to depart Utah. All four are playoff powers in the league's Western Conference: Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento and the NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs.

Sacramento seemingly may no longer be in the picture, but the other three remain potential fits.

There may be others, too, based on offers received by Dwight Manley, Malone's agent, when the market opened Tuesday. Manley, however, would not identify all of Malone's suitors — leaving the Mavericks, Lakers and Spurs as the apparent early leading contenders.

In an effort to determine just how Malone might fit in with those three, and why the Kings no longer seem to make sense, let's look alphabetically at the landscape in those four locales:

DALLAS

Word out of Dallas is that the Mavericks are going hard after Miami center Alonzo Mourning to fill their need for a physical big man and that the Mavs may be willing to offer Mourning all of their mid-level exception money (around $4.5 million-to-$4.9 million).

Mavs owner Mark Cuban even flew on Monday to Miami, where he has a home, to supposedly help woo Mourning. That news does not seem to sit well with Malone, who responded accordingly to the Mourning reports:

"Obviously, Alonzo is one of their top priorities, and with them being there (in Miami), you'd have to say he's their top priority," Malone told the Dallas Morning News on Monday. "Let's be realistic: I don't consider myself one of the top one or two or three free agents. But when you start getting around four or five, then I think that's legitimate. To say I'm No. 10 or No. 8 on the list, you insult my integrity."

Yet there is still hope in Dallas for Malone, who made $19.25 million last season, but seems to know he is in for a hefty pay cut.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Problem is, Mourning has repeatedly stated a desire to remain in Miami, and it will likely take more than $4.9 million to move him to Dallas."

That could open Cuban's door to Malone, who might be willing to settle for the mid-level money if it means he gets to win much more often than he will lose.

Dallas also is close to Malone's Louisiana hometown, and he always has liked that area of the country.