Malone narrows options

After considering contract proposals from several suitors, free-agent Karl Malone has narrowed the list of NBA franchises with which he will consider signing, his agent said Saturday night.

Evidently, all are teams from the league's Western Conference.

Agent Dwight Manley, however, would neither identify those clubs nor reveal the exact number of possible destinations that remain for The Mailman.

"Whether it's three or five or four," Manley said, "it's down to a few teams."

The Los Angeles Lakers, the Jazz, San Antonio and Dallas apparently are still in the running, though it seems the likelihood of Malone leaving Utah after 18 seasons here is growing stronger and stronger by the day.

Manley would not directly address where the Jazz standbut did say this: "Over the weekend, there haven't been any additions or subtractions — as of yet."

Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor met with Manley in California last Wednesday, but since then it is believed there has been no face-to-face contact between the Jazz and Malone camps — including a sitdown involving Malone and Jazz owner Larry H. Miller.

Meanwhile, the possibility of Malone joining Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal with the Lakers still seems to hinge on veteran free-agent point guard Gary Payton's plans.

Malone apparently is willing to play in L.A. for as little as $1.5 million so long as the Lakers also are able to lure Payton, who planned to spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend communicating with the Lakers and contemplating his options — including the possibility of accepting a multiyear contract that next season pays roughly $4.7 million in so-called "midlevel exception" salary.

Also still intrigued by the possibility of signing Malone: the Dallas Mavericks.

"We are certainly still interested in Karl," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via email Saturday night, "and are still in touch with his agent."

Eliminated from consideration, Manley confirmed Saturday, is the Boston Celtics, who made their pitch with basketball operations executive director Danny Ainge's visit to Malone early last week in Salt Lake and a subsequent visit with Manley in the Los Angeles area.

"If Karl was 30 or 35 years old," Manley said with reference to Malone, who turns 40 later this month, "Boston might be a great fit."