Sources: Dallas Believed To Be Top Contender For Stephen Jackson

Many Cavaliers fans high on the possibility of Stephen Jackson seem to brush off the fact that the disgruntled Warriors swingman mentioned "anywhere in Texas" in addition to the Cavs as a preferred destination from Golden State.Well, that puts three more franchises in the running (assuming that the Cavs are even in this race to begin with, which so far it seems like they aren't), and the Dallas Mavericks have clearly jumped ahead of the pack.On Sunday, dallasbasketball.com reported that Warriors coach Don Nelson is seriously looking at Dallas as a possible trade partner for Jackson. From their website: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."The Mavericks are certainly no strangers to making big, flashy moves to add some sizzle to their roster. They added Shawn Marion in a three-team deal earlier this summer. They've also worked similar blockbusters in the past to land guys like Jason Terry and Devin Harris and even used Harris in another blockbuster to bring Jason Kidd back to Dallas.Throwing another big name like Jackson into the mix may be the norm for them, and they certainly have the horses to pull it off if they are serious about it.After thinking about it over the weekend, it definitely seems like trying to go after Jackson would be a wise move for the Cavs. If they can land him without having to part with any key rotation guys, they can put him as their starter at the shooting guard and move Delonte West to backup point guard. It may significantly decrease the playing times of Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, and LeBron would probably have to play more power forward. But acquiring a blood-and-guts defender like Jackson who can also put the ball in the bucket would help take this team to new heights. His good relationship with Mike Brown is just icing on the cake.That contract will never let it happen, though. And Dallas has a bad contract of their own in Jason Terry, a bombs-away shooter that Nelson would probably crave in the Bay Area. If Jackson gets his wish and gets traded before the season starts, the smart money is probably on seeing him in a Mavericks uniform pretty soon.