Reports: Mavs trade Van Exel for Jamison

DALLAS (AP) An eight-player trade is in the works that will send Nick Van Exel from the Dallas Mavericks to the Golden State Warriors for Antawn Jamison, according to published reports.

The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on their Web sites Friday night that Chris Mills, Danny Fortson and Jiri Welsch will also come to Dallas as part of the deal. Avery Johnson, Evan Eschmeyer and Popeye Jones would join Van Exel in going to Golden State.

Mavericks coach Don Nelson referred a call from The Associated Press to his son and Dallas assistant Donnie Nelson. Repeated attempts by the AP to reach Donnie Nelson by phone Friday night were unsuccessful. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent to him Friday night.

Messages left for Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean and other team executives were not immediately returned Friday night.

The 6-foot-9 Jamison would give the Mavericks more size while maintaining scoring power. He's also more than four years younger than Van Exel, who turns 32 in November.

Jamison was the Warriors' leading scorer last season, averaging more than 22 points per game. Van Exel, who came to Dallas from Denver in a seven-player trade in February 2002, was the Mavericks' leading scorer off the bench last season.

Over the past four seasons, Mills has missed 178 games due to injury and averaged just 4.8 points last season for Golden State.

Welsch, who came to the NBA after five seasons in Europe, was the first-round draft pick of Philadelphia in 2002 and was immediately traded to Golden State. He averaged 1.6 points in limited action.

Fortson averaged 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds last season.

Johnson, 38, Jones and Eschmeyer all saw limited action for the Mavericks last season.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)