Vince Carter Expects To Become Free Agent, Tyson Chandler Meeting With Warriors

The right situation might not be in Phoenix, however, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard and Marc Stein -- at least not under his current contract.

In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Lakers picked up guards Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock. Fisher, Blake and Bryant remain under contract, as well. The Lakers will have use of the mini mid-level exception (worth a max of three years, $9.3 million), sign-and-trade deals and the veteran’s minimum at their disposal, as well.

The Times-Picayune had previously reported that Paul’s camp had made no such request to the Hornets’ front office.

Chris Paul rumors have been swirling non-stop since the end of the NBA lockout, and on Thursday, the buzz has gotten louder than ever. Paul’s agent has requested that the New Orleans Hornets trade him to the New York Knicks, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.

As Adrian Wojnarowski writes, Paul’s agent told the Hornets this week that his client will not sign an extension in New Orleans this offseason, and would like to be traded to the New York Knicks.

Ainge eventually said he wasn’t trying to trade Rondo, but Rivers discussed how those sort of rumors might be brought up.

As short as it’s planned to be, the NBA offseason should still be plenty interesting.

Yahoo! Sports reports that it could take upwards of $13 million per season to sign Nene, but for a team that wants to win this year, he’s one of the best options on the board.

Front office executive Jim Buss said that Bynum was “untouchable in trade talks” earlier this year, but that apparently is no longer the case.

It’s obvious that very few players would be able to pry Bynum away from the Lakers, but it makes sense that Howard would be one of those players.

It had widely been expected that Chandler would re-sign with the Mavericks, but it appears that the Mavericks have other priorities than signing the big man to a long-term deal.

For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball. For more on the upcoming season, check out SB Nation NBA.

In addition, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports that Pacers execs spoke to Landry’s agent on Wednesday.

Falgoust reports that the team was working on an agreement to release Robinson before the NBA lockout hit in July. Robinson has just one season and $4.5 million remaining on his deal. Robinson played in just four games for Scott Brooks’ Thunder after being included in the midseason Kendrick Perkins-Jeff Green trade in February.

If Robinson is bought out in the traditional way, most of that $4.5 million contract would remain on the Thunder’s salary cap sheet. Assuming NBA rules on buy-outs do not change in the new collective bargaining agreement, and assuming that Oklahoma City does not use the amnesty or stretch provisions on Robinson’s small deal, the Thunder would see 50 percent of any new NBA contract a waived Robinson signs for this season removed from that $4.5 million cap hit. (So if a buy-out is reached and Robinson signs a one-year, $2 million deal with another team, his cap hit on the Thunder would be for $3.5 million.)

West missed the end of the 2010-11 season and playoff after tearing his ACL late in the season. He’s been primarily a skill player instead of an athletic power, but how his knee responds will be a big factor in how productive he is heading through his 30s.

Smith talked to the media after the NBA announced that team executives could begin talking to players and agents in anticipation of the start of free agency on December 9. Howard can’t become a free agent until July 2012, but rumors have swirled after the center made comments about his uncertainty on whether he’ll commit to Orlando. The Magic, no doubt, have a maximum-value extension available whenever he wants to sign it.

Smith didn’t exactly say he plans to put Howard on the market, and said that he wants to take to the star about the issue instead of reading the media tea leaves. But he was candid in saying that all options would remain open.

NBA free agency officially begins on December 9, but teams have been cleared to talk to agents. Who are they talking about? The 120-odd NBA free agents, of course!

This list digs into the top 79 free agents available with varying levels of superficiality. Enjoy.

With so much smoke surrounding Rondo, a trade would seem to be imminent. Considering there wasn’t a lot of alternatives to talk about during the months-long lockout, however, all of these talks could have simply been a way to get through the doldrums of the work stoppage.

For more NBA trade rumors and NBA free agency updates, visit this StoryStream.

In a surprise move, the NBA announced on Tuesday that while free agency won’t begin until December 9, teams can begin talks with agents about free agent players beginning on Wednesday. The league that no deals can be offered or accepted -- even verbally -- until December 9, but that communication can begin.

It’s unorthodox by NBA standards. In a normal NBA offseason, teams cannot have conversations with agents of free agent players from other teams until the stroke of midnight on July 1, the traditional start of free agency. By the time that the sun rises on July 1, there are usually a couple of verbal deals wrapped up.

But the deal that sprung from the NBA lockout will fix this injustice, right? Surely after that painful defeat at the hands of the Neo-Scrooges among NBA ownership, Nene’s max contract won’t end up being too huge. Right? Right?

In the old collective bargaining agreement, assuming a $58 million salary cap, without cajoling the Nuggets into a sign-and-trade, Nene would have been eligible for a max contract of five years, $100 million.

If you wondering how the Heat can manage to add Nene via sign-and-trade or by signing him outright without the Brazilian taking a massive paycut, you are not alone. Houston and Dallas have young prospects, at least.

For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs and SB Nation Denver.

Millsap is more than four years younger, though, and nearly as productive. Indiana has intriguing prospects up and down the roster, and the Jazz will have incentive to slash payroll with such a young core, so it seems like a natural fit if Indiana’s West pursuit falls through.

For more on the Pacers, visit Indy Cornrows. For more on the Jazz, visit SLC Dunk.

NBA free agency is scheduled to begin on December 9. While the class certainly lack in stars when compared to the famous 2010 and 2012 derbies, there’s value to be had. See the full list of free agents who played in the NBA last season below, broken down by status.

Offer sheets signed by these players can be matched by the incumbent team. An asterisk denotes that a player remains under contract overseas and may not be interested in or able to return to the NBA this season.

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that, per Kirilenko’s agent Marc Fleisher, the forward will weigh his options before making a decision either way.