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Monday is media day for 23 teams in the NBA, but there are lots of familiar names who will miss out on the festivities.

ESPN.com has compiled a handy list if you're curious: 32 players who ended last season on an NBA roster and have yet to find a new team.

The 32 players in question -- headlined by big man Jason Collins, three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton and two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom -- are included here because they've neither signed with a team overseas nor announced their retirement.

Atlanta: DeShawn Stevenson (waived)
Boston: Shavlik Randolph (waived), Chris Wilcox, Terrence Williams (waived)
Brooklyn: Jerry Stackshouse
Charlotte: DeSagana Diop, Tyrus Thomas (amnesty)
Chicago: Daequan Cook, Richard Hamilton (waived), Vladimir Radmanovic, Malcolm Thomas (waived)
Cleveland: Daniel Gibson, Kevin Jones (waived), Chris Quinn (waived), Luke Walton
Dallas: Rodrigue Beaubois
L.A. Clippers: Lamar Odom
L.A. Lakers: Chris Duhon (waived)
Memphis: Keyon Dooling
Milwaukee: Marquis Daniels, Drew Gooden (amnesty), Joel Przybilla
Oklahoma City: DeAndre Liggins (waived)
Portland: Terrel Harris (waived), Sasha Pavlovic (waived)
Toronto: Mickael Pietrus, Quentin Richardson (waived), Sebastian Telfair
Utah: Jamaal Tinsley
Washington: Leandro Barbosa, Jason Collins, Cartier Martin

After two seasons in Turkey, former Lakers and Nets guard Sasha Vujacic is determined to force his way back into the NBA.

Sources briefed on the Slovenian's thinking told ESPN.com that Vujacic is working out feverishly in L.A. in hopes of landing an NBA roster spot following his stint with Anadolu Efes that began during the 2011-12 lockout.

Word is Vujacic, now 29, has been playing well in L.A. pickup games and plans to stay stateside in pursuit of an NBA deal as opposed to returning to Europe.

"He's in the best shape of his life," one source offered, "which is saying something because Sasha has always taken care of himself."

Vujacic last played in the NBA with New Jersey in 2010-11.

LAS VEGAS -- Paul George is well aware of chatter back home in Los Angeles.

He knows that edgy Lakers fans, already suggesting moves their team should make in the summer of 2014 with fistfuls of salary-cap space in the wake of Dwight Howard's departure, are lobbying L.A. to throw a max offer at George when he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1, 2014.

Only two problems with that fantasy.

No. 1: George confirmed Monday after Team USA's first practice of the summer on the campus of UNLV that his representatives and the Pacers have already opened discussions on a contract extension that could well prevent Indiana's All-Star swingman from ever reaching free agency ... even the restricted variety.

No. 2: George might have grown up worshiping Kobe Bryant, but he sounds like he's working for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce when someone brings up his future with the Pacers.

Asked Monday if he's been following all the lobbying in Lakerland, George told ESPN.com: "I'm happy, man. I'm happy in Indiana. It's overwhelming (to hear) that they would want a player like me to come play for their team. But right now I'm focused on Indiana. I'm happy to be in Indiana. Our future is bright in Indiana. I wouldn't want to leave something great."

The Laker chatter about George was inevitable after Howard bolted for Houston, given that the 23-year-old grew up in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California, recently purchased an offseason home in the San Fernando Valley and just had a breakout season with the Pacers that makes him one of the most likely participants in this week's 28-man Team USA minicamp to make it all the way onto Mike Krzyzewski's roster for the 2014 World Cup of Basketball in Spain.

But one source close to the process told ESPN.com this week that a max extension with the Pacers -- most likely before the Oct. 31 deadline for extensions for players from the 2010 draft class -- is a "foregone conclusion."

"It's no rush," George said Monday. "Me and the front office ... we're on the same page."

No surprise, then, that Pacers president Larry Bird and general manager Kevin Pritchard were in attendance Monday for the first minicamp practice in Vegas to watch George at work.

Proudly sporting a chain around his neck after practice with engraved confirmation of his All-Star breakthrough in 2013, George said of his hopes to make Coach K's Olympic roster for Brazil in 2016: "I give myself a high chance. I think I'm cut out for the international game."

It's not just the Dallas Mavericks who've nudged their way into the race for Greg Oden along with NBA Finals combatants Miami and San Antonio.

There are growing indications that the New Orleans Pelicans are going to be a factor in the Oden chase as well.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the Pelicans have been booked for a Wednesday sitdown with Oden and will also get serious consideration from the former No. 1 overall pick as he decides where to relaunch his career after being sidelined since early in the 2009-10 season.

The Pelicans, sources said, are building their pitch around the fact that going to New Orleans would enable Oden to make his comeback far away from the media glare and with no immediate pressure to cope with as he tries again to bounce back from the knee issues that have limited the 25-year-old to just 82 career regular-season games since being drafted in 2007.

The presence of former Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams as the head man in New Orleans -- someone who already knows Oden well -- is seen as another element working in the Pelicans' favor along with the fact that their young core of players are all in Oden's age range.

As ESPN.com reported Monday, Oden is scheduled to have face-to-face meetings this week with the Sacramento Kings and Mavs in addition to the Pelicans. Sources say that the Kings, though, are long-shot contenders when it comes to actually signing Oden and are thus planning a hard push for free-agent center Timofey Mozgov if rebuffed by Oden.

The Mavericks, sources say, were scheduled to meet Monday with Oden and are still holding out hope of signing both him and Samuel Dalembert to fill their center void after missing out on top target Dwight Howard.

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have been regarded as leading contenders for Oden's services from the outset of free agency. That's especially true in Miami's case after Heat president Pat Riley hosted Oden for a two-day visit earlier this year before Oden's comeback, through workouts back home in Indianapolis or at Ohio State, progressed to the serious stage it's in now.

ESPN.com reported last week that the Cleveland Cavaliers' signing of Andrew Bynum removed the Cavs from the list of contenders for Oden's services.

Oden was the top overall pick in the '07 NBA draft out of Ohio State, selected one spot ahead of Kevin Durant. Yet thanks to his numerous knee injuries, Oden hasn't played in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009, and was forced to undergo his microfracture knee surgery in February 2012.

The market for guard Nate Robinson is likely to expand as free agency approaches its third week, but the identity of at least one suitor for Robinson is clear.

Sources close to the situation said Saturday that the Denver Nuggets have registered their interest in Robinson, who ranks as one of the most attractive free agents still available after his playoff scoring binges for Chicago.

The prospect of a return to Chicago appears increasingly unlikely. Sources say that the reluctance of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau to bring Robinson back -- with Derrick Rose returning -- is expected to lead Robinson elsewhere.

It is arguably the biggest remaining source of intrigue in NBA free agency outside of the Andrew Bynum saga:

This ever-evolving Point Guard Dance involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.

As ESPN.com has reported on more than one occasion this month, Milwaukee and Atlanta have explored a variety of sign-and-trade scenarios involving unrestricted free agent Monta Ellis and restricted free agents Brandon Jennings and Jeff Teague.

The only certainty in the process, sources close to the situation continue to say, is that the Bucks have Teague at the top of their wish list. Sources said Wednesday that Milwaukee is readying an offer sheet for Teague that Atlanta would have just three days to match if the point guard actually signs it.

The mere threat of an offer sheet, though, could also trigger ramped-up talks between the Hawks and Bucks on the sign-and-trade front. Predicting where it goes from there, though, is troublesome in the extreme, given the mixed signals emanating from Atlanta about how interested -- or not -- the Hawks are in Ellis or Jennings in a sign-and-trade scenario.

The Bucks would happily do a sign-and-trade for Teague with either one of them. Yet it's likewise possible that the Hawks will pass on both if the latest rumbles in circulation about Atlanta's interest in free-agent point guard Mo Williams have weight.

UPDATE: As if this merry-go-round needed one more variable to muddle things, ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reported Wednesday that Ellis has left longtime agent Jeff Fried and is expected to sign with Dan Fegan.

Thirty-four.

That’s it.

There are only 34 players in the entire NBA who are still at risk to be released via the amnesty provision when NBA teams get that opportunity starting Wednesday through July 16.

The list has been pared down slightly in recent weeks because the Charlotte Bobcats have committed to releasing Tyrus Thomas via amnesty to create the needed salary-cap space to sign free-agent center Al Jefferson. And two more players who had been amnesty-eligible -- Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani and Boston’s Paul Pierce -- are about to be traded to New York and Brooklyn, respectively, when the league’s annual moratorium on player business is lifted.

So ...

That leaves 34 players, on 13 different rosters, who are eligible to be set free this month via the one-time clause that enables teams to release a player and remove his name from the books for salary-cap and luxury-tax purposes while continuing to pay him in real life. Seventeen of the league’s 30 teams no long have use of their amnesty clause if you include Charlotte as well as the New Orleans Pelicans, who no longer employ anyone on their roster who meets amnesty requirements, which state that the player had to be under contract with the team doing the slashing the entire time since the lockout ended.

What follows, then, is a list of those 13 teams that can still make an amnesty move and the 34 players who are still playing on contracts that were in effect before the 2011-12 season began and continuously with the team listed:

Atlanta: Al Horford
Boston: Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo
Chicago: Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah
Detroit: Greg Monroe, Charlie Villanueva
Los Angeles Lakers: Steve Blake, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace
Memphis: Mike Conley, Zach Randolph
Miami: Joel Anthony, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, LeBron James, Mike Miller, Dwyane Wade
Milwaukee: Drew Gooden, Larry Sanders
Oklahoma City: Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha
Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins, John Salmons
San Antonio: Matt Bonner, Tony Parker
Toronto: Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza
Utah: Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward

Many of those names above -- starting with that LeBron guy -- are in zero amnesty danger. If we’re going to be realistic, there are probably no more than eight players left from the 34 listed facing legitimate amnesty risk during the next week. They are: Villanueva, World Peace, Miller, Gooden, Salmons, Kleiza ... and maybe Perkins and Boozer if we stretch it.

P.S.: Just to jog your memory, here are the 16 teams that have already used (or committed to use) their amnesty provision … with the year the player was offloaded in parentheses:

Brooklyn: Travis Outlaw (2011)
Charlotte: Tyrus Thomas (2013)
Cleveland: Baron Davis (2011)
Dallas: Brendan Haywood (2012)
Denver: Chris Andersen (2012)
Golden State: Charlie Bell (2011)
Houston: Luis Scola (2012)
Indiana: James Posey (2011)
Los Angeles Clippers: Ryan Gomes (2012)
Minnesota: Darko Milicic (2012)
New York: Chauncey Billups (2011)
Orlando: Gilbert Arenas (2011)
Philadelphia: Elton Brand (2012)
Phoenix: Josh Childress (2012)
Portland: Brandon Roy (2011)
Washington: Andray Blatche (2012)

(Editor’s note: Every player on New Orleans’ roster at the time of the NBA’s new labor agreement in December 2011, one way or another, has since left the Pelicans.)

Sources: Hawks, Mavs still in Bynum hunt, for now

By Marc Stein | July 9, 2:12 a.m. ET

Andrew Bynum, to this point, has not canceled his scheduled recruiting visits this week in Atlanta and Dallas despite receiving a two-year offer from Cleveland worth an incentive-laden $12 million annually.

Which is to say that the Hawks and Mavs, for the moment, are still in the game.

Yet sources close to the process tell ESPN.com that the Cavs are mostly worried about Dallas in the Bynum chase and have thus tried to construct an offer that the Mavs can't touch while likewise doing no harm to their long-planned bid to try to bring LeBron James back to Ohio in free agency in the summer of 2014.

The Cavs would hold a team option in the second year of the proposed deal, which they feel would provide the needed flexibility to either keep Bynum if he bounces back in a big way or part ways with him if Bynum's famously shaky knees don't hold up.

Why are the Cavs, as reported here Sunday night, willing to extend themselves to such a degree for a player who didn't play a single second in Philadelphia last season and couldn't have been abandoned faster by the Sixers? Word is Cleveland sees this as a unique opportunity, given how rarely former All-Star centers become available -- especially at age 25 -- as well as gettable for a franchise not exactly known for its free-agent pull.

Sources: Brandon Jennings for Jeff Teague?

By Marc Stein | July 8, 2:52 a.m. ET

Word began to circulate late Sunday that the Denver Nuggets were closing in on a verbal agreement with free-agent shooting guard Randy Foye.

And that initially seemed to signal that the Atlanta Hawks' lead in the race to sign Monta Ellis, as detailed here late Saturday, has only widened.

However ...

An alternate scenario began to make the rounds as Sunday bled into Monday suggesting that a far wilder set of moves could soon follow and involve Atlanta as well as Milwaukee, Sacramento and possibly Cleveland.

Sources briefed on the situation told ESPN.com that the Hawks and Bucks have in recent days discussed a sign-and-trade deal to land Brandon Jennings in Atlanta and send fellow restricted free agent Jeff Teague to Milwaukee to reunite with former Hawks coach Larry Drew. ESPN.com reported early in free agency that the Bucks, at Drew's behest, had interest.

If those sign-and-trade talks progress to the serious stage, sources said, Atlanta would inevitably have to rescind its long-standing interest in Ellis, knowing he and Jennings realistically couldn't play together again given how poorly they functioned as a backcourt duo in Milwaukee last season.

Sources say that the Kings, meanwhile, have been shopping the likes of Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes to the Cavaliers to create the requisite salary-cap room to try to sign Ellis comfortably. Hard to see Cleveland wanting Hayes, whose contract runs through 2014-15 and thus potentially would cut into Cleveland's reserves earmarked for a free-agent run at LeBron James next summer. Fredette's $2.4 million salary is a virtual expiring deal.

Yet the closest thing to a lock regarding all of the above, as Week 2 of NBA free agency begins, is that Foye coming to terms with Denver would essentially take the Nuggets out of the Ellis hunt. If the Nuggets strike a deal with Foye, that's essentially an admission that Ellis is out of their price range.

Bucks guard still on Atlanta's list

By Marc Stein | July 7, 1:39 a.m. ET

The Atlanta Hawks wanted to trade for Monta Ellis on deadline day in February.

They haven't lost interest, either.

The Hawks, according to NBA front-office sources, have emerged as a serious suitor for Ellis in free agency on top of the deals Atlanta has already struck with former Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap and returning sharpshooter Kyle Korver.

With the future of restricted free agent point guard Jeff Teague still uncertain, Atlanta has roughly $10 million in available salary-cap space to potentially use on Ellis. Sources say that the Hawks have also given center Andrew Bynum some thought, but all the latest signals suggest that Ellis is the Hawks' top current target.

In the event Atlanta proposes another short-term deal -- as seen with Millsap's two-year, $19 million pact -- its available cap space allows the Hawks to at least offer a healthy annual salary that other teams interested in Ellis would struggle to match. The Denver Nuggets are another team known to covet Ellis, for example, but Denver is said to be shopping veteran guard Andre Miller to try to create enough financial flexibility to make Ellis a competitive offer.

The Dallas Mavericks were another prime suitor for Ellis, but Dallas' decision to bring Hawks free agent Devin Harris back to Big D on a three-year deal worth in excess of $9 million realistically takes the Mavs out of the Ellis hunt. Bynum continues to the Mavs' focus after their deals with Harris and Jose Calderon.

The Milwaukee Bucks will actually have to renounce their rights to Ellis on Wednesday if he hasn't found a new home by the first day teams are officially allowed to execute signings and trades after the lifting of the league's annual moratorium on player business. If Ellis doesn't have a new team by then, Milwaukee would not have the salary-cap space necessary to formally sign O.J. Mayo ($24 million over three years) and Zaza Pachulia ($16 million over three years) without surrendering its rights to Ellis, who opted out of next season's $11 million to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Hawks' trade talks with Milwaukee on deadline day headlined by Josh Smith broke down when the Bucks refused to part with Ellis in the proposed deal.

Keep up with the latest buzz on free agents here:

Bobcats interested in Al Jefferson

By Chris Broussard | July 3, 9:50 p.m. ET

It's a poorly kept secret that several clubs are willing to "struggle" next season in hopes of winning The Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes in next year's draft.

But the Charlotte Bobcats are not committed to taking that route. Hence, their courtship of free-agent center Al Jefferson.

Jefferson had dinner with the Bobcats on Tuesday night and spent much of Wednesday meeting with team brass, sources said. Jefferson is obviously interested, but he wants to wait and see how the Dwight Howard situation plays out before he signs anywhere.

Dallas might go hard after Jefferson if it doesn't land Howard.

Jefferson, who made $15 million last season, does not want to take a pay cut, and the Bobcats are weighing whether they want to offer anywhere near that figure. The 28-year-old Jefferson, of course, wants a four-year deal, and the Bobcats aren't sure they want to offer that many years.

To get to Jefferson's number, the Bobcats would have to exercise their amnesty rights on Tyrus Thomas and renounce DeSagana Diop, Reggie Williams, Byron Mullens and perhaps Josh McRoberts, whom they have some interest in keeping.

The Bobcats also hope to re-sign free agent Gerald Henderson.

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Although his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers is likely over, Chauncey Billups is having no thoughts of retiring. Billups wants to play two more seasons, and sources say he has been in discussions with several clubs, including Detroit.

At this point, all the interested teams are looking at the 36-year-old Billups as a backup, which he is fine with.

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Although the Knicks are pursuing Elton Brand, they still have interest in bringing back Kenyon Martin. They are one of several teams that have had conversations with Martin. Others are the Nets, the Lakers, the Clippers and the Spurs. The Heat also inquired about Martin.

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Number of teams now courting Korver

By Marc Stein | July 3, 10:37 a.m. ET

When free agency began, rival teams were pessimistic in the extreme about keeping Atlanta Hawks free-agent sharpshooter Kyle Korver from winding up in Brooklyn as the Nets' latest impact acquisition.

But the climate has changed. In a hurry.

It's the Nets wallowing in pessimism now, having conceded that they just don't have the financial flexibility to compete with all of the offers Korver is getting in what has proved to be a more robust market for wing players than expected.

The Nets can't offer Korver more than $9.6 million over the next three seasons after all of their recent moves. Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the Milwaukee Bucks, for one, are pitching a three-year deal to Korver in the $20 million range.

"A number of teams," one source said, "are going hard after Kyle."

I've been reliably advised that San Antonio is firmly in the mix as well, but it appears, at this juncture, that Korver is still deliberating about his future and doesn't have a team picked out yet. That, though, hasn't stopped the Nets from basically conceding that Korver won't be picking them ... after one rival GM was convinced Monday that Brooklyn has him "in the bag."

ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard quoted a source earlier Wednesday as saying that the Nets "are out of the running" for Korver.

Click here for more buzz on free agents »

Sources: Pacers want Copeland

By Marc Stein | July 3, 2:31 a.m. ET

The Indiana Pacers have ramped up their pursuit of New York Knicks restricted free agent Chris Copeland.

Sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that the Pacers have put an offer sheet on the table that Copeland is giving serious thought to signing.

No deal can be formally signed until July 10, when the league's annual moratorium on transactions is lifted, but Copeland and the Pacers can strike a verbal agreement on a deal before then.

If Copeland does ultimately sign an offer sheet with the Pacers, New York will have three days, as per league rules, to match the offer.

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Hansbrough an unrestricted free agent

By Marc Stein | July 3, 2:27 a.m. ET

Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough is now an unrestricted free agent.

In the wake of David West's new three-year, $36 million contract that was verbally agreed to Tuesday, Hansbrough and his representatives successfully convinced the Pacers to allow him to shed his restricted free-agent status and immediately become an unrestricted free agent.

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Source: Barnes wants to sign with Clips

By Chris Broussard | July 2, 9:44 p.m. ET

Matt Barnes wants to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, who have their full midlevel exception available. But if the Clippers don't do something fast, Barnes will start meeting with other teams, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Dallas, Denver, Brooklyn, New York and San Antonio have shown interest in Barnes.

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Smith meets with Pistons, Rockets

By Jeff Goodman | July 2, 12:48 p.m. ET

Atlanta Hawks free agent Josh Smith has met with both Detroit and Houston in Los Angeles, but has not received a "firm offer" from the Pistons, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com.

Smith met with Detroit shortly after free agency commenced and has yet to meet with the Hawks.

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Clippers to sit down with Landry

By Jeff Goodman | July 2, 12:48 p.m. ET

Carl Landry will meet with the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.com.

Golden State is interested in bringing the 6-foot-8 forward back. Others teams that have expressed interest include Indiana, Denver, San Antonio, Atlanta and Cleveland, a source told ESPN.com.

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Pelicans' Evans chase could cost them Lopez

By Marc Stein | July 2, 12:27 p.m. ET

Friday could prove to be a big day for the New Orleans Pelicans in their pursuit of restricted free agent Tyreke Evans.

To have the financial flexibility to not only sign Evans to a four-year, $44 million offer sheet but also have the room to take in Jrue Holiday when it officially completes its draft-day trade with Philadelphia (headlined by Nerlens Noel) New Orleans may have to make a roster move by Friday with center Robin Lopez.

Friday is the deadline for the Pelicans to buy out the final two years of Lopez's contract for a mere $500,000. If Evans has verbally committed by then to sign the offer sheet, New Orleans might find itself with no other choice but to release a productive big man.

The Pelicans could verbally agree this week to trade Lopez after the league's moratorium is lifted July 10 so they don't have to waive him and ensure they get something for him, but the risk is that verbally agreed trades can fall through and scuttle New Orleans' plan.

The consistent word out of New Orleans is that the Pelicans prefer not to trade Eric Gordon to make room for Evans, which makes them more inclined to make the move with Lopez. Another option is trading point guard Greivis Vasquez, but again, nothing can officially happen on that front until July 10, by which time New Orleans will have lost the ability to waive Lopez.

One more potential problem to make this all a little trickier: Imagine if New Orleans waives Lopez on Friday and then finds out after July 10 that the Kings plan to match the offer sheet. Ouch.

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Clippers having lunch with Mayo

By Chris Broussard | July 2, 11:12 a.m. ET

Doc Rivers is meeting with O.J. Mayo for lunch today. The Clippers are talking with the Mavericks about a sign-and-trade deal involving Mayo and Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe.

The Clippers are also talking with Milwaukee about swapping Bledsoe for J.J. Redick, but a source close to the situation said the chances of a deal are remote.

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Spurs' interest in Kirilenko serious

By Marc Stein | July 2, 11:10 a.m. ET

San Antonio is facing a fair bit of financial uncertainty in these early days of free agency, not knowing what sort of market restricted free agent Tiago Splitter will command and openly hoping to re-sign Spurs stalwart Manu Ginobili at a greatly reduced rate from last season's $13 million salary.

But sources close to the situation tell ESPN.com that the Spurs are seriously interested in free-agent forward Andrei Kirilenko now that AK-47 has opted out of next season's $10 million contract with Minnesota.

Would the Spurs be willing to let Splitter go and use the resultant financial flexibility to replace him with, say, Kirilenko and a bargain big man like Greg Oden? Interesting concept.

The New Orleans Pelicans, fresh off trading for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday on draft night, opened free agency in search of another new addition to their backcourt.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com that the Pelicans were granted a face-to-face with Sacramento Kings restricted free agent Tyreke Evans shortly at free agency started Monday morning at 12:01 a.m.

The Pelicans, sources said, are going hard after Evans, despite the fact that Sacramento will have the right to match any offer sheet and even though the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year is said to have a long list of potential suitors presuming that the Kings won't have the appetite to match after drafting Ben McLemore with the No. 7 pick on Thursday night.

"When a team meets with a free agent right after midnight," said one source close to the process, "you know they're serious about the guy."

Interesting sidebar to contemplate while the Pelicans' pursuit of Evans plays out: What does the arrival of Holiday and potential signing of Evans means for the futures of point guard Greivis Vasquez and the (already available) Eric Gordon?

More chatter from the personnel grapevine after the first few hours of free agency follows:


The Bucks' backcourt situation is fascinating.

After initial suggestions after its first-round playoff exit to Miami that the Bucks were going to try to re-sign Monta Ellis and J.J. Redick -- and let Brandon Jennings go -- Bucks GM John Hammond announced earlier this week to local reporters that the team was hopeful of re-signing Jennings.

What followed on Day 1 of free-agency season only muddled the season further.

One source told ESPN.com that the Bucks were now leaning toward not even making an offer to Redick ... even after surrendering the promising Tobias Harris to Orlando to get him.

Then came word, via another source, that the Bucks are in the process of launching a hard run in free agency at Hawks restricted free agent point guard Jeff Teague at the behest of new coach Larry Drew, who just had Teague in Atlanta.

As for Ellis? "Looks like they're going to let him walk," said the first source.


Brooklyn's spending power is extremely limited after the trade they agreed to Thursday night with Boston to take on Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry.

The Nets, though, are already strong favorites to land sharpshooter Kyle Korver, according to another team eager to sign Korver.

The list of teams interested in Korver is rather long, frankly, but one rival GM told ESPN.com early Monday: "I'm hearing that Brooklyn has Korver in the bag."

Nets general manager Billy King, don't forget, first obtained Korver in a draft-night deal ten years ago when he was Philadelphia's GM.


Minnesota called Oklahoma City swingman Kevin Martin right at 12:01 a.m., according to sources with knowledge of the conversation, and was soon followed by a call from the Bucks.

There's a growing belief that the Thunder's chances of hanging on to Martin are dwindling fast given how close they are to the luxury-tax threshold already. Sources say New Orleans will go after him if it can't land Evans and there will be other suitors, too.


ESPN.com reported early Sunday that Detroit would make a hard push for Hawks swingman Josh Smith, which the Pistons duly confirmed by meeting with Smith at the first allowable minute ... Said one source briefed on Dallas' quickly rebuffed attempt to engage the Boston Celtics in trade talks for point guard Rajon Rondo: "Danny [Ainge] telling them that they're only interested in Dirk [Nowitzki] is his way of saying: 'You don't have enough to get in the game.' "

Some fresh dribbles of NBA Draft chatter and corresponding trade talk:

• The Houston Rockets have been openly shopping forward Thomas Robinson in an effort to clear more cap space for a run at Dwight Howard and have been confident that they will shed Robinson's contract by Thursday night.

Houston is looking to move Robinson to a team that can absorb his salary (either because it is under the cap or possesses the requisite trade exception) and get back a first-round pick in return. And two teams appear to have emerged as serious suitors: Cleveland and Chicago. Sources close to the situation say both teams would be willing to give up a first-round pick in this draft to land Robinson, who went No. 5 overall in the 2012 draft.

The Cavs, though, have also been linked to a potential trade with Dallas for Shawn Marion and the 13th pick that could cost them the second of their two first-round picks, No. 19 overall. They've also made an unsuccessful run at Minnesota's Kevin Love and continue to send signals that they want to make a "big" trade this week. But if Cleveland doesn't need No. 19 for one of those transactions, look for them to try to acquire Robinson from the Rockets.

Sources say that the Bulls, meanwhile, also covet Robinson and are offering the 20th pick. Chicago doesn't have cap space to absorb Robinson's contract but does possess a trade exception that Robinson could slide into. If the Bulls do acquire Robinson, word is they intend to flip him to another team in a subsequent (or connected) deal.

Who would the Rockets take if they meet their objective to shed Robinson for a late first-rounder? It's virtually guaranteed to be an international player that they can stash overseas and thus keep unwanted additional salary off of their books. Russia's Sergey Karasev, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brazil's Lucas Nogueira, Germany's Dennis Schroeder and France's Rudy Gobert are all known targets for the Rockets.

• The Wolves continue to try to move up higher in the draft to land either Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore. The latest rumbles have them reaching out to the Magic, Bobcats and Suns offering Derrick Williams and the No. 9 and No. 26 picks in return for Orlando's No. 2 pick, Charlotte's No. 4 pick or Phoenix's No. 5 pick.

• There is a growing belief that Indiana's Cody Zeller is seriously in the mix for the Bobcats at No. 4 along with Alex Len, McLemore and Otto Porter ... provided that Charlotte keeps its pick.

Bobcats GM Rich Cho is said to be a big Zeller fan, but word is he's having a tough time convincing ownership to take him at No. 4. If the Bobcats were to move a little farther down in the draft, Zeller becomes a strong possibility for Charlotte.

As we get closer to the Thursday night's draft, here are some rumblings we're hearing around the league.

• What are the Cleveland Cavaliers seeking in exchange for the No. 1 pick? Sources say they reached out to the Portland Trail Blazers in an attempt to land LaMarcus Aldridge for the Nos. 1 and 19 picks. The Blazers quickly rebuffed them.
  
  
• The Sacramento Kings are looking to acquire a second first-round pick and are using guard Jimmer Fredette as bait. Sources say the Kings have reached out to a number of teams in the mid-to-late first round in an attempt to secure another pick. Both the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz are potential destinations for Jimmer. Kings coach Mike Malone is enamored with both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tony Snell, but the Kings feel that they can get them much lower in the draft.
  
  
• In addition to the Pacers' Jimmer discussions, sources say Indiana has made the No. 23 pick available in hopes that an interested party would be willing to take on the contract of Gerald Green for the right to acquire Indy's pick.
  
  
• The Brooklyn Nets are trying to find a home for their 2011 first-round selection, MarShon Brooks. Sources say the Nets are trying to land a second first-rounder in return. One team to watch is the Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Wolves will give the Nets the No. 26 pick in return, they'll probably have a deal on draft night.
  
  
• The Wolves continue to try to move higher up in the draft to get their hands on Victor Oladipo. They're offering Derrick Williams, the No. 9 and the No. 26 pick to move up, but so far haven't found a taker. New Wolves GM Flip Saunders is enamored with Oladipo.
  
  
• The Houston Rockets are doing anything and everything they can to move Aaron Brooks or Carlos Delfino in conjunction with the draft before they're forced to just let them go in order to create as much cap space as possible for the long-planned pursuit in free agency of Dwight Howard.
  
  
• For all the latest on the Mavs' plans with Shawn Marion, amid constant speculation about Dallas packaging Marion with the 13th pick in Thursday's draft in the name of creating more salary-cap space for its own pursuit of Howard, click this ESPNDallas.com post.

The first decent NBA draft trade rumble of the week involves an All-Star who's no stranger to the speculation game.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the Chicago Bulls, in their latest attempt to gauge the trade value of All-Star swingman Luol Deng, have had exploratory discussions with Washington about a deal that would land Deng with the Wizards and bring the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft to the Bulls.

The most likely trade construction, if talks were to progress to the serious stage, would send Deng to the Wizards for the No. 3 pick and center Emeka Okafor, who would have to formally opt into his contract for next season ($14.5 million) this week for the trade to go through.

Yet it's worth noting that Cleveland, sources say, has interest in Deng as well ... and there will surely be other potential trade partners to surface if the Bulls decide they're legitimately ready to part with Deng after years of flirting with the idea.