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I'm torn between wanting to give it a rest, and wanting to fill you in on, you know, the biggest story in the NBA.

If you're inclined to follow it, you really have to read Chris Sheridan's story that's headlining ESPN.com right now. There's a ton of good information in there, but most importantly, Sheridan sketches out what are essentially three-party trade talks, involving the Bulls, the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant -- who has a no-trade clause and can veto any trade.

A source with knowledge of the trade talks said Deng has been included in proposals swapped between the teams, but Bryant has continually threatened to veto almost any deal in which Deng would be included. Bryant wants to be sure that the team he joins has enough talent remaining to compete for the NBA title.

The source said talks between the teams had stagnated, though by no means were they dead. And while the difficulties involved in the deal -- making the salaries match, and trying to trade players onto 15-man rosters now that the preseason roster flexibility has elapsed -- continued to be formidable, the Bulls remained determined to pursue every avenue toward acquiring Bryant from the Lakers.

So the idea is that Bryant will veto any trade that doesn't get him to a team in a position to win -- i.e. in Chicago with Deng.

Chicago would presumably love that too. Deng and Bryant? Fantastic!

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune says: "General manager John Paxson, who is scheduled to address the media Thursday, continues to explore ways to land Bryant. But as has been mentioned frequently, he won't gut his roster to do so, and he doesn't want to part with Deng."

Be interesting to see what he has to say today.

Meanwhile Magic Johnson, part owner of the Lakers, has staked out the exact opposite position. Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times cites Johnson's comments from Tuesday night's TNT broadcast in this report:

"I don't think he's going to get traded," Johnson said. "I think they'll try to keep him and make something happen in terms of trying to improve the team."

Johnson could not be reached Wednesday.

The Lakers have had off-and-on talks with Indiana about Jermaine O'Neal, who expressed his unhappiness with the Pacers during the off-season. But with teams curious to see how they start out, there has not been any movement in those discussions.

Johnson has some experience in this area. He asked to be traded in November 1981. Almost the entire Lakers team had revolted against then-coach Paul Westhead when Johnson said, "I've got to go ... I haven't been happy all season ... I'm going to talk to the man tomorrow and see if a trade will happen."

That "man" was Buss. Westhead was fired the next day.

Johnson, like Bryant, wanted to go to Chicago or maybe even New York, but he found fault with Bryant's desire to go to the Bulls. "Chicago is one of the first teams he said he'd want to be traded to, but what we have to understand, even if he does go to Chicago, he's not going to be in a better situation because we're going to take all their best players and he's going to end up being in the same situation," Johnson said. "Chicago with Kobe, with the guys they will have left after the Lakers take what they want, [is] not going to beat the other top teams in the East."

Missing from all this -- and crucial -- is what the Buss family is thinking (beyond presumably telling themselves to never, ever give a player a no-trade clause again).

And as for Mark Cuban's flat denial that anything is happening between the Mavericks and the Lakers -- I'm inclined to believe, in the big picture, that nothing is going to happen. But it doesn't really make sense that there has been NO contact between those two teams, as Cuban told ESPN (reported by ESPN.com):

"We haven't talked to them," Cuban told ESPN's Lisa Salters during a sideline interview. "It's not going to happen. We've got a great squad. We like it."

Cuban was asked if the team has any interest at all in Bryant.

"We're always looking for bargains, but I don't think they're going to give us any bargains," he said.

As Cuban himself points out, the Mavericks are always looking for bargains, right? So is everyone! That's why you have to call. You have to see what the Lakers have in mind. (Maybe they're madly in love with Jason Terry and DeSagana Diop, you know?) It is simply irresponsible to let one of the very best players in the league come on the market in something of a fire sale situation without at least doing your homework.

What if Bryant ends up going to Chicago for Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah? Wouldn't the Mavericks want the chance to outbid that? (Imagine the Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant! They really could offer the Lakers just about anyone else on the roster. That list includes a ton of talent, like Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, and youngsters like Brandon Bass, Jose Juan Barea, and Maurice Ager.)

And before the Lakers would take any deal from Chicago, wouldn't the Lakers have to hear the best possible offer from Dallas?

I don't think there's anything sinister going on here. I think Cuban is being a good owner by expressing the utmost confidence in the roster Dallas will most likely have. (And rightly so -- they're good! Ask the Cavaliers.) I just question that "we haven't talked to them" line. If that's true, that would bother me as a Mavericks fan. They're holding a sale on Kobe Bryants right now. Pick up the phone, if you haven't already.