Patrick Beverley was a surprise starter for the Rockets tonight, and his performance was even more astounding, as he racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to help Houston come within three points of beating the top-seeded Thunder at home. Beverley was playing in Russia at the beginning of the season, and didn't make his NBA debut until he completed a week-long stint in the D-League after the Rockets signed him in January. His play tonight underscores the importance of seemingly under-the-radar transactions. As always, we'll keep track of NBA moves both great and small, and here's the latest:

• The Jazz may make a strong push to sign O.J. Mayo this summer, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler hears (Twitter link). Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors wrote in March that Mayo could command better than the full mid-level, though that was before the shooting guard's April slump. 
• Last week Chad Ford of ESPN.com heard University of Miami sophomore Shane Larkin was leaning toward entering the draft, but Larkin tweets that his decision is still up in the air, and that he'll make an announcement Sunday evening.
• Darren Collison probably won't return to the Mavericks unless he accepts a backup role, writes Tim McMahon of ESPN.com, who nonetheless believes Collison should be a well-paid backup, projecting that he'll sign a four-year, $15MM deal.
• There are plenty of philosophical differences between Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and coach Dwane Casey, but ownership wouldn't look kindly upon Colangelo if he fired his third coach in less than five years, observes Eric Koreen of the National Post. 
• Michael Jordan has hired four coaches, but none of them have lasted as long as three seasons, leading Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer to wonder if Jordan and the Bobcats front office are more deserving of blame than former coach Mike Dunlap.

As we explained a year ago when the 2011/12 regular season ended, new details of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement have slightly modified the usual process for restricted free agency. The qualifying offers teams extend to potential restricted free agents are now based, in some instances, on a newly-defined "starter criteria."

The CBA describes a "starter" as either starting 41 games or playing 2,000 minutes in a season, and rewards players for meeting those criteria. If a player achieved one of those benchmarks in the season prior to his free agency, or averaged one of those benchmarks in the two seasons leading up to his free agency, his qualifying offer will be affected as follows:

• A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter critera will receive a same qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick.
• A played picked between 10th and 30th who meets the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick.
• A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick.

Because the 2009 class of first-round picks will be hitting restricted free agency this season, the 2009/10 rookie scale will dictate the qualifying offers received. Using RealGM's rookie scale chart for 2009, we can calculate the qualifying offers as follows:

• 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick is $4,531,459.
• 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick is $4,135,391.
• 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick is $2,785,146.

So which players will be affected by this new rule this summer? Using our list of free agents (restricted FAs are marked with R), the above calculations, and the starter criteria, this offseason's modified qualifying offers are listed below. Teams will have to offer these free agents a one-year contract worth the listed amount to make them restricted -- otherwise they'll become unrestricted and can freely sign with any club.

Top-14 picks who failed to meet the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,135,391 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):

• Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers ($4,225,423)

Players picked between 10th and 30th who met the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,531,459 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):

• Brandon Jennings, Bucks ($4,330,469)
• Gerald Henderson, Bobcats ($4,267,426)
• Jeff Teague, Hawks ($3,469,568)
• Darren Collison, Mavericks ($3,342,175)
• Byron Mullens, Bobcats ($3,293,976)

Other free agents with three years or less in the NBA who met the starter criteria and will be eligible for a QO of $2,785,146:

• None. Although restricted free agents like Nikola Pekovic (Timberwolves) and Tiago Splitter (Spurs) also met the starter criteria, both players are already in line for higher QOs because they were signed to larger deals using cap space (Pekovic) or the mid-level exception (Splitter).

Headed for free agency this summer, Mavericks point guard Darren Collison told reporters that he’s capable of starting on any team. Despite finishing the final 23 games of the season as a reserve, the former UCLA product hasn’t ruled out a return to the Mavericks, even if it means he’d continue that role (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram reports). Also, as Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW notes, Collison hasn't had any discussions with his agent about where he could end up next season. Here are a few more links to share out of Dallas:

• Price also hears that Elton Brand would like to return to Dallas next season in order to make up for being unable to help the team make the playoffs this season. Picked up off of amnesty before the start of the season, the former number one overall pick averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG, marking the first year in his career with his scoring average in the single-figures. 
• Count head coach Rick Carlisle among the proponents of bringing O.J. Mayo back in a Mavs uniform next season, writes Price. This morning, we heard that the 25-year-old swingman plans to opt out of his contract in hopes of negotiating a long-term deal with Dallas. 

When Heat general manager Pat Riley spoke out against Celtics general manager Danny Ainge last week, it was a calculated move on his part to keep LeBron James around after 2014, writes the Daily News' Mitch Lawrence.

• Mavericks point guard Darren Collison wants to be the team's starter, writes Dallas Star-Telegram reporter Dwain Price.  
• InsideSoCal.com's Mark Medina writes that Lakers forward Earl Clark has rediscovered his role with the team with some great play recently.
• On Philly.com, the Sixers are gearing up for a busy offseason.

As we look forward to an eight-game evening slate that includes Dwight Howard's return to Orlando, let's round up a few of today's stories relating to Western Conference clubs....

• The Warriors elected not to sign Dominic McGuire after the trade deadline using one of their open roster spots at least in part because coach Mark Jackson didn't want McGuire taking minutes away from rookie Draymond Green, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia).
• Andre Iguodala admits to Paola Boivin of the Denver Post that his 2013/14 player option is in the back of his mind, but says he won't make a concrete decision on whether or not to exercise it until after the season.
• Despite David Stern's insistence that the Kings sale won't result in a bidding war, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the Sacramento group may be in trouble if the Seattle group "keeps pushing up the price."
• Part of the reason the Mavericks released Dominique Jones was to give him an opportunity to find playing time with another club, as GM Donnie Nelson explains to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The playing time that Dominique probably deserves wasn’t here and available," Nelson said. "Hopefully that presents itself with another team some place."
• Darren Collison isn't complaining about coming off the bench for the Mavericks, but when he becomes a free agent this summer, he'll hit the market believing that he's capable of being a starter somewhere, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

Stephen Curry absolutely went off at the Garden on Wednesday night, dropping 54 points via 11 treys on the Knicks in the game of the night.  Despite Curry's efforts, the Warriors still came up short, losing by four.  Here are some other notes from around the Western Conference:

• Gregg Popovich says that the Spurs, as always, will do their due diligence in scouring the post-March 1st buyout market, but with their roster already 15 deep, he doesn't expect anything to come of it, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News answered a few questions about the Mavericks roster in a chat on Tuesday.  Sefko doesn't see the Mavs dealing Shawn Marion next season just to free up cap space, opining that Marion is still a starting caliber player that warrants something worthwhile in return.  
• Sefko also considers re-signing O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison critical to the team's chances of luring whatever big name free agents they'll set their sights on, largely due to their youth.  Keeping both players, who have had nice seasons in Dallas, will be difficult without overpaying, Sefko says.
• Pau Gasol, likely still a month from returning, has been cleared to work out on an elliptical machine, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.  Gasol tore his plantar fascia three weeks ago and the Lakers are sticking to their original timetable of six-to-eight weeks for his return. 

While there's been plenty of talk about the cap space the Rockets are expected to have this summer, coach Kevin McHale is just hoping to see that space turned into an impact player, as he jokes to Sam Amick of USA Today.

"I've never seen Cap Room score a basket yet though," McHale said. "I've seen old Cap, and his last name is Room, I've yet to see him put a hoop in, haven't seen him block a shot, haven't seen him get a rebound yet. But when Cap Room starts putting up numbers, we should be in great shape."

Here are a few more notes out of the Western Conference as we prepare for All-Star weekend:

• LaMarcus Aldridge doesn't expect the Trail Blazers to make a move at the trade deadline, as he tells Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (Twitter link).
• With expansion not currently being considered by David Stern and the league, it appears unlikely that Sacramento and Seattle will both have an NBA team in the near future, writes Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.
• Former SuperSonic great Gary Payton tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that he has spoken to Chris Hansen about joining the front office if Hansen's bid to move the Kings to Seattle if successful.
• Another former star, Charles Barkley, has talked about wanting to be hired as the general manager of the Suns, and Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic thinks that might not be a bad idea.
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that Darren Collison has made a solid case for being a long-term fixture with the Mavericks.

Back in December, there were some rumblings of frustration brewing with Kevin Love about the direction of the Timberwolves franchise (though he would insist that he desired to stay in Minnesota soon after making those comments). Today, team owner Glen Taylor said that after meeting with Love this week, both of them are - and have been - on the same page. Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press writes that Taylor and Love have met periodically to discuss the future of the team, and that their latest encounter has given the impression that all is currently well in Minnesota. Here's the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links out of the Western Conference: 

• Kevin McHale thinks that having James Harden will make the Rockets an attractive destination for free agents (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets reports). In another article, Sam Amick of USA Today talks about Harden's emergence into superstardom in Houston. 
• Jamal Crawford tells HoopsHype that he doesn't want the Clippers to make any trades right now: "We are family and it would be like trading a family member...We don’t think there is one thing we need that is missing. We have everything."
• Dave of the Blazers Edge answered a few questions about the Trail Blazers in his mailbag, saying that it's a "pretty safe bet" that Portland won't retain many of its bench players next season and that a backup point guard will surely be a target. He mentions Luke Ridnour and Jarrett Jack as hypothetical targets, but adds that the team will have to be wary of the cap in order to try adding a starting center or quality bench players as well. 
• Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW took part in a chat with fans earlier today about the Mavericks. Among his more notable thoughts are that Dallas will miss out on the big names this summer and that he doesn't believe Dirk Nowitzki will ask to be traded. In the event that Dirk wants out, Cowlishaw thinks that Mark Cuban would try to convince him to stay first. In another article, Eddie Sefko (also of SportsDayDFW) makes an argument about why Darren Collison could be a keeper moving forward.
• The Warriors have taken pride in the progress they've made this season, and with four representatives participating in the All-Star weekend festivities, higher ratings for games, and sitting 30-22 in the Western Conference, there is a sense that Golden State is headed in the right direction (Marcus Thompson II of San Jose Mercury News). 
  

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shares a number of trade rumors and updates in his latest NBA AM piece, so let's dive right in and round up the highlights....

• The Knicks likely won't make a deal in the next week, but if they do, it will probably involve Iman Shumpert being moved for a more proven veteran. Jared Dudley's camp claims there's nothing to reports of the Knicks' interest, but according to Kyler, sources in New York say Dudley is exactly the sort of veteran the Knicks are considering.
• Sources say the Mavericks have assured Darren Collison he's not going anywhere, but Kyler says that may be simply to boost Collison's confidence rather than a set-in-stone stance. O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman also have trade value, though the Mavs may prefer to keep Mayo.
• Until the Kings are officially sold, the Maloofs and Geoff Petrie aren't prevented from making roster moves, but the team still isn't expected to do a whole lot at the deadline. One rival club that expressed interest in Tyreke Evans wasn't able to make much progress, says Kyler.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford suggested yesterday that Danny Granger might make more sense as a trade candidate this summer, a point Kyler echoes. Paul George will be extension-eligible starting in July, and Granger will be entering the final year of his contract, making a possible deal more logical for the Pacers.

The latest news and notes from the Southwest Division on Sunday afternoon:

• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News wonders whether Spurs coach Gregg Popovich cost himself the opportunity to coach Team USA at the 2016 Olympics with his controversial decision to rest several starters on Thursday.
• Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he understands the NBA's decision to fine the Spurs, although he may have done the same thing in Popovich's shoes.
• Darren Collison, on the last year of his rookie-scale contract, doesn't think he got a fair shot at starting for the Mavs, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, but Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks the numbers support coach Rick Carlisle's decision to go with newly acquired Derek Fisher as the starter.
• Hornets forward Jason Smith tells John Reid of the Times-Picayune that it is the responsibility of the veteran players to set an example for younger players on the struggling team.
• Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune writes that the Hornets so far are failing to deliver on their promise of a brighter future.