With three NBA games scheduled, the Clippers are the only Pacific division team in action tonight.  Let's round up links from the division here:

• Just because the Lakers aren't thinking about amnestying Kobe Bryant just yet, doesn't mean everyone else isn't.  An ESPN Los Angeles poll shows that most do not think the Lakers should use the amnesty provision on their longtime star.  Amin Elhassan of ESPN is in favor of cutting ties with Bryant, writing that the team could conceivably re-sign him if he can return to full strength.  On the other hand, Arash Markazi sees Bryant helping the Lakers next season and thinks the franchise's image would take a hit should they release him. 
• Markazi follows up on Twitter, clarifying that the Lakers can only use their amnesty provision on Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Blake or Metta World Peace, adding that he believes the team will use it on either Blake or World Peace.  Markazi also tweets that for a player to be eligible for the amnesty provision, he must have been with the team that amnesties him since July 1st, 2011, as Luke Adams noted in his amnesty refresher this afternoon.
• In an all-access interview with Bleacher Report's Jimmy Spencer, Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins insists that he is not interested in a change of scenery.  "No, I am loyal to this organization," Cousins said.  "The biggest reward to me would be, at the end of the day, hearing them say, 'He turned this around. He stuck with it through thick and thin and he made it happen.'"  While the story comes with a disclaimer that Cousins granted the interview with an agenda in mind, there are plenty of worthwhile quotes that make it worth a read. 

The latest news and notes from around the Pacific Division on Saturday morning:

• Tom Ziller of SBNation.com discusses the importance of David Stern's implication that the Maloofs have no leverage in the sale of the Kings to the Seattle or Sacramento groups.
• Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Steve Nash is growing increasingly comfortable in his new role on the Lakers.
• Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that Pau Gasol is still at least two weeks away from returning to action.
• Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com writes that the Kings traded for Patrick Patterson in part because of his close relationship with DeMarcus Cousins dating back to their time as teammates at the University of Kentucky.
• Wendell Maxey of RidiculousUpside.com chronicles Malcolm Thomas' journey from Israel to the D-League to the Warriors.

Just to make sure they don't slip through the cracks, here are a few odds and ends from overnight and this morning, as the trade deadline creeps closer....

• Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com expects the Bulls to stand pat at the deadline, since Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton aren't drawing a ton of interest.
• The Warriors are shopping Jeremy Tyler, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, while Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group says (via Twitter) Charles Jenkins is also being shopped. I would guess Golden State has discussed both players with Sacramento, as the Warriors attempt to get below the tax line.
• Spears also tweets that Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins have been given the impression by the Kings that they won't be moved today.
• If they don't move Eric Gordon today, the Hornets will likely revisit trade talks this summer, writes John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
• Teams with the draft rights to players currently overseas could find those guys to be valuable trade chips, and A.J. Mitnick of SheridanHoops.com profiles the top five assets stashed away in Europe.
• The Thomas Robinson trade between the Rockets and Kings came together in about 48 hours, having been initially hatched on Monday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

As every Southwest team except the Grizzlies prepares for action tonight, let's check in on the latest notes out of the division....

• Royce White finally made his D-League debut for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and showed flashes of the potential that makes Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle think White could help the Rockets this season.
• Don't expect the Spurs to make a serious play for Josh Smith, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Tayshaun Prince appeared on the Chris Vernon Show on ESPN Memphis, and discussed how shocked he was when he heard he'd been traded to the Grizzlies, as well as the adjustment he's making to a new team and city (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
• Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News explains why Mavericks fans shouldn't be holding their breath waiting for the club to make a blockbuster trade.
• The Mavs would love to get their hands on DeMarcus Cousins, who they think would greatly benefit from the team's culture, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. But with the Kings unlikely to move Cousins and the third-year big man not due for restricted free agency until the summer of 2014, Dallas may not have much of an opportunity to land him.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, featuring updates on several prominent players whose names have been featured in trade rumors ahead of the February 21 deadline. Here are the highlights of Stein's report:

• Stein doesn't believe the Lakers will trade Pau Gasol before the deadline, although the Raptors are making a push to acquire him with a package built around Andrea Bargnani.
• Although the Clippers have shown no indication of wanting to trade Eric Bledsoe, a swap of the third-year guard to the Celtics for Paul Pierce could make the most sense for both sides, Stein writes.
• Celtics GM Danny Ainge recognizes that Pierce and Kevin Garnett don't have the value that would likely make it worth trading then, so he may instead look to move Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, or Jeff Green to get the team under the luxury tax threshold.
• The Hawks have been gauging trade interest in Josh Smith, Stein reports. Although they are very open to moving the forward, there is hesitance because other teams don't want to risk him walking in free agency and Atlanta doesn't want to take on long-term salary.
• Executives around the league don't expect the Jazz to trade Al Jefferson, saying they will either move Paul Millsap instead or stand pat.
• Given their ownership situation, the Kings will likely not make any moves before the deadline. There has been interest in Tyreke Evans, although DeMarcus Cousins remains untouchable.
• The Trail Blazers are not looking to make any moves that will help them in the short term, preferring to preserve their flexibility.
• Teams expect the Magic to trade J.J. Redick, but executives tell Stein that GM Rob Hennigan is asking for young talent or draft picks for the veteran sharpshooter.

Damian Lillard is the odds on favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award right now, but there's still plenty of games to be played, said Chad Ford of ESPN.com in today's chat.  The Hornets' Anthony Davis is back in action and very much in the picutre while Andre Drummond can't be ruled out either.  Here's more from Ford..

• There is a lot of interest around the league in DeMarcus Cousins, but from what Ford can gather, no GMs have had any success in making progress with the Kings on trade talks so far.  The Kings appear to want to hold onto him, though plenty can change in the next five weeks.
• Even though the Suns are eager to make a move, Ford sees Marcin Gortat remaining with Phoenix beyond the February 21st trade deadline.  It's more likely that the club parlays their draft picks into pieces that are ready to contribute more immediately.
• Ford believes that Rudy Gay is as good as gone in Memphis.  The new ownership group is looking for ways to tighten their belt and moving the forward is the quickest way to accomplish that.  Recent comments by coach Lionel Hollins against analytics would appear to be a shot at recent hire John Hollinger and, by extension, the thinking of the Memphis front office.
• The Suns, Wizards, Magic, and Mavericks could all be trading away their lottery picks this summer as they'll look to win sooner rather than later.  However, this isn't a terribly strong draft and it's far from a seller's market.
• Danny Ainge is downplaying the trade talk surrounding the Celtics but Ford doesn't seem to be buying it.  If there's a great deal out there for Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, or anyone else, Ford expects him to pull the trigger.

The Clippers and Warriors may be the only two Pacific Division squads in line for a playoff spot, but in terms of dramatics, they're getting upstaged by their closest neighbors. The Kings could be on their way out of town, while the way the Lakers have struggled this season is probably the most surprising development of the season. Here's more on the Pacific's most intriguing off-court teams.

• In his report on a halt to trade talks involving Rudy Gay, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio also notes that the Kings never went further than exploratory discussions with other teams about DeMarcus Cousins, who'll likely remain in Sacramento while the future of the team's ownership is in limbo.
• Steve Nash, who says his team's goal is merely to make the playoffs, pointed to the Lakers' coaching change as a stumbling block this season in his comments on the "Max & Marcellus" show on ESPNLA 710 Radio (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). "It's been a 180 degree difference from Coach (Mike) Brown's offense to Coach (Mike) D'Antoni's. ... Big reason we've struggled," Nash said. 
• Earl Clark, a throw-in as part of the Dwight Howard trade, has suddenly become a contributor for the Lakers, and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News chronicles his journey to NBA relevance. 
• With an eye on the Kings' potential move, Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty takes a look back at the NBA relocation committee's rejection of the Wolves' plan to move to New Orleans in 1994.
• Former Kings first-round pick Omri Casspi is among those who don't want to see the team leave Sacramento, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.  

Marc Stein of ESPN.com attended the NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada this week, where many NBA GMs and executives were present. He posted a roundup of trade-related chatter he heard during the event:

• The Raptors are making the hardest push for Rudy Gay, offering the Grizzlies a package that includes Jose Calderon and Ed Davis. Memphis is still undecided as to whether they will move Gay.
• There is a growing sense from front offices around the league that the Lakers will not ultimately trade Pau Gasol this season.
• Teams have continued to ask the Kings about DeMarcus Cousins, and were told that he is not available.
• A source told Stein that it is highly unlikely the Bucks will move Brandon Jennings before the end of the season.
• The Jazz are more likely to trade Al Jefferson than Paul Millsap, even though both are free agents this summer.
• The Hornets are not expected to trade Eric Gordon, despite previous rumors that he may be available.
• Despite his recent statement that he intends on staying retired, the Nets are still making a hard push to convince Phil Jackson to be their next head coach.
• Stein lists several players as having been made known to be available by their teams, including the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani, the Spurs' DeJuan Blair, the Cavs' Omri Casspi, the Rockets' Cole Aldrich, and the Bucks' Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert, and Beno Udrih.

On Wednesday, Yahoo! Sports reported that the Maloof family was in talks to sell the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle-based ownership group led by investor Chris Hansen. While the status of the deal is still up in the air, Grantland's Zach Lowe examines how the potential sale could affect the Kings' willingness to make trades as the deadline approaches.

Lowe writes that executives around the league believe the Kings will still be willing trade partners, despite the complications that may arise in the event of an ownership transfer. He believes there is a unanimous belief within the organization that DeMarcus Cousins, despite his recent troubles, is considered off-limits in any trade discussions.

The three players beyond Cousins that Lowe points to as potential pieces the Kings could move are Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson, and Francisco Garcia. Lowe suggests that these and other players could be turned into a package for Rudy Gay.

Lowe also speculates about the status of Evans, who is headed to restricted free agency after the 2012/13 season. He writes that Evans may have a similar experience in free agency to that of O.J. Mayo, who signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks when no long-term deal presented itself.

The Pacers and Trail Blazers head into today having each won 11 of their last 14 contests, but both teams will be in for tough matchups at home tonight, as the Knicks arrive in Indiana and the Heat play in Portland. As we look forward to what should be a fun TNT doubleheader, let's check in on a few afternoon links from around the NBA:

• While the Knicks have inquired on Kenyon Martin, they won't make a decision on the free agent big man one way or another until they determine Rasheed Wallace's timetable, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
• One NBA team executive predicts to Ian Thomsen of SI.com that if DeMarcus Cousins becomes available, there won't be as much interest as there might have been in the past. "We do all of this research and background work on players now before we draft them," said the exec. "I think half of the consideration when we look at players now is trying to understand who these guys are as people. I really do think that most teams are going to say they don't want any part of him."
• Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News thinks that the Lakers should trade Dwight Howard for Dirk Nowitzki. However, even if the Lakers were interested in such a move, which seems extremely unlikely, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wouldn't be, as he tells David Baumann of Sports Talk Florida: "No knock on Dwight, I just won't trade Dirk" (Twitter link).
• Although he signed a three-year deal overseas this past offseason, Rudy Fernandez isn't ruling out an eventual return to the NBA, writes CNN.com's Paul Gittings.
• The Cavaliers should attempt to make a play for Rudy Gay, suggests Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
• Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post wonders if Wilson Chandler's return to the Nuggets lineup could lead to a trade, either of Chandler or another player.