One reunion between a star player and his former home court received plenty of fanfare yesterday, as Dwight Howard put up a monster 39-point, 16-rebound line in his return to Orlando. Tonight will feature another star playing his former team, as Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks face the Nuggets in Denver. Because of the 2011 lockout, the Knicks didn't travel to Denver in a shortened '11/12 season, making this time the first time Carmelo has played in Denver since being traded in February 2011.

Here are a few Wednesday morning Knicks notes, with a focus on that Carmelo trade:

• Discussing his desire to be traded to New York, Anthony tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that a number of Nuggets players at the time were on expiring contracts, and he was facing the possibility of being on a rebuilding team. "People didn't really know the business side of the situation we were in," Anthony said. "Everybody's contract was up. They had plans of going younger. People from the outside looking in didn't really get it."
• When the Nuggets and Knicks finalized the blockbuster deal, it was one of two options on the table for Denver GM Masai Ujiri. According to Spears, an offer from the Nets was also available, which included Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, and three draft picks. The Nets ultimately sent a similar package to the Jazz for Deron Williams.
• Sunny Saini of ESPN Stats & Info and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com each explore the question of who "won" the 'Melo trade between the Nuggets and Knicks. Begley reaches the same conclusion I would, arguing that both sides would likely do the deal again.
• Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com believes that, as bad as Amare Stoudemire's contract looks for the Knicks, it was a necessary evil, since it contributed significantly to the team becoming relevant again.

We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

• The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
• The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
• The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Earlier updates:

• Atlanta is still underwhelmed by the offers for Smith, but there's a still a belief the Hawks will settle for the best one, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
• If the Hawks keep Smith through the deadline, there's "basically zero chance" he re-signs with Atlanta, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). That's why a team like the Rockets is unlikely to make a big trade offer today.
• The Nets haven't given up on Smith and still believe they're in the running, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
• A deal involving Smith and Monta Ellis is unlikely, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
• One executive involved in the Smith talks tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that the odds of a deal are down to "50/50" (Twitter link).
• If the Nets don't land Smith (and they appear to be a long shot), the club will likely stand pat  at the deadline, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
• The Bucks and Suns are the current frontrunners for Smith, with the Celtics still lurking as a "dark horse," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• ESPN.com's Chris Broussard's sources insist that the Bucks aren't trading Monta Ellis to Atlanta as part of a Smith deal (Twitter link). I could see the Hawks being intrigued by a package that includes Ekpe Udoh, expiring contracts, and picks.
• The Hawks and Bucks are in serious talks about Smith, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh have been discussed, and Devin Harris could be a part of any deal as well.
• The Suns "seem to be bowing out" of the Smith derby, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). I still wouldn't rule out a late push from Phoenix, but it doesn't seem as if the club is the frontrunner at the moment.
• The Rockets are involved at a "high level" in talks for Smith, a league source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). However, since Houston has the potential to sign Smith as a free agent this summer, the team has some leverage and isn't willing to part with a ton of assets in a trade (Twitter link).
• The Nets are continuing to search today for a third team to help facilitate a Smith deal, according to Stein. Meanwhile, Milwaukee remains one of the most likely destinations for Smith, but it remains to be seen whether the Bucks will be willing to include Monta Ellis in their offer, says Stein.
• Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo would likely to be required in any offer from the Celtics to attract the Hawks' interest, and Boston is reluctant to include either player, according to Stein.
• More from Stein: The Hawks have yet to find an offer they particularly like and are hoping that another team like the Rockets jumps back into the mix. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Houston is still "lingering" in talks for Smith, but that Atlanta's desire for Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons to be included in a deal is a non-starter for the Rockets, who will have room to make an aggressive offer for Smith in free agency this summer.
• Rival teams believe that the Hawks are looking for a trade scenario in which they can ship Smith to a Western Conference club, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

As the hours tick down to tomorrow's 2:00pm Central trade deadline, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News is already starting to look ahead to free agency, and he writes that the Cavaliers believe they could make a longshot bid to sign Dwight Howard. That one seems hard to believe, and even Lawrence intimates that it's a little far-fetched. Still, the Cavs were reportedly in the mix for Andrew Bynum last year, and they'll have plenty of cap space this summer, so I suppose it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

In the meantime, there's more on potential deadline deals, and here's the latest:

• We've already heard that Danny Granger is staying put, and TNT's David Aldridge hears that's likely the case for Spurs big man DeJuan Blair, too (Twitter link).
• An Eastern Conference executive tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post he believes there's "very little" the Wizards can get for Jordan Crawford.
• The Wizards reportedly gave up on acquiring Josh Smith because they aren't willing to give up any of the players the Hawks would want in return, and HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy identifies John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene as the three players the team wants to keep in any deal.
• With a deadline trade to the Warriors unlikely and his knee still not 100%, it looks like Eric Gordon will stay put with the Warriors past the deadline, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times Picayune, who hears from a source who said "nobody wants" Gordon.
• The Suns agreed to a deal to acquire Marcus Morris for a second-round pick tonight, but considered trading a first-round pick for Morris when the Rockets took him on draft night. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details.
• The Magic have been trying to unload Al Harrington's contract, but the power forward figures he's not going anywhere, since other teams are likely wary of his health, as John Denton of Magic.com tweets.
• Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times identifies Devin Harris as a trade candidate and tweets that the Wisconsin product would mind playing for the Bucks, though I think if he ends up in Milwaukee, it's more likely via free agency this summer than in a deadline deal.

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:

• Nuggets coach George Karl told Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida that he wouldn't be surprised to see LeBron James return to the Cavaliers in the future.
• John Wall will return to action for the Wizards on Saturday.
• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star writes that chemistry has trumped star power for the Pacers this season.
• Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune reports that Derrick Rose is not rushing his rehab from knee surgery and doesn't know when he will return to the Bulls.
• Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune talks to Hawks teammates Devin Harris and Kyle Korver about their time playing for the Jazz.

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW answered questions from fans on Tuesday about the current state of the Mavericks among other rumors. Here are some of the more noteworthy topics of discussion from his chat:

• Three centers that should be on the team's list of targets this summer include Al Jefferson, Andrew Bynum, and Dwight Howard. He also thinks that either Paul Millsap and/or Jefferson are destined to be dealt from the Jazz, and that the Mavericks' projected draft position at this point could garner a high enough pick to offer for one of Utah's big men.
• From the above list, the team should still have a shot at landing Howard, depending on if the Lakers continue to struggle.  
• Jose Calderon will be in very high demand near the trade deadline and should be on Dallas' radar. While he hasn't heard anything with regard to Devin Harris being on the trade block in Atlanta, Sefko notes that the former Mavericks player is in the last-year of his deal and would instantly become the team's starter if they were to somehow acquire him. 
• Despite the team's struggles at this point in the season, there doesn't seem to be any serious issues in the locker room. He also thinks that Rick Carlisle has the ability to keep the team from splintering. 
• Considering that players picked up off of amnesty last summer can't be traded this year, it's one reason to advocate an increased role for Elton Brand. 

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday night:

• George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that the Magic need to move on from Dwight Howard as soon as possible.
• John Manasso of Fox Sports South has quotes from the Hawks' press conference introducing Lou Williams and Devin Harris, and an analysis of the guards' ability to fit together.
• ESPN's Marc Stein tweets that, after a strong performance against the United States, Lithuania's Darius Songaila says he intends to play in the NBA again.

JULY 11, 5:46pm: The deal is now official, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.

JULY 2, 6:10pm: The Hawks and Jazz have agreed to deal Marvin Williams for Devin Harris, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It's the second deal of the day for new Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who agreed to ship Joe Johnson to the Nets earlier.

The move could be with an eye toward 2013/14 for the Hawks, since Williams has a $7.5MM early termination option for that season while Harris' deal ends after 2012/13. The Jazz appear to be clearing the way for Mo Williams, whom they just acquired from the Clippers last week, to be the starting point guard.

Harris is on the books for $8.5MM next season, while Williams is set to make $8,287,500 next season, so the salaries are close enough to make this a straight-up swap. Harris had been on the trading block since joining the Jazz at midseason in 2010/11, and the Jazz had offered him to the Hawks several times, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Former Jazz point guard Blake Ahearn is an option for the club's  Summer League team, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.  As for the starting one-guard role, the Jazz know that they need a young floor general but are open to sticking with Devin Harris for another year.  Utah fears that they will take a step back if they trade Harris because the 2012 draft is light on point guard prospects (via these Twitter links).  Here's more on the Jazz and other items from around the Association as we await Game 4 tomorrow night..

• The Jazz have done their homework and are prepared to move up in the draft if there's a deal to be made, Smith tweets.  Paul Millsap is one of the club's biggest assets as they face a big decision to make with a possible extension and his long-term future (Twitter link).
• A source told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter) that the Raptors are far more likely to keep their No. 8 pick than trade it.  Moving up also appears to be unlikely.
• Free agent guard Jason Kidd believes that Mavericks teammate Jason Terry deserves the three-year deal that he is seeking, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.  Earlier today, Kidd made his case for joining the Nets while also saying that he would like to return to Dallas.

Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News has a new column exploring the options the Utah Jazz will have at point guard this offseason. Here are the key points regarding how Utah might address this roster spot:

• Out the four point guards from their 2011/12 roster, Blake Ahearn is more likely than Devin Harris, Earl Watson, or Jamaal Tinsley to not return to the team next year.
• Though the Jazz may look to get younger at point guard through the draft or free agency, management has been pleased with the performance of Harris, who has one season left on his contract.
• Tinsley expressed interest in returning to Utah. The Jazz hold a $1.3MM team option on his contract for the 2012/13 season.
• Sorensen mentions Steve Nash and Andre Miller as options for the Jazz to pursue in free agency, but cautions that their age prevents them from being long-term solutions.

Following the team's four-game sweep at the hands of the Spurs, members of the Jazz have been conducting exit interviews with local media. Already we've heard that Raja Bell doesn't expect to return to Utah next season. Here are a few other highlights from today's session, courtesy of Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (all links via Twitter):

• General manager Kevin O'Connor has no plans to "blow up" the roster, but will attempt to make improvements and additions. The GM also says the team is open to bringing back Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley.
• Coach Tyrone Corbin says the Jazz may add key pieces during the offseason, but he's prepared to move forward with a roster similar to this year's.
• Al Jefferson isn't looking ahead to his contract situation, but would like to finish his career in Utah if possible.
• Jefferson says Corbin has done a good job communicating with the team, but not all of his teammates agree. According to C.J. Miles, communication between the staff and players was much better under Jerry Sloan, and Miles never knew what was expected of him this season.
• Miles is a free agent this summer and it sounds like he'll be signing elsewhere. He says he wanted things to work in Utah, but that the team didn't treat him right. The 25-year-old added that the team was put off by Jefferson saying before Game Four that he couldn't see anyone beating the Spurs.
• Devin Harris acknowledged that communication between Corbin and the team was an issue at times, but says he thinks the coach is figuring it out and will improve.
• After his strong second half, Harris is "excited" to enter a contract year.
• DeMarre Carroll appears very likely to return to the Jazz next season.