Regular-season action resumes tonight, and one of the more intriguing games on the schedule will impact the Western Conference's playoff standings. If the Jazz can defeat the Warriors in Utah, they'll pull into a tie with Golden State for the sixth seed. As we wait to see if the Warriors can snap their five-game losing streak, let's check out a few notes from the West:

• Multiple reports have suggested the Timberwolves are shopping draft picks as they try to bolster their roster. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities isn't exactly sure who the Wolves are pursuing, but says Josh Smith and J.J. Hickson aren't among the team's targets and that J.J. Redick is "doubtful" (Twitter link).
• According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the Grizzlies are likely to be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline, since they'll need to add a 13th man to their roster soon.
• Kyler also echoes a report by Ken Berger, writing that the Warriors are expected to try to move a couple of minimum-salary players to duck below the luxury-tax threshold. The HoopsWorld scribe notes that Draymond Green is also a possibility, and that he'd bring back a better return, but Golden State will probably want to keep him around.
• We've heard plenty of times over the last few weeks that the Kings aren't likely to make a deadline deal, and general manager Geoff Petrie agrees with that assessment, as he tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
• Eric Gordon is unconcerned with the trade rumors surrounding him and is focused on moving forward with the Hornets, writes Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

A Thursday morning report about the possibility of the Lakers pursuing LeBron James in the summer of 2014 resulted in Jim Buss saying the Lakers are indeed hoping to make a splash in '14, and LeBron brushing off the speculation. While everyone wants to talk about the possibility of LeBron eventually heading west, there are other stories coming out of the Pacific Division, so let's round those up right here:

• The summer's biggest trade acquisition, Dwight Howard, appears set to make his Lakers debut on Sunday against the Kings, according to Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• The Suns aren't expecting offseason signee Goran Dragic to replace Steve Nash's production, as coach Alvin Gentry tells Derek Page of HoopsWorld: "We don’t really talk to him about replacing Steve. We could go through the whole league and they couldn’t replace Steve.... We all know what Steve brought to our team but now we’re trying to get ourselves in a situation where Goran can step into a role, where he feels confident in what he’s doing and he can become the best Goran Dragic. That’s what we’re trying to get him to do, which would be pretty good."
• While Kings president Geoff Petrie says James Johnson's perimeter game needs to improve, he thinks Johnson, acquired this summer from the Raptors, "has the potential to really help us defensively," as he tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
• In looking back at the Warriors' offseason, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) says Draymond Green was one of his favorite players in the draft, but he's not a huge fan of the team's Carl Landry signing.

Between the Lakers' acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and several key additions made by the Clippers and Warriors, the Pacific Division figures to be one of the most intriguing in the NBA. Here are the latest notes surrounding the Pacific on Sunday evening:

• ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi reports (via Twitter) that Howard is still expected to start on opening night for the Lakers, as well as play in at least one preseason game.
• According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Draymond Green are being held out of the Warriors' preseason opener. No word on implications for any of their availability at the start of the regular season.

The Warriors and Draymond Green have agreed to terms on a contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski tweets that Green's deal will be worth $2.6MM over three years, with a team option for year three. $250K of $900K in that third season will be guaranteed, while presumably each of the first two years are fully guaranteed (Twitter link).

Because the Warriors are signing Green for more than the rookie minimum, they figure to be using a portion of their mid-level exception to consummate the deal. If Golden State can also ink Carl Landry to a contract, the veteran forward will likely get most of the rest of the team's MLE.

Green, the 35th overall pick in June's draft, averaged 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in his senior year at Michigan State. The 6'8" forward was viewed as a probable late-first-round pick, so it's not surprising that he'll earn a little more than the rookie minimum with the Warriors.

Rick Bonnell from the Charlotte Observer tweets that the Nets may have offered Kris Humphries either a two-year, $20MM or a three-year, $26MM contract. 

As summer league kicks off tonight in Las Vegas, here's some more news from around the league. 

• Ukrainian center Slava Kravtsov has told a website in his native country that he's signed a two-year, $3MM contract with the Pistons, but the team has yet to make a formal announcement, writes MLive.com's David Mayo. A signing has been expected, but complications regarding a buyout clause with Kravtsov's European team have delayed the proceedings.  
• The Warriors have shown interest in DeJuan Blair, but the Spurs are asking for a first round pick, which is something Golden State doesn't currently have to offer. (Sulia link)
• If the recently traded Dahntay Jones ends up being bought out by the Mavericks and becomes a free agent, his services would certainly be in demand by the Celtics, a team still looking to fill according to a tweet from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. 
• The Trail Blazers have been in talks with retired future Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson for the past few months about taking over as the team's next head coach, but he's decided not to accept the offer, according to CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes.
• Matt Steinmetz from CSNBayArea.com writes that incoming rookie Draymond Green could see significant minutes for the Warriors in this upcoming season. 
• Newsday's Al Iannazzone writes about the Knicks newly signed J.R. Smith and how he's excited to team up with Jason Kidd. 
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford grades every team on how they've done so far this offseason. (Insider)

With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day....

• Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson. 
• Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.  

Earlier updates:

• The Bulls are looking to add perimeter help in the form of a combo guard and shooter, says K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. John Jenkins, Will Barton, and Tony Wroten are possible targets.  
• Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel believes that the Bucks need to start adding talent instead of looking to add more veterans. Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel says that the team could consider taking a guard with their pick.
• Michael Lee of the Washington Post documented Jay Bilas' thoughts on Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Bradley Beal. He believes that Beal is the second best prospect of this draft, discusses Barnes' outstanding athleticism, and marvels at Kidd-Gilchrist's versatility and ability to guard multiple positions. 
• Doug Smith of The Star explores the many different directions in which the Raptors could go on draft night, even hearing that GM Bryan Colangelo remains undecided on what he wants to do. 
• Keith Langlois of Pistons.com views the second round as a chance to find perimeter depth and highlights the team's possible targets with their 39th and 44th picks. Among those mentioned are Darius Miller, Kevin Murphy, Kim English, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, and Jared Cunningham. 
• Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area examines the draft's shooting guard options for the Warriors.
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists the 10 biggest questions heading into draft night (Insiders only).
• Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com takes a look at J'Covan Brown as a possible second round target for the Celtics. 
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiled Jefferey Taylor and the impact that the three-time SEC All-Defensive team selection wants to make in the league.
• Jonathan Abrams of Grantland provides an outside-the-lines perspective of Royce White and the first-round hopeful's battle with anxiety disorder. 
• Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune produced a mock draft of his own, focusing solely on the top-14. 
• Sean Meagher of Oregon Live performed a link roundup of Damian Lillard, who appears to be a realistic target for the Trail Blazers on draft night. 
• Jay Bilas projects Fab Melo as the 30th best available player in the draft (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel provided a Sulia link). While he sees the 7-foot center as a good rebounder and improved shot blocker, Bilas thinks that Melo's less-than-ideal mobility was offset by playing zone defense at Syracuse and could struggle guarding the pick and roll at the NBA level.
• 76ers GM Rod Thorn feels content with having the 15th pick and doesn't see a situation where he tries to move up (Dei Lynam of CSN Philly reports). Thorn would like to add an athletic big man and believes he will have about two or three of his targets available by the time Philadelphia is on the clock. It should be no surprise that he mentioned Jared Sullinger as one of those targets (Tom Moore of Philly Blurbs tweets). 
• Tim Kawakami of Mercury News tweeted that the Warriors have not made any definitive judgments after the meetings/workouts with Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes. In another tweet, Kawakami added that Golden State could consider trading down depending on who gets drafted ahead of their slot. 
• In his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com shares a number of tidbits. Among them: He's hearing that the Cavaliers are more likely to takeMichael Kidd-Gilchrist than Harrison Barnes if Bradley Beal is off the board at No. 4.
• Warriors GM Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob flew to New York to watch Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond in private workouts on Monday, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
• A pair of sources who witnessed Damian Lillard's individual workouts for the Blazers earlier this month raved to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com about the point guard's performance. Lillard is a strong candidate for Portland's No. 6 pick.
• SI.com's Seth Davis has a ton of interesting quotes from scouts and executives on this year's top prospects, while Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld spoke to execs who believe the best values in the draft could be found in the picks in the teens.
• The Warriors don't appear to have the assets to move up and may simply opt to take the best player available at No. 7, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters are top contenders for the Warriors' pick.
• Tim Bontemps of the New York Post thinks the Nets will draft a European player to stash overseas with their No. 57 pick.
• A swap involving the Bobcats' No. 2 pick and the Cavs' No. 4 pick could have enough momentum to get done, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com in a piece that includes a handful of other draft tidbits.
• Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times wonders whether the Bucks will consider drafting Fab Melo if Meyers Leonard and Tyler Zeller are off the board at No. 12.
• Draymond Green is working out for the Pacers for a second time today and is a candidate to be picked at No. 26, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, another player working out for Indiana today, Will Barton, figures to be the team's pick if he's still on the board at 26, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (Twitter link).
• ESPN The Magazine (Insider link) has released its annual players-only mock draft, in which a player representative from each team plays GM and makes his team's picks. Somewhat bizarrely, the players let Bradley Beal slip to J.J. Redick and the Magic at No. 19.
• Washington guard Tony Wroten is drawing interest from a pair of teams with picks in the 20s. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wroten has piqued the Grizzlies' interest, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com says the Hawks have become "enamored" of Wroten.
• Within the same mock draft, Ford says the Hornets offered the Rockets the No. 10 pick for Nos. 14 and 16 last week, but that Houston turned them down.
• The Warriors' No. 7 pick could be in play for the Rockets as they look to line up a big offer for Dwight Howard, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
• It appears unlikely the Raptors will trade the eighth overall pick, according to Eric Koreen of the National Post.
• 76ers president Rod Thorn doesn't expect the team to trade up from No. 15, tweets Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
• The Suns' interest in Arnett Moultrie is intensifying, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
• There's a decent chance that the Kings will draft a player that didn't work out for the team, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

In case you missed it yesterday, we published our first 2012 mock draft. Be sure to check out our projected first round and jump into the comments section to tell us which choices you like or dislike. In the meantime, we'll continue tracking the latest draft news and rumors. Tuesday's updates can be found right here, with the newest items added up top throughout the day....

• John Reid of The Times Picayune writes that the Hornets will likely keep their 10th pick. GM Dell Demps says that he hasn't received any offers warranting any serious consideration to trade the pick and believes that they can come away with a good player at that slot.
• Jared Sullinger will work out for the Cavaliers on Friday, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. Fab Melo is also scheduled for a workout this week and could join Sullinger.

Earlier updates:

• James Ham of NBA.com tweeted earlier that Harrison Barnes cancelled his upcoming Friday workout with the Kings, speculating that the former Tar Heel may have been given a draft promise from a team in the top 4. However, Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (Sulia link) was told that Barnes will reconsider working out for Sacramento after his workout with the Bobcats later this week and does not believe that Barnes was given a promise.  
• Sean Meagher of Oregon Live comprised a draft link roundup of Arnett Moultrie, who recently called himself the "sleeper of the draft." 
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer provides a breakdown of this year's draft crop of point guard prospects. Damian Lillard tops the list, follwed by Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten, Marquis Teague, and Tyshawn Taylor. 
• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that those who watched Fab Melo during his workout with the Pacers came away very impressed. 
• WEEI.com continued their series of prospect profiles, this time focusing on Jeffery Taylor out of Vanderbilt. 
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times says (via Twitter) that the Bucks will host Perry Jones III and Terrence Jones for a workout on Wednesday. 
• This USA Today article via the Associated Press described Anthony Davis' visit with the Hornets today. 
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle has the full list of prospects that withdrew from the draft before yesterday's deadline. We've updated our list of early entrants here.
• After working out for the Pacers today, Fab Melo talked about the academic issues that kept him from playing for Syracuse in this year's NCAA tournament. An Associated Press report (via NBA.com) provides the details and quotes.
• Chad Ford fielded a handful of draft questions in a chat for ESPN.com this afternoon.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) is back with his newest mock draft, version 8.0. Ford's top four remain unchanged from his last mock, but there's plenty of movement after that, including Harrison Barnes to the Kings, Dion Waiters to the Warriors, and Damian Lillard to the Raptors.
• Evan Fournier is on the Grizzlies' radar at No. 25, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
• Anthony Davis will be in New Orleans to meet with Hornets brass today, but he won't work out for the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer thinks the Bobcats should draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall.
• Draymond Green is working out for the Hawks today, according to the team (via Twitter).
• Bucks.com has the details on today's workout in Milwaukee, which features John Henson, while Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines some of the Bucks' draft options as they look to replace Andrew Bogut.

In a radio interview earlier today, Trail Blazers acting GM Chad Buchanan says his team has a "financial ceiling" in mind for restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, according to BlazersEdge.com's Ben Golliver. Portland will also be targeting "mid-tier" free agent big men this offseason.

• In a tweet, the Daily News' Stefan Bondy says Nets GM Billy King announced that Adam Morrison and Al Thornton will be working out at a free agent camp at the team's facility this month. 
• The Toronto Sun's Frank Zicarelli believes it's unlikely the Mavericks will exercise the $3.1MM team option on Vince Carter's contract next season, making the guard a free agent. 
• Michigan State senior forward Draymond Green says he's been told he'll be selected in the first round of this year's draft, according to Larry Lage from the Associated Press. Green has a workout scheduled with the Celtics 
• With James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook all invited to participate in Team USA's training camp this July, The Oklahoman's John Rohde suggests the team take on Thunder head coach Scott Brooks as either a member of the coaching staff or a helpful observer. With three of his players all expected to compete for spots this year and in 2016, it makes sense to have Brooks on board. 
• Tommy Dee from Sheridan Hoops gives us five underclassmen who've officially entered the NBA draft that could surprise some people as early as next season if they're selected late. 
• In a story from today's Sacramento Bee by Tony Bizjak, it was revealed that the city of Sacramento spent $680K since September in its failed effort to build a downtown sports and entertainment arena.
• On OregonLive.com, several Trail Blazer scribes weigh in on what the team should do with J.J. Hickson. 
• In an attempt to alleviate some pain caused by the patellar tendinitis he suffered through all of last season, Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute underwent knee surgery on Friday, according to JSOnline.com's Charles F. Gardner. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp in October. 

Take one look at Draymond Green's numbers and you can't help but wonder why he isn't being talked about as a lock for the first round of the NBA Draft.  The Michigan State forward averaged 16.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a senior and led the Spartans to a one seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Louisville.  His game is polished.  He can score, pass and rip down rebounds consistently right now.

But Green, generously listed at 6-foot-7, will likely be characterized as a man without a position at the next level.  While he has bulk, he is a tweener at his height - too short to play power forward and likely not athletic enough to score on (or guard) NBA small forwards. Along with his height, his lack of explosiveness is a limiting attribute for Green. 

What Green has going for him is that he is ready to help an NBA team right now.  His development as a basketball player is nearly complete.  Despite playing as a power forward type for the Spartans, Green has surprising range and will likely be able to knock down NBA threes. He passes well for his size and position and he was a great college rebounder.  Whether that trait translates to the NBA with his height remains to be seen, but he will be no less than above average on the glass.

After four years at Michigan State, he has developed an excellent basketball IQ and is known as a coachable player and an excellent leader.  Green is the quintessential type of guy that will be selected by a good team at the end of the first round and will contribute right away - the Spurs seem to have made a living using this strategy for more than a decade now.  Green's pull up and post game leave plenty to be desired, but his considerable intangibles should be enough to land him in the late first or early second round.

Unfortunately, the advanced development of Green's game will likely be a detractor from his draft stock for most teams.  There isn't much room for growth in his game - he is likely close to a finished product.  You can't teach or develop athleticism and Green clearly plays below the rim.  His lack of explosiveness and his porous defense renders his ceiling an NBA bench player.  Teams in the lottery or that will lose in the first round of the playoffs likely need to make big leaps to compete for a title.   Green will not be the type of guy that can do that for them.

But Green can contribute to a team in a similar way to how DeJuan Blair does for the Spurs.  While Green and Blair have different games - Green is a shooter/scorer and Blair is a bruiser/rebounder - they are both undersized tweeners.  Green should be able to carve out a niche career if he lands in the right situation like Blair did, but if he doesn't he will struggle due to physical and athletic limitations. 

The Associated Press announced its All-America team today (link via ESPN.com), with Thomas Robinson of Kansas leading the way as the only unanimous selection. Kentucky's Anthony Davis, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Michigan State's Draymond Green, and Creighton's Doug McDermott rounded out the AP's picks. Three of those players are still alive in the NCAA Final Four, but most prospects with NBA aspirations are looking ahead to the June draft. Here are the latest draft updates:

• Michigan State's Green has signed with agents Ron Shade and Herb Rudoy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). ESPN.com's Chad Ford had the Spartan senior going 28th overall in his first mock draft.
• Ford also takes a look at how the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight may have affected a number of players' draft stocks (Insider link). Not good news for Harrison Barnes.
• Like Ford, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld recaps the weekend action for a few top prospects. He also adds that the Wizards are "enamored with" Bradley Beal.
• Freshman Myck Kabongo will return to Texas for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
• Jared Cunningham of Oregon State will test the draft waters, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. Cunningham won't officially declare or hire an agent right away, so he'll have until April 29th to make his decision. For more details on the deadlines facing underclassmen, click here.