As the Pistons and Wizards hit the road in search of their first wins of the season, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:

• After his time with the Knicks came to an unexpected and disappointing end, Jeremy Lin is building a better relationship with the Rockets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes.
• When he was navigating free agency this summer, Jamal Crawford was advised to take his time and consider all his options. But, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Crawford had his eye on the Clippers from the start: "When I came here, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but they told me I was their first option at lunch. And I told them at the same lunch that they were my first option. My agent didn’t want me to say that, but I was just being honest and we made it happen."
• In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman fields questions on the possibility of the Heat signing Kenyon Martin and trading Mike Miller.
• If the Cavaliers hope to contend for the playoffs this season, they may need to trade for outside bench help at some point, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
• Yesterday's trade between the Bobcats and Hornets that sent Matt Carroll to New Orleans wasn't overlooked in Dallas by the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
• Within his NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene speaks to Ian Mahinmi about the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Mavericks to the Pacers.
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com discussed the Lakers, Royce White, the 2013 draft, and plenty more in a chat with fans earlier this afternoon.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star shares a number of noteworthy tidbits from his conversation with Pacers coach Frank Vogel, including word that Danny Granger will be brought along slowly in training camp after a left knee issue that arose over the summer. He'll only play in some of the team's preseason games, but the Pacers don't expect it to become a major issue, Wells writes. Here's more from the coach of the team that held a 2-1 lead on the eventual champion Heat in the conference semis this spring:

• Vogel is impressed with new acquisitions Gerald Green and D.J. Augustin. "Gerald Green is doing things everyday I didn’t think was possible for human beings to do," he said. "D.J. has really blown me away in the limited time that he’s been here in terms of his ability to create and make others better. That’s a unique talent to have. Literally on almost every possession he makes somebody better with his passing."
• The coach also shed some light on the team's decision to let go of Louis Amundson, who signed today with the Wolves, and commit $16MM over four seasons to Ian Mahinmi in the sign-and-trade that sent away Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. "We felt like Lou did a great job last year, but we also felt like we got lucky with injuries to (Andrew) Bogut, (Al) Horford, (Brook) Lopez and (Dwight)  Howard," Vogel said. "We think Mahinmi will size up and give us more depth against those elite centers better than Lou did."
• Lance Stephenson is the early favorite to backup Paul George at shooting guard, Wells writes, a role filled by current free agent Leandro Barbosa when last season ended. "Lance Stephenson has challenged for playing time for two years," Vogel said. "Now he’s playing with more confidence than he ever has. So he’s going to challenge the starters."

While most players' contracts include annual raises, or at the very least, identical annual salaries, Steve Novak's new contract with the Knicks is a little different, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains (Twitter link). Novak's deal starts at a little over $4MM, dips to below $3.5MM by 2014/15, then rises back up to $3.75MM for 2015/16. The unusual structure of the deal provides the Knicks a small amount of savings in the years when the rest of the team's roster will get extremely expensive.

Deeks shared a number of other contract details from around the league, via Twitter, so let's round them up....

• The Spurs' deal with Danny Green is for three fully-guaranteed years and $11,287,500, with no options.
• Andre Miller will earn $5MM in each of the next two seasons with the Nuggets. The third year of his deal is partially guaranteed for $2MM of $4.625MM.

Earlier updates:

• Jason Thompson's five-year deal with the Kings is worth $30,187,500, though year five is only partially guaranteed for $2.65MM.
• According to Deeks, the previously reported figures for Ersan Ilyasova are a little high -- his deal with the Bucks is worth $40MM over five years. The first four years are guaranteed at $7.9MM each, then year five is partially guaranteed for just $400K of $8.4MM.
• Jamal Crawford received the full mid-level for four years from the Clippers, but the final two years of the contract are only guaranteed for $1.5MM each.
• Marcus Camby's contract with the Knicks, $13,151,319 over three years, descends in value, with just $1,025,890 of $4,177,208 guaranteed in the third season.
• Every first-round pick to sign so far has received the full 120% of the rookie scale.
• DeShawn Stevenson will earn $2,240,450 in each year of his three-year deal with the Hawks, though only the first season is guaranteed.
• Kyle Singler's fully-guaranteed deal with the Pistons is worth $3,135,000 over three years, with no options, while Victor Claver's deal with the Trail Blazers is also fully guaranteed and will pay him $4MM over three years.
• Jason Kidd (Knicks; three years, $9.09MM), Ian Mahinmi (Pacers; four years, $16MM), and Gerald Green (Pacers; three years, $10.5MM) all received fully-guaranteed contracts with no option years.
• The Nets' agreement with Reggie Evans is worth $5,086,905 over three years, and is fully guaranteed.
• Hasheem Thabeet's contract with the Thunder appears to be for more than the minimum salary. Deeks pegs the value at three years and $3.65MM, though only the first year and $500K of year two are guaranteed. Oklahoma City will be using either a portion of their mid-level or bi-annual exception for that deal.
• I would guess Thabeet's deal will come out of the MLE, since the Thunder are also using a portion of the mid-level on Hollis Thompson, who signed a three-year minimum-salary contract. Only $75K is guaranteed, however.
• Doron Lamb received a three-year, minimum-salary deal from the Bucks, with the third year nonguaranteed.

THURSDAY, 4:51pm: Indiana announced the deal through an official press release. 

WEDNESDAY: The Pacers have traded Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones to the Mavs for Ian Mahinmi, who will sign a four-year, $16MM contract as part of the deal, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter links). Jones is due $2.9MM next season and Collison about $2.3MM, so, as John Hollinger of ESPN.com points out, that eats into the amnesty bid the team could make for Elton Brand (Twitter link). Presumably, this also takes Dallas out of the running for Aaron Brooks.

The Pacers are expected to either match Roy Hibbert's offer sheet from the Blazers or sign him outright, so Mahinmi will likely be the backup center for the team. Indiana also has 7'0" Miles Plumlee, the team's first-round draft pick. 

We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:

• Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
• Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 
• Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.

Earlier updates:

• The Trail Blazers have been in touch with Suns restricted free agent Robin Lopez, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
• Within an Insider piece on the top remaining free agents, ESPN.com's Chad Ford notes that Carl Landry is seeking a lucrative one-year deal.
• The Heat, Bulls, Raptors, Wizards, Timberwolves, and Celtics are among the teams eyeing John Lucas III, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
• Courtney Lee tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that there's still a chance he returns to Houston. However, he would likely have to find an offer with another team, then the Rockets would consider matching it -- there doesn't seem to be a formal offer on the table from the Rockets at the moment (allTwitterlinks).
• Mike James and Pablo Prigioni are on the Knicks' radar as potential third-string point guards, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitterlinks).
• Larry Coon of ESPN.com and HoopsWorld tweets that the Lakers have some interest in Jodie Meeks.
• The Rockets, Spurs, Hawks are displaying interest in Brazilian center Rafael Hettsheimeir, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. We heard yesterday that the Mavericks were interested in Hettsheimeir.
• Rashard Lewis is mulling over an offer from the Heat but will meet with other teams this week, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

Day 3 of NBA free agency is underway, and the July free agent period hasn't lacked for action so far. We'll use this space to track a number of updates on second- and third-tier free agents as the day continues. Here's the latest:

• The Warriors, Lakers, and Bobcats are all interested in Antawn Jamison, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears. 
• The Mavericks might clear cap space for next summer when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are unrestricted free agents, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. 
• Ersan Ilyasova's agent has said his client is seriously considering a "big offer" from a European club, according to HoopsHype.com.
• The Timberwolves  continued negotiation with Nicolas Batum, Greg Stiemsma, and Jordan Hill on Tuesday, but no deal was reached, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.  

Earlier updates:

• Chauncey Billups and Spencer Hawes won't be possibilities for the Trail Blazers, says Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter links).
• The Thunder, Hornets, and Wizards have expressed interest in Roger Mason, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
• Brandon Roy met with the Warriors in the Bay Area on Sunday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• The Cavaliers and Knicks have expressed some interest in restricted free agent Sonny Weems, says Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
• The Pacers may be a long shot for Jamal Crawford, but the club has "legitimate interest" in Carlos Delfino, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
• GM David Kahn and the Timberwolves like Greg Stiemsma and "talked numbers" with his agent, but no offer was made, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The two sides will meet again on Friday.
• The Clippers continue to have interest in Jason Terry and J.R. Smith and are talking with both players' reps, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. I imagine the Clips view those players as alternate options if they miss out on Jamal Crawford and Ray Allen.
• The Pacers are expected to meet with Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi in the coming days, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
• Antawn Jamison will meet with the "very interested" Bobcats on Thursday and Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Jamison has previously talked about a desire to finish his career in his hometown of Charlotte.
• The Trail Blazers have reached out to Chauncey Billups, who is exploring all his options, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
• If the Pacers decide not to match Portland's offer sheet for Roy Hibbert, they'll turn their attention to Chris Kaman and JaVale McGee, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher.
• J.R. Smith's brother tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he expects J.R. to return to the Knicks.
• Terrence Williams is drawing interest from the Kings, Pistons, and Suns, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
• Daniel Orton has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
• The Suns are still meeting with Goran Dragic and will likely meet with him again in the next few days, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
• Now that Deron Williams is headed to the Nets, the Mavericks will target Steve Nashand Jeremy Lin, and focus on re-signing Jason Kidd, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Dallas is not sure whether or not they'll go after Goran Dragic. 

It's past midnight on the East Coast, and that means teams may negotiate with free agents from other clubs, as the NBA's offseason gets under way in earnest. Players can't officially sign contracts until July 11, and trades can't be made official until that date either. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of talk and agreements in principle between now and then, and if this evening is any indication, we're in for a busy couple of weeks ahead. There are several bits of news rolling in on free agents as July begins, so we'll round up what we're hearing around the late-night rumor mill here.

• The Lakers are seeking a point guard in free agency, and in addition to reaching out to Ramon Sessions, they're also targeting veterans like Chauncey Billups, Jameer Nelson, and Kirk Hinrich, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
• In search of a center, the Mavericks have shown some interest in Hasheem Thabeet and Joel Przybilla, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
• The Cavaliers have expressed interest in Jonny Flynn, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. They're also eyeing Sonny Weems, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

• The Mavericks are interested in Anthony Randolph, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
• Jamal Crawford was contacted by six teams tonight, with Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifying the Celtics, Suns, 76ers, Timberwolves, and Clippers, while Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com says the Pacers were also in touch.
• Seven teams contacted Ian Mahinmi when free agency opened, but the Mavericks weren't one of them, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
• The Kings have reached out to Terrence Williams, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
• There are five or six teams ready to make Lou Williams a contract offer, tweets John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has already called Ramon Sessions to open dialogue about a new contract, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
• Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports clarifies an earlier item on Omer Asik (linked below), tweeting that a Blazers contingent met with Asik tonight, but that GM Neil Olshey was meeting with another player.
• After his meeting with the Rockets tonight, Omer Asik will sit down with Blazers GM Neil Olshey, who plans to make him an offer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. 
• Rockets free agent Goran Dragic wants to be the starter no matter where he winds up, Wojnarowski also tweets.
• The Clippers will talk with Nick Young, Randy Foye and Jamal Crawford, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
• Lakers unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill will meet with the Wolves on Monday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. 
• The Nets are committed to reaching a deal with Mirza Teletovic but are waiting to find out what happens with Deron Williams first, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
• Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak contacted Devin Ebanks via text message about re-signing him, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
• Rockets GM Daryl Morey is meeting tonight with Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik, and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune hears the Rockets are prepared to offer Asik a deal worth $8MM a year (Twitter link).
• The Mavs may have interest in Wolves unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. 
• The Clippers had contact tonight with Chauncey Billups' representatives, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Here's the latest on the Mavericks, who are expected to be one of the NBA's busiest teams this summer:

• Ian Mahinmi reiterates to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he "really" wants to remain a Maverick.
• Delonte West would also like to return to Dallas, though Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas thinks it's unlikely. West is hopeful that he's played well enough to earn a multiyear deal in free agency, says Caplan.
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News outlines how the Mavericks can create cap room to offer Deron Williams a maximum contract. Sefko argues the Mavs could have about $23MM in cap space to spend on free agents if they amnesty Brendan Haywood and renounce most of their own free agents, but I'm not sure the math adds up. Cap holds for empty roster spots and partial guarantees for players like Vince Carter and Lamar Odom will make it tricky to offer Williams a max deal without making another move or two.
• The Mavs' offseason isn't necessarily a case of Williams-or-bust, says Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Jason Kidd still feels like he can help a team win, and hopes that happens in Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com.

There's been plenty of news out of Dallas today after the defending champion Mavs were swept out of the playoffs by the Thunder. Let's round up what we've heard today, with the latest news on top:

• Mavs players decided not to give Lamar Odom a share of the nearly $282K in playoff money the team earned in its first round loss to the Thunder, reports Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Ian Mahinmi probably isn't atop the lengthy offseason to-do list of the Mavs, but the unrestricted free agent center says he'd like to return to Dallas, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link).
• Despite speculation to the contrary, Jason Kidd says he won't have any influence on where fellow free agent Deron Williams signs, but Shawn Marion has a to-the-point recruiting message he hopes will inspire the Nets point guard to come to Dallas, as Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. 
• Jason Kidd plans to continue his career with the Mavs and hopes that he can recruit Deron Williams to join him and Nowitzki in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. There is speculation, though, that Kidd will sign wherever Williams ends up even if that means returning to the Nets organization in Brooklyn. Kidd and Williams share the same agent in Jeff Schwartz, which would seemingly make negotiations easier.
• Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News says Nowitzki wants the Mavs to sign players that can create their own shots and do something dynamic on the court like the Thunder's Big 3. "We need some guys that can make plays for themselves," Nowitzki said. "That's pretty obvious. If you look at all the top teams now, they have at least two-three guys they can throw the ball to and they do their thing."
• Jason Terry may have played his last game for the Mavs after spending eight seasons with the team, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The former Arizona star is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career and will explore his options before settling on a new home. Terry, 34, was traded to Dallas in 2004 by the Hawks after spending five seasons in Atlanta where he was the team's first-round pick in 1999.

SportsDayDFW's Eddie Sefko answered some questions in a two-part mailbag (part 1 here, part 2 here) about the Dallas Mavericks' future moves, including which players may or may not be brought back.

• Among the current Mavs players Sefko speculates will not be in Dallas next season are Ian Mahinmi, Vince Carter, Delonte West, and Brian Cardinal, in addition to the all-but-guaranteed departure of Lamar Odom.
• Sefko thinks there's a chance Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Brendan Haywood remain in Dallas. Terry will be an unrestricted free agent, Marion has been discussed often in trades, and Haywood is widely believed to be a candidate for Dallas' amnesty clause.
• In addition to Deron Williams, whom it is common knowledge the Mavs will pursue heavily this offseason, Sefko is intrigued by Utah's C.J. Miles as a possible backcourt partner.
• Haywood isn't a sure thing to be amnestied, but the Mavs are still banking on Dwight Howard being in play at some point, at which time it's a lock that they will cut ties with him.
• Sefko believes that if the Mavs sign Williams and retain Marion, free agents will be interested in signing in Dallas for below market value.