After failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2000, the Mavericks will be opportunistic as they look to upgrade their roster this summer, Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, vowing that the team will be better next year.

"We maximized for the first generation of Dirk [Nowitzki]'s golden years to win a championship," Cuban said. "So we'll do our best for his second generation of golden years and then the next generation and the next generation until he runs out of golden years."

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

• Kris Joseph's 10-day contract with the Nets is set to expire tonight, but teammate Jerry Stackhouse tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he expects the club to retain Joseph. If Joseph re-signs with Brooklyn, it figures to be a rest-of-season contract, which would make him eligible for the postseason.
• Since being traded from the Bucks to the Magic, Tobias Harris has looked like a future star, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. Kennedy spoke to the second-year forward, who is averaging 16.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 24 games with Orlando.
• Ian Thomsen of SI.com examines what the next step is for all 14 teams headed for this year's draft lottery.
• Following a D-League stint, former Knick Jerome Jordan is heading overseas to join Talk 'N Text in the Philippines, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Rob Mahoney of SI.com took a look at 18 players on troublesome contracts, and all five Atlantic Division teams have a representative. The last-place Raptors appear to have the most problems, with Rudy Gay, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan and Landry Fields all on the list, though the Nets, with Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace, have multiple entries as well. Here's more from the Atlantic:

• The Sixers were one of several teams reportedly pursuing Josh Smith at the trade deadline, and John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Sixers were "close" to a deal with the Hawks. Philly's interest in the soon-to-be free agent dates back to last season, Mitchell also notes.
• Jerome Jordan, who spent last season with the Knicks, has been on the team's radar as he plays in the D-League this season, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Zwerling says New York can't sign him this season, though the Knicks could bring him aboard if they go against their plan to re-sign Kenyon Martin when his 10-day contract expires. New York could also waive a player on a guaranteed contract, but that seems unlikely.
• Andrew Perna of RealGM.com checks in with D.J. White, who finally made his debut for the Celtics tonight after signing a 10-day contract on February 28th. White revealed that he had opportunities to play for NBA teams before heading to China in September. 

We had a pair of trades go down in the D-League today with several notable players changing teams. Let's take a look..

• The D-Fenders have acquired center Jerome Jordan from the Reno Bighorns in exchange for forward Ronald Dupree and guard Orien Greene, according to Trevor Wong of the Lakers (on Twitter).  Jordan appeared in 21 games for the Knicks last season.
• The Idaho Stampede, the D-League affiliate of the Trail Blazers, announced that they have acquired JaJuan Johnson via trade with the Canton Charge.  Johnson, 24, has been widely regarded as one of the D-League's top talents in 2012/13 but is considered to be a project.  The 6'10" forward was taken by the Nets with the 27th overall pick in the 2011 draft before being shipped to the Celtics for the rights to MarShon Brooks.

The Celtics are in the market for a free agent big man, and we heard this morning that the club is considering signing D.J. White to a 10-day contract. White isn't the only player Boston has its eye on, however. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Jerome Jordan, Tim Ohlbrecht, Shavlik Randolph, and Louis Amundson are among the other players being considered by the Celtics.

Here are a few more post-trade-deadline notes out of the Atlantic Division:

• 76ers GM Tony DiLeo spoke to the media about acquiring Charles Jenkins in what he calls a "no-risk" move, and said that he talked to every NBA team about potential trades before the deadline (video link via NBA.com).
• As Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets, DiLeo also said that re-signing Andrew Bynum remains "Plan A" for the Sixers, but that the team's cap flexibility allows for "Plan B"s as well.
• Knicks GM Glen Grunwald told ESPN Radio that the Knicks had "a number of inquiries" on Iman Shumpert, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
• While Nets fans may be disappointed that the club couldn't land Josh Smith yesterday, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post thinks hanging on to assets will benefit the team in the long run.
• Although a Lithuanian report suggested that injury woes could put Linas Kleiza's career in jeopardy, the forward told reporters today that's not true, and that he expects to return soon (Twitter link via Holly MacKenzie of Sportsnet).

Let's round up some of Friday's notes from a few non-NBA leagues around the globe....

• Former eighth overall pick Joe Alexander has signed with the Liaoning Hunters of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to an Asia-Basket.com report (hat tip to Sportando).
• Another former NBA player is back in China as well, with James Singleton joining the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, per Asia-Basket.com. Singleton, who played in 12 games for the Wizards last season, was rumored back in September to be signing with the Flying Tigers.
• Michael Dunigan, a Grizzlies camp invitee this fall, has signed a one-month deal to play for the Perth Wildcats in Australia, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Sulia link).
• Another Grizzlies camp invitee, Jerome Jordan, is drawing interest from China and is also considering the D-League, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Jordan was said to be receiving some interest from Chinese teams while he was still in camp with the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have let go of Ronald Dupree, Jerome Jordan and Ronald "Flip" Murray, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, clearing the last of the team's non-guaranteed contracts from the books. Memphis is down to 13 players, which is the minimum it can carry.

Dupree, 31, has played in parts of six NBA regular seasons, but spent last year playing overseas in Italy and Argentina. He averaged 3.5 points in 13.1 minutes over six preseason games this year. Jordan has been linked to teams in China while still in camp this month, so he could be headed overseas after appearing in 21 games last season for the Knicks. The 33-year-old Murray is a veteran of eight NBA seasons, but hasn't played in the league since 2009/10. He played three games in the D-League last year, an unconventional destination for a player of his age.

Back in August, when we asked Hoops Rumors readers for their Rookie of the Year pick, over 44% of about 1,050 voters selected Anthony Davis, making him the top choice by far. Davis is off to a promising start, averaging a double-double in five preseason games and making a strong impression on Hornets coach Monty Williams.

"He’s just a coach’s dream," Williams said, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. "He handles the situations with wisdom that’s beyond his years. He listens, he’s humble, and yet he still has an edge.... He’s going to be pretty special if he continues to work and allow himself to be coached the way he has so far. He’s just an amazing kid."

Here are a few more of today's notes from around the Western Conference:

• A number of recent reports have linked Jerome Jordan to teams in China, but for now Jordan is still hoping to make the Grizzlies' regular season roster, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I know my agent has been talking to a bunch of teams. You know, as a worst-case scenario," Jordan said. "I don't know if there's a deal, per se, in China. But it's about making it in the NBA this year. I'm about trying to make it in the league and establish myself. I want to be around a long time."
• The Lakers are expected to waive second-round pick Darius Johnson-Odom soon, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
• Making an educated guess, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic predicts that Luke Zeller and Diante Garrett will earn spots on the Suns, and explains his reasoning.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if two players under contract with the Spurs, Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green, will be released soon to join San Antonio's D-League affiliate.
• Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts says he expects to keep Nolan Smith as the team's backup point guard over Coby Karl, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets. Karl himself indicated this week that he's bracing for news of his release.
• ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) wouldn't be surprised if the Blazers consider moving Wesley Matthews at this season's trade deadline.

Tracy McGrady's recent signing with China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles is the most notable international transaction of late, but there are still plenty of players with NBA experience coming from and going to teams overseas. Here's the latest on a few of them:

• In addition to drawing interest from Qingdao, Jerome Jordan has also received interest from the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls of the CBA, according to a 361 Sport report (translation via HoopsHype).
• French team Cholet has announced that Edwin Ubiles is no longer a part of the team and is now a free agent (hat tip to Sportando). Ubiles, a Siena product, appeared in four games last season for the Wizards.
• Germany's Artland Dragons have signed Dennis Horner, according to the team's official website (hat tip to Sportando). Horner appeared in eight games for the Nets and 25 games for the D-League's Springfield Armor in the 2011/12 season.

Julyan Stone, recovering from hip surgery, could be out until January, Nuggets coach George Karl tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Stone's contract is only partially guaranteed for $100K, so it's possible the team decides to cut him, but Hochman stresses that the Nuggets "love" the second-year point guard, suggesting he's still part of their plans going forward. Here are a few more updates from around the NBA:

• Following up on David Aldridge's story on extension candidates that we covered earlier, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wayne Ellington won't be extended by the Grizzlies due to the pending change in ownership.
• General manager Joe Dumars has the Pistons on an upward trajectory as the team continues to rebuild, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• Kings coach Keith Smart recently appeared on Sacramento radio station KHTK to discuss Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and changing the culture in Sacramento. Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews has the details.
• Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com passes along Chinese reports that indicate the Qingdao Double Star Eagles are still considering signing Jerome Jordan. We'd heard previously of Qingdao's interest in Jordan, but perhaps the seven-footer is more intrigued by the possibility now that Tracy McGrady is on board.
• Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Kelenna Azubuike could head to the D-League after being released by the Cavaliers.

As NBA training camp rosters fill up, players who remain unsigned could turn to non-NBA clubs for their best shot at a payday. Here's the latest on a few players still on the market who may be considering teams overseas:

• Malcolm Thomas, who was recently said to be seeking a guaranteed NBA contract, is in advanced talks with Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv, reports David Pick of Sportando. According to Pick, Thomas' agent Aaron Mintz and Maccabi coach David Blatt recently had "very positive" discussions.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv also hasn't ruled out the possibility of signing unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin, according to a Walla Sport report (translation via HoopsHype). It's not clear whether Martin would have interest in playing in Israel -- since he's seeking more than the veteran's minimum from NBA teams, I'd think it would require a significant financial commitment from Maccabi to draw Martin overseas.
• China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles are interested in signing Jerome Jordan, according to a QQ.com report passed along by Sportando. Jordan, who made his NBA debut last season with the Knicks, appears headed to Grizzlies camp, but it's not clear if he's officially signed anything with Memphis yet.