• Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that DeMarcus Cousins has decided to hire Dan Fegan as his new agent, replacing John Grieg. Two of Fegan's most notable clients include Kevin Martin of the Thunder and Lakers center Dwight Howard (All Twitter links).
• In what should be encouraging news for the Timberwolves and their fans, Brandon Roy returned to practice today and reported that he felt no pain in his knee (Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune reports). The veteran two-guard had been inactive since undergoing surgery on his right knee last month and hadn't played since November 9.
• Will Conroy was at Minnesota's practice today, but attended as a special assistant to David Kahn and not as a candidate to re-join the team as a player, says Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press. The 6'2 guard and close friend of Brandon Roy had been released earlier in the season in order to make room for recently-waived Josh Howard. According to Kahn, Conroy will serve as the team's D-League scout before returning to Seattle to finish his school degree.
• When asked about Derek Fisher being waived, coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters to ask GM Mitch Kupchak if the team had any interest in the former Lakers guard (according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles via Twitter). Although we heard an earlier report that Fisher was contemplating retirement, Ramona Shelburne (also of ESPN LA) tweeted that in the event that he would still continue playing, any team who signs him would have to inherit the non-guaranteed deal he signed with the Mavericks. 
• Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas provides the current rundown of Rick Carlisle's point guard situation following Fisher's abrupt departure. 
• Alex Kramers of TheKingsBlog.com elicited the reaction from the Kings locker room as they prepare to compete without DeMarcus Cousins. Coach Keith Smart told the media that the situation will be reassessed within the next few days. On a different and much lighter note, Kramers delves a bit into the minor ties between Jimmer Fredette and the Warriors' Stephen Curry. 

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)....

• The Lakers have kicked the tires on Pau Gasol trades in the past and are aware that any move they make would be a downgrade. Kyler notes that if the team falls out of contention, a Lamar Odom-esque salary dump is a possibility, but it's hard to imagine that happening this season.
• Even though J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract, a deal isn't necessarily likely since Redick fits the culture the Magic are trying to establish. Asked specifically about a potential swap with the Timberwolves involving Redick and Derrick Williams, Kyler says the Magic would want to include at least one bad contract in that type of move.
• The Cavaliers continue to say Anderson Varejao isn't available, but Kyler thinks the team will have to cash him in at some point.
• The Hawks still intend to re-sign Josh Smith next summer and build around him.
• Having traded most of their first-round picks in other deals, the Lakers no longer have the draft picks to facilitate a contract dump, so the team will find it difficult to move a point guard like Steve Blake or Chris Duhon.
• The Lakers have talked about the possibility of adding Mickael Pietrus, Delonte West, or Raja Bell, but nothing is close.
• Kyler also reiterates a point he's made before, saying Jimmer Fredette is unhappy with the Kings.

Despite the Lakers' early-season struggles, the standings in the Pacific Division are already starting to look pretty close to what we were expecting coming into the season. The Lakers' win last night pulled them into a tie with the Warriors in second place, with the Clippers leading the way and the Suns and Kings below .500. As the Clips and Warriors prepare for tough road matchups tonight, let's check out what's going on around the division:

• Marcin Gortat recently spoke to with Marcin Harasimowicz of Przeglad Sportowy (Polish link) about a number of Suns-related topics, and as Adam Koscielak of Gothic Ginobili notes in his translation, the big man had some interesting things to say. Gortat expressed an unhappiness with the team's style of play and his lack of involvement on offense, adding that the team misses Steve Nash a lot. Gortat also suggested he'd talk to head coach Alvin Gentry about his concerns, though he's not sure "if it will change anything."
• Kobe Bryant and new Laker Dwight Howard are feeling more and more comfortable playing together, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
• Howard, meanwhile, is looking forward to Tuesday's matchup against the Nets, the team he was nearly traded to earlier this year, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes.
• Appearing on KHTK in Sacramento, Jimmer Fredette discussed the Kings' start, his offseason preparation, and adjusting the NBA lifestyle. As we heard over the weekend, the Kings currently have no plans to move Fredette.

The Grizzlies staked their claim to a place among the NBA's elite teams this week with wins over the Heat, Thunder and previously unbeaten Knicks. That has the USA Today, and no doubt others, wondering if Memphis is the best team in the league. It's probably premature to anoint them as such after just eight games, but with Zach Randolph looking fully healthy again, they're certainly a squad worth keeping an eye on. Here's the latest on a few teams trying to catch up to them in the Western Conference standings.

• Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game offers a contrasting take on the notion that James Harden only had an hour to decide on the Thunder's extension offer, writing that both Harden and his agent, Rob Pelinka, had been aware for four months that Oklahoma City was not going to give Harden the max (Sulia link).
• Zach Harper of CBSSports.com details the woes of the 2-7 Kings, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee hears the team isn't planning on making any major moves and intends to hold on to Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette for the time being (Twitter link).
• Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll, who's on an expiring contract and hadn't seen meaningful minutes for two weeks, told his agent, "I didn't work this hard to be out of the rotation," as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune documents. His work paid off last night, when he went 6 for 6 and put up 17 points and five rebounds in close to 23 minutes.
• New Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said his faith in his offensive system was reinforced by the time he spent coaching Jeremy Lin with the Knicks, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

• Kings guard Jimmer Fredette says he "definitely" isn't asking to be traded, and team basketball president Geoff Petrie said he's still in the Kings' plans, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "I'm torn up because this young man is doing everything he can and not able to get on the floor," coach Keith Smart said. "I've just got to look at it because his efficiency ratings are starting to move up when he's on the floor and he's been a positive. So I've got to try to get him on the floor more."
• Jason Kapono, who last saw NBA action with the Lakers in 2011/12, is discussing a deal with Greek club Panathinaikos for this year, the Greek website Sport-FM reports (translation via Sportando). Kapono could wind up replacing Hilton Armstrong, whom the team wants to release, according to the report.
• Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post asserts that the Lakers would be better off with Phil Jackson coaching them, but they're too talented not to win the Western Conference no matter who the coach is.
• Mike Brown's shortcomings as coach of the Lakers were the same problems that hung over him when he was with the Cavs, observes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
• Brown couldn't get the Lakers to buy into his message, but Jackson would command the team's attention, opines Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists the rise of the Clippers as one reason Brown is out of a job. 

The Kings have officially exercised their 2013/14 team options on DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette, the team announced today in a press release. Option decisions had been due by the end of the month.

"We’re looking forward to seeing DeMarcus and Jimmer play this year and continue to grow, improve and help this team be successful," said Geoff Petrie in the statement released by the club.

Cousins, who is entering his third season, is now in line for a guaranteed salary of about $4.92MM in 2013/14, the final year of his rookie contract. Fredette, meanwhile, had his third-year option picked up, and will make about $2.44MM in '13/14. A year from now, Cousins will be eligible for a long-term extension with Sacramento, while the Kings will hold another team option for 2014/15 on Fredette, worth $3.11MM.

Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker to see the latest option decisions as the October 31st deadline approaches.

Let's head to the west coast and round up a few of Tuesday's items out of the Pacific Division....

• After waiving Othyus Jeffers, the Suns have more difficult roster decisions ahead of them, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Among those is deciding which big man to keep from a group that includes Ike Diogu, Solomon Jones, and Luke Zeller.
• Although it appears that the Lakers and Clippers are the overwhelming favorites to re-sign Dwight Howard and Chris Paul respectively next summer, the two stars could conceivably decide to team up on a team like the Hawks, says ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link).
• The Lakers likely wouldn't have Steve Nash, Jordan Hill, and others on this year's roster if it weren't for a handful of small trades in the past, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times explains.
• Jimmer Fredette's stock has fallen since he was selected 10th overall in the 2011 draft, but he's showing promise this preseason for the Kings, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Sacramento has two more weeks to exercise its $2.44MM option on Fredette for 2013/14.

There have been rumblings this summer that the Kings could explore trading Jimmer Fredette and that Jimmer might be open to being moved. If Sacramento does entertain offers, the Thunder figure to be one team that will kick the tires. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), Oklahoma City "would love to pry Fredette away" from the Kings. Amico adds that Kevin Durant is a big fan of Jimmer.

Previous reports on Jimmer's potential availability alluded to the player's desire for a larger role and more playing time, and it's not clear whether he would receive those opportunities for the Thunder. It's also unlikely that the Kings would consider trading last year's lottery pick for cents on the dollar after one poor season, so I doubt we'll see a trade anytime soon.

As for the Thunder, Amico says their interest in Fredette would be as a replacement for Derek Fisher. With Eric Maynor expected back to start the season though, that's probably not a real area of concern for Oklahoma City at this point.

While Dwight Howard is still the league's most prominent trade candidate, as he has been since Chris Paul was dealt to the Clippers, there are a number of other players that could potentially be on the move in the coming months. In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler provides updates on a few of those players. Here are the highlights:

• While the Kings were entertaining trades offers for Tyreke Evans around the time of the draft, they've since cooled on the idea of dealing him, according to Kyler. Still, Sacramento may decide to pass on a long-term extension for the 22-year-old. Kyler hears that both Evans and teammate Jimmer Fredette could be open to being moved.
• It's "highly unlikely" that the Sixers will trade Andre Iguodala before the season begins. Sources tell Kyler that any move involving Iguodala is probably something that would happen down the road.
• Kyler hears that Jose Calderon wasn't all that happy with the way the Raptors pursued Steve Nash and Kyle Lowry this offseason, and that Toronto is willing to accomodate a trade. There's not much of a market for Calderon at this point, but the Raps believe they could land an asset for him before the trade deadline.

Earlier this week, the Kings agreed to sign Aaron Brooks to a two-year deal, adding a third point guard to a roster that already included Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette. While the acquisition of Brooks doesn't mean another roster move is imminent, the Kings have "entertained some trade discussions" involving Fredette, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.

It seems unlikely that the Kings would be ready to part ways with last year's 10th overall pick after one unspectacular season. However, Fredette's camp has "made it known" it would like to either get an idea of the 23-year-old's role in Sacramento, or get a trade to somewhere where he'd see more playing time, according to Kyler.

SI.com's Sam Amick acknowledged this week that Fredette's camp was "clearly surprised" by the addition of Brooks, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Sulia link) feels trade speculation involving Jimmer is overblown. According to Jones, the Kings didn't want to rely on two second-year players to handle the point, and Fredette is often at his best when he's not the primary ballhandler anyway. Considering Brooks may not even be back in Sacramento next season (the second year of his deal is a player option), his signing doesn't necessarily hurt Jimmer's long-term future with the Kings, says Jones.