Sitting at 26-48, the Hornets head to Golden State tomorrow night to take on the Warriors.  With only eight games remaining, it sounds like the team will have some decisions to make in the offseason.  Let's round up all things New Orleans here on this Tuesday night:

• Hornets coach Monty Williams does not foresee the Hornets (soon to be the Pelicans) having any problems attracting top talent this offseason, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.  Along with the name change, the New Orleans franchise has a 55,000 square foot practice facility in the works as well as ample cap space to make a splash.  Williams says that multiple free-agents-to-be have suggested to him during games that they'd love to play for him in New Orleans. 
• Williams addressed the idea of changes to the team's roster over the summer, notes Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (Twitter link). "That’s just the nature of it. When you have a record like we have, you’re not going to settle for this production," Williams said.
• Williams expressed his displeasure with the team's small forwards earlier this season, and Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune echoes that sentiment, imploring the team to prioritize an upgrade at the three this summer.  As it stands now, the Hornets use Al-Farouq Aminu, Darius Miller and Lance Thomas at that spot, who barely combine for 12 points per night. 
• The Hornets could have as many as eight players become free agents when the season ends in two weeks, including the entire small forward trio mentioned above, Reid writes.  Aminu will become a free agent, along with Xavier Henry, Roger Mason and Louis Amundson.  The Hornets must decide whether to extend team options to Miller, Thomas and backup point guard Brian Roberts.  Per Reid, this has resulted in an environment where the current players are desperate to make an impression. While Reid doesn't mention him, Terrel Harris has a non-guaranteed deal next season and could also become a free agent. 

TUESDAY, 10:03am: The Hornets have officially signed Amundson for the remainder of the season, the team announced in a press release. Sims has been released to clear a roster spot, according to the club.

MONDAY, 3:26pm: Louis Amundson's brief stint with the Bulls will come to an end tonight, as the big man tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Twitter link) that he'll sign with the Hornets once his 10-day contract with the Bulls expires. Amundson's new deal with New Orleans will be for the rest of the season, adds Tomasson (via Twitter).

Amundson, 30, played just two minutes for Chicago, appearing in only one of the five games the team played during his 10 days with the club. He expects to receive more minutes with the Hornets, as he tells Tomasson (Sulia link).

"Chicago was prepared to sign me to another 10-day," Amundson said in a text message. "But I felt I should go somewhere where I can get a better opportunity to play."

In 20 games with the Timberwolves earlier this season, Amundson averaged just 8.1 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since 2007/08. His 6.4 PER and .368 FG% were also career-lows. The Wolves cut him last month when they signed Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale to rest-of-season deals.

The Hornets currently have a full roster of 15 players, though two of those guys are on 10-day deals. Henry Sims' 10-day contract expires tomorrow night, so I would guess that New Orleans will wait until Wednesday to sign Amundson, ensuring that the team doesn't have to release a player on a guaranteed contract.

SATURDAY, 1:01pm: The Bulls have made Amundson's signing official, announcing it in a press release.

FRIDAY, 2:19pm: Amundson turned down a rest-of-season offer from another team because he had already committed to the Bulls' 10-day offer, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear which club made Amundson the offer.

11:48am: The Bulls will sign Louis Amundson to a 10-day contract, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter). Amundson was said to be drawing interest from at least four Eastern Conference teams, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting that Chicago was the frontrunner.

The Knicks, Heat, and Celtics also had interest in Amundson. However, the Knicks would have needed to release a player or give up on Kenyon Martin to make room for the big man. The Heat, meanwhile, liked Amundson, but felt he duplicated a lot of the skills Chris Andersen brings to the table, according to Tomasson (Twitter link). As for the Celtics, they filled their final roster spot earlier today by signing Shavlik Randolph.

In 20 games with the Timberwolves earlier this season, Amundson averaged just 8.1 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since 2007/08. His 6.4 PER and .368 FG% were also career-lows. The Wolves cut him last month when they signed Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale to rest-of-season deals.

If Amundson does well in Chicago on his first 10-day contract, the Bulls have room under their hard cap to eventually sign him for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old is expected to finalize the deal with the Bulls tomorrow, according to Tomasson.

The trade deadline may be behind us, but that doesn't mean Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities won't continue checking in with his weekly Scoops column on Fridays. Wolfson still has a handful of Timberwolves-related notes to pass along, so let's check them out....

• Louis Amundson told FOX Sports Florida that the Timberwolves nearly traded him and Luke Ridnour to the 76ers for Spencer Hawes, but a source close to one of those players tells Wolfson that's "not true." Still, as Wolfson has previously reported, the Sixers did talk to Minnesota about Ridnour and J.J. Barea.
• Given how heavily the T-Wolves shopped Ridnour and Barea prior to the deadline, one of them will be moved this summer, says Wolfson.
• One source tells Wolfson to expect the Wolves to pursue a trade for Caron Butler in the summer. Butler, who will be entering the final year of his contract next year, was nearly sent to the Wizards on deadline day.
• Nemanja Bjelica, the 35th overall pick in the 2010 draft, is likely to come over to the NBA next season, a source tells Wolfson. Bjelica, whose rights the Wolves hold, signed a five-year contract with Spanish club Caja Laboral in 2010, but the deal included an NBA opt-out.

10:51pm: The Bulls are in talks to sign Amundson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that a decision is expected on Friday. 

8:16pm: Amundson's agent, Mark Bartelstein, acknowledges that while the Knicks are currently in the mix, his client is currently "close" to signing with another team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets). 

1:51pm: Since being cut by the Timberwolves nearly three weeks ago, Louis Amundson has yet to find another NBA job. However, the big man tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that a few teams are interested in him, including the Heat, Knicks, Celtics, and Bulls.

The Heat, Celtics and Bulls all have open roster spots, while the Knicks would have to clear room on the roster to make a move. According to Amundson, New York is waiting to see how things work out with Kenyon Martin before making a decision. The Knicks could also waive Rasheed Wallace to clear a roster spot. As for the Heat, Amundson told Tomasson that there may be too much overlap between his skillset and Chris Andersen's. The Birdman recently signed with Miami for the remainder of the season.

While four Eastern Conference teams remain in the mix for Amundson, he was nearly sent to another Eastern club earlier this season. According to Amundson, a trade that would have sent him and Luke Ridnour to the Sixers for Spencer Hawes was nixed by Minnesota, out of concern that dealing Ridnour would leave the team thin at point guard while Ricky Rubio worked his way back to 100%.

Since he was released earlier in February, Amundson will be postseason-eligible for his next team even if he signs after tomorrow's buyout deadline.

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).

With the trade deadline officially behind us, the next important date on the NBA's calendar arrives on March 1st. If a player who has been on an NBA roster this season is released after that date, he'll be ineligible to be on the postseason roster for any new team he joins. So we could see a number of players agreeing to buyouts and hitting free agency in the next week. Here are a few of the latest rumblings related to free agency:

• Danny Ainge expects the Celtics to add a free agent big man soon, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
• After the Heat opened up a roster spot by trading Dexter Pittman today, Miami re-emerged as a potential destination for Greg Oden, as agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "We're going to get him down there for a visit," Conley said of Miami.
• Tomasson adds within the same piece that free agent big man Louis Amundson would "love" an opportunity to sign with the Heat.
• The Cavaliers are still kicking the tires on Oden as well, and have had him in for a couple visits, GM Chris Grant told reporters today (Twitter link via Bob Finnan of the News-Herald).
• Now that the Jazz can no longer trade Raja Bell, the club may revisit a buyout. If the two sides reach an agreement, the Lakers would have interest in signing Bell, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).

The Knicks' front office typically doesn't talk to the media too often, which leaves coach Mike Woodson to discuss the team's plans as the trade deadline approaches. And Woodson has been insisting this week that a deal isn't likely for the Knicks, who the head coach believes can beat the Heat with the current roster. Here's the latest out of New York from Marc Berman of the New York Post:

• One source to Berman, on the Knicks' deadline plans: "They’re not even waiting on anything. It’s pretty safe to say they’re not making a deal."
• The Knicks are more likely to sign a free agent after they wait to see which players receive buyouts. Jermaine O'Neal is one possibility there, and the team also continues to monitor current free agent Kenyon Martin.
• Contrary to previous reports, Berman says the Knicks have "no interest" in Louis Amundson.
• A source shot down a previously-reported rumor that the Knicks could explore trading Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire for Josh Smith. No surprise there, since the idea of the Hawks taking on Stoudemire's contract was always pretty outrageous.
• There's also no traction on talks with the Magic involving J.J. Redick, says Berman. The Knicks would have needed to include a third team, and weren't interested in giving up Shumpert anyway.

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes that the Knicks have had internal discussions about possibly going after Kenyon Martin or Louis Amundson. New York's interest stems from concerns about their frontcourt depth as both Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby are yet to return from injuries. Although coach Mike Woodson told reporters that Wallace would be available at some point after the All-Star break, there appears to be some doubt about just how effective he'll be. As for Camby, Woodson said that he really doesn't know when the 38-year-old center will return. 

With their roster currently at 15, the Knicks would have to release one of their guaranteed contracts or find a way to create a roster spot via trade in order to sign a free agent. Should the team stand pat heading up to the trade deadline, Kennedy thinks that New York will wait and see just how productive Wallace will be once he re-joins the lineup before determining whether or not they will look to sign Martin or Amundson for the remainder of the season.  

We've heard that the Lakers and 76ers have also been considering Amundson, whereas Martin doesn't seem to have been drawing much interest outside of New York lately. Kennedy notes that teams will have until April 17, which marks the final day of the regular season, to sign free agents. 

When the Timberwolves signed Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson to rest-of-season deals last week, Louis Amundson was the roster casualty, released to open up a roster spot. He's now an unrestricted free agent, and is drawing some interest from teams in need of frontcourt help, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports (via Twitter). Berger reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers, Knicks, and 76ers are among the clubs that have internally discussed Amundson.

Amundson was on a minimum-salary contract with the T-Wolves, so the cost of claiming him off waivers wouldn't have been exorbitant. As such, I doubt we'll see any sort of bidding war over the 30-year-old. Still, he would certainly have appeal on a 10-day contract, or perhaps as a post-trade-deadline addition, for teams with a roster spot available. At the moment, the Lakers and Sixers have open roster spots, while the Knicks would need to release a player to clear room.

In 20 games with the Wolves this season, Amundson averaged just 8.1 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since 2007/08. His 6.4 PER and .368 FG% were also career-lows. In past seasons, the veteran big man has proven to be a useful bench piece with the Suns, Warriors, and Pacers.