It's more than a week after the trade deadline, but the stream of rumors is far from an end. In his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com puts a bow on last week's proceedings, and provides some scuttlebutt related to tonight's buyout deadline as well. Here's what Stein has to share:  

• The Hawks wanted to trade Josh Smith at the deadline, and expected they'd get a deal done. But when the Bucks refused to part with Monta Ellis, Atlanta's main target, or Ersan Ilyasova, Plan B for the Hawks, GM Danny Ferry and company walked away from a package that would have featured Beno Udrih's expiring contract and Luc Mbah a Moute, who has two years and $8.97MM remaining on his deal this season.
• DeJuan Blair has been seeking a buyout from his expiring $1.054MM contract with the Spurs, but San Antonio is reluctant to grant his wish, fearing he'd sign with another playoff team. If he's not bought out before tonight's 11pm deadline, Blair would be ineligible for the postseason if he signs elsewhere this season. Stein says it's clear that neither Blair nor the Spurs wish to continue their working relationship in 2013/14, so perhaps Blair could be a buyout candidate after tonight, but that's just my speculation.
• The Spurs were seeking a first-round pick in offers for Blair at the trade deadline, but like everyone seeking that kind of return, they were rebuffed, as Stein notes the increasing value of those picks and the rookie-scale contracts that come with them.
• According to Stein, industry standard dictates that prospective owners in the midst of a pending sale may designate two or three players they wish the team to keep, freeing current management to trade anyone else on the roster. That makes it easier to understand why the Kings shed salary, including last June's No. 5 overall pick Thomas Robinson, at the deadline, even though we heard the Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer group from Seattle was consulted before the move was made.
• Stein sizes up the competing chances of Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers to become the next coach of Team USA, while adding that USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo wants to wait until he hears from Mike Krzyzewski after the college season to definitely rule out the Coach K's return.
• The ESPN.com scribe also checks in with new Bucks shooting guard J.J. Redick, who felt like he was going to stay with the Magic right up until they traded him. 

2:47pm: The Hawks were close to reaching an agreement with the Bucks for Smith that may have included the Magic as a third team. However, Atlanta backed out of the deal at the last minute, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game. Bucher reports (via Sulia) that the Bucks' offer would have sent Ekpe Udoh, Luc Mbah a Moute, Beno Udrih's expiring contract, and a protected first-round pick to Atlanta.

2:04pm: Neither the Bucks nor the Nets were able to finalize a deal with the Hawks for Josh Smith, who will remain in Atlanta, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. According to Windhorst (via Twitter), the Hawks decided they valued Smith too much to give him up for the offers they received.

The Bucks are reportedly one of the teams most determined to make a deal before Thursday's trade deadline, and today has has brought more rumblings from out of Milwaukee, so let's dive right in and check out the latest....

• Although the Bucks like J.J. Redick, the Magic aren't enamored with anything Milwaukee has offered so far, according to Sam Amick of Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
• Yesterday's report on trade talks between the two teams suggested that Orlando had extended an offer of Redick for Luc Mbah a Moute and a first-round pick, but Amick and Zillgitt seem to suggest that offer may have come from the Bucks' side. The Magic don't like Mbah a Moute's contract, according to the USA Today report.
• Ekpe Udoh is also drawing interest around the NBA, according to the USA Today duo.

Earlier updates:

• Brandon Jennings appears to have moved alongside Larry Sanders and John Henson as the players the Bucks consider "untouchable," according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
• The Mavericks had been the team most interested in Jennings, but they'd been pessimistic all along about their chances, knowing that the fourth-year guard is the closest thing Milwaukee has to a face of the franchise since the team traded Andrew Bogut a year ago, says Stein.
• Although Samuel Dalembert was once considered one of the players most likely to be moved this season, the Bucks appear more inclined to keep him (and his expiring contract) after his solid recent play filling in for Sanders, according to Stein.
• Stein also covers the latest on the Bucks' talks with the Hawks regarding Josh Smith, which we've recapped in our post dedicated to today's Smith rumors.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports described the difficulty for the Hawks to find the type of assets they want in exchange for Josh Smith, and GM Danny Ferry has been firm in telling other teams that he's not willing to take back future salary. Atlanta has prioritized draft picks and young players in exchange for their star forward, though other teams have been insistent on including some long-term deals as part of their offers.

The Nets are one interested team that would be hard-pressed to complete a trade before Thursday, as the current CBA would prohibit a luxury taxpayer to complete a sign-and-trade in the offseason. With Brooklyn set to be around $4MM above the tax line this summer, the only way they could acquire Smith after this season would be to significantly shed salary first. Here's more out of Berger's column tonight: 

• Ferry realizes that the number of potential trading partners will decrease this summer, and while Phoenix had originally been seen as an ideal destination for Smith, the Suns appear to have their reservations about whether or not the assets they'd be sending out would be worth it. 
• The Bucks have been "definitely active" in Smith talks considering the uncertain future of Brandon Jennings, who is said to have been intrigued by bigger markets and had recently switched agents (from Bill Duffy to Jeff Schwartz, known for being a strong advocate for the opportunities that a bigger market can provide). 
• Luc Mbah a Moute could be a key component of a Smith-to-Milwaukee deal, factoring in his production and manageable contract. 
• It is widely believed that the Hawks will try to make a strong push to acquire Dwight Howard before the trade deadline. 
• The Trail Blazers continue to shop J.J. Hickson in exchange for a first-round pick. 
• Wizards guard Jordan Crawford has drawn interest from some teams, but the team isn't willing to take back any long-term contracts. 
• 76ers guard Nick Young has been part of many discussions, but there isn't a deal to be made as of now. 
• The Nets know that a Kris Humphries-for-Ben Gordon trade with the Bobcats is still on the table, but are waiting to see what happens with Josh Smith before returning to that avenue. 

As the trade deadline approaches and the Magic debate whether or not to move J.J. Redick, one team that has been frequently linked to the sharpshooter is Milwaukee. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Bucks and Magic have discussed a deal that would see them swap Redick for Luc Mbah a Moute and a first-round pick.

Berger's report suggests that the Magic have extended that offer to Milwaukee, but that the Bucks would only pull the trigger on the deal if they also moved Monta Ellis in a bigger trade (Twitter link). That echoes what Adrian Wojnarowski said yesterday, when he reported that Redick would be a major target for the Bucks if they move one of their starting guards. Earlier today, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote that the Bucks aren't expecting to trade either Ellis or Brandon Jennings.

The Magic are known to be seeking either young talent or draft picks for Redick, and are also willing to simply hang on to him and try to re-sign him this summer. An overnight report indicated that Orlando had engaged in talks with the Knicks involving Redick and Iman Shumpert. In the proposed deal with the Bucks, the first-rounder would be the main piece heading back to Orlando, though it's not clear what protection would be on it. At the moment, Milwaukee's 2013 first-rounder is projected to be 15th overall, according to our tentative '13 draft order.

One day after the mutual decision to sever ties with the Bucks, Scott Skiles was quick to shoot down a rumor that he "hated his team." Charles F. Gardner of JS Online drew more comments from the former-Milwaukee coach, who also implied that his phone has been "blowing up" regarding opportunities but would like to enjoy some of the time off he has right now. Todd Rosiak (also of the Journal-Sentinel) explored Skiles' departure from his former players' perspective, namely Larry Sanders, Luc Mbah a Moute, rookie John Henson, and Brandon Jennings, who admitted he was a bit frustrated about how he found out about the news - from Skiles first and not the team. With that aside, here are more news and notes from the Central Division tonight: 

• With four consecutive drafts in which the Pistons have taken five current rotation players, there is optimism that GM Joe Dumars and his scouts have the right mindset and wherewithal to continue building the team toward a return to prominence (Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports). 
• Fresh off agreeing to what is most likely a multi-year contract extension yesterday, Frank Vogel expressed optimism and determination in the direction of the Pacers' franchise (ESPN report via the Associated Press). 
• Mike Wells of IndyStar.com briefly explores Vogel's appreciation for the assistants on his coaching staff and mentioned Dominic McGuire's task of learning the team's offense as quickly as possible. 

The latest rumblings from the Central Division on Wednesday evening:

• Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star writes that despite his struggles on offense, Roy Hibbert is living up to his contract with the Pacers for his defensive impact.
• Cavin also writes that Paul George has impressed Pacers coach Frank Vogel with his defensive impact.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Luc Mbah a Moute is set to play for the Bucks for the first time this season on Monday.

The latest news from around the NBA on Friday evening:

• CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reports that the NBA is considering instituting a new policy on resting players following Gregg Popovich's controversial decision on Thursday.
• Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that Brook Lopez' foot is not seriously injured, despite indications to the contrary.
• The New York Times' Dan Duggan writes that the Wizards are trying to put their horrific start to the season behind them.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Bucks have still not set a time for Luc Mbah a Moute's return.
• Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that Hawks GM Danny Ferry has turned the team around faster than expected.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer writes that Cavs rookie Kevin Jones is not expected to find his way into the rotation anytime soon.

As training camps begin to start all throughout the league, here are few bits of injury related news. 

• Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute will miss all of the team's training camp while he continues recovering from offseason knee surgery, writes JSOnline.com's Charles F. Gardner. Mbah a Moute underwent the surgery in May, and he hopes to return at some point early on in the regular season. While he's out, the team's small forward position is wide open. Mike Dunleavy will come off the bench, and second year player Tobias Harris could take the spot. 
• Kings forward Tyler Honeycutt was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right fibula, according to an official media release from the team. As he enters his second season with Sacramento, Honeycutt is expected to miss three to four weeks. 
• With each player coming off an offseason surgery, Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, and Daniel Gibson are all cleared to practice with the Cavaliers in training camp, reports NBA.com. 

In the months since Brandon Jennings talked about "doing his homework" on large-market teams to prepare for free agency, the Bucks guard has become more amenable to a long-term extension in Milwaukee, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The 22-year-old talked to Woelfel about wanting to become the face of the franchise, and indicated a willingness to work out a contract extension in the near future.

"If everything is right, why not?" Jennings said of an extension. "If my agent (Bill Duffy) comes back and says this is what we should do, I’m going to do it."

Woelfel also shares a few more updates in a second piece for the Journal Times, so let's round those up....

• The Bucks would like to move up from No. 12 in the draft, though it won't be easy, since virtually every team is looking to "enhance its draft status."
• The Warriors at No. 7 could be open to trading down, and Woelfel suggests a package of Luc Mbah a Moute and the 12th pick could pique Golden State's interest. Milwaukee would likely have to take a contract back to make any deal work.
• If the Bucks were to move up, they'd likely be targeting Andre Drummond or John Henson.
• Some NBA officials believe Jeremy Lamb will need to undergo shoulder surgery at some point, and have downgraded his draft stock as a result.
• The consensus among Woelfel's sources is that the Bobcats' top choice at No. 2 is Thomas Robinson, but that the team could still trade the pick.