Many believe there's virtually no chance the Jazz will re-sign both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap this summer, and Millsap admits the uncertainty of impending free agency crept into his mind during the season, as Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. "That’s me being honest," Millsap said. "It’s a tough thing to try to put it in the back of your head and not think about it. For the most part, I felt like we did a good job of handling it and the coaches did too." Free agents in the playoffs face even more pressure as they chase a title and their next contract at the same time, and as we watch to see who can take that kind of heat, here's the latest from around the Association:

• Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks expressed his support for Vinny Del Negro to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, in response to rumors that the team may not retain the coach. Del Negro is in the final year of his contract, and though he and the Clippers have spoken about an extension, both sides have tabled those talks until after the season.
• Mike Dunleavy Sr. wants to coach again, and he's told agent Warren LeGarie to investigate the opportunities, reports Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida. Dunleavy said he'd limit his search to teams that have the "resources" available to win.
• Rival executives have suggested to Chris Mannix of SI.com that Grant Hill could be a fit for the general manager opening in Phoenix. Hill is likely to retire at the end of the season, and he's a favorite of Suns owner Robert Sarver, who employed him as a player for five seasons. Lon Babby, the team's president of basketball operations, is a former agent who used to represent Hill (Twitter link).
• SB Nation's Tom Ziller ponders what might have been if James Harden were still with the Thunder, pointing to numbers that suggest they'd be among the greatest offensive teams of all time.
• Former Illinois shooting guard Brandon Paul has chosen agent Jim Tanner of Williams & Connolly, tweets Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal. Paul checks in 57th with Jonathan Givony's ratings for DraftExpress, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him 96th.

Earlier, we heard that Tyrone Corbin's job was safe after GM Dennis Lindsey showed public support for the Jazz head coach. Brad Rock of the Deseret News examines the situation a step further, noting that Utah had finished off the season winning nine of their remaining 12 games in addition to Corbin's ability to do so with much of the roster's status up in the air for next season and beyond. Here's more of what we've heard out of Salt Lake City tonight:

• Marvin Williams tells Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune that he hasn’t thought about his 2013-14 player option, but made sure to mention that he loves playing for the Jazz, coach Corbin, his teammates, and the city (Twitter links)  
• DeMarre Carroll has made it known that he wants to return to Utah next season, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. 
• Luhm also notes that the team could take a closer look at point guard Jerel McNeal - a repeat 10-day contract signee late in the season - with Mo Williams, Jamaal Tinsley, and Earl Watson set to become free agents.
• Kurt Kragthorpe, another Tribune columnist, wrote that should both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap leave via free agency this summer, the former would be missed more.  

The Bulls might not have Derrick Rose, but they proved again Thursday that they can beat anybody, giving the Knicks their first loss after 13 wins in a row. This comes just a few weeks after Chicago stopped the Heat's epic 27-game streak, and it seems like the Bulls will be a tough out no matter who they draw in the playoffs. There's plenty of intrigue involving off-court matters as well, and here's the latest:

• Friday's matchup with the Timberwolves could be Paul Millsap's last home game as a member of the Jazz, and the soon-t0-be free agent reflected on his time in Utah, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details. "I owe a lot to this community," Millsap said. "I owe a lot to this organization."
• Cartier Martin probably won't have much leverage when it comes to choosing a team as a free agent this summer, but he expressed a desire to re-sign with the Wizards, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. 
• HoopsHype's Jorge Sierra looks at Tunisian center Salah Mejri, who continues to draw interest from NBA teams after coming close to signing last year. Still, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Sierra that he and Mejri will look to European clubs first before considering the NBA.
• The Oregonian's Joe Freeman reviews the first year of the Trail Blazers' exclusive partnership with the D-League's Idaho Stampede. Portland made a half-dozen assignments with four different players, and planned to make even more use of their affiliate.
• Greg Esposito of Suns.com chronicles the many travels of Suns point guard Diante Garrett, who spent Thursday night on his latest trip to the D-League, putting up a team-high 23 points for the Bakersfield Jam in a playoff loss to the Austin Toros. 
• Cavs power forward Kevin Jones is no stranger to the D-League either, having been assigned to the Canton Charge six times this season, but he's begun to see consistent time for the big club, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal points out.

I examined Al Jefferson's free agent stock this weekend, and since his future seems tied to Paul Millsap, it makes sense to follow with a look at the other Jazz big man who could be on the move. The Jazz will likely re-sign one, but not the other, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, and the majority of Hoops Rumors readers who answered last night's poll believe Utah should keep Jefferson over Millsap. Utah has dropped few, if any, hints about which they're more likely to keep, but it seems safe to assume there's at least a 50-50 chance Millsap is playing elsewhere next season.

Millsap could just as easily have been playing on another team already if it weren't for the desire of the Miller family, owners of the Jazz, to stay competitive this season rather than break up the team's core via trade. The Jazz and Pacers reportedly discussed a deal that would send Millsap and Alec Burks to Indiana in exchange for Danny Granger and Lance Stephenson, though I'm not sure how seriously the Pacers would have pursued that swap, since Millsap and David West play the same position. It might have been a hedge against losing West in free agency, since the Pacers will only have Early Bird rights on West this summer, instead of the full Bird rights they would have had on Millsap if they traded for him. If West bolts in the offseason, Indiana could still turn to Millsap, and perhaps the Pacers would view Millsap as an upgrade.

West has said he wants to return to the Pacers, but if he has a change of heart, he and Millsap will likely compete for top billing among free agent power forwards. Much as there are similarities between Millsap and Jefferson, West and Millsap are also hard to differentiate. Millsap grabs a half-rebound more per game than West, and though Millsap is only averaging 15.0 points per contest to West's 17.3, that's offset by West's more frequent shot attempts. Their PERs are separated by two-tenths of a point. Where Millsap has the edge is in age, since, at 28, he's four and a half years younger than the 32-year-old West.

That means fewer teams could have reserverations about signing Millsap to a four-year deal, the most years he could get if he leaves Utah. The key is finding a team with enough cap room to accomodate what will likely be an eight-figure annual salary. The Clippers had interest in Millsap at the deadline, but their cap space appears targeted for Chris Paul, and I don't think they want to pair Millsap with Blake Griffin, another power forward, long-term. That's also why the Wolves, who also engaged in Millsap trade talks with the Jazz earlier this season, don't make sense as long as Kevin Love is around.

The Blazers were reportedly eyeing Millsap at the deadline, too, and they seem a somewhat more plausible destination. Portland, under previous management, signed Millsap to an offer sheet back in 2009. LaMarcus Aldridge occupies the power forward position for the Blazers, but at 6'11", he could shift to center if the team lets free agent J.J. Hickson go. Portland will have only about $43.2MM in commitments this summer, which should leave plenty of room to go after Millsap.

The Nets seemed eager to deal for Millsap at different points this year, but they're poised to be well into the tax this offseason, with no room to add any marquee free agents. The Jazz would like to work a sign-and-trade involving either Millsap or Jefferson, but the Nets won't be able to engage in a sign-and-trade for Millsap or anyone else, since the new CBA bars taxpayers from acquiring players via sign-and-trade beginning this summer. 

The Rockets, Spurs, Hawks and Bucks are likely to be the only teams among those headed to the playoffs this year with the cap room to add a maximum salary player in the offseason. Unlike Jefferson, I don't believe there's any way Millsap will be able to command a max contract, but I think he could wind up with a starting salary of anywhere from $12MM to $15MM, depending on his priorities. He could probably sign for the higher amount with a non-contender, while a playoff team might convince him to bring his price down to the low end of that range. If the Jazz don't bring him back, I expect Millsap, who's used to winning in Utah, to sign with a team that can continue to give him a chance to compete. 

After keeping both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap at the trade deadline, Utah is expected to re-sign one of them, but not the other, when they both hit unrestricted free agency this summer, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. The Jazz will likely pursue a sign-and-trade for whichever of the pair they don't keep, Amico adds.

Removing one of the team's starting big men would open up playing time for Derrick Favors, who'll be in the final year of his rookie-scale contract next season and is up for an extension this summer. The Jazz also have center Enes Kanter, who's a recent No. 3 overall pick, just like Favors. Utah's front office is notoriously tight-lipped, and there was plenty of conflicting information before the trade deadline about whether the team was more likely to deal away Jefferson or Millsap. It turned out to be neither, though it would be even more surprising to see the Jazz keep both of them through the summer.

Jefferson makes nearly twice as much as Millsap this season, but they could be in line for similar deals in free agency. They're putting up matching 20.6 PERs this year, and the 28-year-olds are separated in age by just a month and six days. Jefferson, at 6'10", has the ability to play center that the 6'8" Millsap lacks, and the paucity of true centers figures to make Jefferson slightly more sought-after on the market.

The Jazz have Bird rights on both players and can outbid other teams, and they figure to have about $25.3MM in commitments this summer, leaving plenty of cap space to pursue other free agents if they let either Millsap or Jefferson go. They could use some of that room to accomodate whomever they can get back in a sign-and-trade, but their potential sign-and-trade partners will be somewhat limited under provisions of the new collective bargaining agreement that kick in this offseason. Taxpaying teams can't acquire anyone via sign-and-trade, so the Lakers, for instance, who brought in Steve Nash on a sign-and-trade last summer, couldn't do so this year without shedding other salaries to get below the tax line. 

Zach Lowe of Grantland leads off his weekly Tuesday column with a lengthy look at the Jazz, a team he calls "the most interesting franchise in the league right now." As Utah approaches an offseason in which it could potentially open up about $30MM in cap space, Lowe shares a few notes of interest on the club:

• A desire to qualify for the postseason this year played a part in Utah's stasis at the trade deadline, according to Lowe. The team's longtime owners, the Miller family, prefer to avoid being in the lottery, so the Jazz weren't about to give up Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson in a deal that would seriously downgrade this year's roster.
• According to Lowe's sources, the Raptors and Pistons were among the teams with whom the Jazz engaged in trade discussions prior to the deadline.
• Had the Jazz been more aggressive about shopping Jefferson and/or Millsap last spring, they could likely have acquired a high first-round pick for Millsap, sources tell Lowe. However, Lowe notes that it's unclear whether that pick would have been attached to an unwanted contract.
• Lowe expects the Jazz to sign-and-trade one of its big free agents this summer, though the new CBA and the number of teams with cap space figures to cool the sign-and-trade market a little.
• League sources who talked to Utah in advance of the deadline say that the Jazz presented themselves as willing to take a step back next season and land a high pick in a loaded 2014 draft. The influence of new GM Dennis Lindsey played a role in that stance, says Lowe.
• Talks between the Clippers and Jazz about Eric Bledsoe and Millsap never got too serious, according to Lowe.
• Since the point guard free agent market isn't expected to be too strong this summer or next, Lowe expects the Jazz to continue exploring trades for a point guard.

With the trade deadline behind us, some teams are already looking toward this summer's free agent class. Here is a roundup of the latest buzz on that front:

• Acknowledging that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard aren't likely to leave their respective Los Angeles teams, Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld looks at a list of free agents who are more obtainable by other teams, including Atlanta's Josh Smith and Utah's Paul Millsap.
• Ben Golliver of SI.com runs down a list of free agents whose stock has risen or fallen this season. He points to Andrew Bynum as someone who has hurt his chances at a big payday, and Smith and David West as likely candidates for a big payday.
• Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer reports that Greg Oden, who is gearing up for a second attempt at an NBA career, recently attended a Cavaliers game and had positive impressions of the organization.
• Valade also profiles Rich Paul, a former member of LeBron James' marketing team who is finding success running his own sports agency.

The Utah Jazz did not move Paul Millsap before the February 21 trade deadline, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that they discussed deals for the forward with the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers, neither of which ended up coming to fruition.

Kennedy tweets that the Jazz and Pacers discussed a trade that would have sent Millsap and Alec Burks to Indiana for Danny Granger and Lance Stephenson. In a separate tweet, Kennedy reports that the Jazz and Clippers discussed a trade of Millsap and DeMarre Carroll for Eric Bledsoe and Lamar Odom.

Millsap, 27, is averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

The latest news and notes from around the Northwest Division on Tuesday evening:

• Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune examines the futures of Jazz big men Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, both of whom were rumored to be dealt at the trade deadline and will be unrestricted free agents.
• John Rohde of the Oklahoman explains how the Thunder's trade of Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers freed up the necessary money to sign Derek Fisher.
• Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman writes that several Mavericks players are suspicious of Fisher's motivations for signing with the Thunder after asking to be waived by Dallas earlier in the season.

So far, the responses to this morning's poll suggest that, outside of the Hawks' decision to keep Josh Smith, no team's inactivity at the deadline was more surprising than Utah's. In Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, the Jazz had a pair of productive bigs on expiring contracts, and the expectation was that at least one of the two would be moved. However, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, that he felt the club was negotiating from a position of strength, and wasn't under any pressure to make a deal.

Here's more and the Jazz and a few of their Northwest Division rivals:

• "We really didn't even have any tough decisions," Lindsey said of deadline day, according to Genessy. "When we added it up, there wasn't anything that was better than what we had."
• With the deadline behind them, Millsap and Jefferson are looking forward to finishing out the season in Utah, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
• Speaking to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Andrei Kirilenko says he's enjoying everything about his time with the Timberwolves except for the team's win-loss record. The Russian forward has yet to make a decision about his player option for next season. "I’m going to wait until the offseason, right now there’s no point to make any decision," Kirilenko said. "Wait until summer, analyze the season, and see what you want to do next."
• Glen Taylor's talks with prospective owners for the Timberwolves have "slowed considerably," a source tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
• Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post discusses the Nuggets' decision to let the deadline pass without making a deal.