All eyes will be on Clippers guard Chris Paul this summer and while the All-Star has been treated like royalty in L.A. and arguably has been given more pull than any other player in the league when it comes to personnel decisions, it's possible that CP3 will head elsewhere as he looks to win his first NBA title.  Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld ran down the Clippers' biggest competition and identified the Mavericks, Hawks, Rockets, and Nuggets as the top threats to pull him away from La La Land.  Here's tonight's look around the Association as the Clippers gear up for a very interesting summer..

• In today's mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel if Norris Cole is essentially playing his way out of Miami.  The Heat guard is under contract for next season with a club option for 2014/15, but his play could convince Miami that they can safely let Mario Chalmers go rather than exercise his $4MM option for next year.  Alternatively, they could also exercise the option on the KU product and flip him elsewhere.
• Chris Wilcox is a free agent for a second consecutive season, but he says that he would like to return to the Celtics, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.  “I would love to come back and be a part of this, because I just feel like I didn’t. . . . I wasn’t me, you know what I mean? So I want to come back healthy. I want to come back and be healthy right from the start of training camp," Wilcox said.
• The Nuggets' Quincy Miller recently had his contract for next season partially guaranteed at $150K, according to Sham Sports.  Miller, who could earn up to $789K next year, had a clause in his deal that gave him a partial guarantee if he was not waived in the week following Denver's elimination from the playoffs.

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page:

• Dexter Pittman has been recalled from the D-League by the Heat, according to a team release. Pittman averaged 9.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG in three games during his most recent stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
• The Nuggets have recalled Quincy Miller and Julyan Stone from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. While Miller has averaged 11.3 PPG for the Iowa Energy in 23 D-League games, Stone struggled during his stint with the club, going scoreless in his last four contests. Neither player figures to see much action with the Nuggets, but they'll provide depth for tonight's game in Brooklyn, particularly if Andre Iguodala, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and JaVale McGee remain sidelined.

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

• The Pacers have re-assigned Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Johnson had a brief stint in the D-League last month before he was recalled to Indiana on November 26th.
• The Warriors have re-assigned Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League just three days after recalling them, the team announced today in a press release. Both players appeared briefly in Golden State's game last night against the Jazz.
• Quincy Miller is heading back to the Iowa Energy for his second D-League stint of the season, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Miller, who was originally assigned to the D-League on November 13th, has been back with the Nuggets since December 2nd. He's only appeared briefly in three games with Denver, however.
• Three Thunder players are becoming increasingly familiar with the route between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Perry Jones III, DeAndre Liggins, and Daniel Orton have been re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. It's the fourth D-League assignment of the season for Orton, and the third for both Jones and Liggins. Starting this season, there are no restrictions on the number of times that NBA teams are allowed to assign players to the D-League, so the Thunder have been taking full advantage of the geographical proximity of their Tulsa affiliate.

In addition to the Celtics sending down Kris Joseph, three other teams announced D-League moves in quick succession, and we'll detail them here.

• The Spurs assigned Nando De Colo to the Austin Toros. The rookie has appeared in 13 games for San Antonio, averaging 2.5 points on just 30% shooting in 10.4 minutes per game. The 25-year-old Frenchman logged his first NBA start Thursday as the Spurs rested their regulars against the Heat.
• The Nuggets recalled Quincy Miller from the Iowa Energy after sending him down November 13th. The 6'10" Baylor product, the 38th overall pick in this year's draft, has yet to play in a game for the Nuggets this season, but posted 14.0 PPG and 10.7 RPG in 29.3 MPG in three contests for Iowa.
• The Warriors assigned Jeremy Tyler to the Santa Cruz Warriors in a move first reported by Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Tyler played in 42 games, including 23 starts, as a rookie last season, but has seen just 10 minutes of burn in five games for the big club this year. 
• To keep up with all the D-League assignments and recalls throughout the year, bookmark our updated list.

You can count NBA commissioner David Stern among those who are none-too-pleased about Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's decision to rest his stars against the Heat tonight. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida relayed a statement by Stern which indicated that "substantial sanctions will be forthcoming" as a consequence for San Antonio (Sulia link). Earlier, Popovich told reporters: "It has nothing to do with the Miami Heat, or TV, or anything...You deal with the schedule as best you can and do the wisest thing for your particular team” (Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation reports). On another note, here's what we're hearing out of the Western Conference tonight: 

• Later in his column, Ken Berger of CBS Sports credits a source that says Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni would like to have Nate McMillan as his top assistant for the 2013-14 season if he isn't given a head coaching job by then.  
• Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets writes that if injury-riddled Houston isn't able to get well anytime soon, then "different remedies will be in order." While it may not explicitly imply a roster move, Feigen acknowledges that without Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino, the team is short-handed on the wings. 
• With Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger out, as well as Andrei Kirilenko dealing with back spasms, Timberwolves forward Josh Howard finds himself thrust into the starting lineup yesterday against the Clippers. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes that Howard still considers himself in training camp but remains confident about handling the opportunty for more playing time. 
• With the Thunder going 6-1 over their last seven games, Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK recognizes Russell Westbrook's passing ability as a major component of the team's recent success.  
• While head coach Rick Carlisle doesn't see the Derek Fisher signing as a "cure-all" to the Mavericks' challenges, he welcomes the 38-year-old veteran's experience and leadership abilities at the point guard position, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com. 
• Mike Trudell of Lakers.com writes about the adjustments that Pau Gasol has had to make on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense, where the power forward position in the NBA can provide significantly different types of matchups for the Lakers depending on their opposition.  
• Clippers guard Jamal Crawford talks to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld about having a career year for a team expected to be a playoff contender.
• Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com briefly sheds light on rookie Quincy Miller and his opportunity with the Iowa Energy of the NBDL. 

The Nuggets have assigned Quincy Miller to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. The second-round pick will join the Iowa Energy in advance of the D-League's regular season.

Miller, 19, averaged 6.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG for Denver's Summer League squad, but didn't appear in a game for the Nuggets in the preseason, let alone the regular season. He'll get a chance to earn more playing time in Iowa, which was a possibility GM Masai Ujiri alluded to earlier this fall.

You can find this season's complete list of D-League assignments and recalls right here.

FRIDAY, 8:19am: Miller's deal is worth about $2.2MM over three years, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It sounds like it's a minimum-salary deal, which would pay Miller $2,177,719 if he remained under contract for all three years. It's unlikely the deal is fully guaranteed.

Because the minimum salary exception can only be used to sign players for up to two years, the Nuggets figure to have used part of their mid-level exception to bring Miller on board.

THURSDAY, 4:22pm: The Nuggets have officially signed Miller, according to a team press release. It's not clear whether Miller simply accepted the team's required tender or whether the two sides worked out a different agreement, but either way, the Baylor product is now under contract.

9:53am: The Nuggets have ensured that Quincy Miller won't hit free agency this week by submitting a required tender for the 38th overall pick, according to Nate Timmons of Denver Stiffs. Agent Dwon Clifton confirmed to Timmons that Denver has tendered his client a non-guaranteed offer.

September 6th is the last day that NBA teams can tender contract offers to unsigned second-round draft picks in order to retain their draft rights. The player then has the opportunity to accept that one-year required tender, if he so chooses. By submitting the offer, the team also buys itself a little more time to negotiate further with the player, if he's unwilling to accept the tender.

According to Timmons, Clifton is confident that the two sides will work out a deal in the coming days, which seems to suggest that Miller isn't leaning toward just accepting the one-year, non-guaranteed deal. With 14 players on board so far, the Nuggets do have room to guarantee Miller's deal for their 15th roster spot.

As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors noted this week when he looked at the contract statuses of this year's second-round picks, the Baylor wing is one of a few second-rounders that remains unsigned.

With the draft just four days away, teams are scurrying to get their plans in order before Thursday evening's big event in Newark, NJ. Saturday saw another full slate of draft rumors and Sunday's already shaping up to look the same. Ft. Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price reports the Mavs will be looking to add a rotation-type player with the 17th pick. We'll keep track of all of the day's latest draft news and happenings with the most recent information on top.

• The Rockets are looking to move into the top 10, dangling some combination of picks 14, 16 and Kyle Lowry, says Chad Ford.  Ford suspects that the Rockets are eyeing UConn's Andre Drummond and could be speaking with the Kings at pick 5 and the Raptors at pick 8.
• Jodie Valade addresses the comparisons between Bradley Beal and Ray Allen in a story for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, implying that Beal could be more versatile than Allen.
• Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group takes a look at potential Warriors targets Moe Harkless, Terrence Ross and Quincy Miller and where the selection of the three wings would make sense for Golden State.

Earlier updates:

• The Jazz have a history of striking gold in the second round, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.  The Jazz pick 47th on Thursday, the same pick they have found second round steals Paul Millsap and Mo Williams with in recent drafts.
• Matt Steinmetz from CSN Bay Area has more on Moe Harkless' workout with the Warriors, including video of him answering questions from the media.
• Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops revealed a number of draft related items via Twitter/Sulia feed, including that the Wizards are looking to swap picks with the Bobcats to ensure they land Bradley Beal.
• ESPN's David Thorpe, in an insider piece, takes a look at what the Warriors and Magic should be looking for.  Golden State picks seventh and Orlando 19th. 
• Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer put together a profile on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who went to high school in New Jersey.
• Kevin Massoth of USA Today examines the tough decision Bradley Beal faced on entering the draft versus returning for his sophomore season at Florida.
• Sam Amick of SI.com tweets that Moe Harkless, after working out for the Warriors (pick seven), will work out for the Kings (pick five) who are showing serious interest.  Terrence Ross was supposed to work out against Harkless in Golden State, but couldn't because of an ankle injury (via Rusty Simmons on Twitter).
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune says Royce White, while blessed with immense talent, could be the hardest player to project given his star-crossed journey to the NBA draft. 
• The Knicks will work out Erving Walker, Oscar Bellfield, Marcus Denmon and Harouna Mutombo on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com. 
• The Cavs are currently trying to trade for the Bobcats' No. 2 pick, but FOX Sports Ohio's Sam Amico says he would be surprised if a deal came to fruition (via Twitter).
• The News-Herald's Bob Finnan has the latest news on the Cavs' draft plans and rumors from around the league.
• The Sixers plan to draft for talent rather than to fill a specific need, writes John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal says to look for the Grizzlies to select a shooting guard such as Vanderbilt's John Jenkins with the 25th pick in the draft.
• This year's draft will have more of an American feel as executives have seemingly cooled on the international talent pool, suggests Dwain Price of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.
• The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin says the Kings will have numerous options to consider as they head into Thursday's draft armed with the fifth overall pick.

For the second consecutive year, the Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Now, they will look to vault back into title contention this summer. They do not have a pick in the first round currently, having traded Dallas' and their own at the March trade deadline. Here are a few news updates on the Lakers:

• T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times has a new column which argues that Kobe Bryant will act as a hindrance to the Lakers' success over the next two years, due to his declining skills and untradeable contract.
• Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets that the Lakers would have to trade into the 15-25 range of Thursday's draft to land one of their two rumored targets, Quincy Miller and Perry Jones III.

All eyes tonight will be on Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Thunder look to stave off elimination in Miami, but exactly one week from now, we'll be gearing up for the 2012 draft. The first draft-related trade of the month was finalized yesterday, when the Wizards sent the No. 46 overall pick to the Hornets along with Rashard Lewis as part of a three-player swap. Will we see another deal consummated today? We'll keep track of the day's latest draft news and rumors right here, with the newest items added up top....

• Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wonders whether Royce White's decision to pull out of his remaining workout has to do with an injury or his fear of flying instead of a promise from the Celtics (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune pegs White as a candidate to be picked at No. 18 by the Wolves, and lists the second-round hopefuls the team will be working out Friday.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal sizes up Andrew Nicholson and the chances he'll go to the Cavs at pick No. 24.
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com has tweaked his mock draft in the wake of the latest developments (Insider link).

Earlier updates:

• The Celtics appear to have promised Iowa State power forward Royce White that they will draft him at No. 21, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Sam Amick of SI.com tweets that one of his sources is denying the report.
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News
reports that despite being red-flagged by NBA doctors, Jared Sullinger is unlikely to slip out of the first round, and he'll probably go no lower than the Cavs' 24th pick. 
• The picks between No. 27 and No. 29, held by the Heat, Thunder and Bulls, are "very available" for other teams looking to trade for a late first-round selection, a league executive tells Deveney.
• We rounded up news from Sam Amick of SI.com in an earlier post, including word on a potential swap of the second and fourth picks.
• Jonathan Feigen says the Rockets are trying to trade the 14th and 16th picks, as we noted earlier, and also gives us his own mock draft.
• The Sixers will work out Arnett Moultrie, Tyler Zeller, Perry Jones, John Henson and Andrew Nicholson on Saturday, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer says via Twitter, and Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets a list of possible second-rounders working out Friday for the Jazz.
• Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com has the third version of his mock draft. He opines that the No. 7 pick would be a lot for the Warriors to give up in a rumored deal with the Bulls for Luol Deng (Twitter link).
• The Blazers are shopping both of their first-round picks, at No. 6 and No. 11, but no deal is imminent, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Still, new GM Neil Olshey says, "My gut today is that we would keep the picks," according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Twitter link).
• The Warriors plan on keeping the seventh pick, and even though they already have two first-round selections, they'd like to add a third, says Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitterlinks).
• The Bobcats will work out six players tomorrow, including Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond, the team announced. Second-round hopefuls Kent Bazemore, Chris Cooper, Ramone Moore and Josh Owens are the other prospects involved. 
• John Canzano of the Oregonian heard from one GM who believes the Blazers will draft Damian Lillard at No. 6 rather than risk him being taken before their 11th pick (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Chad Ford tweets that he's hearing similar rumblings.
• In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Ford takes a look at how this month's workouts might have affected the draft stock of the top few prospects on the board.
• A day after the Times-Picayune's John DeShazier suggested the Emeka Okafor/Trevor Ariza trade could open up the door for the Hornets to draft Tyler Zeller, his colleague John Reid reports that New Orleans is in fact seriously considering Zeller at No. 10.
• That Hornets/Wizards deal could also increase the chances of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist falling to the Cavaliers at No. 4, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
• As Jay Satur of Raptors.com notes, The Raptors have a number of top prospects in town for today's workout, including John Henson, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Jones.
• Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic explores the Suns' backup plan for the 13th pick if there are no shooting guards they like on the board.
• Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond worked out against each other in Cleveland yesterday, with Robinson clearly coming out on top, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
• The Timberwolves will work out six players tomorrow, including Quincy Acy for a second time, the team announced via Twitter.
• Baylor's Quincy Miller thinks he'd be a great fit for the Nuggets, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
• The Hawks' PR Twitter feed has the details on the team's workouts today (Twitter link).