• Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki is excited about the team's offseason additions and says that anything is possible if the chemistry is right, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDay DFW. 
• Kendrick Perkins doesn't think that he nor any of his Thunder teammates need to personally intervene in order to influence James Harden's contract negotiations, believing that his decision will be affected just by returning to training camp and seeing his "family" again (John Rohde of NewsOK reports). 
• HoopsWorld provides their season preview of the Lakers, who enter the 2012-13 season with a collection of superstar talent and championship aspirations. According to Eric Pincus, the Lakers' powerfully talented lineup along with improved depth gives them the opportunity to compete at the highest level. On the flip side, Pincus writes that age is definitely not on their side and wonders if Mike Brown has the personality to lead this team to a championship. 
• Brian Geltzeiler of SheridanHoops.com offers his thoughts on hot topics that he's been asked about on Twitter and the radio, namely about his projections for the Bulls this season, the idea that Ray Allen's addition to the Heat makes them unbeatable, and if the new CBA is having its desired effect. 

10:26pm:  Mavericks President Donnie Nelson, on the night his father was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, said nothing is close to happening with Hettsheimeir, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.  The Mavericks roster is full with 15 guaranteed contracts, so a move for Hettsheimeir would necessitate another deal. 

8:53am:  Around the time the moratorium on free agent signings lifted in early July, we heard a few rumors linking NBA teams to Brazilian big man Rafael Hettsheimeir. The Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, and Hawks were said to be among the teams displaying interest.

Two months later, there's still a chance that Hettsheimeir could begin the season on an NBA roster. A TuBasket.com report (Spanish link) suggests that the Mavs are still interested in the 26-year-old, and the Cavs have interest as well. According to TuBasket, both teams could be willing to offer the CAI Zaragoza center a partially guaranteed, one-year deal.

It's not clear whether it would take more than the rookie minimum (about $473K) to land Hettsheimeir, but if he was seeking a larger deal, it could make Cleveland the favorite -- the Cavs still have over $11MM in cap space at their disposal.

In ACB League play in 2011/12, Hettsheimeir averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, with shooting percentages of .512/.339/.745.

We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:

• Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
• Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 
• Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.

Earlier updates:

• The Trail Blazers have been in touch with Suns restricted free agent Robin Lopez, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
• Within an Insider piece on the top remaining free agents, ESPN.com's Chad Ford notes that Carl Landry is seeking a lucrative one-year deal.
• The Heat, Bulls, Raptors, Wizards, Timberwolves, and Celtics are among the teams eyeing John Lucas III, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
• Courtney Lee tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that there's still a chance he returns to Houston. However, he would likely have to find an offer with another team, then the Rockets would consider matching it -- there doesn't seem to be a formal offer on the table from the Rockets at the moment (allTwitterlinks).
• Mike James and Pablo Prigioni are on the Knicks' radar as potential third-string point guards, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitterlinks).
• Larry Coon of ESPN.com and HoopsWorld tweets that the Lakers have some interest in Jodie Meeks.
• The Rockets, Spurs, Hawks are displaying interest in Brazilian center Rafael Hettsheimeir, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. We heard yesterday that the Mavericks were interested in Hettsheimeir.
• Rashard Lewis is mulling over an offer from the Heat but will meet with other teams this week, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top....

• There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
• A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved.  Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
• However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets.  The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.

Earlier updates:

• A source with knowledge of Derek Fisher's free agency situation told Sam Amick of SI (via Twitter) that a return to the Thunder is possible, but the Cavs are the frontrunner at the moment.  The Nets and Mavs are also possibilities but the Bulls and Knicks have gone in different directions (Kirk Hinrich and Jason Kidd, respectively).
• Antawn Jamison told David Scott of the Charlotte Observer that he will probably decide "in a week or so" on whether he’ll finish his NBA career with the Bobcats.   Aside from the Bobcats and the Warriors, the veteran says he'll probably only consider title contenders.
• Courtney Lee confirmed he's interested in the Celtics, but said they're one of eight teams with interest in him, and added that the money has to be right (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
• Aaron Brooks has yet to talk to anyone but the Rockets, he tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
• The Mavericks have talked to Brazilian center Rafael Hettsheimeir, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. However, while a Portuguese report suggests Dallas has made a contract offer, the Mavs have yet to do so, says Caplan.
• Yi Jianlian is drawing interest from Panathinaikos and other teams overseas, but he remains focused on signing an NBA deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Meanwhile, after spending the 2011/12 season in Greece, Joey Dorsey is drawing interest from some NBA teams, tweets Wojnarowski.
• The Mavericks are expected to resume talks with unrestricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions today, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
• Courtney Lee met with the Celtics this weekend and Boston is interested in a sign-and-trade for him, but a number of other teams have Lee on their radar as well. Between ESPN.com's Marc Stein and SI.com's Sam Amick, the following teams are listed as suitors for Lee: The Timberwolves, Hawks, Pacers, Mavericks, Suns, Bulls, and Wizards.
• According to Stein (Twitter link), Rockets coach Kevin McHale met with free agent point guard Aaron Brooks on Sunday night.