Robin Lopez admits that the Suns gave him a fair contract offer this offseason, but decided to sign with the Hornets because he needed a "fresh start," writes AZCentral.com's Paul Coro. 

• CBSSports.com's NBA writer Zach Harper writes that Pau Gasol's shooting trend is worrisome; more jump shots and less action in the paint. This only supports the theory that Gasol might be on his way out of Los Angeles before this season ends.
• Dallas Morning News reporter Eddie Sefko writes about Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle's "dog house," in regards to his inconsistent rotations so far this season. 

Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group summarized Warriors GM Bob Myers' meeting with the local media today, and writes that the team has very important decisions to make in the near future. Thompson mentions that Golden State has the ability to significantly be under the salary cap in two years, but will also have to deal with the possible contract extensions of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut in addition to deciding the futures of players that are still on their rookie-scale deals. "The players can stay as long as they want if we win...but if we don't win, maybe some things do get turned over," said Myers. 

With that being said, we have a few more links to share with you tonight out of the Western Conference: 

• Andrew Bogut is on schedule to play on opening night and possibly in some pre-season games, although the Australian center has not yet been cleared for five-on-five scrimmages yet, writes Rusty Simmons of SF Gate. GM Bob Myers also talked about Festus Ezeli, adding that he is a "team-first" guy who gives multiple efforts make him a quality prospect. Myers chose to remain neutral on Andris Biedrins not showing up for voluntary pre-training camp workouts, but added that he will have the opportunity to compete in camp and that his role will ultimately be left up to head coach Mark Jackson.
• Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that the last three roster spots on the Lakers will ultimately be decided between Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Robert Sacre (Twitter link). In another tweet, Markazi says that Goudelock seems to be the odd man out at this point. 
• Hornets rookie Anthony Davis spoke about what he took away from his experiences at the Olympics, teaming with Robin Lopez this season, and head coach Monty Williams' expectations (Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune reports). 
• Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com spoke with Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt to evaluate Jordan Hamilton's rookie season and what he was told to work on this summer. 

John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Austin Rivers is on schedule to be fully healed in time for Hornets' training camp in October after undergoing surgery on his right ankle three weeks ago. The rookie joins a list of teammates, namely Xavier Henry and Robin Lopez, who are recovering from recent surgeries. Regardless, head coach Monty Williams looks to have all three ready by the time the regular season starts. With that aside, here are more noteworthy tidbits from around the Association: 

• C.J. Miles elaborated more on the opportunity he has to expand his game with the Cavaliers, especially for a coach like Byron Scott, who believes that Miles has a lot of untapped potential (Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports). 
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that former Timberwolves and Trail Blazers assistant Dean Cooper is headed to the Rockets to join Kevin McHale's coaching staff. 
• Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link) mentions that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant is encouraged about Kelenna Azubuike, who looks like he's moving well and could be a contributor this season.
• Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he'll return to the court "stronger than ever" this upcoming season. 
• 76ers GM Rod Thorn acknowledges heightened expectations and says that Philadelphia fans appear to be especially excited because of the acquisition of Andrew Bynum, according to Dei Lynam of CSN Philly. 
• Jenni Carlson of NewsOK thinks that James Harden is better suited to thrive in a small market city with the Thunder rather than be potentially distracted in what she terms "hot spots."

Newly acquired Hornets center Robin Lopez has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a meniscus tear, the team announced Saturday. He is expected to be ready for training camp.

Lopez was signed and traded last week from the Suns to the Hornets as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Timberwolves. As part of the trade, he reportedly signed a three-year deal worth $15.3MM.

7:40pm: The amount of cash going to the Hornets from the Suns is about $1.15MM, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

12:16pm: The Suns, Hornets, and Timberwolves have officially completed a three-team trade that will send Robin Lopez to the Hornets and Wesley Johnson to the Suns, the teams announced today. Per a Hornets press release, the deal breaks down as follows:

• Hornets acquire: Robin Lopez (from Suns), Hakim Warrick (from Suns), cash (from Suns)
• Suns acquire: Wesley Johnson (from Timberwolves), Brad Miller (from Hornets), Jerome Dyson (from Hornets), 2013 first-round pick (from Timberwolves)
• Timberwolves acquire: 2013 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2014 second-round pick (from Suns), 2016 second-round pick (from Hornets)

Lopez is the only player changing hands who was not previously under contract, so New Orleans receives him as part of a sign-and-trade. His contract is for three years and about $15.3MM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Dyson's contract is non-guaranteed, and Miller, who has a partially-guaranteed deal, is expected to retire, so Phoenix will likely waive both of those players in the near future. The first-round pick the Suns acquire from the T-Wolves will be either the Wolves' or Grizzlies' pick depending on those teams' performances. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details (via Twitter).

Two of the three picks the Timberwolves receive in the deal are ones they sent to the Hornets earlier this month. The 2013 second-rounder is Brooklyn's, the 2016 second-rounder is New Orleans', and the 2014 second-rounder is the Lakers, acquired by Phoenix in the Steve Nash trade.

Now that the trade is complete, Minnesota should have the cap space to finalize its signing of Andrei Kirilenko.

FRIDAY, 11:51am: The Hornets' acquisition of Robin Lopez is complete, says Jimmy Smith of the Times Picayune, who adds that New Orleans will end up with Hakim Warrick as well (Twitter links). We'll have to wait for further reports or an official announcement to see how the full deal looks.

THURSDAY, 8:20pm: There won't be a resolution to the deal on Thursday night but the odds of the trade going through have improved, tweets Coro. The Hornets' cap situation is not holding up the deal from progressing further.

1:40pm: Alex Laugan of Bright Side of the Sun provides a fantastic breakdown of why this deal is currently on hold, as the Hornets' side of the transaction needs to be modified to be legal under the CBA. In all likelihood, New Orleans will need to include at least one more player or remove Hakim Warrick from the deal to make it work.

WEDNESDAY, 11:07pm: Coro confirms the pick going from the Wolves to the Suns is originally from the Grizzlies, meaning it's lottery protected through 2016, after which it becomes a 2017 second-round pick and cash.

10:15pm: According to a tweet by Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, the Wolves are getting a third second-round draft choice in the deal, though it's unclear from whom. Two of them are the same picks Minnesota traded to the Hornets earlier this month, Zgoda says.

7:47pm: The Suns will waive Miller once the deal is finalized, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Coro also notes that if the draft pick that goes to the Suns from the Timberwolves is the one that the Grizzlies owe Minnesota, it's lottery-protected for four years (Twitter links).

3:26pm: The three-way trade that would send Lopez and Warrick to New Orleans and Johnson to Phoenix has been agreed upon, reports Brent Martel of the Associated Press (link via the Star Tribune). According to Martel, all that's left is to work through "some routine logistical matters." To recap, while the deal isn't official yet, this is how it looks, as reported so far:

• Hornets acquire: Robin Lopez (from Suns, via sign-and-trade), Hakim Warrick (from Suns)
• Suns acquire: Wesley Johnson (from Timberwolves), First-round pick (from Timberwolves), Brad Miller (from Hornets)
• Timberwolves acquire: Jerome Dyson (from Hornets), Two second-round picks (from Hornets)

7:49am: If the three-team deal goes through, Lopez will receive a three-year contract worth $15MM+ from the Hornets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

TUESDAY, 9:43pm: According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, the Hornets would move Brad Miller's contract to the Suns. It's unclear what Minnesota would get from the deal, except cap space to acquire Andrei Kirilenko. New Orleans and Phoenix discussed a similar four-team trade last week, with Boston and Houston replacing Minnesota, but the Suns pulled out as the deal fell apart, which is when the Timberwolves entered the picture.

7:19pm: Minnesota will likely receive Brad Miller's contract, Jerome Dyson, and draft picks, tweets Wojnarowski. However, Mark Deeks of Shamsports.com has tweeted that the Timberwolves are unable to trade for Miller again this year. 

6:27pm: The Hornets, Suns, and Timberwolves are nearing a three-team sign-and-trade deal that would send Robin Lopez to the Hornets, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Earlier today Wojnarowski reported that the Hornets and Suns were interested in conducting a sign-and-trade deal, but Minnesota's entry into the deal is a new development. 

Along with Lopez, the Suns would send Hakim Warrick to the Hornets, and the Timberwolves would send Wesley Johnson and a first-round pick to the Suns. (Twitter link).

Only four names are left on our list of this summer's restricted free agents, and one is drawing significant interest from the Hornets. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), New Orleans has "worked hard" to complete a sign-and-trade deal for Robin Lopez, but has been unsuccessful so far.

The Suns would like to retain their restricted free agent center, but have so far been unable to come to terms with Lopez, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). If the 24-year-old were to sign an offer sheet with another club, the Suns would likely match it, so the Hornets are looking to avoid that scenario by sending compensation to Phoenix. New Orleans pulled off a similar deal with the Magic, sending Gustavo Ayon to Orlando in exchange for a signed-and-traded Ryan Anderson.

Lopez has averaged just 14.4 minutes per game in his four seasons with the Suns, but has been reasonably efficient in his limited playing time, averaging 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 14.9 PER in 242 career contests.

Phoenix may have lost star point guard Steve Nash, but don't expect the team to bottom out this season, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Suns have managed to add a few long-term pieces to the roster, including Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, and Michael Beasley, while maintaining spending flexibility for next summer. Let's round up a few Thursday afternoon Suns notes from Coro's piece and elsewhere....

• Having inked the aforementioned players, the Suns appear to be putting the brakes on major signings for the rest of the offseason. It's possible they bring back Shannon Brown, but unlikely they seriously pursue Courtney Lee, according to Coro.
• Signing Brown to a short, affordable deal would keep the team's cap flexible enough to make a run at James Harden or another big-name free agent next summer, says Coro.
• The Suns passed on O.J. Mayo due to "price and a questionable fit," according to Coro.
• Coro adds that teams have made "unappetizing" sign-and-trade proposals to the Suns for restricted free agent Robin Lopez, who is still seeking an offer sheet.
• Coach Alvin Gentry tells Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld that he isn't worried about the Suns' roster undergoing changes, and that he'll just focus on getting the best out of the players he has.

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.

With a good chunk of cap room expected to be available, the Suns are scheduling meetings with both their own free agents and other teams', according to the team's official Twitter feed. President Lon Babby, GM Lance Blanks, and coach Alvin Gentry are in Los Angeles to meet with unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley and Suns restricted FA Robin Lopez. Babby also said the team hopes to meet with Eric Gordon, Raymond Felton, and Goran Dragic later in the week.

The Suns only have about $32MM in guaranteed salary on their books for next season, and it's appearing more and more likely that they'll lose Steve Nash to a rival suitor, so the club figures to be active on other free agents. Dragic may not be a realistic target, given his salary demands and the presence of Kendall Marshall, and Gordon is likely to be retained by the Hornets. But Felton and Beasley aren't out of the realm of possibility for Phoenix, and the club is also expected to match any offer sheet Lopez signs.

The Suns are also said to have some interest in Jordan Hill, Ray Allen, and Jamal Crawford.