After indulging in his love of soccer to make a cross-sport comparison of LeBron James and Lionel Messi, Marc Stein of ESPN.com delivers his usual assortment of juicy NBA rumors from around the league as part of his Weekend Dime. Here are the highlights:

• One NBA GM believes Serge Ibaka would have been worth a maximum-salary contract had he not signed a $49.4MM extension with the Thunder this past offseason. I took an early look this evening at some of this summer's rookie-scale extension candidates.
• The Mavs recently tried to free former NBA point guard Bobby Brown from his deal with Italian club Montepaschi Siena, but the potential buyout would have been too costly. Several teams have interest in Brown, 28, who's expected to return to the NBA next season. He's averaging 17.7 points and 4.4 assists this season in Italy.
• Raja Bell confirms, as we've heard, that he would have taken a buyout from the Jazz before the March 1st playoff eligibility deadline if he had an offer from another team already lined up, and that the Lakers' concerns about the luxury tax have precluded L.A. from signing him. He also said he's open to joining a team this season even though he wouldn't be eligible for the playoffs.
• Had the Nets held on to their first-round draft pick last year instead of trading it away in the Gerald Wallace deal, they likely would have passed on presumptive Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard in favor of Tyler Zeller, since they figured incumbent point guard Deron Williams would re-sign. 
• Stein takes the Bulls to task for not making it clear that they're OK with Derrick Rose if he doesn't come back this season. Rose is angry that the perception that he's the only one holding up his return has been allowed to build. A source tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com that "a lot of people have to sign off" before he could come back.

A roundup of the latest updates on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday evening:

• Dion Waiters praises the development and chemistry of his teammates after being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that the rising value of first-round draft picks under the new CBA increases the likelihood the Cavs can pull off a trade similar to the one they made for Tyler Zeller.
• Injured big man Anderson Varejao discusses his relationship with former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas with Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:

• Rudy Gay is turning to his friends around the NBA for support as trade rumors swirl, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
• Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News writes that Carmelo Anthony's recent fight with Kevin Garnett brings into question Knicks owner James Dolan's decision to build the roster around him.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that Richard Hamilton is starting to realize that his career is coming to a close.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises the recent play of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for the Bulls.
• A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes that Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger is showing an increased aggressiveness in recent weeks.
• Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer reports that former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is mentoring the team's two young bigs, Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is impressed with the job interim head coach Jim Boylan has done for the Bucks since replacing Scott Skiles.
• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Gerald Henderson understands that his primary role with the Bobcats is three-point shooting.

We rounded up rumors on the Cavs earlier today, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has more on Anderson Varejao, whom one league executive believes would be the top target on the trade market if the Cavs decide to dangle him. The 30-year-old Varejao has been a revelation this year after returning from a broken wrist that ended his season in 2011/12, averaging a career high 15.1 points and a league-leading 15.3 rebounds per game.

The Cavs thought they found Varejao's eventual replacement when they landed Tyler Zeller in a draft-night trade with the Mavericks, believing Zeller could eventually put up numbers similar to those Varejao has posted over his career, according to Lloyd. Cleveland entered the season thinking this could be the year for a Varejao trade, especially if his value escalated after a strong start. Varejao's performance has been much better than anyone imagined, however, and that means the Cavs may have trouble finding fair value, Lloyd writes.

The Cavs would be interested in the Raptors pick that's currently held by Oklahoma City, but the Thunder are not in the market for Varejao, Lloyd says. He hears the Thunder would be unlikely to meet Cleveland's demands, which might include Serge Ibaka.

Varejao's value figures to be high again next season, and the Cavs believe Varejao can be effective beyond his current contract, which runs through 2015 at an average of more than $9MM per season, as Lloyd points out. So, it seems there's plenty of reasons why Cavs GM Chris Grant and company wouldn't make a deal this year. The Cavs believe he's on par with the other top big men in the league, but there's no guarantee they'd be able to get one of those guys or a comparable player if they traded Varejao for assets with greater long-term potential but smaller immediate return.

The Cavs have signed first-round picks Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller to rookie contracts, according to a team release. Waiters, 20, was selected fourth overall by Cleveland after starring at Syracuse in the backcourt. Zeller, 22, was drafted 17th overall by the Mavericks and dealt to the Cavs in a draft night trade. The former UNC forward/center won the ACC Player of the Year award during his senior year. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald says Waiters received a four-year $16.7MM deal while Zeller obtained a four-year, $7.4MM contract (Twitter links).

10:33pm: Kelenna Azubuike will also be sent to Cleveland in the deal, according to a Mavericks press release making the deal official.

8:13pm: We've finally got our first trade of draft night, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports that the Cavaliers have acquired the No. 17 pick from the Mavericks (Twitter link). The Mavs drafted Tyler Zeller at 17 for Cleveland, and will receive three selections in return -- the Cavs' 24th, 33rd, and 34th overall picks (Twitter links via Ford).

You can follow the night's full draft results right here.

With draft night fast approaching, our Tuesday draft rumors post seemed to go on forever, and we're expecting things to be just as busy today. Earlier this morning, we published our second and final mock draft, but given the amount of trade chatter around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if some of our predictions were rendered moot within a matter of hours. We'll follow today's draft-related news and rumors right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day....

• ESPN's Andy Katz tweets that Dion Waiters could now be a possibility for the Cavaliers at the 4th pick.  If Waiters lands in the top 5, his draft stock will have shot up boards over the past few months in historical fashion.

Earlier updates:

• Five of ESPN's draft analysts participated in a rotating mock draft today. 
• Also at ESPN, Chad Ford and Skip Bayless name Austin Rivers and Tyler Zeller as two of the biggest potential busts.  Steven A. Smith joins them to debate whether Rivers is overrated or clutch.
• The Spurs have been able to pull talent out of the second round in the past, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. 
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune identifies Will Barton, John Jenkins and Doron Lamb as three players that have worked out for the Bulls and are realistic possibilities at 29.
• The Knicks have been one of few quiet teams leading up to the draft, but Jared Zwerling put together a Knicks draft primer for ESPN New York.  Al Iannazzone of Newsday offers his take on the Knicks' draft options as well.
• Perry Jones III was in Houston today for his second visit with the Rockets, says Mark Berman of Fox Houston.  Jones III's selection will probably fall somewhere between 12 and 18, where the Rockets have three picks.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star examines the Raptors' trade options with the 8th pick.  With Harrison Barnes likely off the board at 8, Smith thinks the team should either move up to get him or trade out with a teams like the Rockets.
• Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas says that it makes sense for the Mavs to keep their pick because a rookie contract will save them money in comparison to a free agent one.
• Dion Waiters says that he did not get a promise from a team in the lottery, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
• NBA.com's David Alridge tweets the Rockets are still trying to get into the top five tomorrow, with their latest offer being rejected by the Kings who hold the 5th pick.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has eight players the Magic may target should they keep the 19th pick tomorrow night - point guard and big men seem to be the trend.
• Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune says via Sulia that while the Jazz are still interested in trading into the lottery, it seems unlikely as they are unwilling to overpay to make it happen.
• Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area continues his extensive draft coverage by ranking the draft's power forwards and examing how each player would fit in Golden State.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford updated his most recent mock draft to reflect today's Bucks/Rockets trade, and conducted a chat with readers in which he answered a ton of draft questions.
• Also at ESPN.com, Andy Katz spoke to a number of this year's top prospects on the eve of the draft.
• Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap told Adam Zagoria of Sheridan Hoops that it's "possible" Charlotte trades down from No. 2, but team president Rod Higgins and GM Rich Cho both said it would take a "really enticing" offer for the 'Cats to move down, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Higgins also said that yesterday's trade for Ben Gordon won't affect the Bobcats' draft plans.
• The Grizzlies don't intend to sell the No. 25 pick, owner Michael Heisley tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
• Damian Lillard had a second workout for the Raptors today and said it went much better than his first, tweets Ryan Woltsat of the Toronto Sun.
• In a pair of new mock drafts, SI.com's Sam Amick updates his picks, while at Grantland, Chad Ford and Bill Simmons alternate picks for most of the first round.
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains why the Warriors have a good chance to end up with Harrison Barnes or Dion Waiters at No. 7, rather than Andre Drummond.
• A source tells Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that Austin Rivers is a possibility for the Trail Blazers at No. 6 (Twitter link).
• TNT's David Aldridge has Andre Drummond slipping all the way down to No. 16 in his mock draft for NBA.com.
• Nets GM Billy King told reporters there's "no shot" his team will jump into the top six of the draft, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
• Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio are both hearing that Thomas Robinson will likely go to the Bobcats at No. 2 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to the Cavs at No. 4 (Twitterlinks). Amico suggests the Cavs' rumored deal with the Bobcats could be off, or at least on hold.
• According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter), there could be as many as nine first-round prospects that have received medical red flags. As Givony points out in a series of subsequenttweets, many red-flagged players in the past have had perfectly healthy NBA careers.
• While Thomas Robinson is considered the Bobcats' top target at second overall, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still very much in the running, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
• The Raptors may have narrowed their draft wish list to three players, but are keeping their options open, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. I'd guess the top three realistic targets for Toronto at No. 8 are Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, and Austin Rivers, in some order.
• The two lottery picks drawing the most trade interest are the Raptors' at No. 8 and the Kings' at No. 5, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has updated his latest mock draft, which sees Michael Kidd-Gilchrist bumped up to fourth overall, to the Cavs.
• According to Nets Daily, TNT's David Aldridge said on NBA TV that the Nets are exploring a way to land a first-round pick and snag Thomas Robinson as a trade chip for Dwight Howard. Given the lack of trade assets Brooklyn currently possesses, I doubt this one gets past the exploratory stage.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes of an increasing possibility that the Bucks could draft a guard at No. 12.
• Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that Marquis Teague could have been a 2013 lottery pick if he'd stayed at Kentucky another year. The Grizz are eyeing Teague and others at No. 25, as Tillery writes.

The NBA has invited 14 players to the 2012 NBA Draft Green Room, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The Green Room allows some of the draft's best prospects to sit with their agents and families just off the stage as they await to be selected by a team. Players are extended an opportunity to attend based upon how they are projected to be picked in the draft in order to avoid an awkward situation where a player finds himself sitting around deep into the first round. Notable omissions from the Green Room include UNC's Kendall Marshall and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who has seen his stock drop due to health concerns.

• Harrison Barnes - Forward - UNC
• Bradley Beal - Guard - Florida
• Anthony Davis - Forward/Center - Kentucky
• Andre Drummond - Center - UConn
• John Henson - Forward - UNC
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - Forward - Kentucky
• Jeremy Lamb - Guard - UConn
• Meyers Leonard - Center - Illinois
• Damian Lillard - Guard - Weber State
• Austin Rivers - Guard - Duke
• Thomas Robinson - Forward - Kansas
• Terrence Ross - Forward - Washington
• Dion Waiters - Guard - Syracuse
• Tyler Zeller - Center - UNC

We've already covered a few draft rumors today, and Zach Links went in-depth on West Virginia power forward Kevin Jones in our latest Prospect Profile. There's plenty more going on as the draft approaches, including news from John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers put point guard Marquis Teague through an "exhaustive" individual workout this morning. Bookmark this post for the rest of the day's draft news, with latest on top.

• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star has an article on the Pacers' scouting staff as they prepare to pick 26th overall in Thursday's draft.
• Kurt Helin of NBC Sports looks at several players with the potential to become the second-best talents in the draft.
• Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News suggests Meyers Leonard as a possible fit for the Warriors.
• The Lakers are in talks to acquire a first-round pick, and could be after the Heat's selection at No. 27, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets.
• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer offers his thoughts on the implications of a rumored swap of the second and fourth picks by the Bobcats and Cavs. 
• Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group thinks the Warriors could trade down from No. 7 and still get the player they want, unless it's Damian Lillard or Dion Waiters. He also believes the team will give serious consideration to Andre Drummond (Twitter links).
• We have the latest from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com in a separate post.

Earlier updates:

• Nick Menta and Josh Jurnavoy of CSNPhilly.com have details on today's Sixers big man workout featuring Perry Jones III, Terrence Jones, Arnett Moultrie, Andrew Nicholson, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.
• If the Warriors draft a big man with the seventh pick, it will be either Tyler Zeller or Meyers Leonard, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Simmons also has a list of the players who will work out Sunday for the Warriors, joining Moe Harkless (Sulia links). 
• Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune shares Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor's thoughts on trading into the first round. "Just because we're quiet doesn't mean we're not working," O'Connor said. "We're talking to a lot of people about a lot of things" (Twitter links).
• St. John's small forward Moe Harkless is drawing heavy interest from the Warriors, Blazers and Kings, says Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The small forward from St. John's will work out Sunday for the Warriors and Monday for the Kings (Twitter links).
• Tony Wroten, Andrew Nicholson and Kevin Jones highlight the players auditioning Monday for the Grizzlies, who will bring Marquis Teague in Tuesday for a workout, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
• Ryan Blake, the NBA's director of scouting, doesn't foresee either Terrence Jones or Perry Jones III being available when the Mavs pick 17th, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Sam Amick of SI.com explains why Mike Scott, Will Barton, Scott Machado, Tony Wroten and Kyle O'Quinn are potential sleepers.
• Hornets coach Dell Demps believes the 46th pick is valuable considering the depth of the draft, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com, and says the team is "looking at every possible opportunity with the No. 10 pick," tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune.

We're tracking most of today's draft updates here, but Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com has a piece that deserves some extra attention. Howard-Cooper also wrote about the pressure on new Warriors GM Bob Myers today, as we noted, and he has more here on potential choices for Golden State at No. 7 and a player whose stock is on the rise.

• A GM told Howard-Cooper not to be surprised if St. John's small forward Moe Harkless winds up in the lottery. We've already heard that Harkess is drawing heavy interest from the Warriors, Blazers and Kings.
• This week's trade with the Wizards increases the Hornets' need for a center with the No. 10 pick. That's bad news for the Blazers and Bucks, also in the market for a big man. Howard-Cooper believes Andre Drummond, Meyers Leonard and Tyler Zeller will all be off the board by the time Portland makes its second pick at No. 11.
• The Warriors are giving strong consideration to drafting Dion Waiters at No. 7 and making him the team's third guard behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The team likes Damian Lillard, too, but he might not be available.
• Royce White, who one executive compares to Anthony Mason, should go somewhere between 15th and 25th.