The Lakers obviously hope that they can re-sign Dwight Howard this summer, but what will they do in the event that he finds greener pastures elsewhere?  Howard's next club might prefer a sign-and-trade to help the numbers work, but the Lakers may or may not entertain such an idea, depending on who you ask.  Here's more from the week that was..

• Coach Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce reportedly want to stay together, even if that means taking the show out west to Clipperland.  The talks were underway with Boston GM Danny Ainge pushing for DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe at one point, but talks have stalled for the time being.
• Raise your hand if you said that Jason Kidd would be the Nets' next head coach after P.J. Carlesimo was fired.  The guard, who is just weeks removed from his NBA playing career, is now looking to assemble an experienced staff to help ease the learning curve.
• The Pistons hired Maurice Cheeks as their head coach.  The veteran coach was said to be the frontrunner for the job for several weeks.
• Andre Iguodala will opt out of his deal with the Nuggets.
• The Kings will hire Pete D'Alessandro as their next GM.  Larry Bird was a target but things didn't work out on that front.
• The Pacers are leaning towards keeping Danny Granger for the final year of his deal.
• The Rockets will decline their options on Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks.
• Nets GM Billy King threw some cold water on the idea that his club is still in the mix for Howard.
• The field of suitors for DH could be growing.
• Kobe Bryant wants two more cracks at a ring.
• C.J. Watson will decline his player option.
• The No. 1 pick is still fairly open as we approach the draft.  Victor Oladipo is reportedly in the conversation for the Cavs, along with Alex Len, Otto Porter, and Nerlens Noel. 
• The Grizzlies will talk to George Karl tomorrow and current assistant Dave Joerger on Tuesday.  Alvin Gentry is reportedly coming off of a very strong showing.  This comes after Memphis formally parted ways with Lionel Hollins.
• Marvin Williams declined his ETO.
• Brandon Rush triggered his player option.
• Nerlens Noel signed up with Andy Miller and Frank Catapano.
• Rashard Lewis doesn't plan to opt out.
• The Cavs could have something big in the works.
• The Rockets, Hawks, and Kings all got fined for tampering.
• Tony DiLeo is a serious candidate for the Denver GM gig.
• Team USA announced its mini-camp roster.

George Karl was the 2012/13 Coach of the Year, but it wasn't enough to keep his job in Denver.  The Nuggets canned the high-profile coach and will now have two major spots to fill, along with the vacant GM job.  Here's more from the week that was..

• The Rockets are going to go after Chris Paul as well as Dwight Howard.
• Some bad news for Nerlens Noel: the Cavs may not want to take him with the No. 1 pick as they are looking to win right away.  Meanwhile, his ACL could be worse than originally thought, hurting his draft stock.
• Kevin Durant is now going to be represented by Jay-Z's Roc Nation venture.
• The Bucks offered Monta Ellis a two-year extension.
• Jason Kidd decided to call it a career.
• The Jazz talked to Jerry Sloan about returning.  
• The Nuggets are eyeing lots of potential coaching candidates, including Lionel Hollins, Brian Shaw, and Nate McMillan.
• The Nets are seriously considering Shaw.
• Kobe Bryant hinted that he will outplay his current contract which takes him through the 2013/14 season.
• The Bucks and Wizards discussed a deal involving Ersan Ilyasova and the No. 3 pick.
• The Magic are thinking about moving down from the No. 2 pick.
• There are new names in the 76ers coaching search.
• Maurice Cheeks is the frontrunner in Detroit.
• J.R. Smith turned down his player option but he's likely to stay in New York.
• The Kings interviewed David Morway and are still looking to woo Larry Bird.
• The Suns are thinking about adding a third first-round pick this year.
• Some people think Sergey Karasev has a draft promise, but he denies it.
• Manu Ginobili could retire after the Finals.
• Ditto for Tracy McGrady.
• Richard Jefferson exercised his option.
• Dario Saric could pull out of the draft.
• Jeremy Pargo will play in Russia.

The Raptors' fondness for Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has been the worst kept secret in basketball over the last month and this week, the club officially got the top executive on their wishlist.  Ujiri reportedly has a five-year deal with the club that will pay him $15MM in total.  While he liked the opportunity in Toronto, he gave Denver a chance to match before accepting the contract.  More from this week on Hoops Rumors..

• Dwight Howard is leaning towards the Rockets but will meet with every potential suitor starting on July 1st.  Houston is increasingly hopeful that they'll be able to land DH.
• Mike Budenholzer has been a key part of the Spurs' success for some time and he'll take his expertise over the to the Hawks as their new head coach.
• The Bucks hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew to fill their vacancy.  Drew agreed to a four-year, $10MM deal.
• The Bobcats grabbed Lakers assistant Steve Clifford to be their next head coach.  Clifford takes over for former St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap, who was let go after just one year at the helm.
• The Suns tapped Jeff Hornacek as their next head coach.
• Sacramento informed Keith Smart that he won't be back as coach and quickly reached agreement with his replacement, Michael Malone.
• The Kings also bounced Geoff Petrie and reportedly have their eye on Larry Bird.  They also like Chris Wallace for the job but another guy high up on their list, R.C. Buford, has already said he's not interested.
• The Cavs would give up the No. 1 pick for Kevin Love.
• Maurice Cheeks and Nate McMillan appear to be the frontrunners for the Pistons job.
  
• Grant Hill announced his retirement.
• Chris Paul is upset about the perception that he got Vinny Del Negro fired, so the club has publicly come out and taken responsibility for the move.
• The union is zeroing in on Steve Mills as their next executive director.
• Alvin Gentry and Jeff Van Gundy could be the leading candidates for the Clippers job while Nate McMillan and Byron Scott are on the outside looking in.
• The Nets reached out to JVG but his interest level is currently unknown.
• The Kings sale to Vivek Ranadive & Co. has been finalized.
• Ujiri's first order of business could be to move Andrea Bargnani.  Good luck.
• The Raptors are likely to keep Dwane Casey.
• A report indicated that the Kings are looking to move DeMarcus Cousins, but that may not be the case.  If Cousins is available, the Bobcats are among the clubs interested but the Cavs are not.
• The Rockets are trying to deal Thomas Robinson in an effort to clear more cap room for a run at Howard.
• Teams around the league have a "healthy interest" in Paul Pierce, but the Celtics won't just give him away.
• Monta Ellis could have interest in the Kings.
• George Karl's job status could be in jeopardy and the Clippers may have interest in him.
• The Raptors dismissed Ed Stefanski after hiring Ujiri.
• Carmelo Anthony wants the Knicks to add another scorer.
• Several candidates have emerged for the Nuggets' GM job and Stefanski could be among them now.
• Richard Jefferson will exercise his player option.
• The Bucks might prefer to keep Monta Ellis over Brandon Jennings.
• Flip Saunders is looking to hire a GM in Minnesota and likes Pelicans assistant GM Tim Connelly and Wizards VP of player personnel Milt Newton.
• Shane Larkin won't work out for the Knicks as he believes he'll be gone before the No. 24 pick.

Are you ready for another Dwightmare summer?  Dwight Howard is a free agent and he reportedly finds himself torn between the Lakers and Rockets.  Meanwhile, D12 is also said to like the Mavericks and the Hawks are planning to make a run at him.  It's not all about Dwight, however.  Here's the rest of the big stories from this past week..

• The Cavs won the draft lottery and will have a tough choice on their hands between Nerlens Noel and Otto Porter.  The Magic, who figure to go for a guard, pick No. 2 and the Wizards sit at No. 3.  Washington fans are estatic about the outcome as they were slated to pick eighth.
• The Clippers decided to part ways with coach Vinny Del Negro.  Michael Malone, Alvin Gentry, and Byron Scott have been mentioned as potential replacements.
• There are mixed reports on Dwight Howard's interest in the Warriors, with some saying that his camp has never given Golden State any indication that he has interest.
• The Raptors officially moved GM Bryan Colangelo to a non-basketball role, kickstarting a search for their next decision maker.  Team officials flew out to Colorado on Friday to meet with Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, who is believed to be their No. 1 target.  Ujiri might stay in Denver if the Nuggets can match the Raps' offer.
• Alvin Gentry has a standing invitation to join the Lakers staff, but he is more interested in the Clippers head coaching job.
• Jeff Hornacek has an offer to become the next head coach of the Suns.
• The Nets have yet to approach a coaching candidate outside of Phil Jackson, but they did inquire on Doc Rivers.  The C's quickly denied them.  One report has Scott Skiles as the frontrunner for the gig.
• Rivers is likely to return to Boston.
• Pablo Prigioni wants to stay in the NBA, but his wife might want to return to Spain.
• Andris Biedrins will opt in for 2013/14.
• The Cavaliers and Pistons may be among the teams with some interest in trading for Luol Deng.
• Stan Van Gundy will not coach in 2013/14.
• Phil Jackson was all in on Chris Hansen's bid to bring the Kings to Seattle.
• Coach K will coach in the 2016 Olympics but Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan won't.
• The All-NBA teams were announced.
• Kostas Papanikolaou's agent expects a trade.
• The Bucks interviewed Michael Curry.
• James Jones intends to return to the Heat.
• Rumors are swirling that the Clippers will go after David West.
• The Bobcats are changing their name to the Hornets.  Charlotte residents are looking forward to watching their team lose in purple and teal.

It appears the question of where the Kings will be playing next season and beyond has finally been resolved. Vivek Ranadive and his group of Sacramento-based investors this week reached a deal to buy the majority stake in the team from the Maloof family, months after a Chris Hansen-led Seattle group had done the same. The deal with Seattle fell apart as the California capital mounted a furious charge to keep its team in town. Despite pushbacks from Hansen and deep-pocketed partner Steve Ballmer, the NBA's relocation committee made a final recommendation this week that the team's request to move to Seattle be denied. In turn, the Board of Governors voted against the Seattle move, setting up Ranadive's agreement with the Maloofs. 

We're still waiting for the Board of Governors to approve the sale of the team to the Ranadive group, but that appears to be a formality at this point. While the Kings saga made plenty of headlines, it wasn't the only significant happening this week:

• The Hawks reportedly interviewed Stan Van Gundy, but then we heard the former Magic coach is unlikely to return to the bench this season. The Hawks may break barriers and go with CSKA Moscow coach Ettore Messina instead.
• Atlanta also interviewed Nate McMillan, while Larry Drew, still technically employed as coach of the Hawks, will meet with the Bucks on Monday.
• Jerry Sloan also met with Milwaukee about the team's coaching vacancy, but the Hall-of-Famer doesn't want the job.
• The Clippers haven't ruled out retaining coach Vinny Del Negro, who'll sit down with owner Donald Sterling this weekend to determine the fate of his job.
• The Pacers and assistant coach Brian Shaw will be in the playoffs for a while longer, but once they're done, he'll interview with the Pistons for their head coaching job.
• Celtics coach Doc Rivers isn't going anywhere, according to Danny Ainge. 
• We'll know by Monday whether Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is in or out. If Colangelo isn't back, Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri may be the man to replace him.
• The Sixers made it official, introducing Sam Hinkie as their new GM.
• There were rumors that Sixers CEO Adam Aron could be stripped of his responsibilities in the team's basketball department, but it's unclear whether that will happen. 
• Thunder GM Sam Presti doesn't plan to use the amnesty clause to get rid of Kendrick Perkins.
• The Bobcats are in the process of changing their name to the Hornets, now that the team in New Orleans is known as the Pelicans.
• The Lakers and Hawks might be trying to trade their way into the lottery.
• The Blazers are already in line for a lottery pick, but they're thinking about trying to move up to take Victor Oladipo.
• One of the players Portland could trade away is former second-round pick Kostas Papanikolaou, who is drawing interest from the Spurs, Mavericks, and Knicks, among others.
• No surprises here, but Charlie Villanueva exercised his lucrative option to remain with the Pistons, as did Aaron Gray and Linas Kleiza of the Raptors. 
• The Bulls get to call the shots on Richard Hamilton's return to Chicago for next season, and it's likely they'll part ways.
• The same appears to be the case for Francisco Garcia, as the Rockets are expected to turn down his option.
• Chris Copeland will be seeking a raise after his impressive rookie season with the Knicks.
• Gani Lawal has appeared in just one NBA game, but that number might be going up soon, with the Pacers, Raptors and Magic scheduled to work him out.
• Cuttino Mobley has a much longer NBA resume, and he wants back in the league, too.
• We'll probably be hearing plenty about Andrew Wiggins this time next year, and in the meantime, the projected 2014 No. 1 pick will head to Kansas to play college ball.
• Following his dismissal earlier this year as executive director, Billy Hunter is filing suit against the union and its president, Derek Fisher.
• The NBA announced its All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams. 

This week the league awards for 2012/13 were announced and there weren't any real surprises.  The biggest controversy came when one of the 121 possible first place votes in the MVP race went to Carmelo Anthony rather than LeBron James.  The Twitterverse went on a witchhunt to find the culprit and ultimately we learned that the intrepid voter was Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, who penned a column to explain his rationale.  Here's a look back at the rest of this week's news on Hoops Rumors..

• After firing P.J. Carlesimo, the Nets reached out to Phil Jackson to fill their coaching vacancy but he turned them down.  They're also interested in Larry Brown and Brian Shaw.
• The Sixers hired Sam Hinkie as their new GM.
• The Suns officially have a new GM in place: Ryan McDonough.  The former Celtics exec takes over for Lance Blanks, who was recently let go.  There were rumblings that the Suns were holding out for Grant Hill to take the job.
• Vinny Del Negro's dismissal from the Clippers seems rather likely at this point.
• J.B. Bickerstaff is on the Pistons' radar.
• The Timberwolves are expected to go hard after O.J. Mayo.  
• The Hawks like Stan Van Gundy.  So do the Bucks.
• Lionel Hollins says the Grizzlies want him back.
• The Timberwolves cut ties with Brandon Roy.
• The Clippers are publicly confident that Chris Paul will return next season.
• The Hawks are convinced that the situation in L.A. will open the door for them to sign Dwight Howard.
• Things don't sound good for coach Larry Drew and his staff in Atlanta.  The coaches have begun looking into other opportunities around the league.
• Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri is hopeful that Andre Iguodala will return to Denver.
• Omer Asik isn't paying attention to the Howard-to-Houston talk.
• The Wolves want to keep Nikola Pekovic.
• Zaza Pachulia and Kyle Korver are interested in returning to the Hawks.
• The Raptors are going to keep Bryan Colangelo.
• The Kings' new ownership has agreed to take in less from the league's revenue sharing program.  Meanwhile, the drama continues.
• Andray Blatche wants to return to the Nets.
• No surprise here, Metta World Peace won't opt out.

Boy, that was fast.  Hours after being eliminated in Game 7 by the Bulls, the Nets decided to remove P.J. Carlesimo as coach.  We'll be keeping a close eye on Brooklyn as they figure to start weeding through candidates immediately.  Here's more from the week that was..

• The Timberwolves made it official and brought former coach Flip Saunders aboard to run the show.  Saunders takes over for the much maligned David Kahn and hopes to find more success than his predecessor.
• The Bucks got rid of coach Jim Boylan after Milwaukee was bounced in the first round by the Heat.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett said they weren't thinking retirement last week, but there's still speculation that they both won't be back next season.
• The Pistons hired  Phil Jackson to consult in their coaching search.  Meanwhile, the Zen Master says he's still open to other NBA opportunities.  The Raptors are ramping things up.
• Jarrett Jack said no to in-season extension talks.
• The Pistons will talk with Nate McMillan.
• Despite all the talk to the contrary, the Lakers might be keen on keeping Pau Gasol.
• The Clippers will decide on Vinny Del Negro soon.  But don't expect Jackson to be in the mix.
• Here's the official early entrant list for the 2013 draft.
• The Pistons like Kelvin Sampson but they've got a new candidate in the frey as well.
• Rockets GM Daryl Morey officially inked his four-year extension.
• No surprise here, Damian Lillard is the Rookie of the Year.
• The Cavs like Tony Allen.
• Danny Ferry is mulling his options when it comes to Larry Drew.

Will one of the greatest coaches of all-time return to the NBA in a front office capacity?  We'll look at that and more in our weekly recap..

• Coach Phil Jackson said that he has spoken to three or four teams about a potential front office position.  Later in the week, we learned that the Raptors are among the clubs that are making a run at the legendary coach.  Meanwhile, a return to the Lakers still looks highly unlikely for the Zen Master.
• The Cavs were said to be interested in Jackson but wound up bringing Mike Brown back.  The coach will get $20-25MM over five years from Cleveland.  Brown was said to turn down the Suns not once, but twice.
• The Wolves are expected to replace David Kahn with Flip Saunders.  The move comes as something of a surprise as it was recently reported that Kahn would return.
• The Bobcats ousted Mike Dunlap.
• The Nets signed GM Billy King to a multi-year extension. 
• There are a number of candidates for the Suns' GM opening after Lance Blanks was let go.
• Alvin Gentry is interested in the Bobcats job.
• Lindsey Hunter will interview with the Pistons but could still return to the Suns.  Yes, you read that right.
• Brandon Jennings has softened his stance.
• Gregg Popovich may walk away from the Spurs when Tim Duncan does.
• The Raptors will keep Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey.
• The Pelicans won't rule out an Eric Gordon trade.
• Tony DiLeo's status in Philly is up in the air.  Meanwhile, the 76ers have a pair of experienced coaches at the top of their wish list.
• Nate McMillan might be the frontrunner in Detroit.
• LeBron James is unlikely to sign with Jay-Z.
• The Bulls want Nazr Mohammed back.
• Miami's Shane Larkin is going pro.
• Marcus Smart will return to Oklahoma State.
• The Birdman hopes to touch down in Miami again next year.
• A recommendation on the Kings will come tomorrow.
• David Stern wants to see the Zen Master back in the NBA.
• Marc Gasol is the DPOY.
• Paul George was named the Most Improved Player of the year.
• Samuel Dalembert likes the Heat.
• J.R. Smith is the sixth man of the year.
• Andres Nocioni reportedly turned down an NBA offer.
• The Sixers will announce a new D-League affiliate.

Earlier this week, Rasheed Wallace decided to call it a career for the second time.  Wallace played in 1109 games  for six teams over the course of his NBA career, averaging 14.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG.  The 38-year-old big man won't be hurting for money after walking away from the game as he earned roughly $157MM over the course of his NBA career.  Here's more from around the league as we enjoy more playoff action..

• The Pistons told Lawrence Frank that he's out as coach.
• Another former Nets coach, Byron Scott, is also out of a job after being let go by the Cavs.
• It's now official - Doug Collins won't be returning to the 76ers as coach.  Collins, who walked away despite the club wanting him back for another year, will serve as an adviser to the team.
• Mike D'Antoni will stay on as Lakers coach.
• Phil Jackson is interested in returning to the NBA.  The Cavs are planning to make a run at him and a source close to the former coach says that he'll absolutely consider them.
• Meanwhile, it looks like there's mutual interest in a reunion between the Cavs and Mike Brown.
• Things can always change, but right now it looks like Dwight Howard is staying with the Lakers.
• Pat Riley believes that he can keep the Miami core together.
• The Blazers waived Jared Jeffries.
• The Nuggets will tender a qualifying offer to Timofey Mozgov.
• The Spurs signed Tracy McGrady for the remainder of the season.  The 33-year-old spent most of the 2012/13 season with China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 29 games in the CBA.
• The Knicks also hit the way back machine and inked Quentin Richardson to a contract.
• The Raptors still hope to trade Andrea Bargnani.
• The earliest the league will decide on the Kings will be in the first week of May.
• Maryland center Alex Len is going into the draft.
• Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary are going to return to Michigan.  Tim Hardaway Jr., meanwhile, is entering the draft.
• No surprise here, but Shabazz Muhammad is entering the draft.
• After Rasheed retired, the Knicks quickly turned around and signed Earl Barron.
• O.J. Mayo is going to opt out of his deal and test the open market.
• Gary Harris will return to Michigan State.
• Marcus Smart will stay in school.
• Grant Jerrett is entering the draft.
• Georgetown's Otto Porter is going pro rather than helping the Hoyas get some redemption next season.
• It's official: Nerlens Noel is entering the draft.  He could go first overall, despite his season-ending ACL tear.
• North Carolina junior Reggie Bullock is going pro, even though he's a borderline first-round pick.
• Marquette's Vander Blue is entering the 2013 draft.
• The Grizzlies signed Donte Greene as well as Willie Reed.
• The Warriors re-signed Scott Machado.
• The Warriors signed Dwayne Jones for the rest of the year.
• Gonzaga junior Kelly Olynyk is jumping in the draft.
• The Hornets are officially the Pelicans.
• Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira says he's entering the draft.
• Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is leaving school.

This week, the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted twelve new members in a star-studded 2013 class.  Sonics guard Gary Payton dished and smack-talked his way into the Hall along with former Nets and Knicks great Bernard King.  The induction of Rick Pitino capped an unbelievable week for the coach, who captured the National Championship and saw his son, Richard, named as the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  As if that wasn't enough, Pitino's horse Goldencents is headed to the Kentucky Derby in May after winning the Santa Anita Derby.  Here's more from the week that was in hoops..

• Kobe Bryant suffered an Achilles tendon tear, ending his season and putting him on the shelf for at least a significant portion of the 2013/14 season.  With an extra roster spot, the Lakers signed Andrew Goudelock.
• There has been discord between Stephen Jackson and the Spurs and it finally came to a head this week when the veteran was cut loose.
• Bucks guard Monta Ellis is likely to opt out of his deal rather than make $11MM in Milwaukee next season.
• Louisville's Gorgui Dieng is leaving college on a high note and going pro.  Michigan's Trey Burke will also take advantage of a soft draft class.  To keep up on all early entrants, check out our running list.
• J.J. Hickson and the Blazers are probably heading in different directions.
• The tug-of-war between Sacramento and Seattle continues.  Meanwhile, Sacramento's group had some shuffling.
• The Bulls won't sign Nikola Mirotic until 2014.
• Kevin Love is going to have his knee scoped.
• The Pistons might be planning to part ways with Joe Dumars.
• The Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls may pursue Nolan Smith.
• Nerlens Noel could become Jay-Z's first NBA client.
• Chauncey Billups isn't considering retirement.
• Mark Cuban wants to keep Vince Carter for the long-term.
• Rick Adelman, however, is thinking about walking away.
• Brandon Roy plans to continue his playing career.
• Jason Collins would like to return to the Celtics.
• The Bulls signed Malcolm Thomas to a two-year deal.
• The Knicks signed James Singleton and cut Kurt Thomas loose.
• Lionel Hollins doesn't think his fate is tied to the playoffs.
• The Knicks are eyeing free agent bigs.
• Omri Casspi wants to return to the Cavs.
• The Nets signed Kris Joseph for the rest of the year.