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Central

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• Bulls: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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Southeast

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• Heat: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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Southwest

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• Hornets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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Northwest

• Jazz: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Nuggets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Thunder: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Timberwolves: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Trail Blazers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Pacific

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• Lakers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

Patience is an uncommon virtue around NBA front offices, where the pressure is on to win as soon as possible. That means the future, in the form of draft picks, is often mortgaged for the sake of the present. Of the 60 selections to be made at this June's draft, 19 of them have already changed hands, with another two picks subject to be moved pending the lottery, and one more contingent on a decision by the Lakers. That's not counting picks that could be traded on draft day or shortly thereafter, before draftees sign.

As a result, plenty of talent gets moved around, and that includes future All-Stars. Thirteen guys who played in an All-Star Game during the past three seasons were traded, either as future draft picks or recent draftees, before they ever suited up for the teams that originally held their rights. That list includes Rajon Rondo, whose rights the Celtics traded for, traded away, and eventually reacquired. A similar situation happened with Amare Stoudemire and the Suns. Below is the complete list of recent All-Stars whose draft rights were traded.

LaMarcus Aldridge: Pick traded by Knicks to Bulls; Drafted by Bulls, traded to Blazers
Ray Allen: Drafted by Timberwolves, traded to Bucks
Kobe Bryant: Drafted by Hornets, traded to Lakers
Luol Deng: Drafted by Suns, traded to Bulls
Roy Hibbert: Drafted by Raptors, traded to Pacers
Marc Gasol: Drafted by Lakers, traded to Grizzlies
Pau Gasol: Drafted by Hawks, traded to Grizzlies
David Lee: Pick traded by Suns to Spurs; Pick traded by Spurs to Knicks
Kevin Love:  Drafted by Grizzlies, traded to Timberwolves
Dirk Nowitzki: Drafted by Bucks, traded to Mavericks
Rajon Rondo: Pick traded by Lakers to Celtics; Pick traded by Celtics to Hawks; Pick traded by Hawks to Suns; Drafted by Suns, traded to Celtics
Amare Stoudemire: Pick traded by Suns to Magic; Pick traded by Magic to Suns
Deron Williams: Pick traded by Blazers to Jazz 

We're still awaiting word on this season's All-NBA, All-Rookie, and All-Defensive squads, but all the individual awards have been officially announced by the league. Here's a rundown of the top performers of the 2011/12 season, including the top five vote-getters for each award:

Most Valuable Player:

1. LeBron James (Heat)
2. Kevin Durant (Thunder)
3. Chris Paul (Clippers)
4. Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
5. Tony Parker (Spurs)

Sixth Man of the Year:

1. James Harden (Thunder)
2. Lou Williams (76ers)
3. Jason Terry (Mavericks)
4. Al Harrington (Nuggets)
5. Manu Ginobili (Spurs)

Defensive Player of the Year:

1. Tyson Chandler (Knicks)
2. Serge Ibaka (Thunder)
3. Dwight Howard (Magic)
4. LeBron James (Heat)
5. Kevin Garnett (Celtics)

Rookie of the Year:

1. Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers)
2. Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves)
3. Kenneth Faried (Nuggets)
4. Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
5. Iman Shumpert (Knicks)

Most Improved Player:

1. Ryan Anderson (Magic)
2. Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks)
3. Nikola Pekovic (Timberwolves)
4. Andrew Bynum (Lakers)
5. Greg Monroe (Pistons)

Coach of the Year:

1. Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
2. Tom Thibodeau (Bulls)
3. Frank Vogel (Pacers)
4. Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies)
5. Doc Rivers (Celtics)

Executive of the Year:

1. Larry Bird (Pacers)
2. R.C. Buford (Spurs)
3. Neil Olshey (Clippers)
4. Gar Forman (Bulls)
5. Kevin O'Connor (Jazz)

Last month, the NBA's board of governors voted to change the composition of the league's Competition Committee to include two owners, four general managers, three coaches, and one representative of the players' association. Today, the league announced the members of the new committee. The NBPA has yet to designate its representative, but the rest of the members are as follows:

• Dan Gilbert, owner (Cavaliers)
• Joe Lacob, owner (Warriors)
• Bryan Colangelo, GM (Raptors)
• Mitch Kupchak, GM (Lakers)
• Kevin O'Connor, GM (Jazz)
• Sam Presti, GM (Thunder)
• Rick Carlisle, coach (Mavericks)
• Lionel Hollins, coach (Grizzlies)
• Doc Rivers, coach (Celtics)

The Competition Committee will be responsible for suggesting format or rule changes to the league's board of governors, which will then vote on whether or not to implement the recommendations. Previously, the committee was made up of the NBA's 30 general managers — that group has been reconstituted as the General Managers Committee, and will meet annually to discuss the state of the game and competition-related matters.

"The Board decided that the inclusion of owners and head coaches on the Competition Committee would add valuable perspectives to discussions about our game and how it might be improved," said Joel Litvin, NBA president of league operations. "At the same time, we will continue to receive input on competition and rules matters from all 30 teams through the General Managers Committee."

As players eligible for June's draft scramble to move up on teams' boards, it might be important for them to remember there's little connection between draft position and the ability to make an impact on a quality team. Below the jump is a list of the draft position for all the significant contributors to teams that made the playoffs this year. For our purposes, that includes every player who played in at least 10 games, averaged at least 10 minutes per game, and is still on the official 15-man roster. So, that's why Lamar Odom is listed and Jordan Hill isn't. By the name of each team is the average draft position and the number of undrafted players.

Of note:

• The most talented playoff team this year, in terms of draft position, is the Mavs, whose players have an average draft position of 13.1, a pick that would be high enough to fall in the lottery. They had no significant contributions from anyone picked in the second round or any undrafted players. For all that talent, the Mavs failed to win a single game in the postseason.
• The team with the lowest average draft position is the Spurs, at 32.9, a number that would translate to a second round pick. It's remarkable, considering they have Tim Duncan, a former No. 1 overall pick, on the roster, but somewhat unsurprising given the franchise's reputation for developing obscure talent. The number doesn't take into consideration undrafted Gary Neal.
• The East's top two teams in the regular season, the Bulls and the Heat, each had three undrafted players contribute to their success, more than any other playoff team.

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The NBA's players association wants the draft age limit to return to 18 years old from 19 but will listen to commissioner David Stern's desire to increase it to 20 only in exchange for significant concessions, writes ESPN.com's Andy Katz.  For that to happen, the union will seek changes to the rookie wage scale and an incentive program for players who stay in school longer.

"The NBPA's position on the age limit has been consistent," said union spokesperson Dan Wasserman. "An overwhelming majority of the NBPA's members support the ability of potential NBA players to freely pursue their livelihood by allowing high school graduate-age players to apply for the draft. As a practical matter, we recognize that any change to the current rule must sufficiently balance both the league's and players' interests."

The NBPA would love for the minimum age to return to 18 but knows that it would have to concede something to the owners.  Because that is unlikely to happen, they will look to gain ground in other areas if they agree to the age being bumped up to 20.  The NBPA wants the owners to give first-year players more money and a quicker path to free agency if they stay in school.

The minimum age for draft eligibility was raised from 18 to 19 in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement. 

Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman has informed NBA commissioner David Stern that his city is interested in adding an NBA franchise, according to Lucas Sullivan and Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Coleman sent a letter to the league Thursday expressing a desire to move a team to Columbus or add a new franchise if the league expands.

The city recently completed the public purchase of the Nationwide Arena, the home of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, and is looking to add a basketball team now that the arena is on "sound financial footing."

"Up until recently, our arena situation was not stable," said Coleman spokesman Dan Williamson. "Now that that changed, the mayor felt it was time to position ourselves to be on the NBA’s radar. The NBA needs to know more about us, so he has had conversations with NBA officials."

Co-existing with the city's NHL club, finding money to buy an NBA team, and receiving approval from the Cavaliers are among the roadblocks Columbus would face if it seriously pursued an NBA franchise. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said he'd "have to think about" whether he would oppose having another NBA team in Ohio. Additionally, Stern has maintained that expansion beyond 30 teams is unlikely, a view echoed today by Tim Frank, the league's vice president of communications.

"At the moment, we have no plans to expand, and no teams have applied for relocation," Frank said. "So it wouldn’t be prudent to comment on the possibilities of another market."

Currently, the Sacramento Kings seem like the team most likely to consider relocation, after the city's proposal for a new arena fell apart last month. However, the Kings' owners continue to insist they want to make things work in Sacramento; and even if that stance were to change, cities like Anaheim, Seattle, and Vancouver, among others, would be vying for the franchise.

As the Dispatch report points out, Columbus should have the population to support an NBA franchise, since seven teams play in cities with smaller metropolitan areas: Charlotte, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City. Still, I expect Columbus will trail at least Anaheim and Seattle in the pecking order for an NBA team, so this figures to be a long shot for the city.

Computer scientist Larry Coon is probably the foremost expert on the NBA's collective bargaining agreement among those who've never worked for the league or a team. Today, he updated his CBA FAQ website with the details of the latest CBA. We've heard plenty about the agreement over the past several months, including Coon's summary of the changes for ESPN.com. Some components of the new CBA haven't been widely reported until Coon's update today, though, so let's check out the highlights:

• Teams can now rid themselves of the cap hold for a first-round draft pick if the player and team agree in writing not to sign a contract for the season. This applies mostly to European players that teams sometimes draft before they're ready to play in the league.
• There is a new formula used for calculating whether teams are eligible for mid-level exceptions or eligible to receive a player in a sign and trade.
• While the salary cap is set at 44.74% of basketball related income, maximum salaries are based on 42.14% of BRI, meaning that max deals will be slightly lower than 25%, 30% or 35% of the cap, depending on the player's years of service.
• Players will receive their yearly salary over a 12-month period unless they request to have it doled out in larger chunks over six months or smaller payments over 18 months.
• Teams may defer up to 25% of a player's salary, down from 30% in the last CBA. 
• Cap holds are as much as 50% larger, depending on whether the player is coming off a rookie scale contract.
• Certain criteria related to playing time will affect the size of the qualifying offers for players coming off their rookie contracts.
• Teams can now only load contracts with unlikely bonuses that total as much as 15% of the base salary, instead of 25%.
• A larger amount of money can be used to buy out a player's contract from overseas without counting against the cap.
• Non-taxpaying teams can trade for as much as 150% of the salaries they send out, plus $100K, when trading $0 to $9.8MM worth of salary. The amount is 100% plus $5MM when trading $9.8MM to $19.6MM, and 125% plus $100K when trading more than $19.6MM. This rule is more nuanced than previously reported.
• Teams can't do sign-and-trade deals once the season starts.
• Trade kickers are paid by the team trading the player, and not the other way around as it was in the old CBA.

There are many ways to acquire talent in the NBA: free agency, the draft, trades, and that's just the start of it. Looking at the way this year's playoff teams helps us see the different strategies GMs use to build successful rosters. After the jump is a list of each playoff team, the players who contributed during the regular season, and how each player was acquired. For the sake of clarity and brevity, we've listed everyone who played in at least 10 games, averaged at least 10 minutes per game, and is still on the official 15-man roster. So, that's why Lamar Odom is listed and Jordan Hill isn't. 

Of note:

• Of the 193 players listed, 51 were drafted by their current teams. The Thunder have used the draft to full effect, acquiring their top four players in minutes-per-game that way.
• Free agent acquisitions make up the largest category, with 65 players. The Hawks and Heat brought in several role players via swaps.
• Sign-and-trades brought in 10 players, including the top two minutes-per-game players for the Heat, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
• Simple trades netted 45 players. Eight of the Nuggets' contributors were brought in via trade.
• Teams acquired the draft rights of 19 players before they signed. It's easy to forget that Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Rajon Rondo and others weren't drafted by the teams they've played for their entire careers. No team used the draft rights trade quite like the Grizzlies, who brought in Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo in those types of deals.

To see the full list for every playoff team, click to continue:

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Before the 10-day contract signing period got underway in February, we outlined the details on how the contracts worked, and which teams and players you could expect to make use of them. With the regular season in the books, it's time to take a look back at the 10-day deals signed this year, with the help of our 10-day contract tracker.

By our count, 35 players signed at least one 10-day contract in this lockout-shortened season. Of those 35 players, 16 ended up being signed to rest-of-season contracts by the same team, while Donald Sloan signed for the remainder of the season with the Cavaliers after a pair of 10-day contracts from the Hornets.

15 teams, nearly half of whom qualified for the postseason, signed at least one player to a 10-day contract. Although most playoff squads signed just a single player or two for bench depth, a number of lottery teams took full advantage of the 10-day deals, auditioning a handful of players over the second half. The Cavs, Raptors, and Rockets each signed three players to at least one 10-day contract, while the Wizards, Nets, and Hornets inked four, five, and six players respectively. No team added more 10-day recipients to its permanent roster than Washington, who finished the year with Cartier Martin, James Singleton, and Morris Almond on rest-of-season deals.

I outlined a few of the year's top 10-day contracts a few weeks ago, but if we're naming a single best 10-day signing, the honor would have to go to the Nets for bringing Gerald Green to New Jersey. Green appeared in 31 games, averaging 12.9 points and shooting .481/.391/.754 in 25.2 minutes per contest. After not playing in the NBA since the 2008/09 season, the former first-rounder now seems like a good bet to land a decent-sized contract from the Nets or another club, as I noted when I examined his free agent stock.

Green's case is a perfect example of how the 10-day contract can benefit both a team and player. The Nets, at minimal risk, discovered an NBA contributor that could become a long-term fixture in Brooklyn. Green, meanwhile, got the chance to show he belongs in the league and took full advantage of it. Success stories like his are why plenty of teams will continue to use 10-day contracts in the hopes of landing the next Gerald Green.