Carl Landry wants to return to the Golden State Warriors, but doesn't know how he’s going to proceed regarding his player option worth $4 million for next season. "The Warriors are home whether I opt in or out," Landry said. "Hopefully, I can spend the rest of my career here because this is a very special place. Everything here is what you want: the city, the fans, the front office, the coach, the teammates. You can’t ask for anything more." Landry called it the hardest decision of his career. "I mean, this is the best team I’ve ever played for on this level, especially as far as chemistry," Landry said. "And the scary thing is we’ve been together one year."

The Memphis Grizzlies are using advanced analytics to manage the salary cap. “People talk about analytics in evaluating players, but there’s a lot of analytics around the salary cap,” said Josh Levien, the first-year CEO of the Grizzlies. “How much should we spend for a player at a certain position and what role he’s going to play? So that’s a lot of what we’ve done and are working on, is salary-cap analytics, being thoughtful about how we structure our roster and how we can get the best bang for our buck.”The collective bargaining agreement imposes unprecedented penalties on teams exceeding the cap. “With the rules set up the way they are, there’s minimal room for error,” Levien said. “You’ve got to be very thoughtful in your approach to how you build your team, how you build a roster, and you’ve got to keep the cap and the tax in mind.”

James Jones plans to pick up his player option to return to the Miami Heat. “Unless something crazy happens, I’ll be back,’’ Jones said Wednesday. Jones, 32, is reportedly making $1.76 million this season.

Carmelo Anthony has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. Anthony may need surgery to repair the injury, which he played 12 playoff games with. The New York Knicks are hopeful that Anthony can avoid surgery with rest over the next three to four weeks. Anthony originally injured his shoulder on April 14th and re-injured it in Game 5 of the first round against the Boston Celtics. Anthony would likely need three to four months of recovery if he undergoes surgery.

The Phoenix Suns will pick fifth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, their highest selection since 1987 when they selected Armen Gilliam at No. 2 after David Robinson went to the San Antonio Spurs. The draft is considered very flat, which benefits the Suns at No. 5 more than certain seasons in the past. “The guy who goes there might not be much different, or any different, than guys who go in the top three,” McDonough said. The Suns will be the first team from the Western Conference selecting in this draft. “I think generally we need to get more athletic,” Ryan McDonough said. “I think we need more shooting. My philosophy is always to draft the best available player. There are some good pieces in place here. But at the same time, we won 25 games here, so we need to get better across the board.”

Mitch Kupchak denied a report that indicated his exit interview conversation with Dwight Howard included the impending free agent venting about Mike D'Antoni. Howard met with Kupchak privately after also meeting with both he and D'Antoni.  "To be honest with you, I wouldn’t let it go there anyway," said Kupchak about letting a player dictate the Lakers' coaching situation.  Kupchak has worked to gain the trust of Howard during the 12-13 season, which he has by all accounts. "I'm not saying they don't have differences like with any coach or any player," said Kupchak. "I don't think it's anything that goes beyond." 

The Phoenix Suns have received permission to interview J.B. Bickerstaff and Steve Clifford for their head coaching vacancy. Bickerstaff is currently an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets, while Clifford is under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns fired Alvin Gentry after a 13-28 finish and Lindsey Hunter finished the season on an interim basis.

D.J. Stephens has recorded a 46-inch vertical leap during a workout on Wednesday hosted by the Brooklyn Nets, according to a Tweet from ESPN's Chad Ford. Stephens averaged 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in his senior season at Memphis, his first in which he received significant minutes. Stephens was also named Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year. Stephens has developed a reputation as a dunk artist due to his immense leaping ability.

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to trade the 13th overall pick in order to clear additional cap space to pursue Dwight Howard, according to sources. The 13th overall pick has a cap hold of $1,655,300. The Mavericks' future first rounder was traded to the Lakers in the Lamar Odom tarde and is top-20 protected through 2017.

Victor Oladipo appears to be the most popular player in the 2013 NBA Draft for general managers, even if he isn't on top of draft boards. "Oladipo is the guy that GMs love in this draft," wrote Chad Ford. "May be the only one. I've talked to 14 or 15 who tell me he's their favorite player. Almost zero downside and still significant upside. Not sure he's a fit in Cleveland or Washington -- but Orlando and Phoenix both look like strong fits. (Trey) Burke may be a bigger need (for Orlando), but Oladipo might be the better player long-term." Oladipo was a first team All-American in his junior season at Indiana.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Phil Handy as an assistant coach. Handy was previously a player development coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers hired Mike Brown as head coach this offseason.

When Phil Jackson received a phone call from Mitch Kupchak late on Sunday, Nov. 11 that the Los Angeles Lakers had decided to hire Mike D'Antoni to replace Mike Brown as head coach, he had an amused reaction. "I laughed," Jackson said on Wednesday. "It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys." Jackson had been prepared to tell Kupchak that he was interested in coaching the Lakers again. Jackson believes the move to hire D'Antoni was made to cater to Steve Nash. "I think it didn't happen because there was some concern how are we going to move in the right direction for this ballclub," Jackson said. "When Mitch gave me the call close to midnight on Sunday night right before I was going to give them an answer Monday morning and said, 'We've made a choice. We're going to hire Mike D'Antoni. We think he's the best coach for this group of guys.' My answer was, 'For Steve Nash, yes, I agree but for Dwight Howard, I'm not so sure.' "In the process of thinking about how they could best use the team I think they thought first and foremost about Steve Nash and how Steve Nash was going to fit inside of an offensive system that I coach. ... I think that was a concern for them." Jackson felt that his system would have allowed Pau Gasol and Howard to have a similar type of success as Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Jackson claims to not be interested in coaching, but does seek a front office position in the NBA. "I don't see myself coaching again, I really don't," Jackson said. "When I discussed this with Jeanie Buss, she said make sure you tell them that Jeanie still thinks you can coach even though you might say you're not going to coach again. Jeanie still thinks I can coach but I'm not going to go there."

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday in Times Square with the Cleveland Cavaliers winning for the second time in three years and third time in ten years. The Washington Wizards moved up from the eighth slot to draft third. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers2. Orlando Magic3. Washington Wizards4. Charlotte Bobcats5. Phoenix Suns6. New Orleans Pelicans7. Sacramento Kings8. Detroit Pistons9. Minnesota Timberwolves10. Portland Trail Blazers11. Philadelphia 76ers12. Toronto Raptors13. Dallas Mavericks14. Utah Jazz

Kevin Durant has donated $1 million to relief efforts following tornadoes in the Oklahoma City region. "As the day went on and I saw the footage and the casualties and the houses being blown away, it was tough to see," said Durant. "I call Oklahoma City my home. I go through Moore all the time. It's unfortunate. We're going to come together as a city like we always do and we're going to bounce back." Durant was in Minneapolis and hopes to return to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. "Just to get to the hospital, see some kids," Durant said. "Something. Just something to give some hope. Playing for the Thunder, we mean so much to the state. So many people support us and I just want to go back and support those people." The American Red Cross said the gift from The Durant Family Foundation is meant to match other donations and be an incentive for more people to give. The Thunder also announced a $1 million donation, as did the NBA and players' union.

The Los Angeles Clippers have fired Vinny Del Negro, according to a source. Del Negro has been with the Clippers since the 10-11 season.

The San Antonio Spurs' victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 on Sunday drew a 3.9 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon. That is down 41 percent from the Miami Heat/Boston Celtics Game 1 on ESPN last season and down 26 percent from the Oklahoma City Thunder/Dallas Mavericks Game 1 on ESPN in 2011. The game ranks as the lowest rated conference final opener since 2007 when the Cleveland Cavaliers/Detroit Pistons drew a 3.5 on TNT. San Antonio is the 36th larget market, while Memphis ranks 49th. The NBA hopes to soon negotiate new television contracts with their national partners. While the league is generally seen to be on the rise, the new collective bargaining agreement favors parity and incoming commissioner, Adam Silver, has made it an expected touchstone of his regime to continue that trend.

Masai Ujiri has been identified as the Toronto Raptors' top target to replace Bryan Colangelo as general manager. The Raptors could offer Ujiri a salary in excess of $2 million to leave the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri is reportedly earning approximately $500,000 in the final season of his contract with the Nuggets. The Nuggets, however, are confident that they will be able to retain Ujiri.

The Los Angeles Clippers are interested in signing David West this offseason. The Clippers will have to entice West with the $5.15 million midlevel exception available to teams that are non-taxpayers. West played with Chris Paul as members of the New Orleans Hornets. The Indiana Pacers will be able to pay West more money to re-sign.