Samuel Dalembert will be a free agent this offseason and the Kings are hoping to re-sign the center.

Dalembert is also expected to receive interest from the Knicks, Heat, Raptors and Rockets.

Dalembert was acquired during the 2010 offseason from the 76ers.

The Rockets confirmed on Tuesday last week's report that they would pick up their option on point guard Goran Dragic's contract.

Dragic, acquired in a trade deadline deal with Phoenix for Aaron Brooks, will earn $2.1 million in the final season of his contract. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22 games with the Rockets.

He finished the season with four-consecutive games scoring in double figures, capped by his first career triple double with 11 points, a career-best 11 assists and a career-best 11 rebounds.

In an interview with the French website BasketUSA.com, Golden State Warriors director of basketball operations Kirk Lacob said the franchise had passed on the chance to deal center Andris Biedrins to Houston for a package built around Jordan Hill and Hasheem Thabeet.

With a new ownership group, a new head coach in Mark Jackson and long-time NBA personnel guru Jerry West now in the fold, the fate of many of Golden State's longest-tenured players is still unknown.

In their introductory press conference, Houston Rockets rookies Marcus Morris and Donatas Motiejunas filled up reporters' notebooks with a series of brash quotes.

“I just want to say maybe one word now about the thing about Dwight Howard,” Motiejunas said. “He can push me. If he can catch me, then we’ll see.”

Asked whose game is like his, Morris said, “I think maybe Carmelo … because I’m a midrange king. I’m not going to take after him on the defensive side though."

In Donatas Motiejunas, the Rockets see some of Dirk Nowitzki’s size, athleticism and offensive skills. That’s a huge projection, a huge leap. Motiejunas is far from a finished product, but so was Nowitzki when he entered the league.

“He has a really high upside, a lot of potential,” Morey said.

On a day when the Rockets believed they took a huge step toward returning to the playoffs even as they were unable to fill their biggest need, it’s the trade for Motiejunas that prompted high-fives and huge smiles in their draft room.

The Rockets have traded Brad Miller, the 23rd overall pick and a future first rounder to the Wolves for Jonny Flynn and Donatas Motiejunas, sources have confirmed.

The Rockets are attempting to use the 14th and 23rd picks to move into the top-10 of the 2011 NBA Draft. Detroit owns the No. 8 pick and is in talks with Houston.

Tristan Thompson is believed to be the primary target, according to sources. Bismack Biyombo would be the other main option, as Kevin McHale looks to add a big to the roster.

For the last several days, there have been rumors the Bucks were seriously exploring the possibility of moving back from their No. 10 position in Thursday night's NBA draft.

Bucks general manager John Hammond conceded he's had on-going discussions with several teams but declined to go into details. There has been widespread speculation the Bucks have had in-depth talks with the Houston Rockets, who have two first-round picks -- Nos. 24 and 23 -- and are desperately trying to move up in an attempt to select a much-needed center.

But it appears discussions between the Bucks and Rockets involve more than just exchanging picks. The scuttlebutt is both teams are receptive to swapping players as well.

The teams have tossed around different trade scenarios with Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova being prominently mentioned.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey already has traded the Rockets' first-round pick next year to the Nets in the deal to acquire Terrence Williams. But in the search for a foundation player, Morey has offered a combination of picks that could include this season's pick, next season's pick acquired from the Knicks in the Tracy McGrady trade and even the portion of the Rockets' pick next year that is not protected and that they would not be compelled to send to the Nets.

"We have a lot of options on the table," Morey said. "We have four No. 1s we could trade over the next two years. That's our goal, to see if we could pull off something like that."

Morey has been clear about his goal to land a signature star, whether by moving up or dealing for a veteran.

When Kevin McHale signed on as Rockets coach last week, his first order of business was to begin interviews with assistant coaches, with one expected to serve in the lead assistant role that has become popular in the NBA.

"You try to get the right people," McHale said. "The head coach is a guy who has a lot of irons in the fire. Guys who are looking at things just from an offensive standpoint or defensive standpoint, they can spend a lot of time on that and really concentrate on that. That's really important, because there are times that you're going to need someone to just auger in on one thing and help you. I think those models do work.

"You've seen it done in a lot of ways, but I think the league is trending more toward that model. I do like that model."