Milwaukee Bucks general manager Ernie Grunfeld has not talked to other teams about employment possibilities, but he is not ruling out doing so in the future if the circumstances are right.

It's not that Grunfeld wants to leave the Bucks, but if the team is sold, it only stands to reason that he may have to seek employment elsewhere. Grunfeld did acknowledge that an unspecified number of teams have asked permission to speak to him but that the Bucks had not, as of yet, granted that permission.

"I'm flattered that people have called to ask permission, that I am well-regarded," Grunfeld said. "We've had a good run here and I have every intention of being back with the Bucks. But in this business, it never hurts to talk to people if the timing is right."

The Bucks have issued a statement saying that Grunfeld had not been granted permission to talk to other teams "to this point."

The new name with Laker management is Gary Payton, who is most definitely not a power forward, but is a free agent, and represents the range of off-season philosophies for a franchise still measuring the magnitude of its recent playoff failure.

The Lakers hope to rework their roster with a combination of their mid-level salary-cap exception (about $4.7 million), the lower exceptions (the highest of which is $1.4 million), trades and draft picks (Nos. 24 and 32).

They expect to do it around Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, cornerstones of an organization that won three consecutive titles but stumbled in this month's Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs, and perhaps with a subtle offensive shift that would emphasize Bryant rather than O'Neal, depending on O'Neal's physical condition come October.

The mid-level exception likely will buy the Lakers a very good power forward or a very good guard, but not both.

Michael Jordan is unemployed, at least for now.

When you have one of the world's most famous athletes looking for work, inevitably his name will surface when jobs or opportunities in the basketball world become available.

Which brings us to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Ever since Jordan was dumped by the Washington Wizards, he has been linked to possible positions with the Chicago Bulls, the new Charlotte expansion franchise and the Bucks.

In recent days, two newspapers, citing anonymous sources, reported that Jordan is looking into the possibility of buying the Bucks.

The Bucks have denied the Wizards permission to speak to GM Ernie Grunfeld about Washington's vacant president of basketball operations job. Grunfeld has one year left on his contract with Milwaukee.

"No permission has been granted at this point," Bucks team spokeswoman Cheri Hansen said.

Wizards owner Abe Pollin said last week that he has interviewed some candidates and plans to interview more in the coming days. He would not set a deadline on when a new basketball operations chief would be in place but earlier said it would be ideal to have someone in charge by the June 26 draft.

Michael Jordan is attempting to form a group of investors to buy the Milwaukee Bucks, according to league sources, who confirmed an ESPN Radio report.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) reportedly is seeking more than $170 million for the franchise, which he purchased in 1985 for $18 million.

Jordan made overtures several years ago in Milwaukee, and when that effort failed, Jordan was successful in making the same pitch to Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin. Jordan served as a minority owner and president of basketball operations in Washington for 19 months before returning to the court.

Toni Kukoc fit in nicely with Milwaukee last season, making the Bucks look good for the off-season deal that sent veteran forward Glenn Robinson to the Atlanta Hawks

Today, the trade looks even better, thanks to the Hawks' miserable season and their lack of luck in the NBA draft lottery on Thursday.

The only way the Hawks could have kept their first-round pick was to move up into one of the top three spots in the draft.

That didn't happen.

Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for getting the eighth pick in the NBA draft to complete the Glenn Robinson heist.

Now get rid of it.

As a way to begin extricating themselves from two seasons of mediocrity, the Bucks must finally get this veteran inside presence thing right. They blew it two years ago with Anthony Mason, and they almost certainly won't get what they need at power forward from the draft.

The streaking New Jersey Nets, in their own way, would like to offer up a word of thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks.

That's because the Nets, after losing four of their last five regular-season games, got their game back on track in a six-game, first-round playoff victory over the Bucks.

New Jersey used that momentum to carry it on an eye-popping romp through the National Basketball Association playoffs that has the team one victory shy of its second straight Eastern Conference championship.

The Nets now reflect back on the Milwaukee series, in which they won two games at the Bradley Center, as their springboard to success for any number of reasons.

Decked out in Chicago Bulls practice gear, with sweat pouring down his face, Dwyane Wade on Thursday began living his dream of playing in the National Basketball Association.

Now outside the protective cocoon of Marquette University and college athletics, Wade had his first official NBA workout on Thursday at the Berto Center, the Bulls' practice facility, where superstars such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen honed their skills during the team's glory days.

The Bulls are a much younger team now, and while it's unclear whether they will draft Wade, the All-American guard knows these basketball recitals go a long way toward determining where he will be drafted.

"I haven't any idea where I'm going to go," Wade said of the NBA draft, which will be held June 26. "That's why I do these workouts. These guys can really evaluate you in person and as a player. It's just an honor to be here today."

Who can help the Hawks more: high school phenom LeBron James, Final Four Most Outstanding Player Carmelo Anthony or Yugoslavian youngster Darko Milicic? Hawks director of basketball operations Billy Knight would be happy to get any of them.

"All three of them are the top players in the draft --- in any order that you want to pick them," Knight said from his office in the CNN Center. "Wherever they go, they're going to have an impact."

If Knight is unable to come up with one of the top three picks in tonight's NBA draft lottery in Secaucus, N.J., the Hawks' pick (anywhere from 4 to 13) would go to the Milwaukee Bucks as compensation for the Glenn Robinson trade.