Kirk Hinrich would be open to returning to the Bulls this offseason as a free agent.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," Hinrich said. "It's still a ways away, and a lot can happen. We'll see. I have no preconceived thoughts on what will happen."

Chicago would be limited on what they can offer Hinrich as they are over the salary cap.

"I'm excited to have a choice instead of just going wherever the business sends me," Hinrich said. "But I haven't thought about it much. I've been so caught up in this whirlwind season. I was trying to get healthy and then working to get back to playing at a level I should be playing at. Now I'm thinking about the playoffs."

The Golden State Warriors have acquired a Second Round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft from the Atlanta Hawks, in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced today. The Warriors will receive the lower of two Second Round picks, either the Hawks’ pick or the Phoenix Suns’ pick (which is currently owned by the Hawks from a previous transaction).

“We’ve had multiple discussions about acquiring additional draft picks and we will continue to pursue other opportunities as we approach the end of June,” said General Manager Larry Riley. “Ownership has displayed a continued willingness to invest financial resources in the draft and, as this indicates, we will explore any opportunities that will enable us to acquire additional assets.”

Josh Smith continues to seek a trade from the Hawks, according to sources.

But the Hawks' ownership is still resistant to the idea of moving Smith.

The Rockets, Hawks and Warriors are not on Dwight Howard's list of preferred destinations, but they could be teams willing to trade for him without any long-term assurance.

Houston has long been agressive in its pursuit of a superstar, as they nearly traded for Pau Gasol and have also been involved in discussions for Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire in previous seasons.

The Hawks play in Howard's hometown and could offer Josh Smith and Al Horford.

The Warriors could possibly land Howard by giving up Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Ekpe Udoh, but it would give him only 12 home games to be convinced to remain with the franchise.

“That’s not a lot of games to get attached to Golden State,” one rival executive said. 

If the Magic are able to engage teams off Howard's list, the asking price for the Nets, Lakers and Mavericks would presumably increase.

The Nets, Hornets and Timberwolves have had the most players miss games due to injury this season, followed by the Bobcats, Knicks, Grizzlies and Raptors.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Suns, Jazz, Kings, Magic, Rockets, Mavericks, 76ers, Lakers, Warriors and Heat have missed the fewest games.

Following the Heat in the middle chunk are the Blazers, Clippers, Cavaliers, Bulls, Pistons, Nuggets, Thunder, Spurs, Hawks, Celtics, Wizards and Bucks.

The Hawks have signed Erick Dampier for the remainder of the season, according to a source.

Dampier had been on two 10-day contracts with Atlanta.