Steve Kerr will be announced as the new president of basketball operations and general manager of the Suns within the week, an NBA source with knowledge of the situation said. Current general manager Mike D?Antoni will still have a front office title in addition to his coaching duties

The source said current vice president of basketball operations David Griffin will decide tonight whether to stay with the Suns or take a similar position with the Grizzlies. The Suns want Griffin to stay and would probably give him a raise and another title. Griffin would also keep a lot of the duties for which he is currently responsible.

All of the NBA executives who spoke on the topic of Kobe Bryant's apparent trade demand mentioned two teams to which Bryant could be dealt:  The Bulls and Suns.

ESPN's source says that Bryant has been looking at Chicago for the past month as a place he would like to continue his career.

Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Adrian Griffin, and Victor Khryapa are mentioned as the principal parts of a potential Bulls offer.  The Bulls also have the 9th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

This may be the best talent swap the Lakers could garner in a Bryant blockbuster.

The Memphis Grizzlies hired Marc Iavaroni as its head coach and an announcement could come as soon as Thursday, according to an NBA source familiar with the negotiations.

Iavaroni, an integral part of the Phoenix Suns' coaching staff the past several seasons, received a three-year contract to help reshape the Grizzlies after they failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Iavaroni is also seen as someone who can nurture the skills of budding big man such as Pau Gasol. Iavaroni is credited with playing a major part in the development of center Amar? Stoudemire.

Iavaroni also played in the NBA for seven seasons. He was a starter as a rookie on the 1983 World Champion Philadelphia 76ers.

Sonics president Lenny Wilkens said Tuesday he plans to have a general manager in place before the June 28 NBA draft and made it clear that he is able to speak with any candidate even if their team is in the playoffs.

That last bit of information debunked previous reports out of San Antonio that Sam Presti ? the Spurs assistant general manager who is believed to be the leading candidate for the GM job in Seattle ? is unable to interview while his team is still playing.

"That has no bearing on anything," Wilkens said outside the Milk House Gym, where the NBA is conducting its four-day predraft camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Detroit's Tony Ronzone and John Hammond and Phoenix's David Griffin are also possibilities, but Wilkens was careful not to mention names.

Steve Nash says that he won't mind if Robert Horry shows up to play in this summer's Steve Nash Foundation Charity Classic basketball game.

"He is always invited," Nash laughed during a conference call Tuesday to promote the event, scheduled for July 21 in Vancouver. "I have to admit, although he did put me down on the blue-line there, he is a great guy.

"I really like Robert. I've been a few seconds from snapping a few times myself so it wasn't

The Orlando Magic requested and were granted permission to talk to Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni about their vacant head-coaching position.

The Magic fired coach Brian Hill on Wednesday and are believed to be seeking a replacement who can bring an up-tempo style and nurture the skills of budding big man Dwight Howard.

Iavaroni would fit both qualities. He has served as lead assistant for the past 3 1/2 seasons of his five-year stint with the Suns, who have led the league in scoring since 2004-05. He also has played a major part in the development of center Amar? Stoudemire.

Memphis was the first team to meet with Iavaroni about a head-coaching position this month and might be a more likely fit.

With more recuperation time than he anticipated due to the Suns' second-round exit, Amare Stoudemire committed to play for the senior national team this summer with a Tuesday phone call to USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"It's exciting," Krzyzewski said Wednesday. "Amar? said, 'Coach, it's going to be an honor to play for the U.S. I'm ready. What do you want me to do over the next two months?' That type of commitment shows great maturity. It's a verbal commitment that is strong. We expect him to be a strong player. I told him to relax for a little bit because getting to be a first-team All-NBA player after that (microfracture) surgery is really one of the more remarkable accomplishments for a player."

League sources said Tuesday night that Phoenix vice president David Griffin and assistant coach Marc Iavoroni, who are considered the leading candidates for the GM and coaching job in Memphis, will consider the Sonics after the lottery shakeup.

"I'm pretty certain that we're going to hire the GM before we do anything else," Wilkens said. "We just want to be thorough. There have been formal talks, very good talks."

Having the No. 2 pick takes pressure off Wilkens to find a GM before the draft. The Suns have said they will not release employees under contract until after the draft, while San Antonio assistant GM Sam Presti, believed to be interested in the Seattle job, can't speak with teams until the Spurs are out of the playoffs.

Amar? Stoudemire said he slept in Saturday instead of attending the Suns? final team meeting of the year because he didn?t think he needed to be there hours after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio.

Stoudemire told KTVK?s Brad Cesmat on his Sunday sports show that he talked to Suns coach and general manager Mike D?Antoni after the team charter landed in Phoenix early Saturday morning, asking if he was going to be needed at the meeting with the players later that day.

D?Antoni did not meet with the players, but the team met to discuss housecleaning issues such as playoff shares and offseason preparations.

?I talked to Mike ? he sounded like he wasn?t going to be down there, so I figured I?d sleep in a little bit until I got a chance to talk to him,? Stoudemire said. ?That?s all it was. But I guess he was actually down there and that threw it off a little bit.?

The Suns have a lot of work in front of them this summer. But they will helplessly watch the first domino ? OK, make that ping-pong ball ? that will help decide what comes next fall tonight while sitting on the couch with their collective fingers crossed.

Phoenix could wind up with as high as the fourth overall pick when the 2007 NBA draft lottery is held today in New Jersey, giving them all sorts of options moving forward. Or, the Atlanta Hawks could retain the selection if it is among the top three, forcing the Suns to wait another year to complete the controversial 2005 Joe Johnson/Boris Diaw deal.

The odds lean toward Phoenix by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. The Hawks have a 37.8 percent chance of ending up third or higher when the ping-pong balls finally stop tonight.

?Without a doubt, this would be a key asset for us,? Phoenix coach and general manager Mike D?Antoni said. ?This is a deep draft with a lot of talented players in the top 10. There are guys at several positions who could have an impact right away, and if we?re there we?d certainly get a good player.

?Before we decide what other steps we?d take regarding free agency and any other personnel stuff, we have to see where we stand in the draft and what we want to do.?