Amar'e Stoudemire could receive trade inquiries in the offseason due to his expiring contract.

Stoudemire hopes to remain with the New York Knicks and be part of a potentially successful rebuild under the direction of Phil Jackson.

"I think the near future is very bright because we have a great nucleus with Tyson and Carmelo and myself, and now Phil Jackson," Stoudemire said. "Those are all highlights that manifested from me signing here in 2010, when I came here to help the Knicks win.

"That's why I don't want to leave. I want to be here for the long haul and do whatever it takes to win, so whatever sacrifices I have to make, I will be willing to make them."

The Houston Rockets attempted to trade for Kyle Lowry ahead of the deadline, according to sources.

Lowry was traded to the Toronto Raptors by the Rockets in the 2012 offseason.

Lowry has been one of the NBA's best point guards this season and will be a coveted free agent.

"I would have done things differently in Houston," Lowry said. "I really respected Kevin McHale. I wish I would have had an opportunity to play for him longer. The things he was teaching me, well, I didn't understand right away. When you get away from someone, though, see it from the outside looking in, you go back and think, 'Damn, I could've learned some more things from the guy.'

"I wanted to stay with Coach Adelman and needed to get over that. [McHale] came in with a different philosophy, and I wish I could've adapted to it quicker."

The Toronto Raptors "tried frantically" to acquire a top-15 pick in last June's draft in order to select Giannis Antetokounmpo.

John Hammond had decided 72 hours before the draft that the Milwaukee Bucks would select Antetokounmpo if he fell to them at No. 15.

Many NBA executives believed that Antetokounmpo received a promise from the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick.

The Houston Rockets will pursue Carmelo Anthony this offseason, according to a source.

The Rockets won't have enough cap space to sign Anthony outright, but a sign-and-trade could be an option.

The source said that the Rockets inquired about the availability of Anthony at the deadline. The Knicks have held discussions previously with the Rockets on Omer Asik.

The Knicks could deal Asik and/or Jeremy Lin for Anthony while maintaining cap space for 2015.

With no state income taxes in Texas, Anthony could take a reduced salary while not as severely impacting his take home pay.

Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith discuss the possibility of playing on the same team again.

Rondo and Smith were teammates as Oak Hill.

"We call each other every once in a while to check up and see how one another is doing," Smith said on Sunday. "He's my best friend, especially in the NBA. We still talk all the time, and our families take vacations together. He's a very good friend."

Rondo will become a free agent in 2015.

"The conversation comes up," Smith admitted. "We always tell each other what a surreal moment that would be, for us to connect again. With the different free agencies that we have [Rondo comes off the Boston books in 2015; Smith is locked in through 2017], it could be far-fetched, but it could be possible. I tend to be an optimist."

The Indiana Pacers did not discuss a trade ahead of the deadline with the Cleveland Cavaliers involving Luol Deng, a source tells RealGM.

The Cavaliers reportedly were looking to move Deng for a first round pick.

The Pacers acquired Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen at the deadline in a deal involving Danny Granger.

The New York Knicks are expected to pursue a trade of Amar'e Stoudemire in the offseason before he enters the final season of his contract.

The Knicks hope they could exchange Stoudemire for the contract of an impact player on a bad contract, such as Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Expiring contracts have seemingly become less valuable under the NBA's current CBA.

Trading Stoudemire for a contract longer in length would also compromise the Knicks' plans for cap space in 2015.