Clippers' forward Corey Maggette is expected to opt out of his contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent, the L.A. Times are reporting.

All-Star forward Elton Brand can also become a free agent, but coming off a serious knee injury and with few teams having cap space, he is not expected to forfeit the $16.4 million he is due in the final season of his contract.  Brand and agent David Falk said they'd release Brand's decision today.

If both players opt out, the Clippers are hoping to be able to retain both.  If not, they'll become players in the free agent market, where they could make a run at the Wizards' Antawn Jamison.

With Shaun Livingston not being tendered a qualifying offer, the Clippers are hoping they can still re-sign the talented but oft-injured guard to a cheap contract.  If they cannot, a trade with Chicago featuring Kirk Hinrich may be a possibility.

Donnie Walsh does not want to lock up players long term this offseason, and that said, he's going to use the mid-level exception and also explore sign and trade opportunities to land a point guard and some shot blocking help for the Knicks, the New York Post is reporting.

One potential target appears to be Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors.  For Ellis to become a member of the Knicks, he would have to be a sign and trade since Ellis is a restricted free agent, and the Warriors are sure to match any offer for the young guard.

Other options include Sebastian Telfair, Kyle Lowry, Chris Duhon, Keyon Dooling, Tyronn Lue, and Kirk Hinrich although some are not free agents and would need to be acquired via trade.

Memphis has a glut of guards now that they acquired O.J. Mayo from Minnesota while Chicago is in a similar predicament after striking it lucky and drafting Derrick Rose first overall.

According to the Chicago Tribune, former Bobcats' coach Bernie Bickerstaff is believed to be close to finalizing a deal to become an assistant on  Vinny Del Negro's staff in Chicago.

The Bulls also hope to add former Lakers' coach Del Harris, whose negotiations have hit minor snags.

Turkish 7-footer Omer Asik will not be available to come to the Chicago Bulls for at least two more years because of his European contract situation, but when he does become available, the Bulls believe they got a steal, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

Chicago gave up three second round picks for the rights to Asik, mainly because the Bulls' scouting department projected Asik to become a lottery pick by the time his current arrangement with Fenerbahce Istanbul expires.

"He's a first-round talent who is a futures player for us who we're really excited about," General Manager John Paxson said. "We targeted two players in this draft and got them both."

Free agent point guard Sam Cassell has expressed interest in playing for the Nuggets, and the team could make a play for Chicago's Kirk Hinrich, according to report in The Rocky Mountain News.

Cassell wants to play one more season in the league and is likely considering the Nuggets because of his relationship with George Karl.

Having drafted Derrick Rose, the Bulls will be looking to clear out some space in their backcourt. Hinrich is expectedly by many to be traded by Chicago before the start of the 2008-09 season.

The Chicago Bulls extended qualifying offers to Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and Demetris Nichols, making them all restricted free agents, K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

The Chicago Bulls acquired the draft rights to center Omer Asik, the 36th selection in NBA Draft 2008, in a three-team deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.

The 7-0, 255-pound Asik is a 20-year-old native of Bursa, Turkey.  A two-time Turkish League All-Star (2007, 2008), Asik split 30 games last year with Alpella and Fenerbahce, where he averaged 10.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, a league-high 1.90 bpg, and 1.90 spg.  In 2007-08 Euroleague action, he set a league record for blocked shots in a game with 19 rejections.

The Bulls traded the 39th pick in NBA Draft 2008 (which turned out to be 6-6 guard/forward Sonny Weems from Arkansas) to the Denver Nuggets for Denver?s 2009 regular second-round draft pick.  Chicago then acquired the 36th selection in NBA Draft 2008 from the Portland Trail Blazers for Denver?s 2009 regular second-round pick, the New York Knicks? 2009 regular second-round pick (acquired from New York on Oct. 4, 2005 in the Eddy Curry trade), and Chicago?s 2010 regular second-round draft pick.

Derrick Rose, taken first overall by the Chicago Bulls, knows that he isn't likely to be the only new player on the roster when the team takes the court this fall.

"There's going to be moves, and they don't know who is going to be there, but the guards they have now are great guards. I've seen them here and there and Ben Gordon, but it's a great fit," Rose said shortly after getting picked.

Chicago currently has a glutton of guards, including Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha on their roster.

Chicago native Derrick Rose wants to be the best player in the league this season, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.

"Not a star, but like, a superstar," he told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "Something around, like, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, something like that."

If Derrick Rose is chosen first overall today, as many believe, John Paxson is asking people to give the young point guard time to make an impact, the Chicago Triune is reporting.

"Every team would like to think when they have a bad year they can turn it around overnight," Paxson said. "But we have to look a few years down the road and figure out how we're going to be better."

"There are 20 teams that would love to have a really good point guard," Paxson added. "Ever since the league changed the rule out front and prohibited contact on the perimeter and you can't put a forearm on a guy and ride him, you see the success of Chris Paul and Deron Williams and the difference they made in winning and losing."

"But Deron didn't jump into this overnight. His first year, he didn't start most of the season. Utah had a little bit longer-range view on him. Whether it's us or Miami, I think the same thing applies for Derrick."