The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, but will not use up their future cap space on another player if they are unable to sign either player.

The Lakers could sign a player such as Luol Deng or Kyle Lowry, but only if they sign a short-term deal that comes off the books in 2016.

LeBron James is seeking a maximum salary and initial meetings with teams will be held by his agent Rich Paul. Sam Amick of USA Today first reported news of Paul handling the meetings on Sunday.

In 2010, James scheduled six meetings with teams at his offices in Cleveland over the first three days of July.

James' max salary is projected to start at $22.2 million for 14-15.

James' demands for contract length are in flux and he has previously indicated that flexibility is important to him.

Pau Gasol will meet with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors in free agency.

The New York Knicks are also believed to be interested in Gasol, while the Los Angeles Lakers haven't been ruled out.

Gasol has been with the Lakers since being traded there by the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2008.

The Los Angeles Lakers are projected to make $100.1 million in profit for the 13-14 NBA season, comfortably the best in the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls are second at $61 million, followed by the Houston Rockets ($40.7 million), Boston Celtics ($33.1 million) and Oklahoma City Thunder ($29 million).

The Lakers have a huge profit despite contributing a league-high $49 million to revenue-sharing.

The New York Knicks are expected to take a net loss of $3.5 million due to $27 million in revenue-sharing contribution and paying a large luxury tax bill.

The San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in net profits.

The Brooklyn Nets will post a loss of $144 million for the season.

Carmelo Anthony plans to meet with the Chicago Bulls at 12:01 AM on Tuesday, according to sources.

Anthony is in the process of arranging a trip to Chicago to meet with the Bulls, then travel to Texas for Wednesday meetings with both the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.

Anthony is likely to meet with the Rockets first on Wednesday, followed by the Mavericks.

With an offseason home in the area, Anthony is expected to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers face-to-face next week.

The New York Knicks are increasingly optimistic, however, about re-signing Anthony.

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to pursue Trevor Ariza, according to sources.

Ariza won the 2009 NBA championship with the Lakers.

Ariza is also expected to receive interest from the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Clippers and Phoenix Suns.

Ariza averaged 14.4 points for the Washington Wizards this past season and told the Washington Post that he hopes to re-sign with the team.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves have secondary interest in Chandler Parsons, according to a source.

The Lakers, Bulls and Mavericks are expected to pursue free agents such as Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James and could turn their attention toward Parsons.

The Rockets made Parsons a restricted free agent by declining the team option on his contract for next season and the team remains interested in keeping him.

"When I got drafted in the second round, I signed the four-year deal and everyone has to go through their rookie scale," Parsons said. "It was all part of the process. I obviously thought I deserved more. But I never was bitter or jealous of anyone making more than me. I was just fortunate enough to do this for a living.

"I feel like I'm in a win-win situation because it's happening a year early. I think a lot of teams could be interested. With the way I play and my versatility, I feel I can pretty much help any team."

Carmelo Anthony plans on making his decision in the second week of July after taking several visits in free agency.

Anthony is expected to meet with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. A source made no mention of meeting with the Miami Heat.

The source said that Anthony loves New York and playing for the Knicks, but there are questions surrounding the future of the franchise.

Phil Jackson was evasive when asked by reporters Thursday night if he would be willing to complete a sign-and-trade with Anthony if he opts to go elsewhere. The source added that the Knicks and Anthony have had no discussions about the possibility of a sign-and-trade.

With concerns about his health, Joel Embiid is expected to fall out of the top two slots of the NBA Draft.

The Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, Boston Celtics at No. 6 and Los Angeles Lakers at No. 7 are his three most probable destinations.

The Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz are unlikely to draft Embiid at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

Embiid's agent has also been reluctant to share his medical information with particular teams.

Kyle Lowry is expected to receive interest from the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.

Lowry played for the Rockets from 2009 until 2012 when he was moved to the Toronto Raptors for a first round pick that helped the team acquire James Harden.

The Toronto Raptors are still considered the frontrunners to retain Lowry.