Dwight Howard expressed displeasure with how his first season with the Atlanta Hawks ended.

Howard was often on the bench during the end of the Hawks' games against the Wizards.

“It was very difficult,” Howard said Saturday. “I want to play. I want to be out on the floor. I want to make a difference. I want to make an impact, and I can’t do that on the bench.”

Howard denied suggestions that matchups reduced his time on the floor.

Howard said he and Mike Budenholzer will discuss the situation during the offseason.

“That’s something that we have to talk about,” he said. “I can’t give you details here.”

Howard was healthy this season but sometimes didn't fit with the Hawks on offense.

“It hurts,” Howard said. “I’m sure if you wrote the best stories in the world and nobody read your stories and they told you to stop writing and you saw somebody else’s story that wasn’t as good as yours, I’m pretty sure you’d be pissed, too. That’s how it is in basketball.”

Jimmy Butler's future with the Chicago Bulls may already be headed in a different direction due to their success so far against the Boston Celtics.

The Bulls narrowly reached the playoffs but then defeated the Celtics on the road in the first two games of their series.

Butler has been on the trade block over the past year but no deal has been consummated as the Bulls decide whether or not to rebuild.

“If they had gotten swept, they would have been inclined to blow it up,” says one source with ties to the Bulls. “But they're so ‘which way the wind is blowing.’ If they make it to the second round, they may talk themselves into trying to keep it together and build around Jimmy.”

The Celtics coincidentally were one of the teams most interested in trading for Butler. It was never clear how available Butler was or what the Bulls were asking in exchange for him.

The Boston Celtics' coaching staff was in favor of trading for Carmelo Anthony at the deadline, according to a source. Danny Ainge, however, had reservations about trading for Anthony. The Celtics have sought cap space for 2017 and acquiring Anthony would have taken that option off the table.

Jae Crowder is a player of interest for the New York Knicks, who could have been acquired during the 2014 Tyson Chandler trade.

The Celtics could use cap space to absorb Anthony's contract if Ainge strikes out in free agency.

Anthony has a full no-trade with the Knicks.

Carmelo and La La Anthony have separated though they have no current plans to officially divorce.

The 16-17 season reportedly strained the Anthony's marriage. The former couple are currently living in separate residences.

Anthony's future with the New York Knicks is unclear heading into the offseason. Anthony has a full no-trade clause, which would allow him to veto any trade scenario.

La La has been cited as a strong influence on where Anthony chooses to play over the years.

Michele Roberts criticized the public comments of Phil Jackson in regards to Carmelo Anthony.

“We voiced with the Commissioner today our view on the inappropriate comments by Knicks President Phil Jackson," said Roberts in a statement. "If players under contract cannot, under threat of league discipline, speak openly about their desire to be employed elsewhere, we expect management to adhere to the same standards. The door swings both ways when it comes to demonstrating loyalty and respect.”

Anthony has a no-trade clause with the New York Knicks, which means he would have to give his approval for any trade.

Anthony has had influence in the NBPA during Roberts' tenure as Executive Director.

Phil Jackson confirmed in his end of season press conference that the New York Knicks will begin rebuilding again.

Jackson also talked about the possibility of trading away Carmelo Anthony.

"We've not been able to win with him on the court," said Jackson. "I think the direction with our team is that (Carmelo) would be better off somewhere else."

Jackson said he met with Anthony and that it was a cordial conversation.

Anthony has a full no-trade clause which means the Knicks will need his approval to execute any trade. Jackson said they had "an indication of teams" that Anthony would be amenable to joining.

"That’s a big hole to fill," said Jackson when asked about what they would seek in exchange for Anthony. "We want a significant player that can hopefully fill that role."

Anthony presumably responded to Jackson's press conference later on Instagram.

 

REALLY 😂😂 #StayMe7o

A post shared by Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) onApr 14, 2017 at 1:02pm PDT

Carmelo Anthony is leaning strongly towards waiving his no-trade clause this offseason.

Anthony said on Wednesday night that he'd "love" to be back, but wants assurances that the Knicks are committed to winning.

Anthony admitted publicly to considering waiving his no-trade clause before this year's deadline.

While Anthony and Phil Jackson have seemed to be at odds, there was also an incident involving Jeff Hornacek. During halftime of a game in March, Hornacek yelled at the Knicks, which triggered a response from Anthony.

Anthony essentially questioned the direction of the entire organization, according to sources. Associate head coach Kurt Rambis fired back, calling out Anthony's effort on defense.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fielded trade calls last summer for Russell Westbrook when he considered whether or not to sign a contract extension but never remotely considered moving forward with a move.

The Thunder needed to wait for an answer from Westbrook on the extension.

Westbrook would have been eligible for free agency in 2017 had he not signed an extension.

"He just needed a little time to think, because his free agency was pretty much sped up," Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver told ESPN's Royce Young. "It was, 'Well, now I've got to think about this. This wasn't something I was planning on thinking about, because I didn't think this was gonna happen.' We just gave him a little time to reflect, and even with it being a short window, he felt comfortable where he was in his career and his life, and he was, 'OK, let's tackle these years and move forward.'"

Carmelo Anthony conceded that the New York Knicks may look to trade him again this offseason.

Anthony has a full no-trade clause and the Knicks have yet to formally approach him about waiving it. But Anthony said there was a point before the deadline where he seriously considered waiving it.

"There was a point in time when I didn't think I would be back here," he said.

Anthony will meet with Phil Jackson, Steve Mills and Jeff Hornacek on Thursday.

Anthony said he would "love" to remain in New York but wants to make sure the club is committed to winning next season. 

"If everybody's committed to [winning], I'm committed to that too," Anthony said. "I want to win, and hopefully everybody else has that same type of mindset."

Anthony said he's not sure if Wednesday's game could be his last with the Knicks.

"To be honest with you, I don't know. I'll know more in the upcoming weeks or so," Anthony said. "I'm pretty sure the organization has an idea, a thought of what they want to do, how they want to do it. But at this point, it's all on me."

Frank Vogel spoke with Aaron Gordon following the publication of a photo that seemed to suggest the Orlando Magic are internally considering a trade of Aaron Gordon to the Philadelphia 76ers for Dario Saric.

“Typically, with rumors and stuff like that, we don’t really address them,” Vogel said today when asked about the photo. “But this is a unique situation, and I talked to him a little bit this morning, and everybody’s good. We’re ready to move on.”

Vogel and Gordon would not divulge what they said during their meeting.

“It was definitely something that I wasn’t aware of before,” Gordon said when asked about the dry-erase board’s content.

“It wasn’t for me to see, so for me to see something like that, it brings something that’s out of my control into my reality. But that’s neither here nor there. My plan and my focus is to play basketball and to enjoy the game of basketball. Anything other than that is out of my control. I love this organization and I’m going to continue to work hard and play.”