Wrapping up the many, many dribbles of free-agent chatter, all in one place, from the first few hours of what promises to be a busy summer in the NBA:
Bidders emerge for Monroe
Detroit Pistons big man Greg Monroe is a man in demand. The Pistons have let it be known that they want to retain the restricted free agent -- very much so -- but the perception around the league is that Detroit will not rule out a sign-and-trade if the offer sheet he gets is too pricey.
Three teams, in fact, have quickly emerged as serious bidders for Monroe, according to sources close to the process: Atlanta, Orlando and Portland.
Pierce leaving Brooklyn?
A handful of teams, sources say, called after 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to register their interest in Brooklyn swingman Paul Pierce, with the Clippers in particular believing that Jason Kidd's departure has "opened the door" to stealing Pierce from the Nets.
Chicago, Portland, Dallas, Houston and Memphis, sources said, have all formally entered the Pierce bidding. But Brooklyn, I'm told, fears only the Clippers in this process. Doc Rivers, Pierce's beloved former coach, naturally leads L.A.'s recruiting efforts.
Raptors eye new Lowry deal
Toronto continues to radiate tangible confidence about its ability to re-sign highly coveted guard Kyle Lowry, with an offer said to be starting in the $12 million per year range.
However ...
There were rumblings in the early hours Tuesday that the Raptors have begun weighing whether they need to add a fifth year to their pitch to ensure they hold off the competition. Only the Raptors can pitch a five-year deal to Lowry.
Heat officials and Raptors officials have separate face-to-face sit-downs scheduled with Lowry on Tuesday in Philadelphia ... after Houston general manager Daryl Morey was waiting in Philly to greet the former Rocket as soon as free agency commenced.
Parsons as Melo backup plan
Good rule of thumb to apply to Chandler Parsons' restricted free agency: Teams interested in Carmelo Anthony will pursue Parsons once Melo is no longer available.
Chicago and Dallas are two prime examples, sources said, with the Mavericks in particular expected to make a strong play for the Houston swingman if they can't convince Anthony to come to Dallas.
The Rockets, though, continue to insist they will match any offers Parsons gets.
Race for Livingston
The Nets' optimism about being able to retain Pierce doesn't quite carry over to the Shaun Livingston situation. Not when Brooklyn is limited to a first-year offer of $3.3 million because of all that luxury tax the Nets paid last season with a payroll and tax bill that exceeded $190 million.
It's no surprise, then, that sources say Sacramento, Charlotte, Minnesota, Orlando and the newly minted champs from San Antonio all called shortly after midnight Tuesday to enter the race for Livingston.
Teams sense opportunity here after Livingston's fine turn-back-the-clock season under Kidd.
Interest growing for Hawes
Floor-spreading big man Spencer Hawes is already drawing a lot of interest, sources say.
Cleveland hopes to retain Hawes, but I'm told that the Blazers, Clippers, Rockets and Mavericks are already in pursuit.
One more year for Billups?
Look for Chauncey Billups to step back for a couple of weeks to assess his options after the Pistons declined to pick up Billups' $2.5 million option for next season, making the backcourt sage an unrestricted free agent.
Billups, 37, hasn't ruled out playing for one more season; he is frustrated by the injuries that have plagued him the past two seasons and isn't exactly eager to go out that way. But he has multiple options to consider, with opportunities looming in coaching, management or television.
The working assumption for some time has been that Billups prefers to move into the front office when he's done playing. Yet as ESPN.com reported early last month, new Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders would love to add Billups to his staff as an assistant and potentially groom him to take over down the road as the Wolves' head coach.
Pau Gasol's next move
There are a number of potential destinations for the in-demand Pau Gasol.
However, sources close to the process continue to say that Oklahoma City is an unlikely suitor for the Spaniard, despite repeated reports that have linked him to the Thunder.
Chris Smith lands Mavs tryout
Chris Smith, brother (and briefly teammate) of Knicks guard J.R. Smith, has been invited to try out for the Mavericks' summer-league team. Yet I'm told he'll have to earn a roster spot on Dallas' summer squad. No promises yet.