The Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats have each engaged in preliminary trade talks with the Chicago Bulls regarding Taj Gibson, according to a source.

The Bulls reportedly did not like the possible return from any of the teams.

The Bulls could be determined to move salary to create room and pair Derrick Rose with a second superstar.

“The way that works is this, when something gets close or they think there’s something there that makes sense they’ll come to me,’’ Tom Thibodeau said. “Every conversation that they’re having I don’t know about nor do I want to know about. I think it’s important for me to be focused on the guys we do have.

Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, DeMar DeRozan, Joe Johnson, Paul Millsap and John Wall have been selected to the 2014 All-Star Game as Eastern Conference reserves.

Tony Parker, Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dirk Nowitzki, James Harden, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard were named as Western Conference reserves.

Lance Stephenson, Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Mike Conley, Arron Afflalo and Tim Duncan were not voted to the game.

The official announcement is forthcoming.

JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche may play in the 2014 FIBA World Cup for the Philippines. 

"We’re in discussion with Javale. However, he’s just found out that he needs to undergo a procedure for his shin injury. With that development, it’s prudent also to choose a backup. Blatche agreed to undergo the naturalization process. He wants to play for the Philippines," national team coach Chot Reyes said.

In Congress, Deputy Speaker Robbie Puno filed two separate bills seeking the naturalization of McGee and Blatche.

“A resolution was arrived at. The board reiterated its full support to the Gilas program. They generously cut back the season schedule by one month,” said Reyes.

“The PBA team owners have agreed to compress the season. The second and third conferences finals were reduced from best-of-seven to best-of-five. We’re also compressing the in-between conferences breaks to meet Gilas’ request,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud.

“Even the start of the 2014-15 season will be delayed to allow the team to compete in the Asian Games,” Salud added.

McGee and Blatche were teammates with the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards would like to sign Marcin Gortat to a long-term deal and see doing so as a priority.

Gortat was acquired by the Wizards before the start of the season.

The Wizards could sign Gortat to an extension before June 30, but it would be more advantageous for him to wait.

The Washington Wizards have assigned Glen Rice Jr. to the Iowa Energy of the D-League.

Rice fractured his wrist in mid-December.

Rice has appeared in 11 games, including one start, this season for Washington while averaging 2.9 points in 10 minutes per game.

Randy Wittman described the Washington Wizards as playing "AAU ball" in their 114-107 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

“Listen,” Wittman said. “If we come out like we do at home, nonchalant, take it for granted, no sense of urgency, shortcut everything – which is what we did the first two-and-a-half quarters – until we hold each other accountable of what’s going on on the floor and get it corrected, that starts with me. But it also starts in the locker room, having some leadership in there. We just played the game. We shortcut everything. When you do that, you get down 25.

“Now, we got [ticked] off at me, at each other. If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. We came back for about 17 minutes there and played as hard and with heart than we did any other point in that. But you can’t 17 minutes of an NBA game against a good team. That’s what we did.”

Wittman acknowledged that Kevin Seraphin gave the Wizards a boost, but instead wanted to focus on their play in general.

"The main point is, at home here, we just have no – I don’t know what the term [is]. Sense of urgency of coming home and protecting home. And we don’t. We just go out and play like it’s an AAU game. Kevin came in and gave us a big lift. There’s no question he played well. One of his better games. But we’ve got to figure those other things out. There’s no excuse for the way we’re playing.”

The Washington Wizards were outscored 70-31 in the third quarters of their past two losses against the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, and both players and coaches attributed the woes to a lack of awareness.

“We’re too much, right now, of a team of front-runners,” Randy Wittman said, “where if things are going good, our energy level is really high. And when we don’t make shots, the energy just zaps from our bodies. It’s has to be almost the other way around. It’s almost has to be, you’ve got to energize yourself through bad play. This game’s a game of mistakes. The team that can play through mistakes, and then obviously limit them, but play through them, usually wins.”

"Coming out the third quarter, we laid an egg,” Trevor Booker said.

The Wizards, 14-17, have failed to score 20 points in each of their past three games, all losses.