The lockout continues to dominate the headlines when it comes to the NBA these days and rightfully so, but there are underlying storylines which continue to emerge which will undoubtedly shift the direction of the league once play resumes.

One of those topics receiving minimal press coverage is the subject of free agency since no one knows what the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will entail and what franchises would actually be active players in a newly structured financial system.

But that hasn’t stopped players from openly discussing their free agency plans once the session begins.

Unrestricted free agent Tyson Chandler, currently the NBA champion Mavericks’ starting center, is keeping his options open and hasn’t ruled out a change of address for the 2012 campaign.

“It’s a great point in my career, and I’m coming up under free agency and there’s a lot of great teams out there, a lot of great opportunities out there, a lot of up-and-building things,” Chandler told ESPN’s Jeff Caplan in a recent phone interview. “So, I mean, I’ve got to take a look at all that. I’ve got to take everything into consideration, and the good thing is I’m on a good side. I’m coming off an incredible year, so it’s not a situation where it’s worrisome.”

The starting center position is the hardest position to fill in the modern NBA and while Chandler’s talents aren’t near the level of the giants who roamed the paint in the 1980s or 1990s, he will still command top dollar in a market craving a defensive minded presence that yields proven results.

HOOPSWORLD currently has Chandler as the top ranked center in the 2011 free agent crop.

At some point during certain guys’ careers they become labeled as winners, even though they may not possess the most extravagant nightly box scores.

Chandler fits the bill perfectly in this realm.

Every franchise in which the ten year veteran has laced up the high tops has benefitted from a trip to the postseason during his tenure (Chicago, New Orleans, Charlotte and Dallas).

His arrival in New Orleans coincided with superstar point guard Chris Paul receiving his first taste of the playoffs in 2007.

His arrival in Charlotte helped lead the perennial lottery slotted Bobcats to their first ever playoff berth in 2010.

After the winning the title with the Mavs this season, both head coach Rick Carlisle and star forward Dirk Nowitzki went to great lengths to give Chandler respect for his role in the team’s success.

Chandler seemingly understands the role he’s morphed into in recent years.

“This year was unbelievable. I’ll never, obviously, have a year like this again, and when I say that, I don’t mean statistics or anything. You’ll never win your first championship ever again,” Chandler said. “What I brought to this organization, I wanted to change the culture, and when I say that by no means [am I] trying to offend anyone, because this is an organization that has had countless winning seasons and had all the success in the world.

If Chandler is serious about his desire to truly test the free agent market and actually changes addresses to an “up and building” squad, you can be sure the move will have a ripple effect throughout the league’s elite.

Kobe Bryant On The Recruiting Trail? While some stars like Nets guard Deron Williams (reportedly headed to Turkey)are aggressively plotting out their next moves from an individual standpoint, five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant appears to be more interested in stacking additional talent to get his sixth title which would catapult him even further into rarified air.

According to a hoopshype.com translation of an interview current Suns forward Mikael Pietrus conducted with French newspaper L’Equipe, the veteran guard expressed interest in having him become a member of the Lakers.

“A lot of teams are interested in me, like the Lakers or the Celtics,” Pietrus stated in the interview. “This came from the best player in the world: Kobe Bryant. He told me two months ago that he would like to see me with the Lakers.”

{AUTHOR_BOX} Since Pietrus opted into the final year of his deal worth $5.3 million back in June, the only way Los Angeles could acquire the forward is via trade.

The question is do the Lakers have the pieces to swing a deal.

Pietrus and his agent have both went on record recently stating their belief that the Suns will eventually deal him because of the team’s current logjam on the wing (Jared Dudley, Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick and possibly Grant Hill-UFA).

“Phoenix didn’t use me but that’s their problem. I’m going to continue working. The only thing I care about is winning a title,” Pietrus added.

One thing the Lakers surely need is younger athletic guys on the perimeter defensively and additional three-point help offensively.

On the surface Pietrus fits the needs on both accounts and also has 49 games of playoff experience under his belt, including a Finals appearance as a member of the Orlando Magic against the Lakers in 2009 (loss).

76ers Sale Imminent? Many thought the NBA’s reporting of vast fiscal losses amongst its teams would potentially scare off investors seeking to buy a franchise.

Not the case, when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to Bloomberg, which cites two different sources close to the negotiations, the sale of the team by Comcast-Spectacor to a group headed by Joshua Harris is expected within a few business days.

Harris is the co-founder of Apollo Global Management and reports indicate he has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion.

According to the Bloomberg report, the sale price of the team will be in the neighborhood of $280 million. In the past year, the Sixers were valued at $330 million by Forbes Magazine in its latest research on sports franchises.

Comcast-Spectacor has owned the club since 1996 and the franchise has made the postseason nine out of the past sixteen seasons, including one trip to the Finals.

Philadelphia has made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons and are currently one of the teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference.

Not Everyone Wants To Go Overseas: As lower tier guys begin to pack their bags for stints overseas, some players are more than content to wait out the current lockout and take whatever is issued out in the new CBA.

Count Pistons power forward Jonas Jerebko in the latter.

According to his agent, Doug Neustadt, Jerebko isn’t interested in the prospect of leaving the NBA at the moment after already playing four years of ball in the Euro leagues.

“Jonas views himself as an NBA player,” Neustadt told the Detroit Free Press. “We are not looking to go over there. If something comes up we will look at it, but we are not actively looking. We are not going over there just to go over.”

Jerebko, who will be a restricted free agent whenever the lockout concludes, missed last season due to a partially torn Achilles.

Earlier this month reserve Piston forward DaJuan Summers signed a two year deal to play in Italy.

Jerebko averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds and started 73 games as a rookie in 2010.