. . . While the NBA Dormant Period Ends and a Leaguewide Reshuffling Begins Today

The NBA’s top young talent continued a rapid and intriguing Florida migration Monday, potentially presaging a marked shift in league power.

Thirty-one days of wining, dining, leaks, declarations, flip-flops and jolting momentum changes--but no concrete deals--climaxed with a wild nine-player sign-and-trade agreement that will send former Laker guard Eddie Jones from the Charlotte Hornets to the Miami Heat.

Earlier this month, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady agreed to free-agent contracts with the Orlando Magic, immediately raising the Magic to contender status; Orlando, though, failed in its bid to land the biggest attraction, Tim Duncan, who will sign a three-year deal to stay with the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, the Heat picks up Jones, a native of Pompano Beach, Fla., giving Miami the athletic, full-court player Coach Pat Riley has lacked for so long.

According to several sources, Charlotte agreed to trade Jones, Anthony Mason (who flourished with Riley in New York), Dale Ellis and Ricky Davis in exchange for five players, including much-sought-after power forward P.J. Brown and Jamal Mashburn.

Jones, a free agent whom the Lakers apparently considered trying to reacquire, will reportedly receive a maximum-salary deal (starting at about $9.2 million) with the Heat and fulfill his wish to play for Riley on a team that suddenly has almost no forwards but seems to have significantly increased its title chances.

Also being shipped to the Hornets are Otis Thorpe, Tim James and Rodney Buford.

The Heat-Hornet bombshell was only the latest splashy deal to leak out since July 1, when players and teams could start to negotiate--but not officially finalize or announce--free-agent deals and trades.

An NBA player-movement reset, with the flood of deals and trades about to flow:

* Laker Executive Vice President Jerry West has made no move to halt speculation about his planned retirement/leave of absence, which could be announced this week.

But, given the Lakers’ normal slow pace of public discourse and owner Jerry Buss’ planned vacation starting today and his desire to change West’s mind, the announcement could be withheld for weeks.

Several sources said that West’s departure will be described as taking a break from the Lakers’ daily stress points and pressure, with the door remaining open for a return at some undetermined date, if West chooses.

Buss, however, almost certainly will not grant West, under contract to the Lakers for more than $11 million and three more years, the freedom to try to negotiate a move to another team, the sources said.

General Manager Mitch Kupchak, already the point man in most recent Laker negotiations, is expected to expand his role in West’s absence, but probably without a change in title.

Kupchak would not answer questions about West’s status Monday other than to confirm that West has been part of the Lakers’ player discussions this month, along with Buss and Coach Phil Jackson.

* The Lakers have not found the right deal to move free-agent forward Glen Rice and they might have lost the most fervent suitor for Rice when Charlotte acquired Mashburn, a similar (and younger) player.

“Nobody’s talking about him,” one league source said of Rice.

Charlotte, though, has an overload of big forwards after the Miami trade, and could offer Brown, Thorpe or free-agent Brad Miller in a potential Rice swap.

The Lakers, whose six-year, $17-million offer to Orlando center John Amaechi was rejected, apparently have not yet found a suitable scenario to acquire a veteran power forward/backup center.

Long-rumored trades either with Philadelphia for Toni Kukoc or Detroit for Christian Laettner remain strong possibilities, and a source said that the New York Knicks, who have a tradable commodity in free-agent power forward Kurt Thomas, could enter the Rice picture.

Steve Kerr, a longtime Jackson favorite, could end up with the Lakers if San Antonio needs to find some cap room for other moves.

Asked if the Lakers had anything already lined up to announce today, Kupchak said, “Can’t say that we do . . . There are a bunch of directions that we can go and be involved in possibilities . . .

“If there’s one area that we feel we need help it’s in the frontcourt. [But] to get a big guy that can play minutes for you is a chore.”

* Other important Laker issues have yet to be finalized, including a four-year contract extension for Shaquille O’Neal that Buss has already generally agreed to as a deserving reward for O’Neal’s dominance last season.

O’Neal’s existing contract expires in 2003; he is eligible to receive $23.5 million in 2003-04, then increasing in 12.5% intervals each season, topping out at $31.1 million in 2007-08.

The four-year maximum extension would be worth $118.4 million.

* There are reports that the Lakers’ main rival, the Portland Trail Blazers, have agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would send free-agent forward Brian Grant to Cleveland and ultra-talented, ultra-moody Shawn Kemp to Portland.

Could the Trail Blazers be envisioning a front line of Arvydas Sabonis, Kemp and Rasheed Wallace to throw at the Lakers the next time they meet in the playoffs?

Another Laker rival, the Spurs, maintained dangerous status by keeping Duncan and by getting renewed enthusiasm from David Robinson, who flew back from a Hawaii vacation to persuade Duncan to stay.

The Spurs hope to add an athletic wing player, possibly free-agent Clipper guard Derek Anderson.

* The Jones trade means that the Chicago Bulls swung and missed on the entire elite wave of free agents, despite being one of only three teams that had the cap room to acquire them without need of a trade and being the only one with Michael Jordan’s number hanging in its rafters.

Hill gave Chicago only a cursory look, McGrady and Jones were only slightly more interested, Duncan never even bothered to visit, and Tim Thomas, hardly a superstar, decided to stay with Milwaukee (and a potential backup role) rather than sign with Chicago for the maximum.

That leaves only Rice, Ron Mercer, the Clippers’ Anderson and Maurice Taylor as viably attractive alternatives for a franchise that set itself up to land two megastars in this free-agency period.

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Pending Deals

* Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, Ricky Davis and Dale Ellis (Charlotte) to Miami for P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Otis Thorpe, Tim James and Rodney Buford

* Free agents Grant Hill (Detroit) and Tracy McGrady (Toronto) to sign with Orlando

* Free agent Tim Duncan (San Antonio) to re-sign with Spurs. Other key free agents likely to re-sign with their teams: Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose (Indiana) and Tim Thomas (Milwaukee).

Status Report

What’s expected to become of the NBA’s top free agents when the signing period begins today:

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Player What’s Expected DEREK ANDERSON Sign-and-trade deal from Clippers unlikely. May sign with San Antonio. AUSTIN CROSHERE Re-sign with Indiana or leave for Boston or Toronto. TIM DUNCAN Intends to re-sign with San Antonio. BRIAN GRANT Sign-and-trade deal possible from Portland to Cleveland for Shawn Kemp, or to New York. GRANT HILL Intends to leave Detroit for free-agent deal with Orlando. EDDIE JONES Sign-and-trade deal likely from Charlotte along with Anthony Mason, Ricky Davis and Dale Ellis to Miami for P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Tim James, Rodney Buford, Otis Thorpe. TONI KUKOC Re-sign with Philadelphia, or possible sign-and-trade deal to Lakers. RASHARD LEWIS Intends to re-sign with Seattle. TRACY McGRADY Intends to leave Toronto for free-agent deal with Orlando. RON MERCER Likely to sign with Chicago, New Jersey or Boston. REGGIE MILLER Likely to re-sign with Indiana. GLEN RICE Sign-and-trade deal from Lakers to Philadelphia, Charlotte or Detroit. JALEN ROSE Likely to re-sign with Indiana. MAURICE TAYLOR Sign-and-trade deal from Clippers unlikely. May sign with Orlando. TIM THOMAS Intends to re-sign with Milwaukee.

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