Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to this time of year in the NBA, every team has a Plan B. And a Plan C. And, if they're doing it the way it should be done, enough contingency plans from there to fill out the alphabet at least a few times.

If free agent-to-be Kyle Lowry doesn't wind up re-signing with the Toronto Raptors, the point guard is in a prime position to be some team's high-priced backup plan.

With free agency looming on July 1 and so much focus on LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, players like Lowry are watching these story lines of the stars even more closely than the rest of us because of what it means for their own situations. Lowry is the unofficial poster boy of this group, a nine-year veteran who in 2010 started playing his best ball and who will have no shortage of interest once James and the other stars decided what they're going to do.

It's not inconceivable that Lowry could wind up playing with James if he re-ups with the Miami Heat, but the economics in that equation would make it extremely challenging. The more likely scenario, by far, involves Lowry getting paid handsomely by a team that wasn't able to convince the four-time MVP to come its way.

According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the Houston Rockets — whom Lowry played for from 2009 to 2012 — are one of those teams. While Rockets general manager Daryl Morey will woo free agents like James, Anthony and Heat center Chris Bosh (if he opts out of his deal), he also will pursue Lowry if those initial options are no longer in play. It would be quite the full-circle kind of story, as the Rockets' decision to trade Lowry to the Raptors in July 2012 played a vital part in their eventual acquisition of shooting guard James Harden just a few months later (the Oklahoma City Thunder received the lottery-protected first-round pick Houston had received from Toronto in that Oct. 2012 deal). The Los Angeles Lakers, who also plan to pursue both James and Anthony, are also known to be on Lowry's short list of prospective landing spots.

So, it seems, Lowry may either be brought into the top-tier fold with his fellow free agents or be reaping the benefits of going wherever they don't. Unless, of course, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri can do something about it.

Ujiri has made it clear that he wants Lowry back, and the fact that Toronto can offer one more year than their rivals on a possible deal (five years vs. four) is certainly an edge if he's willing to use it. But Lowry will have intriguing options elsewhere, and only he knows how much it might mean to continue with the Raptors team that was such a surprise story last season (48-34 during the regular season, good for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, before falling to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs). Lowry had his best year yet in 2013-14, averaging 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals a game.

As for the Rockets, they plan to trade point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik as a way of clearing the sort of salary cap space that's needed to make moves such as these. The obvious takeaway as it relates to Lowry, of course, is that they're clearly looking for an upgrade over Lin at the point guard position.

Rockets keep pitching to LeBron

Speaking of the Rockets, their recruiting efforts for the biggest of the free agent fish have come in a myriad of ways already. Dwight Howard said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports recently that he had no plans to reach out to James or Anthony about coming to town but was more than willing to discuss publicly why he thinks they'd both be great in Houston. Even before that, Rockets swingman Chandler Parsons (who will be a restricted free agent but is still in the team's plans) made headlines on ESPN's SportsNation earlier this month when he predicted that the Heat's loss in the Finals meant, as he said, that "you'll see him in a different jersey next year." (To which host Marcellus Wiley said, "Different jersey? Stop recruiting man…"

Not so coincidentally, Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley joined the loudest of recruiting pitches this week in an appearance with Jay Mohr on Fox Sports Radio. Mohr posed as James in the bit, with Beverley arguing all the reasons that coming to Houston was the right move for the league's best player. Beverley and James have a very good relationship, and one person with knowledge of the situation said his part in the recruiting would be taking place privately as well. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation.

From this vantage point, this is a smart end-around on league rules that more teams should exploit. While team officials aren't permitted to speak about prospective free agents, players have no such restrictions. All the formal pitches will begin on July 1, but there's no harm in trying to influence the players you're pursuing now to get an early leg-up on the competition.

Don't be surprised if Thomas stays with Kings

Not everyone will be paid their market value in free agency. With the rules that dictate the restricted free agency game, some players are at a serious disadvantage on the financial front because of logistics that come into play.

While deals can't officially be signed until the moratorium ends on July 10, teams have until July 13 to match offers that were given to their restricted free agents. That means teams pursuing restricted free agents must be willing to have their business (and their salary cap space) tied up for some 36 hours while waiting to hear whether they'll get their man. Yet still, this is a vast improvement from the pre-lockout days, as the waiting period used to be seven days before the new collective bargaining agreement was put in place in Dec. 2011.

Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas, to focus on one such player, may find himself in this sort of situation. The 25-year-old is coming off a career year (20.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game), and the Kings — who issued a qualifying offer of $1.1 million Wednesday to officially make him a restricted free agent — certainly want to keep him (though there's some disagreement between the two sides about whether he's best used as a starter or a super sixth man).

But unless Thomas can find a suitor who's willing to pay him so much that they can spend those three days confident that the Kings will let him walk or if a sign-and-trade possibility arises that could be seen by the Kings as a win-win, he may very well find himself staying put on a deal far below the one he may have envisioned. One person with knowledge of this situation estimates his market value at between $4 million and $6 million per season. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the matter.

The Kings are on the lookout for a starting point guard, and one name to keep an eye on is the Brooklyn Nets' Shaun Livingston. The 28-year-old free-agent-to-be whose career looked all but over in 2007 when he had a devastating leg injury while with the Los Angeles Clippers had his best season yet in 2014-15, helping the Nets turn their season around when he started in place of the injured Deron Williams and remaining a vital part of their program even after he returned.