Luongo showed his frustration with his contract and his current status as a backup goaltender Wednesday during a news conference with the Vancouver media.

“My contract sucks — that’s what’s the problem,” Luongo said. “I’d scrap it if I could now.”

“I think that he was very emotional,” Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said. “I think these days are emotional for everybody. I think he said that in a highly emotional state. I’d like to give him the opportunity to catch his breath and have a discussion with him.”

Luongo will spend the remainder of the season in Vancouver and will back up starter Cory Schneider, who has seized the starting job with a 2.27 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

A three-time All-Star, Luongo hasn’t started a game since March 18.

“It’s a tough situation for everybody, no doubt,” Luongo said following Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. “We’re obviously trying to make the best out of it and making sure that what’s best for both sides is done. Obviously, the time isn’t now, and we’ll have to wait.”

Luongo acknowledged that the remaining nine years on his contract made a trade especially challenging. His average salary cap hit is $5.33 million per season.

“I do feel obligated to trade Roberto and get him into a position where he’s happy,” Gillis said. “The needs of our team also play a role in this. Trying to balance them is a difficult thing. We’ve been doing that for six months.”

According to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun, the Maple Leafs had discussions with the Canucks regarding Luongo, but the two sides couldn’t find a match. Luongo can reject any deal but claimed that it never came to that, even though he was pulled from practice early Wednesday.

“There was obviously some teams that were interested,” Luongo said. “Nothing ever materialized to a point where I had to give a decision whether I was going to waive or not. What the future holds is something you try not to think about.”

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With four days before their next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, the Nets essentially are giving Johnson five days to rest his heel and get better.

“We’re just concerned with the four (games) in five (days) and a little bit of the mentality that we had going to the All-Star break,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “You have four days (off), so you’re tempted to say we hold him out one more it’ll give him five days to get healthy.”

Johnson missed three games because of the sore left heel before returning for the team’s last six. During that span, he averaged 13 points on 47.1 percent shooting in 33.6 minutes.

He had 20 points in 37 minutes on 8-of-11 shooting in Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Johnson had hoped the injury wouldn’t linger on when he returned, but it has.

In 61 games, the 31-year-old veteran is averaging 16.6 points on 42.7 percent shooting.

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Irving, who has dealt with several injuries during his brief NBA career, sprained his shoulder Sunday night in a loss to Toronto. He collided with Raptors rookie forward Jonas Valanciunas while trying to drive the baseline. Irving stayed in the game, but was taken out after he was unable to raise his left arm while shooting free throws.

The Cavaliers said an MRI revealed a left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain. He is projected to miss 3 to 4 weeks, but the Cavs have just 19 games left this season, so it’s possible Irving will not play again.

Cavs coach Byron Scott would not speculate if Irving’s season is over.

“We’ll have to wait until it’s completely healed and then just go from there,” Scott said after Monday’s practice.

Irving has already missed 14 games this season with a broken index finger and hyperextended knee. He broke his right hand last summer when he punched a padded wall during a practice in Las Vegas. He missed 14 games last season — four with a concussion and 10 with a sprained right shoulder — when he was chosen the league’s top rookie.

Irving played with a broken jaw earlier this season, wearing a protective mask.

Despite the injuries, Scott doesn’t believe his young star is fragile.

“He’s still very young and his body hasn’t fully developed,” Scott said. “I’m just not that concerned about it, to be honest with you,” Scott said. “All the injuries that he has gotten have been legitimate injuries. It’s not something that keeps recurring over and over again.”

Irving played just 11 games as a freshman at Duke because of a toe injury.

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Irving skipped Friday’s morning shootaround with symptoms from a stomach flu that has coursed its way through Cleveland’s team and also sickened family members of players and coaches.

“He’s a little under the weather,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said, adding Irving will be re-evaluated before tipoff against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team listed Irving as “doubtful.”

Irving was recently held out of three games to rest a hyperextended right knee, and following Wednesday’s win over Utah, the 20-year-old said the injury was still bothering him. Those comments prompted Scott to say he would consider shutting down Irving again, rather than risk him making it worse.

However, after speaking with Irving and trainer Max Benton, Scott isn’t as worried.

“I don’t think the knee is that big of an issue,” said Scott, who had no explanation to why Irving would say his knee was not 100 percent.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Scott said.

This virulent flu bug has bitten the Cavs hard.

Rookies Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller as well as Daniel Gibson and team trainer Max Benton all missed games earlier this week with the stomach virus. Waiters is expected back after sitting out two games, and both he and Gibson are listed as “probable” to play against the Grizzlies.

Zeller returned on Wednesday after being sick and losing five pounds. He and Waiters became so ill last weekend that they had to be taken to the hospital.

Scott has been leery of making any unnecessary contact with his players.

“I’m not touching their hands right now,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of knuckles stuff. I’m trying to stay away from them as much as possible. Hopefully, this thing will be over today or tonight. It’s made its way through our team.”

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“I sure didn’t see this effort coming,” Collins said to open his extremely candid postgame news conference. “I thought we played incredibly hard against Miami. I thought we played incredibly hard in New York on Sunday. And this is mind-numbing to me. We went up 29-20, and from that point on, I couldn’t even tell you what occurred.”

The Sixers struggled mightily down the stretch in Tuesday’s 98-84 loss, their sixth consecutive defeat. A trendy preseason pick to contend for the Atlantic Division title, Philadelphia (22-33) fell a season-high 11 games below .500.

“I’m disappointed, I really am,” he said. “There was so much this season that we were looking forward to. But it just seems like every time we turn around, it’s been something else.”

Philadelphia has lost all four of its games since the All-Star break, but Collins would not comment on whether or not his players had become “comfortable” losing.

“I told you, I did not think our guys prepared themselves during the break to come back to play,” he said.

Collins also acknowledged reaching out to his players in an attempt to “be a better leader.” But the 61-year-old Collins also emphasized that his players need to commit to improvement.

“Sometimes you’ve got to help yourself,” he said. “Youth is a very blaming thing. … I usually go to them. And after a while, the talk gets old. It just does — at some point in time, you’ve just got to play.

“They say it’s a players’ league. Well then take ownership. That’s all I’m asking — take ownership of what you’re putting out there.”

Collins cited Andrew Bynum’s health on several occasions during his 11-minute conference. But Collins did not use Bynum’s season-long absence as a reason for his team’s lack of preparation or effort.

“We are a team that the least, little change affects us,” he said. “All of the sudden the starting lineup changes again — we have guys that don’t deal well with that. We’re not a team that rolls with it that easily.

“I don’t want you to feel like I’m up here blaming. I don’t want you to think I’m making excuses. That’s not what this is about. … I’m a guy who when I have coached, I’ve always been able to find some answers. And I have not been able to find answers, and from my standpoint that is very disappointing, because I’m paid to do that.”

A four-time All-Star during his eight-year career as a guard for the Sixers, Collins has compiled a 98-105 record in his two-plus seasons as Philadelphia’s coach.

“I wish I knew [why we’re struggling],” Collins said. “I really do. I’m sitting there — I gave my body to this franchise. I was never booed as a player, never. I ran through my sneakers. … There cannot be a game where you just go out and don’t put your heart and soul into the game. We had an off-day, we’ve been on the All-Star break — there’s no reason for that, none.”

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The two sides are meeting Friday in Indianapolis at the scouting combine. Asomugha, 31, is scheduled to make $15 million, $4 million of which is guaranteed.

A three-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders from 2003-10, Asomugha has been a major disappointment with the Eagles since signing a five-year, $60 million contract in 2011.

Philadelphia thought it was assembling an all-star team that would compete for the Super Bowl, but the Eagles finished 8-8 in 2011 and 4-12 last season, leading to the firing of longtime coach Andy Reid.

In addition to Asomugha, new coach Chip Kelly has a decision to make on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

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“Dwight is our future,” Kupchak told “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on ESPN Radio on Wednesday. “Kobe [Bryant] has one more year on his deal [this year, plus one]. That’s all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we’re looking at a two-year window, [and that] plays to the urgency of the situation and how we build the team. … This team’s window to win is this year and next year.”

When asked if he agreed with Kupchak and thought he was the future of the Lakers, Howard said at the team’s shootaround Wednesday, “Yeah, I do. We talked about it plenty of times.”

However, when pressed over whether he will remain with the Lakers past this season, Howard stuck to his refrain of focusing on the present.

“The only thing that matters is right now,” Howard said. “Nobody can control what happens in the offseason. Like I said to you guys before, there’s no need to talk about it every day.

“There’s no need for me to make a decision right now. My goal hasn’t changed. I want to win a championship and I want to win one here. I’m here right now and this is our chance to get one this season. It’s been tough, but we have an opportunity to change all that.”

Kupchak reiterated his public stance that the 27-year-old Howard, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, is off the market with the NBA trade deadline looming Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

“We’ve been very consistent,” Kupchak said. “We’re not trading Dwight Howard. … He will not be traded, and there’s nothing that anybody can do today to call me today and ask me, ‘Would you do this?’ and get a positive result.”

Kupchak called Howard the best center in the league and expressed how difficult it is to acquire talent like him, especially with the restrictions in place since the league’s new collective bargaining agreement was ratified.

“It’s hard to get talent in this league, and to have a talent like Dwight Howard, we have no intention of trading Dwight Howard,” Kupchak said. “He belongs to have his name on the wall [as a retired uniform] and a statue in front of Staples [Center] at some point in time.”

The GM said he is not concerned with Howard’s playful demeanor curtailing his effectiveness on the court and added that Howard will not be fully embraced until he earns a championship ring.

“Players in this league are not going to get their due until they win a championship, and until they do, they’re under the microscope and they’re going to be criticized for every single little thing,” Kupchak said. “We’ve seen that with what’s taken place in Miami in the last year or two. LeBron [James] is playing at a ridiculously high level right now, but for several years he was criticized for everything he did. When he won a championship, everything changed. That’s just the way it’s going to be. With Dwight, when he wins his first championship — and he will — people will look at him differently.”

Howard’s game has looked different this season as he’s struggled to recover from back surgery and has been slowed by a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Howard’s 16.3 points-per-game average is his lowest scoring output since his second season in the league, and his 11.8 rebounds per game are his lowest since his rookie season in 2004-05.

Even with the drop-off in numbers, the Lakers are prepared to offer Howard a max five-year contract extension in the offseason and believe he will be able to return to the type of player who was the three-time defensive player of the year in Orlando.

“That type of [back] surgery takes at least a year to get back completely,” Kupchak said of the procedure Howard underwent 10 months ago last April. “He’s so young, he got back so quick, he’s going to have a 100 percent recovery.”

Kupchak acknowledged that Howard’s relationship with Bryant is evolving, but said that was more of a product of them only playing half a season together than it was a personality conflict.

“I think it’s a work in progress, probably the best way to say it,” Kupchak said. “I would say the same thing about Kobe and Steve Nash and Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.”

As for Pau Gasol, the other member of the Lakers’ “big four,” Kupchak said calls asking about the availability of the 12-year veteran have quieted since he suffered a torn plantar fascia in his right foot in early February.

“We’re not going to trade Pau today or tomorrow, but his name has come up in the past, and it would be misleading to say it won’t come up in the future,” Kupchak said of Gasol, who will have a $19.3 million expiring contract next season.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni also isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, according to Kupchak.

“Mike D’Antoni is going to be the coach here going forward,” Kupchak said. “We’re very happy with Mike D’Antoni. This is a very tough situation to walk into with no training camp, new players, a lot of injuries. There are no excuses there, whatsoever, because that’s what all teams in this league deal with, especially the injury part, but he’s brought energy, he understands the game, he’s been great and we’re very happy with him going forward.”

While Kupchak is busy fielding phone calls leading up to the trade deadline, he is also processing the death of longtime Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, who will be honored with a memorial service Thursday afternoon just hours after the deadline passes.

“The last two days have been very solemn around the office, and a lot of people [are] reflecting,” Kupchak said. “We’re going to miss him tremendously, but the franchise is in good hands. It really is. He made provisions to keep it in the family. My understanding is that’s what’s going to happen.”

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However, a trade is unlikely because of Rondo’s injury, a torn left ACL, sources tell Broussard.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said Tuesday that he’s not sure any deals would get the Celtics what they need and give another team what it wants. Ainge, in fact, was not optimistic he would get any moves done before the 3 p.m. ET Thursday deadline.

“It looks unlikely that anything will be done, other than possibly some players we will add to our roster,” Ainge said. “Not sure yet of what that will be.

“There’s been a lot of conversation around the league, and we’ve been very busy. Trades are very challenging to make, and then on top of that we like our guys. I like watching this team play, I like the personality of our team. We just need to find a way to give them the best chance to win with the resources we have.”

There were reports before the All-Star break that the Lakers and Celtics had preliminary talks to trade Rondo to the Lakers for center Dwight Howard, but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak denied that report to Broussard, saying he hadn’t talked to Ainge and reiterating that the Lakers do not plan on trading Howard.

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Nowitzki plans to play Monday night against the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder, although he isn’t completely healthy.

“I’ll give it a go tonight,” Nowitzki said. “It’s going to be a little tight, I guess, but if I wait until this is all gone, we might sit out another two weeks. I don’t know how a pulled muscle heals, so I’ll just try to give it a go. If it’s just tight, then it’s fine.

“As long as it doesn’t grab me and doesn’t get worse during the game, that’s the major key. I’m going to try to get nice and loose and keep it loose during the game and try to give it a go.”

After missing the first 27 games while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, Nowitzki struggled, by his standards, while working his way back into game shape.

He is averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from the floor, all numbers that are the 11-time All-Star’s lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99.

However, the 34-year-old Nowitzki had been encouraged by the progress he had made recently before this injury, which is not related to his knee. He injured the right adductor, a muscle in the inner thigh, late in Tuesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, when he had 12 of his season-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki acknowledged he’s concerned the muscle pull, the first of his 15-year career, could disrupt his recent progress.

“It stinks, no question about it,” Nowitzki said. “But I’m past the stage of crying or whatever. You’ve got to just fight through it and take the punches as they come and roll with it. Obviously, it was bad timing.”

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Howard was scratched from Friday night’s game at Minnesota with a sore right shoulder and returned to Los Angeles to receive platelet-rich plasma treatments.

“It’s extremely sore all over,” Howard told reporters before the game. “[Saturday] after the procedure it was real stiff, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.”

The All-Star center flew from L.A. to Detroit to rejoin the team Saturday evening but informed the Lakers he would not be able to play as the team boarded the bus Sunday morning on their way to the arena.

“As soon as the pain goes away he’ll play,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Hopefully that’s the next game, but there are no guarantees. It’s just day to day. They’ll check it every day and see when he can go.”

The Lakers play the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday — the team that Howard ranked as his preferred destination when the Orlando Magic were entertaining trade offers in the offseason — but Howard hinted that he could miss that game as well.

“We’ll see how it feels, but right now I’m just going to take it day by day,” Howard said. “We have a couple of days in New York to get some good rest and try to get it strong as possible. But the main thing is for the rest of the season. I don’t want to have this happen every week or two to where I’m fine and then I take a hard hit and I reaggravate it.”

Just as he did following the Lakers’ 92-86 loss to the Suns on Wednesday, Howard would not entertain any questions about surgery possibly being required on his shoulder.

“I don’t even want to think about surgery,” Howard said.

“He’s going to always have to deal with it because it’s not going to go away,” said D’Antoni. “It’s a little bit of a tear that won’t go away. If it gets totally bad then you have to do something [like surgery], but the way it is right now, you just have to deal with it.”

Howard said he hoped the PRP treatments would start to kick in within the next week, and he will rely on prayer in the meantime.

It’s the same injury that kept him out of three games in January; the Lakers went 0-3 in his absence.

Howard aggravated it against Phoenix, when Suns guard Shannon Brown swiped down on Howard’s arms as the big man attempted to bring the ball up from his waist to the basket, in similar fashion to how he originally hurt his shoulder on a hit on his arms from Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler.

“He has to learn to get the ball under his chin and not take it down,” D’Antoni said. “He has a habit of taking it down [by his waist]. That’s when they’re loading up on him and they don’t care about him shooting foul shots, so they just unload on him. That’s a problem, but hopefully he can get that out of his game and not bring it down as much.”

Following the Phoenix game, Kobe Bryant said he suffered a similar shoulder injury in the past and that Howard would have to learn how to play through it. Howard took exception to the comparison.

“Me and Kobe play two different positions,” Howard said. “The position I play, I use a lot of force coming up — whether that’s going up for a dunk or a shot, hook shots … all that stuff you have to make sure your shoulder is stable for it, so it’s a little bit different than, I would say, a guard position. You got guys who are 260-270 [pounds] that you are holding off and you got to really be strong in your shoulder and all that stuff.”

Howard said he will continue to work on his conditioning while he rehabs the shoulder injury and joked that it will give him an opportunity to work on his left hand.

“There are certain treatments that I can do, certain things that I’ll try to work on to get it stronger,” Howard said. “We have the best training staff here in the NBA, so I’m going to continue to work with them on a daily basis to get stronger.”

Pau Gasol started his second consecutive game in Howard’s place as Howard watched the game from the bench in his warm-ups.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are still without guard Jose Calderon, whom they acquired from Toronto in a trade Wednesday. Calderon, from Spain, has been unavailable to play because of unresolved visa issues.

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