Kobe Bryant wasn’t tipping his hand Tuesday night as the NBA’s two-week moratorium on trades and free-agent signings expired, though the Los Angeles Clippers were busy trying to clear enough salary-cap space to offer him a maximum contract.

Eager to learn Bryant’s choice but uncertain when that decision might come, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers awaited word from the player or one of his agents.

Shortly after the moratorium ended at 11:01 p.m. CDT, spokesmen for both teams said they had no news to report.

Both clubs made formal presentations to the free-agent guard Monday night, and the Charlotte Observer reported for today’s editions that the Clippers would trade forward Melvin Ely and guard Eddie House to the expansion Bobcats for future second-round draft picks.

The end of the moratorium came just two hours after the league released the new salary cap of $43.87 million for the 2004-05 season — an increase of just $30,000 from last season’s figure.

Bryant is eligible to receive a starting salary equal to 105 percent of his 2003-04 salary of $13.5 million, but the Clippers only have $11.65 million of cap room — unless they indeed trade Ely ($1.7 million) and House ($825,000) to the Bobcats.

While Bryant made everyone in Los Angeles wait, and while his agent, Rob Pelinka, again did not return several phone messages, the process of trading Shaquille O’Neal was being set in motion.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were expected to complete a deal today sending O’Neal to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick.

A few free agents were expected to sign offer sheets after the moratorium expired, while others — most notably Steve Nash going from Dallas to Phoenix — would finally be allowed to sign the deals they agreed to during the first two weeks of this month.