Bulls likely to pick Battier or Curry; Wizards seeking Elton Brand.(Chicago Tribune)

CHICAGO _ The hottest name as the NBA draft approaches is not Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler or the quickly rising Pau Gasol.

It's Elton Brand, the Bulls' Rookie of the Year forward, who was becoming a key figure in the building plans of three franchises as well as the playing future of Michael Jordan.

Jordan, with the No. 1 draft pick for his Washington Wizards, was in hot pursuit of Brand on the eve of Wednesday's NBA draft, as were the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources confirmed.

The Bulls were not eager to deal Brand, who has averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds in both his NBA seasons. But they were said to be listening because of the possibilities. NBA scouts are saying Brown, a 6-foot-11-inch, 245-pound forward who recently …