10:26 AM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The NBA trade deadline saw a bombshell deal between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons and James Harden. But trades had been on hiatus since then. Four months later, big deals are back on the menu in the NBA draft and
NBA
4:53 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million, CAA Sports’ co-head of Basketball Austin Brown told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. If Williamson makes the All-NBA team, wins MVP or Defensive Player of the
2:17 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — The Pistons have signed former Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim to a two-way contract, the team announced Saturday Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Boeheim led the ACC in scoring during the 2021-22 season, averaging 19.2 points, and ranked second in the conference in 3-pointers made per game
3:04 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Free-agent center Kevon Looney has agreed to stay with the Golden State Warriors on a three-year, $25.5 million deal, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Looney, 27, is coming off a breakout year with the 2022 NBA champion Warriors, who drafted him in the first round
12:35 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland has agreed to a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie contract extension that could be worth as much as $231 million, his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN on Saturday. Garland’s deal is the richest in Cavaliers history and comes after a breakout third
3:45 PM ET The Utah Jazz agreed to trade center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Timberwolves will send Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler and four first-round
8:23 PM ET Free-agent center Jalen Smith has agreed to a two-year, $9.6 million deal to return to the Indiana Pacers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. A former top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Suns, Smith’s career in Phoenix ended after just one full season as he was traded to
12:10 PM ET The Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine have agreed to a five-year, $215M max contract extension, Klutch Sports announced Friday. LaVine, 27, has blossomed into a two-time All-Star in Chicago, where he arrived in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017, and — along with DeMar DeRozan —
5:58 PM ET Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has agreed to the largest contract in NBA history — a five-year, $270 million supermax extension, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports told ESPN on Thursday night. Jokic, the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, is now secured to the Nuggets for a total
3:00 PM ET Franchise star Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Nets general manager Sean Marks is working with Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman on finding a trade, Kleiman told ESPN. As the Nets prepare to move one of the most valuable
8:00 AM ET Walk into an NBA front office in 2022, and you won’t have to go far before you spot a treatise on management theory resting on a bookshelf. Concepts like organizational culture and asset management have taken hold. League executives devote a lot of thought into forming an identity for their basketball operations
5:12 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has declined his $47.3 million option and become a free agent, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. Harden keeps real the possibility of negotiating a new deal that would deliver the Sixers roster-building flexibility in free agency — including use of the full $10.5 million exception.
5:26 PM ET The Atlanta Hawks are trading Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Hawks are sending a 2023 first-round pick via the Charlotte Hornets, and their own 2025 and 2027 first-round picks to the Spurs in the deal,
10:36 AM ET The Washington Wizards are finalizing a deal to acquire Denver Nuggets guards Will Barton and Monte Morris in return for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. The trade is getting final approvals now, and expected to be completed soon, sources said. Barton started all 71
9:50 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer raised his hands up and began rocking back and forth as he began to think about the idea of a healthy Kawhi Leonard returning this upcoming season. After not having Leonard all of last season while he recovered from a torn right ACL, Ballmer
6:14 PM ET The New York Knicks are considered strong favorites to sign Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson in free agency, sources told ESPN. It’s widely anticipated that Brunson will agree to a four-year deal in excess of $100 million to sign with the Knicks soon after free agency opens on Thursday evening, league sources
10:55 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook is planning to exercise his $47.1 million option for the 2022-23 season to return to the franchise, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Westbrook’s agent Thad Foucher is planning to file the paperwork Tuesday, sources said. Westbrook has a Wednesday deadline on his option. Westbrook, an eight-time
6:48 PM ET Kyrie Irving is opting into his $36.5 million option with the Brooklyn Nets for next season, he told The Athletic on Monday. “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving told The Athletic. “I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you