Cleveland — which has been looking to move the 33-year-old guard and his partially guaranteed $15.6 million contract for 2019-20 — is “surprised they haven’t found a taker yet, believing they made better salary-dump offers than others accepted this offseason,” according to a report from Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers are expected to release Smith if they can’t find a suitable trade. They have already pushed back the date Smith’s deal for next season becomes fully guaranteed and they may do that again, according to the report....

Boston is actively looking to trade veteran center Aron Baynes in order to clear cap space, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Baynes exercised his $5.4 million player option earlier this month. NBA DRAFT RUMORS: Celtics have interest in trading up to No. 4 Baynes is apparently on board with the plan now that the Celtics are unlikely to be title contenders in the near future. With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford each declining their respective player options and electing to test the market, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is doing everything he can to position Boston to be a viable destination for other free agents this summer....

Sacramento is unwilling to trade a first-round pick to Houston in exchange for the 25-year-old center, according to a report from NBC Sports Bay Area, which cited an unidentified league source. The Kings thinking, however, “could change” at some point, the report noted. Capela averaged 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game for the Rockets last season. He signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the team last July....

Los Angeles and the Bulls had ‘initial conversations’ about the 21-year-old guard before the trade deadline, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, which cites an unnamed league executive. Los Angeles was reportedly discussing acquiring star Anthony Davis after he asked the Pelicans to move him in late January. Ball was also reportedly included in the Lakers offers to New Orleans. Ball, however, reportedly did not want to be sent to the Pelicans and instead was hoping to be traded to the Bulls or Knicks while he was also linked with the Suns....

Namely, the Thunder are looking to offload veterans Chris Paul and Steven Adams. Paul’s remaining contract (three years, $124 million) makes him a tough sell, but the team is also running into issues in trade talks for Adams. According to Heavy.com, the Thunder are reportedly seeking a draft pick, a young player and salary relief for the veteran center, which is apparently too much. “They set the price too high,” a league executive said....

The NBA, ESPN and TNT agreed to a nine-year, $24 billion deal, increasing the league’s annual revenue from $930 million to roughly $2.6 billion. The agreement starts in 2016-17 and runs through the 2024-25 season. MORE: TV deal draws Bryant’s ire | Durant: Stars ‘worth more’ than paid | Breakout players “There’s never been a better time to be a basketball fan, be it of the NBA, WNBA or the D‑League,” Ted Leonsis, Wizards owner and chairman of the NBA’s Media Committee, said in a press release....

But the existence of a maximum salary means the best players in the NBA cannot make what they deserve, a point bemoaned by stars such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as well as National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts. MORE: #NBAUtopia: Let’s do a 58-game season | 10 highest-paid NBA players In an August series, the NBA Utopia Project, we set out to fix the league in the abstract or at least to think harder about the way the NBA is set up....

“My view is that daily fantasy should be a regulated industry in New York and elsewhere, and I think ultimately that should be a decision for the voters,” Silver said on FiveThirtyEight’s Hot Takedown podcast. MORE: How DFS ruined one man’s life | No DFS ads during March Madness Daily fantasy sites, including FanDuel and DraftKings, were deemed illegal gambling in New York in November and attorney general Eric Schneiderman ordered the sites to stop accepting bets from New York residents....

The road team has covered 57.4 percent of games (283-210) in which Tony Brothers officiates for 62 units of profit, per Sports Insights. This season, road teams are 13-10 ATS with Brothers on the whistle. James Williams, one of the other officials, has a 9-16-1 ATS road record. MORE: Grizzlies-Thunder by the numbers Home teams haven’t had a season-long record above .500 ATS in games Brothers officiates since 2004-05. Road teams are 153-145-7 ATS since Williams began officiating in 2009-10....

Line: Va Tech -3, Total: 46 Line movement: This game was called a pick ’em early in the week. The total has seen a precipitous drop after offshore outlets initially offered it at 53 points. Check our odds page for updated college football point spreads and totals. Trends that matter: The Hokies are 7-2 ATS in their last nine against the Wolfpack….Beamer’s men are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 as home chalk against ACC competition…....

After Indiana on Thursday became the latest state to ratify a “religious freedom bill,” which could potentially grant businesses discretion to ban same-sex couples based on religious beliefs, NCAA President Mark Emmert issued a statement of concern over the state’s decision. The NCAA’s headquarters is in Indianapolis and the city will host the Final Four next month. MORE: Ranking can’t-miss Sweet 16 games | LINEMAKERS: Bettors losing faith in UK | TBT: Jordan hits head on backboard during dunk...

Penn State was halfway through a four-year postseason ban handed down during the summer of 2012. The NCAA rescinded some of the scholarship sanctions last year. In a news release Monday, the NCAA said that in addition to the postseason ban being lifted, Penn State will be allowed to have the full complement of football scholarships in 2015. The school still must pay a $60 million fine, 112 wins under Joe Paterno remain forfeited and the school will remain under monitoring....

The NCAA’s Board of Governors recently voted unanimously to approve a three-year contract extension for Emmert that runs through at least October 2020, with an option built in for an additional year. The measure passed during a Jan. 16 meeting and announced Monday. FOOTBALL: Early Top 20 for 2016 | HOOPS: Best active player at every jersey number The new contract will give Emmert at least a decade in charge of college sports’ governing body....

And by 5 p.m. ET June 16, he probably should be out. That will not happen. It is not allowed. Because the NCAA passed the most egregiously malicious rule in a book filled with regulations that can fit that categorization, Johnson’s decision on this day becomes final almost as soon as his letter to the National Basketball Association headquarters hits the U.S. mail. MORE: Arizona’s Gordon, Johnson to NBA | INFANTE: NCAA needs to change draft rules before NBA takes over...

“The national office continues to prioritize gender equity and has taken steps to correct the disparity of pay for officials selected to work the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships,” the NCAA said in a statement. “All basketball officials, regardless of the gender of sport participants, will be receiving equal pay for championship games officiated in 2022 and beyond.” The NCAA reportedly noticed the difference in recent budget meetings and decided to change the policy....

While the Wildcats (10-to-11 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to win 2015 NCAA Tournament) and Blue Devils (8-to-1) may still be the favorites to cut down the final set of nets in April, it’s too early to write off some of the other contenders, namely Wisconsin (10-to-1) and Virginia (8-to-1), who joins Duke atop the second tier of teams below Kentucky. The Badgers lost 80-70 as 4-point home favorites against Duke in December, but neither of their two losses (without Frank Kaminsky, they also lost 67-62 to Rutgers) clouds our perception of them as title contenders....

That’s why Kansas, Michigan State and North Carolina are all favorites of +150 or less to win their respective regions while also being favored to win the whole thing. Oklahoma and Oregon are +250 co-favorites to capture the West. MORE: Ranking every team’s odds of winning the tournament Stephen F. Austin at 45-to-1 has by far the best odds of any 13-seed or higher to win its region. A tough date with West Virginia awaits in the first round, but the numbers like the Lumberjacks quite a bit....

For the first time, the committee will present a half-hour television show Saturday at 12:30 ET on CBS, with the focus being the reveal of the 16 teams that would represent the top four in each region were the NCAA Tournament to begin that day. MORE: SN’s latest Field of 68 It is similar in form to the rankings show featuring the work of the College Football Playoff committee on a weekly basis starting in November and continuing until its selection day....

Duke Blue Devils (31-4) No. 1 seed, South Region Coach: Mike Krzyzewski Bid: At-large/ACC Staring lineup G Quinn Cook, 6-2, Sr., 15.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg G Tyus Jones, 6-1, Fr., 11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.8 apg F Justise Winslow, 6-6, Fr., 12.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 apg F Amile Jefferson, 6-9, Jr., 6.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg C Jahlil Okafor, 6-11, Fr., 18.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg Story lines...

Was it on purpose? NFL vice president of football communications Michael Signora says no. MORE: NFL’s highest-paid defensive players | Must-see Week 1 images Suh has a history of questionable on-field incidents, so it’s understandable why people took issue. In 2011, Suh stomped on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith. In 2012, he kicked Matt Schaub in the groin. In 2013, he was fined $100,000 for an illegal hit. Suh won’t be suspended for Sunday’s incident, but it’s more evidence for people who feel like he’s a dirty player....