The center, who said earlier this month he hopes to re-sign with the Lakers, will meet with the Rockets when free agency starts Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. The 31-year-old center, who averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first season with the Lakers, said that he enjoyed playing with star LeBron James and wants to play another season in Los Angeles, but will listen to a pitch from the Rockets before making a decision....

The 38-year-old guard has been sent from the Grizzlies to the Suns in exchange for Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton and two second-round picks, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources. Phoenix also acquired guard Jevon Carter in the deal. Korver, however, doesn’t appear like he’ll ever play a game with the Suns as they are expected to buy him out. The Lakers, 76ers and Bucks will be interested in him once he becomes a free agent, according to ESPN....

The Pelicans have expressed interest in the 26-year-old forward, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified league sources. The Mavericks, Grizzlies, Jazz and Nets are reportedly all also considering adding Harris. The Clippers could pursue Harris, as well, if they miss out on Kawhi Leonard this summer, while the 76ers want to re-sign him, the report says. Los Angeles sent Harris to the 76ers at the 2018-19 trade deadline....

The Trail Blazers have signed the 39-year-old big man to a one-year contract, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources. Gasol began last season with the Spurs before joining the Bucks after receiving a buyout in early March. But, he injured his foot and appeared in just three regular season games with Milwaukee. Gasol said earlier this month he thinks he’ll be completely healthy by the start of next season....

Storylines first, projections to follow… Who will win the race for the No. 1 pick? Unlike last season when Duke’s RJ Barrett entered the season as the consensus favorite to be selected No. 1 overall — although he was eventually overtaken by teammate Zion Williamson — there is no clear frontrunner for 2020. North Carolina’s Cole Anthony is where most fingers will point to open the year, but Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Memphis’s James Wiseman will also be early contenders....

When Derrick Rose suffered yet another injury, his season cut down by a torn meniscus in his right knee, the team was turned over to Luol Deng. Then Deng was traded after posting one of the more-productive stretches of his career, numbers born out of desperation. The Bulls had little to fall back on, and their position as a contender appeared done. But Joakim Noah and Tom Thibodeau, armed with a team full of grind-it-out complimentary players, just wouldn't allow that to happen....

Despite sitting out all of overtime in San Antonio’s Game 5 victory over Houston, Leonard vows to play Thursday when the series resumes. The assertion removed some of the doubt Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expressed in his postgame presser. MORE: Manu blocks Harden to seal Spurs’ Game 5 win It also reported the ankle was bothering Leonard throughout the game and that he aggravated the injury when he stepped on James Harden’s foot....

How do you go into attack mode after picking up four first-half fouls? How do you bounce back from an 11-point dud and deliver that alpha masterpiece everybody is looking for every single night? James didn’t deliver one of his 50-point specials in response, but he might have played two of the smartest quarters possible instead. He finished with 34 points in a 112-99 victory that has the Cavaliers one win away from a third straight NBA Finals appearance....

Golden State holds a commanding 3-0 lead over Portland in the Western Conference finals after rallying from a double-digit halftime deficit in back-to-back games. The Warriors would have nine days off before the start of the NBA Finals if they win Game 4 on Monday at the Moda Center. “I think it’s very motivating for us to try and sweep this series and have that time off,” Green told reporters Sunday, via the Mercury News....

The playoffs have largely been lopsided. This is the first time under the current postseason format (since 2003) that five teams have a 3-0 series lead in the first round. Most of the intrigue heading into the night centered on the Clippers-Spurs game. Both teams had shown the form necessary to make a deep run, but the veteran Spurs dismantled the high-flying Clippers and went ahead 2-1 in the series....

“Same me, though.” – Hornets star LaMelo Ball. To kick off the New Year the right way, we’re recommending a New Year’s Resolution for all 30 NBA teams in this week’s Power Rankings, from the Nets learning to play with a part-time player in Kyrie Irving to the Lakers getting LeBron James some help and more. As a reminder, these power rankings are a reflection of where teams stand up to this point in the season and not a projection of where they may land later in the season....

Just how close are the standings? In the Western Conference, the No. 3 seed (Trail Blazers) and No. 10 team (Jazz) are separated by only four games. One bad set of losses or one hot streak could wildly change playoff matchups. NBA AWARDS 2018: MVP race | Rookie of the Year race Let’s take a full look at the standings and see what challenges each team is facing for the rest of the regular season before the 2018 playoffs roll around....

On Friday, Minnesota shipped out Ricky Rubio, the team’s starting point guard for the past six years and one of the most high-profile draft picks in franchise history, to the Jazz for a scant return package of Oklahoma City’s lottery-protected 2018 first-round pick. TRADE TRACKER: Biggest rumors, reported deals ahead of free agency That makes the Timberwolves, flush with nearly $30 million in cap space, a suddenly dangerous competitor for teams looking to keep their point guards....

After reports emerged about the questionable status of Isaiah Thomas’ hip injury, the Cavs and Celtics still have not finalized a deal. Thomas, who was sent to Cleveland along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round pick in the original trade, says he is not “damaged” and will return to his All-Star form once he recovers. But those injury concerns have opened the door for other suitors to at least take a swing at stealing Irving away from Boston....

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the swap involves six players and four draft picks: SN EXCLUSIVE: Davis’ list has Bucks owner thinking big ESPN’s Ramon Shelburne added more information on the draft picks: Neither team has announced the trade. Reports of a deal broke about five hours after Harris made what proved to be the game-winning shot Tuesday night in Charlotte against the Hornets. The swap was completed a day before the 2019 NBA trade deadline....

The Knicks’ primary target has always been Kevin Durant, who wouldn’t even meet with them in the Hamptons when he left Oklahoma City in 2016. Now, he’ll almost certainly invite them to pitch their case on July 1. Shedding cap-unfriendly salaries in the forms of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, they can sell Durant on bringing another max-level free agent to New York to join him. Plus, they’re headed for one of the top picks in the draft....

December 15 is one of those dates. Why? It’s the first time many players who signed contracts this past offseason are eligible to be traded. It doesn’t apply to everyone who recently inked a new deal — John Collins, Duncan Robinson and Derrick Rose are among those who can’t be traded until Jan. 15 at the earliest because they met certain criteria, per Hoops Rumors — but it applies to a large number of players....

At the time, there was debate about whether Bryant placed the Lakers in a tough spot because his deal, which is the richest in the NBA, would take up a large chunk of the salary cap. Bryant made sure everyone realized that was not his problem to deal with, it was for the Lakers front office to figure out. MORE: Rubio offered four-year, $48 million | Faried’s $40 million deal | TV deal negotiation...

Luckily, the channel has already announced the release dates for its shows with midseason premieres, and viewers won’t have to wait too long for their return as they start to come back from January 3. As well as returning shows, NBC’s midseason schedule will also see a number of shows premiere new seasons, including This is Us’ sixth and final season. Here is everything you need to know about NBC’s midseason schedule....