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— LeBron James may meet with Heat president Pat Riley as soon as Tuesday in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard. MORE: Get to know LeBron’s agent | Free-agent tracker Whenever they meet, they’ll be talking after Riley reached agreements with free agents Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts. Those moves were seen as a Riley’s way of assuring James his supporting cast will be satisfactory. — The Cavaliers, James’ former team, are making it clear that they want the King back....

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed the move Tuesday night in a post on a Cyber Dust account controlled by Cuban and the team. The 34-year-old Lewis is a two-time All-Star who has played 16 seasons with four teams since going straight to the NBA out of a Houston high school in the 1998 draft. He played for Seattle (1998-2007), Orlando (2007-10) and Washington (2010-12) before the last two seasons in Miami....

For restricted free agents around the league, it is already here. Cap space is drying up around the league, and the inherent advantage of incumbent teams when dealing with restricted free agency is showing itself. Andre Roberson has been re-signed, the Wizards have a max offer sheet to match from Brooklyn for Otto Porter, and the Hawks must decide whether to match the Knicks’ offer to Tim Hardaway Jr., but some of the youngest and most interesting players on the market are untouched restricted free agents....

While it might seem like a foregone conclusion that the biggest names will stay put, you can never rule out a trade or a last-minute change. MORE: 7 players most likely to be traded this offseason? The Sporting News is here to provide you with positional breakdowns for all the best players available in free agency. Each list is crafted off of Stephen Noh’s 25 best players in free agency, with our writers filling in the blanks by position beyond the players he listed....

The Cavs waived Smith on Monday, thanking him in a tweet announcing the move. Smith will now receive over $4.4 million, according to The Athletic, and become a free agent after almost five seasons with the organization. It ends an era in Cleveland in which Smith was part of NBA Finals teams. His shirtless celebration of the Cavaliers’ 2016 title was among his most memorable moments — Smith opened the second half Game 7 by making three 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half, erasing most of a Warriors lead....

Jordan and Resendez were at the restaurant Saturday night in Toronto when Griffin punched assistant equipment manager Matias Testi. MORE: All-Star worthy players who won’t make it | Griffin’s apology NBA officials were trying to find out what Jordan and Resendez knew about the altercation during the dinner that all four attended, the Times reported, citing several unidentified league officials who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter....

Basketball fans will have a variety of viewing options available as their teams begin their 2021-22 campaigns. There will be the usual national TV broadcasts, of course, but cord-cutters won’t be left in the dark when it comes to catching NBA action. MORE: NBA League Pass blackout restrictions, explained What are the best ways to stream NBA games? Can you watch your favorite squad without racking up a bunch of unwanted fees?...

It’s far too early to make any definitive statements about the battle for MVP. There are plenty of worthy candidates as we approach the halfway point in the 2018-19 season, so consider this more of a snapshot than a ballot being sent to the league office. TRADE TARGETS: 12 players to watch ahead of deadline A few of the honorable mentions below have cases to jump into the top five....

Horford thought, “Don’t screw this up.” He collected the ball just beyond the 3-point line, took one dribble and swept in for a dunk ahead of Butler’s pursuit. The locals erupted and momentum, which had been trickling toward Boston, rapidly swung the Celtics’ way. Horford’s dunk was part of a six-minute, 20-4 run that transformed a one-point deficit into a 15-point lead, which the Celtics were able to carry to a 108-97 win and a 3-2 series advantage Wednesday night....

The Celtics, you’ll remember, showed up to the Verizon Center in all-black clothes — signifying funeral attire for the Wizards, who faced elimination in Game 6. MORE: Wizards pull off Game 6 magic to say alive Well, the Wizards lived another day thanks to John Wall, who buried a game-winning 3 — and the Celtics — with 3.5 seconds remaining in the game. That, of course, allowed Wall to talk a little smack about Boston’s fashion choice after the game....

Durant was called for a technical in Thursday’s 132-105 win over the Clippers when he and JaMychal Green were caught jawing after a play. The call drew controversy on Twitter and in the media as many pundits questioned whether a technical should have been called at all. Durant lamented the call after the game. “Me and JaMychal Green, we were conversing about the play that happened before, just like you and I,” Durant said, via ESPN....

Jokic, who was making his postseason debut, averaged 24.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists in the playoffs. He accounted for 29 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks on Sunday to lead Denver. However, he missed seven of his 10 shots in the fourth quarter and one of two free throws with just more than 11 seconds remaining while the Nuggets were down only three. This led Jokic take the blame for Denver’s Western Conference semifinal loss....

Point spreads and totals are current as of Sunday evening. Check our odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. No. 1 Atlanta Hawks at No. 8 Brooklyn Nets (7 p.m. ET, NBA-TV)Game 4 spread, total: Atlanta -4, 195.5Series lead: Atlanta 2-1 The Nets may be trailing in the series, but they’re paying off at the bet window by covering the spread in all three games. Brooklyn’s latest cash was a 91-83 home win on Saturday as 3....

The race to the NBA Finals began April 13, and it’s been a wild ride ever since. The Warriors made their way through the West side of the bracket, and the Raptors knocked off the top-seeded Bucks in the East. MORE: Watch the NBA playoffs live & on demand with fuboTV (7-day trial) The 2019 NBA Finals will begin May 30 and end no later than June 16. Below you’ll find everything to know about watching the 2019 NBA playoffs, including postseason matchups and series-by-series TV schedules....

MORE: Follow the 2015 NBA Draft live | Ridnour trade circus | NBA Draft trivia quiz Adam Silver already hinted at the changes before Game 1 of the NBA Finals began. Some of the likely changes include division winners no longer automatically receiving one of the top four seeds in the conference playoffs. “We are very focused on the divisional seeding process, and I think we are going to take a very close look at whether we should seed at least 1 through 8 by conference as opposed to giving the division winner that higher seed,” Silver said....

“I’ve been using it for the last five years,” Howard told the Houston Chronicle. “It hasn’t been a problem. I don’t know why people are making a big deal out of it. I do it every game. It’s not a big deal. I ain’t even tripping.” MORE: 5 reasons the Spurs beat the Warriors | Why scouts got it so wrong with Stephen Curry in 2009 Turns out the NBA is tripping — at least to the point that it is reviewing what happened in Atlanta, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution....

In Tarrytown, N.Y., for a photo shoot, rookies were available to discuss basketball and make a few predictions for the upcoming season. NBA.com talked with 38 rookies, who voted on several categories, including: Rookie of the Year, most athletic, best shooter and best career. MORE: Wiggins addresses trade rumors | LeBron, Cavs to play at Xavier | James meets Cavs GM, coach Parker landed the big predictions, being named the player most likely to win Rookie of the Year (52....

There have been photos circulating of balls with Adam Silver's signature on the Spalding instead of that familiar David Stern inscription. The league showcased that transition in a tweet on Saturday as games started to get going on Silver's first official day in office.

Of the 32 teams—the 30 NBA franchises plus the Croatian and Chinese national teams—that entered the tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, eight have qualified for the playoffs. The Boston Celtics are the number one seeds, followed by the Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics, Pistons and Timberwolves are the only three teams to have won each of their four Summer League games so far, while the other five teams to have qualified for the playoffs have a 3-1 record....