Posts

Three of them prioritized future flexibility. The Jazz, Nuggets and Timberwolves all had significant cap space this summer and avoided long-term commitments, though each took steps to improve their roster in the draft and free agency. Utah did the best job of threading the needle by making their team better in the short term by trading for unique big man Boris Diaw and signing seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson without sacrificing too much of their insane 2017 cap space....

It was an offseason for the ages, but summer has turned to autumn and the games are about to count for real this time. The Raptors look to defend their title without Kawhi Leonard, who is now a member of the Clippers. Los Angeles is the biggest city in the NBA again, as both the Clippers and LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Lakers are eyeing the NBA Finals behind immense star power acquired during the offseason....

Designer Patso Dimitrov, who once fused players’ shoes with rap albums, is back with a super hero edition. The LeBron’s get the Iron Man treatment, makes sense given the usual force when driving the lane. James Harden is “The Thing” and it just fits being that he’s stagnant on defense. He has a lot of power, but oftentime doesn’t use it to his advantage. The Kobe 9’s are fused with Maneto and it’s a bit more of a subdued color combination than they’re usually, but they are appealing....

The Timberwolves finally landed D’Angelo Russell, a move that should make Karl-Anthony Towns quite happy. The Heat acquired Andre Iguodala for the final stretch of the season. Andre Drummond was surprisingly shipped off to Cleveland, and Marcus Morris switched conferences, jumping from the Knicks to the Clippers. MORE: Winners and losers from NBA trade deadline Sporting News’ deadline day tracker covered all of the action. Check out the trades you may have missed below....

If there was a theme to emerge from Thursday’s trade deadline and the tense, tumultuous week that preceded it, it was that: Anger, anger everywhere. One transaction in New York and a failed transaction in Los Angeles was enough to set free howling harpies from the Pandora’s box of the NBA, and teams from coast to coast will now have to figure out how to squeeze their ghosts back into their respective bottles....

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics, Nuggets and Spurs have agreed to a three-team deal that sends Bol and PJ Dozier from Denver to Boston, Juancho Hernangomez from Boston to San Antonio and Bryn Forbes from San Antonio to Denver. Bol, who was a highly-touted recruit as a high school senior in 2018, has battled injuries since his freshman year at Oregon, where he was limited to nine games....

Clippers-Blazers NBA trade details Clippers receive: Norman Powell, Robert Covington Blazers receive: Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, future second-round pick Clippers grade: A This is a clear win for the Clippers. Covington is a good help defender with size at the wing. He’s not as adept at defending on the ball as his reputation suggests, and he can’t do much offensively besides shoot 3’s. Still, he’s a positive overall defender that fits well with what the Clippers need as a 3-and-D wing....

The Bucks and Lakers are part of a group of teams interested in Rockets forward P.J. Tucker, according to multiple reports. The 35-year-old hasn’t produced eye-popping numbers during his time in Houston (6.6 points, 5.8 rebounds per game over the last four seasons), but he has consistently demonstrated his value as a switchable defender, spot-up shooter and leader in the locker room. Those skills make him a great fit for any franchise chasing a championship....

Or, at least, that appeared to be the task. At his introductory press conference Wednesday, Griffin seemed to open another door. OFFSEASON PREVIEWS:Lakers | Knicks | Bulls | Pelicans | Mavericks Davis was clear in late January. He told the Pelicans he had no intention of signing an extension and wanted a trade out of New Orleans. But that was before Griffin came on board, a move that could make a huge difference for Davis and his Klutch Sports agent, Rich Paul....

So, what’s the problem? The Cavs are looking to build its own Big 4 to contend with the Warriors’ quartet of all-stars, a group comprised Stephen Curry, winner of the last two NBA MVP awards, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, meaning they aren’t willing to part with power forward Kevin Love in order to obtain Anthony. According to ESPN, New York’s front office insists Love, a four-time all-star, be included in any deal that would send its leading scorer to Cleveland where he’d join good friend James and Kyrie Irving....

New York has been shopping the 20-year-old guard and he “desires a relocation," according to a report from the Daily News. But, Ntilikina’s new agent, Bouna Ndiaye — who the guard hired last week — denied that was the case during a recent interview with the New York Post. “I can just tell you that the fact he was not traded has nothing to do with this change of agent,” Ndiaye said....

In February 1994, Houston traded Horry and forward Matt Bullard to Detroit for All-Star wing Sean Elliott, who had struggled in his first season with the Pistons. The deal was done, Horry had gone to Detroit, received his new jersey and sat for a game with his new teammates before the league made the trade official. But when the Rockets’ doctors detected a kidney ailment for Elliott — who had only missed 13 games in his first four NBA seasons — the trade was rescinded....

While the team certainly has not given up on 19-year-old rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina, confidence in him has wavered — his minutes have dropped each of the last three months — and it is clear the Knicks are going to need a point guard for a couple of seasons as Ntilikina develops. They signed former No. 9 pick Trey Burke last month in hopes that he could fill that role....

The latest rumor has Holiday involved as a target for the Hawks, according to Marc Stein. The Pelicans could consider trading Holiday in order to shift their team’s window toward the younger side, which Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are on. Involved in the discussions, according to Stein, is Atlanta’s No. 6 pick. That selection has been involved in a number of rumors in recent days, including one that involves the Timberwolves’ Jarrett Culver....

As always, big men remain a tough bunch to figure in this context. So many of them, while useful on some level as offensive or defensive presences (rarely both), just don’t fit in the modern NBA, yet league honchos continue drafting them with high picks and doling out mega contracts to them in free agency. MORE: Timberwolves have one real solution to stop Butler trade drama The burly center that the GM views with adoration in July is usually viewed with contempt by the coach in December....

Quite a lot has changed since then. With around 20 games under each team’s belt, we’re starting to get a better sense of where everyone stands. Some have surpassed preseason expectations while others have been as expected. And then there are the teams that have, shall we say, underwhelmed through a month and a half of the season. Since the Warriors and Suns meet twice this week, it only feels right to parse through the Western Conference first....

Minnesota acquired three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert from the Jazz. Utah got a king’s ransom back, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski: four first-round picks (three of which are unprotected); 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler; and Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverly, Leandro Bolmaro and Jarred Vanderbilt. For the Wolves, Friday’s deal signifies their intention to compete. Minnesota made it back to the playoffs this past season and made a decent account of itself against the Grizzlies....

Just minutes before first pitch of Friday’s N.C. State-Vanderbilt matchup in the College World Series, the game was delayed amid COVID-19 concerns. N.C. State was forced to withhold a number of players and had the option to forfeit the game and try again in a winner-take-all matchup against the Commodores on Saturday. But N.C. State overwhelmingly voted to take the field rather than forfeit and play with just 13 players: nine position players and four pitchers, dramatically down from 36 players usually rostered and active for game day....

In the end, the Tar Heels pulled off a 71-65 victory, and athletes, commentators and fans reacted to the win on Twitter. MORE: North Carolina beats Gonzaga to avenge 2016 loss to Villanova Many made light of the fact that the sloppy play and number of fouls called in the game. But, it was the still the National Championship game, and plenty of people were either dancing or devestating following the result....

The NCAA is expected to reduce its shot clock from 35 seconds to 30 seconds soon, Belmont head coach and rules committee chairman Rick Byrd told ESPN.com on Monday. MORE: Coaches fear graduate transfer issues | Emmert, Silver working together on eligibility | Duke re-loads “It’s pretty evident a lot more coaches are leaning that way,” Byrd said, per ESPN. “The opinion of coaches on the shot clock has moved significantly to reducing it from 35 to 30....