With eight shopping days to Christmas, the NBA's decision to have Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid in its holiday lineup is more than just sides in another hoop smorgasbord.It puts the spotlight on — and raises a question — about the MVP race, as in, who in the Eastern Conference is a legitimate contender. It's a question because the last East MVP, LeBron James going on six years ago, has moved West.Of course, the conversation has to include the biggest name to go the opposite direction this past offseason: Toronto's Kawhi Leonard, who forced his way out of San Antonio in a trade after missing most of last season with a mysterious leg injury."Oh yeah," first-year Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce declared about the East's MVP hopes."We missed Kawhi last year and the people that coached against him didn't for a reason," said Pierce, who was an assistant with the 76ers for Embiid's first two seasons. "He's a dominant two-way player. Antetokounmpo is unbelievable and... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a three-way trade fell apart over mistaken identity, the Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle Saturday to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night over whether Memphis was including Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks. The saga included general managers informing players they'd been traded, awkward conversations to explain they weren't and finally the talks coming to an end.Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a three-way trade fell apart over mistaken identity, the Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle Saturday to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night over whether Memphis was including Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks. The saga included general managers informing players they'd been traded, awkward conversations to explain they weren't and finally the talks coming to an end.Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Memphis Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night. Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after practice Saturday. "You never know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen. The first time I've ever seen a trade go dead and guys are on a bus talking about it. Kind of devastating for those guys."Ariza, 33, returns to Washington, where he played the 2012-13 and... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a reported three-way deal involving the Memphis Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night. Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after practice Saturday. "You never know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen. The first time I've ever seen a trade go dead and guys are on a bus talking about it. Kind of devastating for those guys."Ariza, 33, returns to Washington, where he played the 2012-13 and... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards have an agreement in principle to acquire Trevor Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, a person familiar with the deal said Saturday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced by either team.Ariza, 33, returns to Washington, where he played the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound swingman is averaging 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 26 games with the Suns this season.To get Ariza, the Wizards gave up the 23-year-old Oubre, who they wouldn't part with in a potential trade for Jimmy Butler earlier this fall. Oubre was the 15th overall pick in 2015 and is averaging 12.9 points per game in his fourth NBA season.Rivers goes to Phoenix after Washington had just acquired the 26-year-old from the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer.The Wizards landed Ariza directly from the Suns after a reported three-way trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki at last began his record-breaking 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, coming off the bench in the first quarter of a 99-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns.No other NBA player has played that many seasons with the same team."It is good to be back," he said after the game. "Obviously I got a lot of work to do timing-wise, conditioning-wise. I have been running on a treadmill, which is not the same as playing NBA speed against a bunch of 20-year-old athletes."The 40-year-old had been tied at 20 seasons with Kobe Bryant, who retired from the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2015-16 season.Nowitzki had surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle last April, and the timing was to make sure he would be ready at the start of this season. But the 7-foot German had a setback before training camp, with tendon soreness forcing him to continue rehabbing the injury and missing the first 26 games.He made his first appearance in the lineup this season with 3:27... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki at last began his record-breaking 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, coming off the bench in the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns.No other NBA player has played that many seasons with the same team.The 40-year-old had been tied at 20 seasons with Kobe Bryant, who retired from the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2015-16 season.Nowitzki had surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle last April, and the timing was to make sure he would be ready at the start of this season. But the 7-foot German had a setback before training camp, with tendon soreness forcing him to continue rehabbing the injury and missing the first 26 games.He made his first appearance in the lineup this season with 3:27 left in the opening quarter. A minute later, he banked in his first shot in his six-minute stint on the court.The 2007 MVP said the slow pace of the rehab was to ensure Nowitzki wouldn't be sidelined again once he returns. The 13-time All-Star has... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dwyane Wade will be spending a lot of time in Los Angeles while he settles into retirement next year. He already has a house here, and his wife's acting career would undoubtedly benefit from more time in Hollywood.LeBron James is a newly minted Southern Californian himself, and he's already hatching schemes to occupy his former teammate, longtime rival and permanent friend."I told him, 'No one likes to work out by themselves,'" James said with a grin. "So he can come to Staples. He can come to the practice facility anytime he wants to get workouts in. He can come help me with the young guys as well. He'll be around a lot more personally for me, so I'll love that."Wade still has 56 regular-season games left in his self-declared final NBA season with the Miami Heat, but he passed a major milestone in that procession when he lined up against James for the final time Monday night in the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-105 victory.The result wasn't the most important part of the night... [More]

So much changed after Kawhi Leonard crashed to the Oracle Arena floor on May 14, 2017.The San Antonio Spurs had a 23-point lead on the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals when Leonard departed with 26 points, poised to take away home-court advantage in the series between teams who won more than 60 games.Leonard injured his ankle when he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot, and things were never the same again for the Spurs or Leonard. The Spurs couldn't hold on to win that game or any other in the series without their All-Star forward, whose ankle injury would be followed by a lingering thigh injury that would limit him to just nine games the following season and strain relations between the team and player. Leonard was ultimately granted his desire to leave San Antonio when he was traded to Toronto in the offseason.If Leonard doesn't go down, maybe the Spurs win that game, maybe the series and maybe another championship. Maybe Leonard wouldn't have wanted... [More]

The three-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors are the fourth team to be honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year .The Warriors join the 1980 U.S. hockey team, the 1999 U.S. Women's World Cup soccer squad and the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the other team honorees.Sports Illustrated announced the winner Monday, and editor-in-chief Chris Stone said they have been thinking of some way to honor the Warriors during their run of three titles in four years. He also acknowledged that there were a couple years where Steph Curry has been in the conversation."There is something transcendent about the team where the sum of their parts was apparent from the beginning," Stone said. "What they have built into a dynasty is a function of empirical success. They're really a generational team. I don't know if, in my lifetime, there has been a team where the pieces have blended so beautifully together."Stone also said that the Warriors' honor is more about the celebration of the organization... [More]

So much changed after Kawhi Leonard crashed to the Oracle Arena floor on May 14, 2017.The San Antonio Spurs had a 23-point lead on the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals when Leonard departed with 26 points, poised to take away home-court advantage in the series between teams who won more than 60 games.Leonard injured his ankle when he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot, and things were never the same again for the Spurs or Leonard. The Spurs couldn't hold on to win that game or any other in the series without their All-Star forward, whose ankle injury would be followed by a lingering thigh injury that would limit him to just nine games the following season and strain relations between the team and player. Leonard was ultimately granted his desire to leave San Antonio when he was traded to Toronto in the offseason.If Leonard doesn't go down, maybe the Spurs win that game, maybe the series and maybe another championship. Maybe Leonard wouldn't have wanted... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dwyane Wade never thought he would play 1,000 games.And he's unsure what the milestone will mean.Wade is in line to become the 15th active player to appear in 1,000 regular-season games, the milestone he'll hit assuming he plays Saturday night when the Miami Heat visit the Los Angeles Clippers."I don't even know the significance of 1,000 games," Wade said. "I don't know if it's a big deal. I think it's just another number."The Heat might disagree with that.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't know Wade was nearing the milestone until earlier this week, and got wide-eyed when told that Wade had appeared in so many games."That's crazy to think about," Spoelstra said.Nobody has played in 1,000 regular-season games for the Heat — Wade has played the most, 893 after Friday's game in Phoenix. But he'll be the fourth person to play career game No. 1,000 while wearing a Miami uniform, joining Rashard Lewis in 2013, Shaquille O'Neal in 2007 and Danny Schayes in 1996."He's showed an... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards. The Cavs also are getting forward John Henson and two draft picks in 2021 from the Bucks in exchange for George Hill. Also as part of the deal, the Cavs traded a 2021 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards, who sent forward Jason Smith and cash considerations to the Bucks and a 2022 second-round draft pick to Cleveland.The Cavs are receiving Milwaukee's 2021 first- and second-round picks.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."We're... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Another popular Cavaliers player is coming "home."LeBron's gone. Delly's back.The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with Milwaukee that will return fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova to Cleveland along with forward John Henson and a pair of draft picks in 2021. The Bucks will get veteran point guard George Hill and forward Sam Dekker from the Cavs, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press. Milwaukee has agreed to trade Dekker to the Washington Wizards for center Jason Smith and a future second-round pick.The deals are pending league approval and could be finalized Friday night, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the mandatory conference call with NBA officials.The first-round pick in 2021 is protected, the person said.There was an urgency to get the deal agreed to before 6 p.m. on Friday because only players on rosters by then can be re-packaged in other trades before February's deadline.Hill recently returned... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Another popular Cavaliers player is coming "home."LeBron's gone. Delly's back.The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with Milwaukee that will return fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova to Cleveland along with forward John Henson and a pair of draft picks in 2021. The Bucks will get veteran point guard George Hill and forward Sam Dekker from the Cavs, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press. Milwaukee has agreed to trade Dekker to the Washington Wizards for center Jason Smith and a future second-round pick.The deals are pending league approval and could be finalized Friday night, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the mandatory conference call with NBA officials.The first-round pick in 2021 is protected, the person said.There was an urgency to get the deal agreed to before 6 p.m. on Friday because only players on rosters by then can be re-packaged in other trades before February's deadline.Hill recently returned... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Another popular Cavaliers player is coming "home."LeBron's gone. Delly's back.The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with Milwaukee that will return fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova to Cleveland along with forward John Henson and a pair of draft picks in 2021. The Bucks will get veteran point guard George Hill and forward Sam Dekker from the Cavs, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.The swap is pending league approval and could be finalized Friday night, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the mandatory conference call with NBA officials.The first-round pick in 2021 is protected, the person said.There was an urgency to get the deal agreed to before 6 p.m. on Friday because only players on rosters by then can be re-packaged in other trades before February's deadline.Hill recently returned after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury, and the Cavs have been shopping him around for a deal. Dekker, who... [More]