The Sacramento Kings waived guard Arron Afflalo on Friday, one day before his $12.5 million salary for next season would have become guaranteed.Afflalo will receive $1.5 million instead.The 31-year-old Afflalo averaged 8.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 61 games this past season for Sacramento.Afflalo has averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during his 10-year career with the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Kings.

Power forward Blake Griffin opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and point guard Chris Paul will do the same sometime next week, according to multiple published reports.The decisions would make both players unrestricted free agents on July 1.The departure of the two stars could possibly leave the Clippers in a reorganization mode after the current group has been unable to reach the Western Conference finals. Neither player is expected to fully close the door on a possible return.Speculation has Paul being a target of the San Antonio Spurs. The nine-time All-Star averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 assists last season.Griffin could be highly pursued by his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder to give Russell Westbrook a high-impact running mate that was missing last season after Kevin Durant's departure. The five-time All-Star averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season but has been plagued by injuries over the past three seasons.--Finding an identity under coach Fred... [More]

Power forward Blake Griffin opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and point guard Chris Paul will do the same sometime next week, according to multiple published reports. The decisions would make both players unrestricted free agents on July 1.The departure of the two stars could possibly leave the Clippers in a reorganization mode after the current group has been unable to reach the Western Conference finals. Neither player is expected to fully close the door on a possible return.Speculation has Paul being a target of the San Antonio Spurs. The nine-time All-Star averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 assists last season.Griffin could be highly pursued by his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder to give Russell Westbrook a high-impact running mate that was missing last season after Kevin Durant's departure. The five-time All-Star averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season but has been plagued by injuries over the past three seasons.The Clippers will be able to offer larger contract to both players than what they can receive as free agents.

Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been suspended two games without pay after his recent guilty plea in a drunk-driving incident, the NBA announced Friday.Caldwell-Pope's suspension will take place for the first two games in which he is physically able to play during the 2017-18 campaign.Earlier this month, Caldwell-Pope received 12 months probation after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in Auburn Hills, Mich.Caldwell-Pope was arrested in March after being pulled over for driving 45 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to police. After a field sobriety test, he was arrested and a breathalyzer test displayed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08.The 24-year-old Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.8 points per game last season.

Finding an identity under coach Fred Hoiberg meant trading the face of the franchise for the Chicago Bulls.All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler was relocated to the Minnesota Timberwolves after more than a year of simmering trade talks involving Butler, who reunites with former coach Tom Thibodeau. "What we've done," Bulls vice president John Paxson said, "is set a direction. We've decided to make the change and rebuild this roster. We're going to do it with young players we believe can play a system Fred is comfortable with."Last summer, the Bulls parted with Joakim Noah and traded former point guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks. Another step away from contention and into rebuilding mode was the best path, per Paxson."We understand what this means," Paxson said. "It's going to be a difficult process."Hoiberg installed a run-and-gun system predicated on successful 3-point shooting. But Butler and Dwyane Wade were the centerpieces of the offense -- one piloted by pass-first, light-shooting... [More]

NEW YORK -- For the last four years, the mantra of the Philadelphia 76ers has been "trust the process."As the anticipation intensified and commissioner Adam Silver said the 76ers "were on the clock," fans at Barclays Center began chanting to express their excitement to another young piece being added to Philadelphia.With about 90 seconds left in the Sixers' allotted five minutes, Markelle Fultz officially became the first overall pick in Thursday's draft.The former Washington point guard averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games. In his only collegiate season, Fultz shot 47.6 percent from the field, made 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts, reached double figures 24 times and set a school record for points by a freshman with 579."I'm very excited really, just like the fans in Philly, how they back up their players and everything like that," Fultz said. "And I'm just looking forward to going in there and giving it my all and hopefully changing the program around."The... [More]

Brook Lopez played in three arenas, for nine coaches and with numerous teammates.He also survived numerous trade rumors.On Thursday, his nine-year career with the Brooklyn Nets officially ended when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for guard D'Angelo Russell and center Timofey Mozgov.Russell was the second pick of the Lakers two years ago out of Ohio State. He averaged 13.2 points as a rookie and improved to 15.6 points last season as the Lakers won 26 games."We are extremely excited to welcome D'Angelo and Timofey to our Brooklyn Nets family," Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement released by the team. "D'Angelo is a versatile young guard with a bright future and we are enthusiastic about continuing his development along with our young nucleus, while Timofey will provide a veteran presence who can contribute on both ends of the floor. Both are great fits within Kenny's system."Also going to the Lakers are the rights to forward Kyle Kuzma, who was drafted with the 27th... [More]

Jimmy Butler is being reunited with Tom Thibodeau.Moments before the Los Angeles Lakers made Lonzo Ball the second pick of Thursday's NBA draft, multiple outlets reported Butler was going to be dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves.NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the trade later in the evening.Butler was dealt for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the rights to Lauri Markkanen. Also going to Minnesota are the rights to Justin Patton, who was picked at No. 16 by the Bulls.Butler was the 30th overall pick by the Bulls in 2011 out of Marquette. He averaged a career-high 23.9 points last season as the Bulls were 41-41 and qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.Thibodeau coached Butler from 2011 to 2015 before being fired. He joined the Timberwolves last season with the dual title of coach and head of basketball operations.Last season, the teams worked on a potential deal for Butler, but talks collapsed based on the belief that Chicago's demands were too high.... [More]

Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade is picking up his $23.8 million player option for next season.The 35-year-old Wade informed the Bulls of his decision Tuesday night. The former Miami Heat star had until June 27 to inform the team.When asked by TNT about his decision, Wade said: "24 million reasons."The Chicago native averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his first season with the Bulls in 2016-17. He played in 60 games and was sidelined late in the season with a fractured elbow. The scoring average was the second lowest of his 14-year career."18.3 points a game in 29 mins on 43 percent shooting at 35 years old. if I'm 25 with the same numbers I'm getting 150 million," Wade wrote on Twitter just after midnight Wednesday morning.Wade told the Bulls he did not want to be part of a rebuilding process and his decision came with the team at the center of trade rumors involving All-Star Jimmy Butler before Thursday night's NBA Draft.The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics,... [More]

Marco Belinelli was traded to Atlanta along with F Miles Plumlee and the 41st pick in Thursday's draft for C Dwight Howard and the 31st pick, according to multiple reports. Belinelli averaged 10.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes last season. He comes with a $6.6-million cap hit as his three-year, $19 million contract expires after the 2017-18 season.

F Miles Plumlee was traded to Atlanta along with swingman Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick in Thursday's draft for C Dwight Howard and the 31st pick, according to multiple reports. Plumlee, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract last season, averaged 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds across 10.8 minutes in 2016-17. He began last season with the Milwaukee Bucks before being dealt to Charlotte before the trade deadline.

C Dwight Howard was traded to Charlotte along with the 31st pick in Thursday's draft for F Miles Plumlee, swingman Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick, according to multiple reports. The 31-year-old Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal with Atlanta last July, averaged 13.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 74 games last season. Charlotte will be Howard's fifth team after spending his first 13 seasons with Orlando (eight), the Los Angeles Lakers (one), Houston (three) and Atlanta (one).

C Brook Lopez, along with the 27th selection in this year's draft, were sent from the Brooklyn Nets to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 7-foot Lopez represents a dramatic upgrade for Los Angeles, particularly at the offensive end. He averaged a team-high 20.5 points last season for Brooklyn and owns career averages of 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in nine seasons with the Nets.

C Timothy Mozgov was traded along with PG D'Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for C Brook Lopez and the 27th selection in this year's draft. The 7-foot-1 Mozgov averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots last season -- his first with the Lakers and seventh in the NBA overall.

PF David Lee is expected to opt out of his $1.6 million deal for next season with the Spurs. The 34-year-old averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 79 games last season.

C Aron Baynes will decline his $6.5 million contract option and become a free agent, The Vertical reported. Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy has said repeatedly that he expected the 30-year-old Baynes to opt out and seek a better deal, per the Detroit Free Press. Baynes averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 75 games (two starts) last season with the Pistons.

C Pau Gasol will reportedly decline a $16.2 million option next season to become a free agent, but is expected to re-sign with the Spurs. The 36-year-old center intends to negotiate a lower annual salary so that the Spurs are able to offer free agents more money this offseason, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Gasol averaged a career-low 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 64 games (39 starts) in his first season with the Spurs last season.

The Los Angeles Lakers hold the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but they are not waiting until Thursday night to begin reshaping their roster.The Lakers have reached an agreement to trade point guard D'Angelo Russell and center Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for center Brook Lopez and the 27th selection in this year's draft, The Vertical reported Tuesday.Trading Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, all but assures that Los Angeles will select point guard Lonzo Ball of UCLA at No. 2 Thursday. It also gives the Lakers three first-round selections in the draft.Russell averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists in his second season with the Lakers, who will free themselves from a four-year, $64 million contract that they signed Mozgov to in July 2016.The 7-foot-1 Mozgov averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots last season -- his first with the Lakers and seventh in the NBA overall.The 7-foot Lopez represents a dramatic upgrade for Los Angeles, particularly at the offensive end. He averaged a team-high 20.5 points last season for Brooklyn and owns career averages of 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in nine seasons with the Nets.

Aron Baynes is set to become a free agent as the Detroit Pistons center will decline his $6.5 million player option, according to The Vertical.Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy has said repeatedly that he expected the 30-year-old Baynes to opt out and seek a better deal, the Detroit Free Press reports.The 6-foot-10 Baynes averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 75 games (two starts) last season with the Pistons.He has career averages of 5.2 points and 4.1 boards in 295 games over five seasons with the Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.Baynes entered the league in 2009 and signed with the Spurs as an undrafted free agent, spending three seasons with San Antonio before signing with Detroit.

Chicago Bulls shooting guard Dwyane Wade is reportedly leaning toward exercising his $24 million player option to remain with the franchise next season.The 35-year-old Wade has until June 27 to make a decision.The Chicago native averaged 18.3 points in his first season with the Bulls. He played in 60 games and was sidelined late in the season with a fractured elbow. The scoring average was the second lowest of his 14-year career.Wade told the Bulls he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process, so the former Miami Heat star is certainly closely watching the situation involving All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler.The Bulls are shopping Butler leading up to Thursday's NBA Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly expressed interest and could be willing to part with power forward Kevin Love as part of a three-team trade.Butler will reportedly push the Bulls' front office to get a deal done with the Cavaliers, the Chicago Sun Times reports. The newspaper also reported that multiple Cavs players, including stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, have reached out to Butler to gauge his interest. The Boston Celtics, who have a slew of draft picks to offer, are also reportedly interested in Butler.