NEW YORK (AP) — It's been seven years since the Nets crossed the Hudson River and took up residence in the Knicks' city.A real rivalry might finally arrive Sunday.Rarely relevant at the same time on the basketball court, the Knicks and Nets are front and center in the free agency race, two of the teams best positioned to make a splash when the market opens.Both can afford two top players, with hopes of landing not only a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, but possibly both. New York, home of the worst team in the NBA in two of the last seasons, could be the epicenter of the league in early July.After years of bad play, bad trades and often bad basketball, at least one team in the city could look really good in a few days.The Nets seem confident. The Knicks sound cautious.Game on.Brooklyn is feeling good about its chances of winning it. Having recovered from an ill-fated trade with Boston in 2013 that cost the Nets years of high draft picks, Brooklyn has constructed a team that surprisingly made... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — It's been seven years since the Nets crossed over the Hudson River and took up residence in the Knicks' city.A real rivalry might finally arrive Sunday.Rarely relevant at the same time on the basketball court, the Knicks and Nets are front and center in the free agency race, two of the teams best positioned to make a splash when the market opens.Both can afford two top players, with hopes of landing not only a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, but possibly both. New York, home of the worst team in the NBA in two of the last seasons, could be the epicenter of the league in early July.After years of bad play, bad trades and often bad basketball, at least one team in the city could look really good in a few days.The Nets seem confident. The Knicks sound cautious.Game on.Brooklyn is feeling good about its chances of winning it. Having recovered from an ill-fated trade with Boston in 2013 that cost the Nets years of high draft picks, Brooklyn has constructed a team that surprisingly... [More]

The Los Angeles Lakers' price tag for Anthony Davis got a little steeper on Thursday, with the tradeoff being that the team now has the flexibility to bring another max-contract star to play alongside him and LeBron James next season.A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that the Lakers will send Moritz Wagner, Issac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards as part of the deal that will bring Davis to Los Angeles. The Wizards will send cash to the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement cannot be finalized until July 6.The trade was first reported by ESPN, and the cash element was first reported by The Washington Post.Shedding those contracts — along with Davis waiving his $4 million trade kicker, as ESPN reported — will give the Lakers enough cap space to sign a max player, if they are so inclined.They could also spread that cap space out among... [More]

A person with knowledge of the negotiations says the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to trade three players to the Washington Wizards as part of the deal that will land them Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.The Wizards will get Moritz Wagner, Issac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones as well as a future second-round draft pick from the Lakers, while the Pelicans will get cash from Washington, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal cannot be finalized until July 6.ESPN and The Washington Post first reported elements of the deals.The move will give the Lakers enough salary cap space to sign a max-contract free agent if they are so inclined.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol accepted a one-year player option Wednesday for next season.The value is approximately $25.6 million, marking the final year of a five-year contract Gasol signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2015. Had the 34-year-old Spaniard not accepted prior to the Thursday, he would have become a free agent on Sunday.Raptors star Kawhi Leonard also has a one-year player option on his deal with a deadline for a decision Saturday, but he is expected to turn it down and become a free agent Sunday after leading Toronto to its first NBA title. Guard Danny Green is the other Raptors regular slated to become a free agent.The Raptors acquired Gasol from the Grizzlies in February.Gasol averaged 13.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in 79 regular-season games with the Raptors and Memphis this season. He averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 24 playoff games.

Toronto's Kawhi Leonard and Golden State's Kevin Durant are both very difficult to figure out. They seem to enjoy giving cryptic answers, a minimum of clues, and clearly relish having enigmatic status.It makes free agency tough to forecast.Luckily for Toronto and Golden State, the math should be very simple.Leonard and Durant are the biggest dominoes that will fall sometime after the free-agent window opens Sunday evening — unless, of course, neither ends up falling elsewhere and decide to stay put for now. And that is what the math says both of them would be wisest to do.Durant will be offered a $221 million, five-year contract from Golden State. That's one year and $57 million more than any other team can offer. Provided that he won't be playing next year anyway because of his ruptured Achilles and that there's no guarantee that the after-surgery version of Durant will remain in the best-player-on-the-planet conversation, it would be less than prudent to leave that much money on the table."He's... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst took a break from his busy schedule Monday night to collect the 2018-19 NBA Executive of the Year Award.Horst won the honor during the league's awards show in Santa Monica, California, four days after he and his staff put a bow on the draft and six days before the anticipated NBA free agency."We congratulate Jon on earning this well-deserved award," Bucks owners Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan said in a statement. "Jon has played an instrumental role in building the Bucks into a championship-caliber organization and we are thrilled that his fellow team executives throughout the league recognize his great work."The Bucks' ownership group presented Horst with a multiyear extension earlier this month and for good reason. In his second season as the team's general manager, Horst hired Mike Budenholzer, who was honored as the NBA's Coach of the Year on Monday night, and assembled a team that had the best record in the NBA at 60-22."The... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Still absorbing the magnitude of his team's accomplishment, Raptors President Masai Ujiri is confident Kawhi Leonard and the rest of Toronto's core will reunite next season in a bid for another title."We're on to the next issue, which for us is coming back and being champions again," Ujiri said Tuesday in his first news conference since Toronto won its first title nearly two weeks ago. "We want to experience this moment here again and again and again."Retaining Leonard is the most pressing issue. The two-time finals MVP is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent. Toronto can offer a five-year deal worth about $190 million — one year and some $50 million more than any other team."I know what we've built here," Ujiri said. "I'm confident, and you see how these things go."Ujiri stressed the main selling points of his pitch to Leonard: health, trust, success."I said we have to be ourselves, and we were ourselves for the whole year," Ujiri... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have traded Kent Bazemore to the Portland Trail Blazers for Evan Turner is a swap of high-priced players heading into the final year of their contracts.Bazemore was the last holdover from the Hawks' 60-win team in 2014-15. The 6-foot-5 swingman lost his starting job midway through last season and is set to make nearly $19.3 million in the last season of a four-year, $70 million deal. The drafting of De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish figured to cut into Bazemore's playing time even more, leading to Monday's trade.Turner, the second overall pick in 2010, fills Atlanta's need for a backup point guard behind rookie star Trae Young and is essentially a wash in terms of costs with $18.6 million left on his contract. The Hawks will be Turner's fifth team in 10 seasons.Bazemore posted a gracious note to Atlanta on social media, saying he had a "lot of roots planted in this city" and thanking the team for "putting me in a situation to thrive."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Cam Reddish is looking forward to playing for the Atlanta Hawks after he was hampered by a groin injury during his one season with Duke.The 19-year-old Reddish joins a promising young core with Atlanta that also includes Trae Young and John Collins after he was selected by the Hawks with the No. 10 pick in the NBA draft. Former Virginia star De'Andre Hunter also is headed to Atlanta once its draft-day trade with New Orleans becomes official next month."It's truly a blessing and a dream come true," Reddish said Monday at the Hawks' training facility. "The city of Atlanta is so beautiful. I'm just really happy to be here."I think it's a perfect fit in a way."Reddish was one of college basketball's top prospects heading into last season. But his stock slipped a bit after he averaged 13.5 points on 35.6 percent shooting with the Blue Devils, filling a supporting role behind fellow freshmen stars Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett.Reddish's commitment level was called into question... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State general manager Bob Myers plans to meet with both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson ahead of the start of free agency this weekend."Yes," Myers answered succinctly Monday when asked about sit-downs with both free agents, each injured for the runner-up Warriors during the NBA Finals and expected to miss at least most of next season.Is Myers optimistic about having productive conversations with the two stars?"We'll see."And that was all on that Monday, when the Warriors formally introduced their three draft picks.Though Myers did say he expects Thompson to have surgery this week after he tore the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Game 6, which the Warriors lost at home as the Raptors clinched the franchise's first championship. Durant was injured in the previous game at Toronto and underwent surgery for a ruptured right Achilles tendon that could keep him out for the majority of the 2019-20 season.Myers and coach Steve Kerr have made... [More]

TOKYO (AP) — Stephen Curry is already looking ahead to the next challenge in his basketball career, including the chance to represent the United States at next year's Tokyo Olympics.Just over a week since his Golden State Warriors lost a grueling NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, Curry was in Tokyo on Sunday talking about the Olympics and the opportunity to face Japan's newest basketball sensation.The U.S. has won the gold medal in the last three Olympics and will be the favorite to top the podium again in Tokyo with a Dream Team that could feature such stars as Curry, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard.Curry decided to pull out of the Rio Olympics due to several factors, including ankle and knee injuries."I know the energy here is going to be amazing," Curry said. "I haven't played in the Olympics before. I've played in two World Cup teams so I've had the experience of representing my country playing for the national team. But the Olympics, from everybody that I've talked to that's played,... [More]

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese basketball officials, fans and media hailed the selection of Rui Hachimura in the NBA draft, saying the move will usher in a new era for the sport in Japan.Hachimura became the first player from Japan to get chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, taken with the No. 9 overall pick by the rebuilding Washington Wizards on Thursday."The Birth of the NBA's Hachimura, a huge step for Japan," read the headline in the Nikkansports newspaper's online edition.The 6-foot-8, 235-pound (2.03 meters, 106 kilogram) forward averaged a team-leading 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds last season as a junior at U.S. college Gonzaga, where he was the West Coast Conference player of the year.The only other Japanese player drafted in NBA history was Yasutaka Okayama, who went 171st overall in 1981. He never appeared in a regular-season game, something just two players from the country have done: Yuta Tabuse for the Phoenix Suns in 2004-05, and Yuta Watanabe for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19."The... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Zion Williamson and his family were met with applause and traditional New Orleans jazz as they walked into the Pelicans' headquarters.The practice gym was filled with team employees and executives eager to welcome the player who has infused the franchise with so much more promise than it appeared to have when six-time All-Star Anthony Davis requested a trade five months ago.Williamson, who was in New York a night earlier when the Pelicans made him the NBA's top overall draft choice, smiled and looked relaxed in his blue suit and white designer sneakers. When the music was turned down and it was time for Williamson to address the gathering, he spoke with an easy manor and kept his comments short and simple. He promised maximum effort and flexibility, but stopped short of forecasting the type of greatness for himself that so many others have predicted."I look at things from a realistic point of view," Williamson began during his formal introduction to his first professional... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — When Darius Garland realized the Cavaliers sent general manager Koby Altman, new coach John Beilein and his entire staff to his private pre-draft workout in Los Angeles, the Vanderbilt guard drew up a personal game plan."I knew I had to kind of put on a show for them," he said.It was spectacular.As the Cavs watched in near disbelief, Garland, whose college career ended after just five games because of a left knee injury, hardly missed a shot for the first several minutes of his session. Everything he hoisted at the rim from 15 feet dropped. Swish.Same from 20 feet. Nothing but net from 25 and Garland eventually stepped even further back — way beyond the 3-point line, where only Steph Curry and a few other NBA shot takers hang out."I was pretty deep," Garland said with a smile.How deep?"He was shooting from back in Nashville and we were in California," Beilein cracked.The Cavs introduced Garland and Belmont forward Dylan Windler, the No. 26 overall pick, two-thirds... [More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Dwane Casey had nothing but positive things to say about the fact that his former team just won the NBA title.Casey coached the Toronto Raptors for seven seasons but was fired last offseason — even though he'd just guided the Raptors to a team-record 59 wins and would eventually win coach of the year honors. Nick Nurse took over, and Toronto won its first championship this month."It was exciting. It was good to see," said Casey, now the coach of the Detroit Pistons. "To see a guy like Kyle Lowry, kid like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and those guys — Serge Ibaka, guys I coached — win. It was really thrilling, because I know that was a goal going in with that group, and to see them win it was great."Casey was at the Pistons' practice facility Friday, when they introduced first-round draft pick Sekou Doumbouya. When asked about the Raptors, he also said he was happy for the fans."For that city to win a championship, it had to be thrilling for them," Casey said.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Darius Garland showed the Cavaliers his range from 2,000 miles before they selected him in the NBA draft.The Cavs selected the Vanderbilt point guard with the No. 5 overall pick Thursday night despite him playing in only five games before injuring his left knee. Garland was always on Cleveland's radar, but the team became convinced that he was the right choice during a private workout last week in Los Angeles.The team sent new coach John Beilein and his entire staff to watch Garland. Beilein was floored by the 19-year-old's shooting ability and deep range, joking that Garland "was shooting the ball in Nashville and we were in California."The Cavs intend to play Garland alongside Collin Sexton, their first-round pick last season who had a solid rookie. Beilein said the tandem "will be beautiful together" and should be interchangeable on the floor.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Hassan Whiteside is not leaving the final year of his Miami Heat deal on the table.A person with knowledge of the situation said Friday that Whiteside is exercising his $27.1 million option for next season in Miami. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Heat nor Whiteside announced the decision publicly.The move was not a surprise. It'll be the final year of Whiteside's four-year, $98 million contract with the Miami, and the salary he'll command next season will keep him as the highest-paid player on the Heat roster.Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds last season, appearing in 72 games and starting 53 of those. He also averaged only 23 minutes per game, and at times expressed his displeasure about not having a larger role."He's going to come to training camp like everybody else this year and earn it," Heat President Pat Riley said Friday, several hours before the option was exercised.For his career, Whiteside has averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds over parts of seven seasons with Miami and Sacramento. He led the NBA in blocks per game in the 2015-16 season, then led the league in rebounds per game the following season.He's third on Miami's all-time blocks list behind Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, and fifth on the team's all-time rebound list behind Udonis Haslem, Mourning, Rony Seikaly and Wade.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says Hassan Whiteside has told the Miami Heat that he is exercising his $27.1 million player option for next season.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because neither the Heat nor Whiteside announced the decision publicly.Whiteside is entering the last season on a four-year, $98 million deal with Miami. He averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds last season, appearing in 72 games and starting 53 of those.Whiteside will be the highest-paid player on the Heat next season. For his career, he's averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds over parts of seven seasons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — The title won and the draft over, the Toronto Raptors turn to the next order of business: keeping Kawhi Leonard.He is expected to opt out of the final year of his contact and become a free agent June 30. The two-time NBA Finals MVP and three-time All-Star is likely the biggest prize on the market.Toronto can offer Leonard a five-year deal worth about $190 million — one year and some $50 million more than any other suitor.After a season-long soft sell that ended with the team's first championship and a massive downtown parade, the Raptors have just more than a week to craft, plan and present their final pitch to the best player in franchise history."We obviously want to put a couple of special touches on it," general manager Bobby Webster said Friday. "But, yeah, we're comfortable. Throughout the year we've been talking about the things that we can offer and what made this season so special. I think we'll just continue that."Now, after two months of hectic, high-pressure playoff... [More]