F Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors apologized and labeled his recent actions on Twitter as "childish" and "idiotic" on Tuesday while on a Tech Crunch panel in San Francisco. Durant claims he accidentally used his main Twitter account while defending his decision to leave Oklahoma City. When asked by a fan to give him "one legitimate reason for leaving okc other than getting a championship," the 2017 NBA Finals MVP responded in the third person with the following: "he didn't like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan. His roster wasn't that good, it was just him and Russ (Russell Westbrook)." While the words weren't supposed to be released from his primary count, they were ... prompting Durant to take ownership of his mistake on Tuesday. "I use Twitter to engage with fans," Durant said. "I happened to take it a little too far. That's what happens sometimes when I get into these basketball debates about what I really love, to play basketball. I don't regret clapping back at anybody or talking to my fans on Twitter. I do regret using my former coach's name and the former organization I played for. That was childish. That was idiotic, all those types of words. I apologize for that."

F Dante Cunningham agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Cunningham reportedly received a contract worth $2.3 million.

Free agent center Andrew Bogut agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, multiple media outlets reported Monday.The deal is reportedly worth the veteran minimum $2.3 million.Bogut sustained a broken leg during his first game with Cleveland Cavaliers in March, sidelining him for the rest of the season.The 7-foot Bogut began the 2016-17 season with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 3.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in 26 games, including 21 starts.Bogut was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that sent Nerlens Noel to Dallas. Bogut then reached a buyout agreement with the 76ers in February, and he signed with Cleveland.However, his time with the Cavaliers lasted just 58 seconds of action, as he collided with the Miami Heat's Okaro White and fractured his left tibia.He decided not to have surgery, and in late June it was reported that Bogut was about three weeks away from resuming basketball workouts.Bogut, 32, was a starter on the Golden State Warriors teams that won the NBA title in 2015 and was the runner-up in 2016.His best season was 2009-10, when he averaged 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the Milwaukee Bucks.

G Jason Terry, a 40-year-old free agent, re-signed with the Bucks for the 2017-18 season, the team announced Monday.Terry, an 18-year veteran, played in 74 games for the Bucks last season. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.3 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game and shot 42.7 percent from 3-point range. "'Jet' is a true professional who knows what it takes to be successful in the NBA," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said.

C Andrew Bogut, a free agent, agreed to a one-year deal with the Lakers, multiple media outlets reported Monday.Bogut sustained a broken leg during his first game with Cavaliers in March, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The 7-foot Bogut began the 2016-17 season with the Mavericks, averaging 3.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in 26 games, including 21 starts. Bogut was traded to the 76ers in a deal that sent Nerlens Noel to Dallas. Bogut then reached a buyout agreement with the 76ers in February, and he signed with Cleveland. However, his time with the Cavaliers lasted just 58 seconds of action, as he collided with the Heat's Okaro White and fractured his left tibia. He decided not to have surgery, and in late June it was reported that Bogut was about three weeks away from resuming basketball workouts.

Restricted free agent center Mason Plumlee agreed to return to the Denver Nuggets with a three-year deal.The deal is worth $41 million, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday.Agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly reached agreement on the deal late Sunday night, league sources told ESPN.Plumlee, 27, was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in a February trade for center Jusuf Nurkic.The 6-foot-11, 255-pound Plumlee averaged 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 blocks and 23.4 minutes in 27 games (10 starts) with Denver.As a restricted free agent, Plumlee could have signed a $4.6 million qualifying offer for the 2017-18 season, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.Plumlee, who was the 22nd overall pick of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 draft out of Duke, owns career averages of 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in four NBA seasons with Brooklyn, Portland and Denver.

G Jarrett Jack signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, the team announced Friday. Jack, who turns 34 next month, is aiming to revive his career after two major injuries to his right knee.

C Tyler Zeller signed a multi-year contract.with the Brooklyn Nets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Zeller, 27, spent the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics and averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 2016-17. In five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, Zeller is averaging 7.0 points on 49.9 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds.

The Brooklyn Nets added some toughness to the frontcourt on Tuesday by signing veteran center Tyler Zeller to a multi-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Zeller, 27, spent the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics and averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 2016-17. In five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, Zeller is averaging 7.0 points on 49.9 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds.Zeller will compete for minutes with center Timofey Mozgov, who came to Brooklyn in a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the offseason. The Nets also have center Jarrett Allen, who was drafted in the first round out of Texas in June.Zeller was the 17th overall pick in the 2002 draft out of North Carolina.

The Detroit Pistons signed guard Dwight Buycks to a two-way contract, the team announced on Tuesday.Buycks spent the past two seasons with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, and averaged over 25 points in each campaign. The Marquette product averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20 career NBA games with the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers.Teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts. Players under two-way deals play primarily with a team's G League affiliate but are allowed to spend up to 45 days with the NBA club.Buycks will spend most of his time with the Grand Rapids Drive in the G League.

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to retire the jersey numbers of Kobe Bryant on Dec. 18 prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors.The team will retire both of Bryant's numbers. Bryant wore both No. 8 and No. 24 during his 20 seasons with the Lakers.Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won five NBA titles with the Lakers, retired following the 2015-16 campaign. He wore No. 8 for his first 10 seasons before switching to No. 24.Bryant scored 33,643 points, third-most in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.Bryant will become the 10th Lakers' player to have his number retired, the others being Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Gail Goodrich (25), Magic Johnson (32), Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O'Neal (34), James Worthy (42), Jerry West (44) and Jamaal Wilkes (52).Former announcer Chick Hearn also has him name in the arena rafters.-- Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley filed a civil suit related to the February incident with security at Madison Square Garden,... [More]

G Tony Allen and the Pelicans agreed on a one-year, $2.3 million free agent deal, multiple media outlets reported Monday.Allen, 35, will provide depth on the wing, which is particularly important with Solomon Hill out for an extended period due to a hamstring injury.Allen was named to the NBA second-team all-defensive team last season while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. It was the sixth time in the past seven seasons he made an all-defensive team.Allen averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds last season in 71 games, including 66 starts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard/forward John Holland to a two-way contract on Friday.The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Holland was the NBA G League Impact Player of the Year last season after appearing in 37 games (all starts) for the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers' exclusively owned team.Holland, 28, averaged 22.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in a league-high 38.9 minutes per contest. He shot 48.1 percent from the field, 34.6 from beyond the arc and 88.1 from the foul line, while helping the Charge reach the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.Before rejoining the Charge in 2016-17, Holland was in training camp with the Cavaliers where he played in three preseason games and averaged 10.7 points and 18.8 minutes.Holland received a call-up from the Boston Celtics before the 2016 NBA playoffs and made his debut in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. The Boston University product played professionally in France, Spain and Turkey, and also represented the Puerto Rican national team in 2011.Holland becomes the first player to sign a two-way contract with the Cavs. Per NBA rules starting this season, teams are permitted to have two two-way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular-season roster. A two-way player for the Cavs will provide services to the team's G League affiliate in Canton but can spend up to 45 days with Cleveland.

Chicago Bulls guard Cameron Payne underwent successful foot surgery and will be sidelined three to four months, the team announced Friday.Payne's surgery on his right foot (fifth metatarsal) was performed Wednesday by Dr. Johnny Lin of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush performed the surgery.The Bulls said Payne will remain in a splint for the next 7-to-10 days followed by a boot for 6-to-8 weeks, and he is expected to make a full return.Payne is no stranger to issues with his right foot, as he sustained an acute fracture last September and had surgery in July 2016 to fix a Jones fracture in the same foot.The 23-year-old Payne was acquired by the Bulls, along with Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne, in a February deal that sent Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a future second-round selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder.The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Payne averaged 4.9 points in 11 games with Chicago last season.Payne was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) of the Thunder in 2015. He owns averages of 5.0 and 1.9 assists in 88 career games.

PG Isaiah Thomas was introduced during a Thursday news conference, but the team went to great lengths to avoid shedding much light on the All-Star guard's injured right hip. "To be fair to Isaiah, we're not going to address any specifics on his hip injury," Altman said of Thomas, who joined Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic in being introduced as the newest members of the Cavaliers on the heels of the summer's blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. "We're also not going to put a timetable on it," Altman said. "... We're not going to rush it, at all." Thomas said that he is "just getting treatment each and every day" and working in the weight room. The 28-year-old Thomas suffered the injury during this year's playoffs while playing for the Celtics. He finished third in the NBA with an average of 28.9 points in 2016-17.

The Cleveland Cavaliers put the spotlight on newly acquired Isaiah Thomas during Thursday's news conference, but the team went to great lengths to avoid shedding much light on the All-Star guard's injured right hip.General manager Koby Altman implored reporters to avoid asking questions about Thomas' hip, but they asked anyway."To be fair to Isaiah, we're not going to address any specifics on his hip injury," Altman said of Thomas, who joined Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic in being introduced as the newest members of the Cavaliers on the heels of the summer's blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics."We're also not going to put a timetable on it," Altman said. "... We're not going to rush it, at all."Altman reiterated versions of that statement numerous times with Thomas sitting nearby.Questions following Thomas' physical examination and his recovery from a postseason hip injury served as a significant hiccup to completing the deal that sent fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics.... [More]

The Milwaukee Bucks signed shooting guard James Young to a training camp contract on Wednesday.Young, 22, was the No. 17 overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 2014 after spending one season at Kentucky. Young averaged 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 89 games for the Celtics.Young averaged 18.7 points for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League while bouncing back and forth over the last few seasons. He will fight for a roster spot on a Milwaukee team that already has Khris Middleton, Jason Terry and Rashad Vaughn on the roster at the shooting guard spot.The Bucks also added rookie guards Sterling Brown and Bronson Koenig earlier in the offseason and return reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt.

The Atlanta Hawks signed guard Josh Magette to a two-way contract on Wednesday and signed undrafted rookie forward Tyler Cavanaugh.The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Magette, 27, spent time during the 2016 preseason with the Hawks and was part of the team's NBA Summer League roster in 2017.Last season, Magette started 50 games for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA G League, averaging 15.8 points, 9.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35.3 minutes per contest. He led the G League in assists per game for the second straight season and was named second team All-G League.The 2017-18 season will mark the first year of two-way contracts in the NBA. Only players with four or fewer years of NBA experience are permitted to sign two-way contracts. A two-way player for the Hawks will primarily play for the team's NBA G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, but can spend up to 45 days with Atlanta, not including any time prior to the start of Erie's training camp and at the conclusion of their season.The 6-9, 238-pound Cavanaugh, 23, also was a member of the Hawks' Summer League team in Las Vegas.Cavanaugh spent his first two college seasons at Wake Forest before transferring to George Washington. As a graduate student at GW last season, he appeared in 35 games (all starts), leading the team in points (18.3), rebounds (8.4), free throws made (173) and attempted (204) in 32.2 minutes per contest.

G Kyrie Irving admitted he has not spoken with LeBron James since being traded to the Boston Celtics but he praised his former superstar teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 25-year-old Irving called playing three seasons with James as "awesome" and told reporters at his introductory press conference in Boston that "I learned so much from that guy." The Celtics formally introduced Irving on Friday at TD Garden after the blockbuster trade sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick and the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick in exchange for the four-time All-Star point guard. Irving, who had requested a trade in July, was asked about his decision to leave Cleveland and the status of his relationship with James. "I haven't spoken to (James) and my intent (in asking for a trade), like I said, was for my best intentions," Irving said. "To look back at the amount of ground we covered in the last three-year span ... to really realize how special that was and how much stuff happened in that amount of time, I'd be sitting up here and telling you guys a lie if I didn't tell you I learned so much from that guy."

Kyrie Irving admitted he has not spoken with LeBron James since being traded to the Boston Celtics but he praised his former superstar teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers.The 25-year-old Irving called playing three seasons with James as "awesome" and told reporters at his introductory press conference in Boston that "I learned so much from that guy."The Celtics formally introduced Irving on Friday at TD Garden after the blockbuster trade sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick and the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick in exchange for the four-time All-Star point guard.Gordon Hayward also was introduced to the Boston media after the former Utah Jazz forward signed a four-year, $128 million free agent contract with the Celtics in July.Irving, who had requested a trade in July, was asked about his decision to leave Cleveland and the status of his relationship with James."I haven't spoken to (James) and my intent (in asking for a trade), like... [More]