DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have hired Gregg Polinsky as director of player personnel.The Pistons also announced Saturday they had signed second-round draft pick Bruce Brown Jr. and waived guard Dwight Buycks. Detroit later officially announced the signings of free agents Glenn Robinson III and Jose Calderon.Polinsky comes to the Pistons from the Brooklyn Nets. He spent the last 19 seasons with them in various roles, most recently as director of college scouting, and was the coach at Georgia Southern from 1995-99.The 6-foot-5 Brown was taken with the 42nd pick in this year's draft. He averaged 11.4 points a game last season at Miami.Buycks averaged 7.4 points in 29 games for the Pistons last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a story July 7 about the opening day of games from the NBA Summer League, The Associated Press, relying on information from the NBA, erroneously reported the final score and details of the Detroit-Milwaukee game. Milwaukee won 90-63.A corrected version of the story is below:Ayton gets 10 points in NBA debut at Summer LeagueDeandre Ayton got his first taste of NBA action, and it came in a Phoenix victoryBy TIM REYNOLDSAP Basketball WriterLAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins perfectly summed up the potential of the Golden State Warriors."Scary," he said.The rest of the league likely agrees.Cousins signed his contract Friday to join the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors for this coming season, one in which he'll make $5.3 million. He isn't sure when his surgically repaired Achilles will allow him to start playing with his new team — being ready for the start of training camp seems quite doubtful — but he can already envision what might happen when he returns to form."Of course it's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of hard work and dedication, and also a lot of sacrifice from not only myself but other guys on the team as well," Cousins told reporters Friday night at the NBA Summer League. "That's something that we all are aware of and that's something we accepted already."When he returns, something he says he won't do until he's back to 100 percent, the Warriors could have a starting five composed entirely of 2018... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls."A lot of energy," Ayton said, when asked for the takeaway from his first NBA game — albeit just of the summer variety. "I could feel the energy around."Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14."They showed... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls."A lot of energy," Ayton said, when asked for the takeaway from his first NBA game — albeit just of the summer variety. "I could feel the energy around."Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14."They showed... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls.Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14.Jalen Jones scored 16 points and Dennis Smith Jr. added 14 for Dallas (0-1). Luka Doncic did not play for Dallas, as he still awaits his clearance from his Real Madrid... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The biggest summer league in NBA history is underway.No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns will be the top attraction Friday at the start of the NBA Summer League, where all 30 franchises will be represented for the first time in a tournament that stretches through July 17. The Suns play Dallas later Friday night, part of a 10-game schedule on opening day at UNLV.Leagues in Sacramento and Salt Lake City ended Thursday, with about 85,000 tickets sold over three days of play in each of those cities. More than 125,000 fans went to the games in Las Vegas a year ago.Friday's summaries:CELTICS 95, 76ERS 89Furkan Korkmaz led all scorers with 40 points in a losing effort for Philadelphia (0-1). Korkmaz was 10 for 18 from the field, 8 for 14 from 3-point range and 12 for 15 from the foul line. Guerschon Yabusele and Semi Ojeleye each scored 16 points for Boston (1-0).ROCKETS 92, PACERS 89Trevon Duval scored 20 points and the rookie out of Duke also had three rebounds and... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Rajon Rondo officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday with a clear idea about his future with LeBron James."We're expected to win now," Rondo said.Rondo agreed to a one-year deal worth $9 million earlier this week to suit up alongside James, whose signing hasn't yet been announced by the Lakers.The veteran point guard is eager to be a mentor to Lonzo Ball, and he sees a chance for immediate success with the thoroughly revamped club. The Lakers haven't made the playoffs for a franchise-record five consecutive seasons, but Rondo believes they'll make immediate strides back toward contention for a 17th NBA championship."You put any group of players around LeBron James, as he has done (eight) straight times, he went to the finals," Rondo said. "So my expectations are the exact same thing. Even with the Warriors adding (DeMarcus Cousins) and the Rockets being who they are, I think we fit right up there in the mix. It is early, obviously, and I'm not promising anything,... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — General manager Ryan McDonough says Trevor Ariza was the first player the Phoenix Suns targeted in free agency, speaking with him and his wife via FaceTime from a car one minute after free agency began.The Suns spent virtually all of their cap space on the 14-year veteran NBA forward, who agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract. On Friday, he was introduced as the newest member of a team that believes it is close to turning the corner after years of losing."They are a young team with a lot of talent that don't know how to win," Ariza said.The 6-foot-8 forward will go from Houston, the team with the best record in the NBA last season, to the Suns, who had the worst and haven't made the playoffs in eight years."We need his defensive ability and versatility, his shooting ability," McDonough said, "but I think as much as anything, maybe more than anything, we need his leadership and his winning pedigree."When the Suns had their first interview with new coach Igor Kokoskov,... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — No roster makeover for the Utah Jazz.Rather than spend time and money trying to make a splash by bringing in a high-profile free agent, the Jazz are banking on continued internal development and continuity to boost a team that finished the 2017-18 season on a tear.That approach is reflected in the team's decision to bring back free agents Derrick Favors, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto under new multi-year contracts."Chemistry is a hard thing," Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said at a press conference on Friday announcing the three free-agent signings. "It's a hard thing to predict. You can get five great people in the room and have it just not click for whatever reason, so we didn't want to overthink that."Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.Keeping Utah's roster virtually intact going into the 2018-19 season appears to be a sound move given how the Jazz finished this past NBA season. Utah earned the fifth seed in the West with a 48-34 record, going 29-6 over their final... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Summer play is a grind for the Miami Heat.They like it that way.Miami is one of eight teams doubling up on summer leagues this year, and when the biggest one in NBA history opens on Friday in Las Vegas — all 30 franchises are sending a club to the primary summer league for the first time — the Heat think that getting three games under their belt already will be a big help.The first summer league hosted by the Sacramento Kings, the California Classic, came to a close Thursday. Golden State beat the Los Angeles Lakers 77-71, and Miami topped Sacramento 86-76.Play in the Utah Jazz Summer League also wrapped up Thursday, with San Antonio beating Memphis 94-87 and Utah beating Atlanta 92-87 in the finale — the memorable moment there being when Jazz guard Grayson Allen and Hawks guard Trae Young scuffled briefly in the third quarter .It was much ado about very little; Allen and Young both earned technical fouls.But it does speak to how seriously the players take the games at... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Summer play is a grind for the Miami Heat.They like it that way.Miami is one of eight teams doubling up on summer leagues this year, and when the biggest one in NBA history opens on Friday in Las Vegas — all 30 franchises are sending a club to the primary summer league for the first time — the Heat think that getting three games under their belt already will be a big help.The first summer league hosted by the Sacramento Kings, the California Classic, came to a close Thursday. Golden State beat the Los Angeles Lakers 77-71, and Miami topped Sacramento 86-76.Play in the Utah Jazz Summer League also wrapped up Thursday, with San Antonio beating Memphis 94-87 and Utah facing Atlanta in the finale.The Heat flew cross-country for their summer league training camp in Sacramento, doing so because playing in the second league ensures that the team will appear in at least eight summer games instead of the five that are guaranteed to teams who play only in Las Vegas.And they saw players... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Collin Sexton badly wanted to play with LeBron James. His first season will be much different than he hoped.Sexton signed his rookie contract on Wednesday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are taking their first steps since James announced he's leaving to sign a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.When the Cavs drafted Sexton with the No. 8 pick last month, the Alabama guard instantly pleaded with James to re-sign with the Cavs."LeBron, let's do it," Sexton said in a TV interview moments after he was picked. "I've seen you needed a few extra pieces this past season, and let's do it. Let's go back to the Finals."For now, Sexton will have to settle for a four-year contract that could be worth $20.2 million over its length. Per NBA rules, Sexton can make a maximum of $4.1 million next season. The value is based on where he was selected. His contract is guaranteed for two years, with the Cavs holding options for the last two years.Cleveland made the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers signed guard Collin Sexton to a rookie contract. Financial terms were not immediately available.Cleveland made the announcement on Wednesday, a holiday treat for the team's fans still grappling with their emotions after superstar LeBron James announced he's leaving the Cavs for the second time to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.The Cavs selected Sexton with the No. 8 overall pick in last month's NBA draft. He averaged 19.2 points as a freshman at Alabama and played his best in big games while leading the Crimson Tide to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.Now that he's under contract, the 19-year-old can't be traded for 30 days. However, the Cavs are likely to hang on to Sexton and help them rebuild without James, who led Cleveland to four straight NBA Finals and a championship in 2016.Sexton is on Cleveland's summer league roster for games in Las Vegas.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA estimates an increase of 40,000 miles of travel in the postseason if it scrapped its current conference format and took the top 16 teams.Calls to change the system were renewed this week when LeBron James left Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers, which could create another strong Western Conference team, where both Houston and Golden State finished above .700. The only team in the Eastern Conference with a similar record was Toronto. Houston and Golden State met in a thrilling West final before the Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.Commissioner Adam Silver has said ideally there would be a format allowing the two best teams to meet for the title, but he has repeatedly expressed concern about the additional travel that would be created if teams were seeded 1 to 16 in the postseason, instead of the current format in which it's the top eight teams in each conference."I think, as I've said in the past, the obstacle is travel, and it's not tradition in my... [More]

Things are coming a little easier this summer for Derrick White.White, the 29th pick in last year's draft, is off to a fast start in the NBA Summer League. He scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a lopsided 103-81 victory over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.The 6-foot-4 point guard, who played in 17 games last season for the Spurs, also had nine assists, six rebounds and two blocks in an impressive all-around performance."I am just feeling more comfortable this year," White said. "I am learning what works and what I need to do to be successful."White continued his solid play from the night before, when he had 22 points and seven rebounds in the Spurs' 92-76 loss to the Utah Jazz.White is vying for more playing this season, especially with Kawhi Leonard's future with the Spurs uncertain.Young, this year's No. 5 overall pick, continued to struggle in Utah, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting. In two games the former Oklahoma... [More]

Things are coming a little easier this summer for Derrick White.White, the 29th pick in last year's draft, is off to a fast start in the NBA Summer League. He scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a lopsided 103-81 victory over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.The 6-foot-4 point guard, who played in 17 games last season for the Spurs, also had nine assists, six rebounds and two blocks in an impressive all-around performance."I am just feeling more comfortable this year," White said. "I am learning what works and what I need to do to be successful."White continued his solid play from the night before, when he had 22 points and seven rebounds in the Spurs' 92-76 loss to the Utah Jazz.White is vying for more playing this season, especially with Kawhi Leonard's future with the Spurs uncertain.Young, this year's No. 5 overall pick, continued to struggle in Utah, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting. In two games the former Oklahoma... [More]

Things are coming a little easier this summer for Derrick White.White, the 29th pick in last year's draft, is off to a fast start in the NBA Summer League. He scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a lopsided 103-81 victory over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.The 6-foot-4 point guard, who played in 17 games last season for the Spurs, also had nine assists, six rebounds and two blocks in an impressive all-around performance."I am just feeling more comfortable this year," White said. "I am learning what works and what I need to do to be successful."White continued his solid play from the night before, when he had 22 points and seven rebounds in the Spurs' 92-76 loss to the Utah Jazz.White is vying for more playing this season, especially with Kawhi Leonard's future with the Spurs uncertain.Young, this year's No. 5 overall pick, continued to struggle in Utah, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting. In two games the former Oklahoma... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA estimates an increase of about 40,000 miles of travel in the postseason if it scrapped its current conference format and took the top 16 teams.Calls to change the system were renewed this week when LeBron James left Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers, which could create another strong Western Conference team after Houston and Golden State had the league's top two records last season. They met in a thrilling West final before the Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.Commissioner Adam Silver has said ideally there would be a format allowing the two best teams to meet for the title, but has repeatedly expressed concern about the additional travel that would be created if teams were seeded 1 to 16 in the postseason, instead of the current format in which it's the top eight teams in each conference."I think, as I've said in the past, the obstacle is travel, and it's not tradition in my mind, at least," Silver said at the All-Star break. "It's that as we've... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors will be much younger next season, and general manager Bob Myers is working to keep much of the core intact to chase another championship.Versatile big man Kevon Looney will re-sign with the two-time defending champions on a one-year deal for the minimum, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Looney's new deal cannot become official until he signs after the moratorium period is lifted Friday.Golden State already reached agreement with two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant on a two-year contract with a player option.Bringing back Looney, a power forward and center, was a top priority for Myers, who also hopes to re-sign guard Patrick McCaw.Looney lost about 30 pounds last offseason to transform his body, make himself faster and give him a regular spot in coach Steve Kerr's rotation, even earning starts in five postseason games during the absence of Andre Iguodala.In his third professional season, the 22-year-old Looney averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game.While the Warriors lost center JaVale McGee to the Lakers, they added DeMarcus Cousins on Monday to give Golden State five potential All-Star starters once Cousins returns from a torn Achilles tendon that required surgery.ESPN first reported Looney's agreement.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball