If the Golden State Warriors are invited to the White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have not been invited officially by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

If the Golden State Warriors are invited to White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have been officially been invited by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

F Kevin Durant of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors issued an apology for comments he claims were "taken out of context" regarding the development of basketball in India. In a Q&A with Durant that appeared in The Athletic earlier this week, he was quoted as saying that the country is "20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience." In a statement on Twitter, Durant said: "Sorry that my comments about India were taken out of context, I'm grateful for the time I've got to spend there and I'm really pissed about how my comments came off, that's my fault, should've worded that better."

Free agent point guard Derrick Rose signed one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.Rose met with newly named general manager Koby Altman and other Cavs officials on Monday, just three days after meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers. He passed medical exams with Cavs doctors, Cleveland.com reported.Rose, 28, averaged 18 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists on 47 percent shooting from the field in 64 games for the New York Knicks last season. He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, but the 2016-17 season ended in another injury as Rose hit free agency for the first time.Rose had season-ending knee surgery in April but has recovered and settled for a short-term deal in free agency.--LeBron James denied a report that he is "eager" to see Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving traded after the point guard reportedly asked the team for a trade last week.James, on his Twitter account, re-tweeted two posts from SLAM Magazine's Twitter account with the headlines "LeBron... [More]

The Golden State Warriors announced they have re-signed free agents Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Zaza Pachulia and David West, making official what had been reported over the past several weeks.The Warriors did not disclose details of the agreements, but the terms were reported by various media outlets.Curry agreed to a five-year, $201 million super-max deal shortly after the NBA's free agency period began.Durant agreed to a two-year deal worth approximately $53 million.Iguodala reached agreement on a three-year, $48 million contract, Pachulia agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract, Livingston signed a three-year $24 million deal, and West signed a one-year contract.

When Paul George learned a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder was a possibility, it was natural to seek out a peer who has already walked in those shoes.George was traded to the Thunder earlier this month after seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He talked to MVP Russell Westbrook about Oklahoma City and reached out to Kevin Durant, once a mainstay All-Star in OKC, who had no motive for steering George to the Thunder."KD was like, 'That place (Oklahoma City) will blow you away.' He told me, 'They can offer what other teams can't in terms of the people and the preparation and the facility, down to the chefs and the meals.' He was pretty high on (the Thunder). He thought it was a first-class organization in every way," George said in a Sports Illustrated interview. Durant left Oklahoma City in free agency one year ago, and won the NBA championship last month with the Golden State Warriors. George was frustrated in Indiana and with one year remaining on his contract, helped force his way... [More]

When Paul George learned a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder was a possibility, it was natural to seek out a peer who has already walked in those shoes.George was traded to the Thunder earlier this month after seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers.He talked to MVP Russell Westbrook about Oklahoma City and reached out to Kevin Durant, once a mainstay All-Star for the Thunder, and who had no motive for steering George to the Thunder."KD was like, 'That place (Oklahoma City) will blow you away.' He told me, 'They can offer what other teams can't in terms of the people and the preparation and the facility, down to the chefs and the meals,'" George said in a Sports Illustrated interview. "He was pretty high on (the Thunder). He thought it was a first-class organization in every way,"George did not entirely dismiss the public sentiment that he's planning to reach free agency in July 2018 for the opportunity to entertain playing in his hometown of Los Angeles. George said he will always idolize... [More]

F Kevin Durant, an unrestricted free agent, reportedly will agree to stay with the Warriors on a two-year deal worth around $53 million.Durant will have a player option on the second year, according to the report.The 2017 NBA Finals MVP would be taking a pay cut of approximately $9 million from the max deal that is valued at $34 million per year. He declined his 2017-18 player option of $27.7 million to become a free agent with the intended purpose of allowing Golden State to retain the rights to Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.

F Kevin Durant plans to wait until later this summer before re-signing with the NBA champions. The NBA Finals MVP decided last week to decline his $27.7 million player option for 2017-18 to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 before re-upping with the Warriors. He reportedly notified Golden State of that decision this week. The 28-year-old Durant, a 10-year NBA veteran, wants the team to complete the bulk of its summer business before re-signing, ESPN's Marc Stein reported Wednesday.

Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant plans to wait until later this summer before re-signing with the NBA champions. The NBA Finals MVP decided last week to decline his $27.7 million player option for 2017-18 to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 before re-upping with the Warriors. He reportedly notified Golden State of that decision this week.The 28-year-old Durant, a 10-year NBA veteran, wants the team to complete the bulk of its summer business before re-signing, ESPN's Marc Stein reported Wednesday.Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday and the first day teams can sign players to new deals is July 6.Sources told ESPN that Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman intend to work with the club in providing the necessary discounts on Durant's expected new two-year deal to help them retain free agents Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and other bench players.In addition, Warriors star guard Stephen Curry, who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2015 and 2016, also... [More]

F Kevin Durant will opt out of his contract but re-sign with the Golden State Warriors in a move to save the team money. Durant plans to decline his player option for 2017-18 and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 before re-upping with the Warriors, according to multiple reports on Monday. The 10-year NBA veteran was scheduled to receive approximately $28 million in salary next season, but he will take about $4 million less than the max contract he is eligible to receive. One of the reasons is to give the Warriors more salary cap space and negotiating room in their attempt to keep forward Andre Iguodala, ESPN reported.In addition to Iguodala, the Warriors are trying to retain free agents Shaun Livingston, Zaza Pachulia and other bench players.Durant's new deal apparently will be similar to his current one, which is for one year plus a player option.The 6-foot-11 forward left the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer to sign with the Warriors. He played a big role this season in leading Golden State to its second NBA championship in three years over the Cleveland Cavaliers.In this year's Finals, Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists as the Warriors wrapped up the series in five games.Warriors guard Steph Curry also will become a free agent, but he is expected to sign a "super" max five-year, $205 million deal. He made $12.1 million this past season.

F Kevin Durant, the MVP of the Finals, had 39 points in Monday's victory in Game 5. Durant shot 14 of 20 overall and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, hitting three of his threes during the critical 28-4 second-quarter run that turned a 41-33 deficit into a 61-45 advantage.

F Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points in a loss on Friday.

F Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 31 points, and Golden State mounted a furious comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-113 in Game 3. Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Warriors can become the first team in NBA history to go through the playoffs without a loss with a win in Game 4 on Friday night in Cleveland. "It's not done," Durant said. "Closeout game is always the toughest. We have to be even better in Game 4 if we want to take this. It's an exciting time, but we still have a lot of work to do."

F Kevin Durant became just the third player since 1984 to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in an NBA Finals game. Durant led the Warriors with 33 points and 13 rebounds, and he hit four of his eight 3-point attempts."His defense was amazing, and we needed (it)," coach Steve Kerr said of Durant, whose feat matched that of Hakeem Olajuwon in 1986 and Tim Duncan in 2003. "It was probably the key to the whole game."

F Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points, helping the Warriors record their 13th straight postseason win in Thursday's 113-91 victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After the Warriors made only three 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 60-52 lead at the break, Durant buried a 26-footer on Golden State's first possession of the third period to spark a 13-0 run.

F Kevin Durant is willing to take less than the maximum contract extension this summer if it helps Golden State keep its core intact, ESPN reported on Thursday, citing league sources. The move would permit the Warriors to keep their entire core together with two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry potentially signing one of the first five-year contracts created by the new collective bargaining agreement. In that light, a club can reward one designated veteran player per year with a contract starting at 35 percent of next year's projected $101 million salary cap. In order for Golden State to sign Durant to a maximum possible extension, the team would have to renounce its rights to 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and fellow free agent Shaun Livingston to create room under the salary cap. That total would start at an estimated $35.4 million per year, as opposed to a little under $32 million without creating cap space. Durant, who is the 2014 NBA MVP, is eligible for the 10-year veteran maximum contract after signing a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors last season. The 28-year-old, who averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season, spent his first nine years of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.Golden State has won all 12 of its postseason contests heading into Thursday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant is willing to take less than the maximum contract extension this summer if it helps the team keep its core intact, ESPN reported on Thursday, citing league sources.The move would permit the Warriors to keep their entire core together with two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry potentially signing one of the first five-year contracts created by the new collective bargaining agreement. In that light, a club can reward one designated veteran player per year with a contract starting at 35 percent of next year's projected $101 million salary cap.In order for Golden State to sign Durant to a maximum possible extension, the team would have to renounce its rights to 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and fellow free agent Shaun Livingston to create room under the salary cap. That total would start at an estimated $35.4 million per year, as opposed to a little under $32 million without creating cap space.Durant, who is the 2014 NBA MVP, is eligible for the 10-year veteran maximum contract after signing a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors last season. The 28-year-old, who averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season, spent his first nine years of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.Golden State has won all 12 of its postseason contests heading into Thursday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Golden State Warriors are tuning out talk that their star-studded teams in recent years are to blame for uncompetitive playoff basketball.Kevin Durant, who signed a two-year, $54.3 million free agent contract last offseason, said his move to join the Warriors has not negatively affected the NBA and ruined parity in the league."Like I'm the reason why (expletive) Orlando couldn't make the playoffs for five, six years in a row?" Durant told USA Today Sports in a wide-ranging article published Friday. "Am I the reason that Brooklyn gave all their picks to Boston? Like, am I the reason that they're not that good?"I can't play for every team, so the truth of the matter is I left one team. It's one more team that you probably would've thought would've been a contender. One more team. I couldn't have made the (entire) East better. I couldn't have made everybody (else) in the West better."The 2015 champion Warriors will face the 2016 champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the third... [More]

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the underdog against the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals get underway next week.The 2016 champion Cavs will battle the 2015 champion Warriors for the third straight year.James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cavaliers routed the Boston Celtics 135-102 on Thursday night to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title.Both teams dominated throughout the playoffs -- the Warriors making history by going an unprecedented 12-0 through three rounds in the Western Conference with the Cavs losing just a single game to the Celtics.The league will showcase the two best teams again when the NBA Finals tip off on Thursday night (ABC, 9 p.m. ET).The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favorite, with Cleveland at plus-220, meaning a $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46 and the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220, according to ESPN.The... [More]