LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Michael Beasley to a one-year contract, adding the veteran forward to their revamped core around LeBron James.The Lakers announced the deal Monday.Beasley averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last year in a productive season with the New York Knicks, his sixth NBA franchise in 10 years in the league.The former No. 2 overall pick was James' teammate during the 2013-14 season with the Miami Heat.Beasley joins Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee in Los Angeles' offseason signings around James, who left Cleveland for the Lakers in free agency. Beasley's 6-foot-9 ranginess and versatility fit the stated desire of Lakers boss Magic Johnson for resourceful, multitalented veterans rather than role players.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have claimed guard Antonius Cleveland off waivers from the Atlanta Hawks.Cleveland played in 13 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season and four for the Hawks. Atlanta waived him on Saturday and Chicago claimed him on Monday. He played four years at Southeast Missouri State, averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki is officially signed for a record 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks.The Mavericks announced Monday that they had re-signed the 13-time All-Star. That was their plan when they declined a team option on Nowitzki's contract at the start of free agency to create more room under the salary cap before signing DeAndre Jordan.Nowitzki, a former NBA MVP who turned 40 last month, is set to become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons for the same franchise. The 7-foot German is one of six players overall, and the only international player, with more than 30,000 career points.His $5 million contract is the same amount he would have been guaranteed for 2018-19 for the second season of a two-year deal signed last summer.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Dante Cunningham and guard Marco Belinelli.The Spurs made the announcements Friday and did not disclose terms.Cunningham, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound bruiser, spent last season with New Orleans and Brooklyn and averaged 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 73 total games. He played the first 51 games for New Orleans, including 24 starts, and averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds. He was sent to Brooklyn on Feb. 8 and averaged 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 22 games. The nine-year veteran holds career averages of 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. His longest tenure with New Orleans, where he played 263 games.Belinelli previously spent two seasons with San Antonio and helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship. The 6-foot-5 Italian averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.0 minutes while shooting .405 from 3-point range in San Antonio.Belinelli split last season between Atlanta and Philadelphia. In 52 games with the Hawks, he averaged 11.4 points. In 28 regular-season games with the 76ers, he averaged 13.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. The 11-year veteran has appeared in 724 NBA regular-season games and holds career averages of 9.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He also has played for Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Sacramento, Charlotte and Chicago.

TORONTO (AP) — Raptors president Masai Ujiri apologized Friday for a "miscommunication" with four-time All-Star and franchise icon DeMar DeRozan, but Toronto's traded All-Star guard didn't seem quite ready to make amends.Speaking for the first time since sending DeRozan to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, Ujiri began by saying sorry to DeRozan. The career Raptor had expressed anger and frustration in an Instagram post after learning of the deal, indicating he'd been told he would not be traded.Shortly after Ujiri apologized Friday, DeRozan added a new post to his Instagram feed: a facepalm emoji, a symbol of frustration and exasperation.Reflecting on a conversation he'd had with DeRozan at Summer League earlier this month, Ujiri said he "should have handled it better" when discussing future plans."Maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward from him," Ujiri said. "I think that's where the gap was, because in my job I always have to assume that I'm going forward with... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — There was a moment during the past month in which Marcus Smart wasn't sure where he'd be playing basketball this upcoming season.A day after signing a four-year deal to remain in the only NBA jersey he's ever played in, Smart said he's focused on doing what he can to help the Celtics win their 18th championship."I'm ecstatic. This is a blessing," Smart said Friday.After being in limbo since the start of free agency, Smart cemented his pact with the Celtics on Thursday. A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart will be paid $52 million over the next four years. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.Boston brings back a 6-foot-4 defensive cornerstone who has developed a reputation for toughness and doing the little things that help the Celtics win. Smart is also the longest-tenured player on the roster.The confidence that general manager Danny Ainge is showing in his... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have traded power forward Richaun Holmes to the Phoenix Suns for cash.A person with knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press that the trade helped the Sixers clear cap space to sign 2017 second-round pick Jonah Bolden to a $7 million, four-year contract. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because the deals were not yet official.Holmes averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in four seasons with the Sixers. The Sixers took Holmes with the 37th overall pick of the 2015 draft.The 22-year-old Bolden, who played for the Sixers in the summer league, was selected with the 36th pick of the 2017 NBA draft. The final two years of his deal are not guaranteed. He played last season with the Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs have signed veteran forward Dante Cunningham.The Spurs made the announcement Friday and did not disclose terms.Cunningham, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound bruiser, spent last season with New Orleans and Brooklyn and averaged 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 73 total games. He played the first 51 games for New Orleans, including 24 starts, and averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds. He was sent to Brooklyn on Feb. 8 and averaged 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 22 games.The nine-year veteran holds career averages of 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. His longest tenure with New Orleans, where he played 263 games.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Oklahoma City.A person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press the Thunder are sending Anthony and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala. Anthony will be waived by the Hawks, clearing the way for him to sign as a free agent elsewhere. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.ESPN, which first reported the trade, said the Thunder will send Muscala to the Philadelphia 76ers for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Philadelphia's Justin Anderson will be sent to Atlanta.Schroder, a speedy 6-foot-1 guard, averaged a career-high 19.4 points last season for the Hawks in 67 games, all starts.Anthony's lone season in Oklahoma City was largely a bust. He averaged 16.2 points and struggled at times in his new role alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The 10-time All-Star posted career lows... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins spent his first eight seasons in the NBA chasing two things — peace and the playoffs.After signing with Golden State as a free agent, the four-time All-Star center has no doubts he'll finally find both, and that those will help dispel the notion that he's a bad teammate."Just a chance to play for a winning culture," Cousins said Thursday. "I also have a chance to play with some of the most talented players of this era. Those two things alone, that pretty much sums it up."Looking relaxed while sitting on a stage next to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Cousins was at ease during a news conference at the team's practice facility.Golden State's fiery big man seems content in his new surroundings and wants the hardware to show for it."Every guy said let's go get another championship," Cousins said. "They are a well-established team and they could have easily been like, 'No, we don't need him.' But they were excited like a team that's never accomplished... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Oklahoma City.A person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press the Thunder are sending the veteran NBA forward and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala. Anthony will be waived, clearing the way for him to sign as a free agent elsewhere. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.ESPN, which first reported the trade, said the Thunder will send Muscala to the Philadelphia 76ers for Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Philadelphia's Justin Anderson will be sent to Atlanta.Schroder averaged a career-high 19.4 points per game last season for the Hawks in 67 games, all starts. The speedy 6-foot-1 guard averaged 17.9 points the year before that.Anthony's lone season in Oklahoma City was largely a bust. He averaged 16.2 points per game last season and struggled at times in his new role alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The 10-time All-Star posted career lows in scoring average and field goal percentage, and the Thunder were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by Utah.___AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on guard Jaylen Morris, who appeared in six games with the team last season.Morris averaged 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in his brief time with the team.Morris, from Molloy College, signed two 10-day contracts with the Hawks before being signed to a multi-year deal on March 21. He helped add backcourt depth following a season-ending injury to Kent Bazemore.A waiver request allows a team to terminate a player's contract after other teams get a chance to claim it.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Antonio Blakeney to an NBA contract.Undrafted out of LSU in 2017, Blakeney signed a two-way deal with the Bulls and averaged 7.9 points in 19 games while splitting time between Chicago and the G League's Windy City Bulls. He was the G League's Rookie of the Year, averaging 32.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assistsThe Bulls announced the move Thursday.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins spent his first eight seasons in the NBA chasing two things — peace and the playoffs.After signing with Golden State as a free agent, the four-time All-Star center has no doubts he'll finally find both, and that that will help dispel the notion that he's a bad teammate.Looking relaxed while sitting next to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Cousins was at ease during a news conference Thursday at the team's practice facility.He expressed frustrated by the tediousness of rehab while recovering from surgery on his left Achilles but said he's trying to be smart about it.The 27-year-old with a quick temper and a history of piling up technical fouls at a rapid rate also showed a playful side when he joked about the possibility of fighting with new teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, two players with whom he's had on-court issues in the past.Golden State's fiery big man seems content in his new surroundings and wants the hardware to show for it.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics re-signed guard Marcus Smart on Thursday, bringing him back for four more years after he found the market for a restricted free agent defensive specialist wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart will be paid $52 million over the next four years. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.The Celtics scheduled an availability with Smart after announcing the deal, then canceled it an hour later, saying he had flu-like symptoms and was being treated at a hospital with IV fluids.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Marcus Smart.The 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart is returning to the team that picked him sixth overall in the 2014 draft after finding the market for a restricted free agent wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Celtics. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the court "uncanny" during their matchup and coach Brad Stevens said Smart was "as tough as tough as they come," making hustle plays on offense... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Marcus Smart.The 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart is returning to the team that picked him sixth overall in the 2014 draft after finding the market for a restricted free agent wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Celtics. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the court "uncanny" during their matchup and coach Brad Stevens said Smart was "as tough as tough as they come," making hustle plays on offense... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The most tumultuous offseason in Gregg Popovich's two decades with the Spurs ended with the trade of star Kawhi Leonard to Toronto.And Popovich says he is fine with that.The Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a conditional 2019 first-round pick on Wednesday. It was clear that Leonard was ready to go despite years of success with Popovich and the Spurs."At his point, my main interest is definitely not to look back," Popovich said. "It doesn't do us any good whatsoever. I'm thrilled to have DeMar and Jakob join us. From that point on, that's where my focus will be."Popovich was jovial and heartfelt in speaking to the media for the first time since his wife, Erin, died April 18. Popovich did not coach the Spurs in the final three games of their first-round playoff loss to Golden State.Popovich said this offseason has been "difficult" for him, but it has not dampened the 69-year-old's desire to continue coaching."When... [More]

Raptors boss Masai Ujiri better have some magic plan.Because if he doesn't, Lakers boss Magic Johnson certainly will.Before Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan — the headline pieces in a four-player trade between San Antonio and Toronto on Wednesday — play a single game for their new teams, this much is clear: The Spurs got better, the Raptors are taking a gargantuan risk and the Los Angeles Lakers are going to sit back and see what happens.San Antonio essentially swapped one All-Star for another, ridded itself of a headache — the Leonard-wants-out saga — and got a first-round draft pick as well. Hard to argue.In DeRozan, Toronto traded away a guard who led the Raptors in scoring in each of the last five seasons for a player who, without hardly ever saying a word, has made clear that he wants to be in Los Angeles. A bold strategy, but if Ujiri can win over Leonard in a year just like Sam Presti and Oklahoma City did with Paul George, it could work out like gangbusters for the Raptors.And if... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker recalled playing on the court with the Chicago Bulls' logo as a young child.It was at the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club where his dad was a supervisor and not the nearby United Center. But it sure felt big time to him."It was like our United Center, that gym," he said.Now, the United Center is his home arena.Parker agreed Saturday to a $40 million, two-year contract with the Bulls, hoping he can get his promising career back on track after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two times in four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks."No better way to live a dream as a kid than playing down the street from where I grew up — the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club," Parker said Wednesday.The son of a former NBA player, Parker seemed destined for big things. He led Simeon Career Academy on Chicago's South Side to four state championships, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and when he committed to Duke, the announcement was televised nationally.... [More]