NBA RUMORS AND NEWS

Inquisitr "During the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend, rumors have started to circulate about the possibility of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing together on the same team. The rumors heated up days before the 2019 NBA free agency started, with the New York Knicks emerging as the top favorite to land both..." July 18

Sportsnaut "The Oklahoma City Thunder have made a plethora of moves in the span of just three weeks. One of them was trading for Chris Paul. Many people speculated that the Thunder would trade CP3, but that is not the case anymore. As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Thunder plan to..." July 18

The Big Lead "The latest odds for this upcoming NBA season’s MVP award are out. As always, there are some great bets to be placed. But it has been a bit since one has been this glaringly obvious. LeBron James is coming in at +700 behind three other players and tied with two players who are..." July 18

Bleacher Report "Following a summer that saw Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Al Horford, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Mike Conley and more change teams, 2020's free-agency class looks a bit sparse by comparison. That's not meant as a slight to players..." July 18

Pro Basketball Talk "Jerry West played 14 years for the Lakers, making the All-Star game every year and winning a championship in a Hall of Fame career. He coached the Lakers to a few playoff seasons. Then, he ran the Lakers’ front office for 18 years, winning five titles and setting the stage for several..." July 18

Clutch Points "Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes all the Kyrie Irving bashing which is taking place in Boston is “unfair.” Ainge says the Celtics’ chemistry in 2018-19 just wasn’t good and blaming Irving for all of the team’s issues..." July 18

Larry Brown Sports "Ayesha Curry was mocked by Twitter trolls for having a good time at the opening of her restaurant this week, and her husband had her back as usual. Mrs. Curry and celebrity chef Michael Mina were in Del Mar, Calif., to open their fourth International Smoke location. Ayesha was..." July 18

ESPN "Houston Rockets superstar James Harden has purchased a minority stake in the investment group that controls MLS' Houston Dynamo, the NWSL's Houston Dash and BBVA Stadium, the Dynamo announced on Thursday. "I'm very excited about the opportunity to join the..." July 18

Salt Lake Tribune "The once-fierce lion’s eyes are tired now. The battles — a thousand of them, and more — have been fought and won, and there is a final fight Gerald Eugene Sloan will not win. Against an opponent that never loses. Father Time, with all its minions — in..." July 18

Bleacher Report "Giannis Antetokounmpo leans against a table at the Bucks practice facility in downtown Milwaukee and watches a boy dribble. The boy's legs turn into scissors as he slices a basketball between them. A white band that says "God is here" dangles from the boy's wrist, seeming to..." July 18

Hoops Rumors "The Pacers have reached an agreement to sign free agent center Amida Brimah, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Agent Daniel Hazan tells Haynes that Brimah will sign a one-year deal with Indiana. It’s not clear if it will be an Exhibit 10 contract, but that..." July 18

TMZ "Nike says the Kawhi Leonard logo they created to put on merchandise in 2014 is distinctly different from the logo Kawhi sketched himself back in 2011 ... and they claim the proof is in the pictures. Remember, Kawhi -- who was under contract with Nike from 2011 to 2018..." July 18

Fadeaway World "There are no secrets the Minnesota Timberwolves would love to shed Andrew Wiggins disgustingly large contract in a trade. Wiggins is set to earn over $27 million next season. The Canadian wing came out of Kansas with a high ceiling and tremendous LeBron level like upside. Despite winning the..." July 18

Detroit Sports Nation "It has been one crazy offseason so far if you are a fan of the NBA in general. Well, if you are a fan of the Detroit Pistons, things could get even crazier as there is a RUMOR floating around that Blake Griffin is on the trading block. According to a tweet by..." July 18

Sportsnaut "Now that most of the pieces have been moved during what has been a frantic summer around the NBA, it’s time to look forward to the 2019-20 season. The Los Angeles Lakers added Anthony Davis to team up with LeBron James, creating a ton of pressure for both..." July 18

Larry Brown Sports "JR Smith was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers this week after they were unable to find a trade suitor for him, and the veteran swingman is already drawing interest from at least one team. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Smith was scheduled to meet with the Milwaukee..." July 18

Dime Magazine "In the summer of 2018, JJ Redick, who was one of the most active social media users in the NBA, decided to delete both his Twitter and Instagram accounts. “It’s a dark place,” Redick said of social media at the time. “It’s not a healthy place...." July 18

Clutch Points "The Miami Heat got the star they had long lusted after in Jimmy Butler after a multi-team sign-and-trade allowed them to give him a max contract after making the necessary moves to clear the way for his arrival. Now after some time to settle, the Heat is hoping Butler will eventually..." July 18

247 Sports "Several inane justifications were given when the Los Angeles Lakers traded Ivica Zubac at the deadline in February. Magic Johnson claimed on television that Zubac was merely a product of LeBron James, that he wasn't worth paying in free agency and that he was incapable of..." July 18

The Philadelphia Inquirer "It’s not easy being Ben Simmons, although it does appear to have its advantages, particularly the five-year, $170 million contract extension that was announced on Tuesday. Just a couple of hours after that announcement, Simmons broke the news to the Australian national team..." July 18

Sporting News "The Thunder acquired Chris Paul as part of Thursday night's blockbuster trade with the Rockets, but the future Hall of Famer shouldn't get too comfortable in Oklahoma City. With Paul hoping to play for a real contender, and with the Thunder heading into a rebuild following the..." July 18

Sportsnet "One year ago today, the Toronto Raptors pulled off the biggest and best trade in franchise history — not that it’s exactly the most extensive list — acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for DeMar..." July 18

Fadeaway World "Kendall Jenner may be a well-known model and celebrity but most basketball fans know her as the former girlfriend of Philadelphia 76ers star, Ben Simmons. The two dated over the previous season with Jenner even attending home games in Philly. However, it turns out that Simmons may not be the..." July 18

Sacramento Bee "People used to think Willie Cauley-Stein could be the perfect player for the uptempo system Kings general manager Vlade Divac has implemented in Sacramento, a 7-foot center who runs the floor with quickness, agility and spectacular aerial ability. He was a basketball blue blood, the..." July 18

TSN "The Washington Wizards, who have long been reportedly interested in possibly dealing two-time all-star Bradley Beal, have "rejected all trade overtures” on Beal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson believes the Miami Heat, who he reports..." July 18

Larry Brown Sports "Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry played through a significant amount of pain during his team’s championship run, and he ended up having to go under the knife because of the thumb injury. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Lowry underwent a procedure to repair a..." July 18

Deadspin "The provisions of a collective bargaining agreement can be tricky things. After all, by definition they’re negotiated and agreed upon by parties with different and largely opposed interests, who will want different and often directly conflicting things out of them. The purpose or intent..." July 18

Bleacher Report "As LeBron James enters his 17th NBA season, Bleacher Report is taking a look at where the four-time MVP sits in the history books in several statistical categories now, after his projected 2019-20 season and following the remainder of his Hall of Fame..." July 18

SB Nation "You may remember that one of the few NBA salary rules changed in the 2016 collective bargaining agreement centered on the earning power of stars in their mid-30s. We dubbed this the Chris Paul Rule, because CP3 stood to benefit most immediately and he was the players’ union..." July 18

Hoops Rumors "After signing Naz Reid to a two-way contract earlier this month, the Timberwolves have negotiated a new deal with the undrafted rookie, per president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. According to Rosas, Minnesota has inked Reid to a new standard multiyear..." July 18

NESN "Celtics fans, it appears Danny Ainge hears your biggest request of the offseason. Boston earlier this summer signed Tacko Fall, an undrafted 7-foot-6 center out of UCF, to an Exhibit 10 contract. The current contract enables him to take part in summer league and training camp with the..." July 18

Clutch Points "The Miami Heat managed to make a splash with the addition of former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler. It seems they could be looking to make another splash before the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. There has been plenty of speculation regarding the Washington Wizards’..." July 18

Total Pro Sports "Just when you thought Chris Paul wouldn’t be putting an OKC Thunder jersey on during the 2019-2020, things quickly changed as he is now expected to play for the franchise and he might be there awhile. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder are no longer..." July 18

12 Up "1. Lonzo Ball The NOLA Bayou is a far cry from the bright LA lights, which is perfect for Lonzo Ball. Ball came in with immense expectations, and like D’Angelo Russell, can thrive with a change of scenery as a former No. 2 overall pick. Zo hounds his opponents on defense while..." July 18

NBC Sports Bay Area "Newly-acquired Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell entered the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. Here are his stats from his first four seasons: -2015-16 = 13.2 points, 3.3 assists, 41.0 percent overall,..." July 18

Heat Nation "Lisa Leslie is considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time. In 12 seasons in the WNBA, all with the Los Angeles Sparks, she averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Over her professional career, she won two WNBA..." July 18

KOCO News 5 "Authorities are investigating after police said a man made death threats against the Oklahoma City Thunder and their staff after the team traded All-Star Paul George. A search warrant, which was filed this week, reveals that the man left two voicemails threatening the Thunder's..." July 18

Clutch Points "Last season, veteran wing Thabo Sefolosha played his second season for the Utah Jazz. Apparently, he will not re-sign with the team in free agency because of his wife’s request. Per Roman Schuppli, (translated by Google), Sefolosha’s wife did not enjoy her time in Salt..." July 18

SB Nation "Marc Stein of the New York Times broke the news that Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports is now a division within United Talent Agency, one of the biggest talent agencies in the world. Paul, who is a longtime friend of LeBron James and has a couple dozen NBA clients including Bron,..." July 18

SLAM Online "The Chicago Bulls have agreed to re-sign point guard Shaquille Harrison to a one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. The 25-year-old earned the affection of head coach Jim Boylen last season and will return to help round out the team’s rotation. Harrison..." July 18

Inquisitr "After the 2018-19 NBA season officially came to an end, Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson became one of the most coveted superstars on the free agency market. Unfortunately for NBA teams who were interested in getting his service, Thompson immediately signed a five-year, $190..." July 18

Larry Brown Sports "Damian Lillard effectively ended an era of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise as we knew it with his walk-off shot to eliminate them from the playoffs. Lillard hit a deep 37-foot 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to break a 115-115 tie with the Thunder in Game 5 of their first-round..." July 18

NBC Sports Chicago "According to a report from Shams Charania, the Bulls have agreed to a fully guaranteed,  two-year, $4.5 million deal with Luke Kornet. The 7-foot-1 big man out of Vanderbilt is a stretch-five with some shot-blocking ability as well.  Last season Kornet shot a..." July 18

Clutch Points "If the Oklahoma City Thunder continue driving such a hard bargain, Chris Paul may remain with the team far longer than anyone anticipated. In a story indicating the Thunder’s inability to find attractive trade offers for Paul and willingness to play out the 2019-20 season with..." July 17

Bleacher Report "New York Knicks owner James Dolan said in a November deposition he twice attempted to convince Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to relocate the team from the Staples Center in downtown L.A. to the nearby suburb of Inglewood, California.  Stefan Bondy..." July 17

Dime Magazine "The Brooklyn Nets had the biggest summer of any team in the Eastern Conference and likely in the entire league outside of the Clippers. Last year’s pleasant surprise in the East became a soon-to-be contender for the Finals by bringing in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The Nets..." July 17

Complex "Rich Paul is already one of the most powerful figures in the NBA. Now the super-agent has his sights set on Hollywood.  According to the New York Times, United Talent Agency has inked a partnership with Paul, which will see him run the agency's new sports division...." July 17

The Score "The Oklahoma City Thunder have paused their attempts to move nine-time All-Star Chris Paul and increasingly expect that he'll start the season with the team, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Paul was acquired from the Houston Rockets last week along with a bevy..." July 17

WFAN Sports Radio "Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks generally maintains a cool and collected demeanor, but even he admits he's been pumped about how free agency turned out for his team. The Nets have been the talk of the NBA this summer after landing two of the biggest prizes in free agency..." July 17

Sportsnet "Nick Nurse went 58-24 and won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in his first season as an NBA head coach after replacing reigning Coach of the Year Dwane Casey one summer ago. Having a superstar like Kawhi Leonard to lean on was an integral factor in his success as a rookie..." July 17