6:49 PM ET When you’re putting together a championship contender, one rule is paramount — get the best talent you possibly can. You’ll be facing off against the best possible rosters your opponents can assemble, so it’s only logical that you should pack your own team full of stars. Sometimes, the stars align and you
NBA
3:00 PM ET Franchise star Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Nets general manager Sean Marks is working with Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman on finding a trade, Kleiman told ESPN. As the Nets prepare to move one of the most valuable
6:07 PM ET All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, his agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tells ESPN as NBA free agency opened Thursday. Beal, who has played his entire 10-year career with the Wizards, has now committed himself to the franchise
8:02 PM ET The Dallas Mavericks and center JaVale McGee have agreed to a three-year contract worth $20.1 million, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The deal includes a player option for the third season, sources said. McGee enjoyed arguably the best season of his career as the backup center and stopgap starter on a dominant
8:41 PM ET Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris has agreed on a two-year, $26 million contract extension, his agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Magic announced they had reached an extension with Harris on Thursday evening. Harris, 27, is one of the better guard defenders in the
8:50 PM ET Kyle Anderson has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal to join the Minnesota Timberwolves, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of Wasserman Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Anderson gives a Minnesota team lacking wing depth a strong rotation player as the team looks to build on its playoff appearance last
6:08 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons has agreed on a four-year, $100 million contract extension, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports + WME Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Simons, who turned 23 on June 8, averaged career-highs of 17.3 points and 29.5 minutes per game in 57 games — including 30
6:16 PM ET Free-agent forward Bobby Portis is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $49 million contract, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Portis declined a $4.5 million player option with the Bucks ahead of free agency. A year ago, Milwaukee could not offer him a
7:50 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers and free-agent forward P.J. Tucker are finalizing a three-year deal worth $33.2 million, his agent told The Athletic. The Sixers also agreed to deals with free-agent guards Danuel House and Trevelin Queen, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. House’s deal is for two years and $8.5 million, sources said. After
8:00 AM ET Walk into an NBA front office in 2022, and you won’t have to go far before you spot a treatise on management theory resting on a bookshelf. Concepts like organizational culture and asset management have taken hold. League executives devote a lot of thought into forming an identity for their basketball operations