Thunder trade guard Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso, AP source says

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Alex Caruso, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because trades can’t be announced until July 6. ESPN first reported the trade.

The 21-year-old Giddey was investigated following accusations by an anonymous social media user that he had an improper relationship with an underage girl.

The NBA and the Newport Beach, California, Police Department investigated Giddey during the season. The Newport Beach police completed their investigation in January and detectives were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity. ” The NBA also later dropped its investigation.

Jerry West’s family says no public memorial for the NBA Hall of Fame player and executive

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There will be no public memorial for NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West.

“We will honor Jerry's wishes and mourn his passing privately,” his family said in a statement released Thursday by the Los Angeles Clippers.

West was working as a consultant for the Clippers when he died June 12 at age 86.

He was born in the West Virginia hamlet of Chelyan and starred at West Virginia University from 1957-60 before becoming the second overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. The team relocated to Los Angeles and he became a 14-time All-Star and won the 1972 NBA championship with the Lakers.

The Lakers are hiring JJ Redick as their new head coach, an AP source says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JJ Redick is being hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the Lakers hadn't yet publicly announced the decision to hire the former guard for his first coaching job.

The 39-year-old Redick is an extraordinary choice by the Lakers, who hired a 15-year veteran with absolutely no coaching experience to lead a franchise with 17 NBA titles, one of the biggest brand names in world sports — and LeBron James, the top scorer in league history.

Redick was a proficient outside shooter for six teams before his retirement in September 2021, when he moved into a career in broadcasting and podcasting. He joined ESPN’s lead commentary team earlier this year.

NCAA presents options to expand March Madness tournaments from current 68 teams, AP source says

The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the lucrative men's and women's basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, according to a person familiar with the details.

The proposals were outlined to the commissioners this week by NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA Vice President for Women's Basketball Lynn Holzman, the person told The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because no official announcements have been made. The news was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

Under the proposal, expansion of the 68-team field included both four- and eight-team models. The NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket but would add play-in games involving the 10 through 12 seeds.

If the men's tournament were to expand it is expected the women's tourney would as well.

Dalton Knecht hones game over 3-school basketball journey, now a projected lottery pick in NBA draft

DENVER (AP) — Dalton Knecht has always packed one thing with him throughout his cross-country, multi-school basketball journey — a chip on his shoulder.

Feeling overlooked has powered the guard from Colorado along his stops at Northeastern Junior College (Colorado), Northern Colorado and Tennessee. Knecht is coming off his final college season during which he averaged 21.7 points with the Volunteers, earned All-America honors and received shout-outs from none other than his idol, Kevin Durant.

That determination has Knecht (pronounced “connect”) on the precipice of becoming a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The most recent Associated Press mock draft projects him as going to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9.

“I feel like I’ve been underrated my entire life,” Knecht said in a recent interview with the AP. “I feel like people counted me out. Proving people wrong was my biggest thing, and always stepping on the court knowing that I’m the best player and just going out and proving it. Making sure that when the game’s over, they say Dalton was the best player.”

Wright-Foreman the hero as Sea Bears rally to steal win from Bandits

The post-Teddy Allen era had a faster, grittier look for the Winnipeg Sea Bears Wednesday night.

Players back Sea Bears’ decision to cut high-scoring Allen loose

The Winnipeg Sea Bears are ready to move on without their best scorer and biggest distraction. The club released reigning CEBL MVP Teddy Allen on Monday and his former teammates are fully on board with the decision. The Sea Bears reached a breaking point with the face of their franchise in last Sunday’s 97-87 loss at home to the Edmonton Stingers as the team was butting heads and Allen — who had already been causing issues for several weeks — was at the centre of it. “I think just with all the chaos and stuff going on, to have that […]

Pascal Siakam, Pacers agree on $189M, four-year contract that can be signed in July, AP source says

Pascal Siakam intends to sign a four-year, $189.5 million contract to remain with the Indiana Pacers when the NBA's offseason moratorium is lifted in early July, a person with knowledge of the talks between the sides told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the club may announce the agreement by league rule. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, was first to report that Siakam decided to remain with the Pacers.

Free agency does not begin until June 30, but this agreement was not in violation of any league rules. Under terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams could start speaking to their own free agents one day after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. And the Pacers were clear going into the offseason that retaining Siakam was a top priority, so it was no surprise that they wanted to begin official talks quickly.

“The first very important step is to begin recruiting Pascal Siakam in earnest,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said a few weeks ago, shortly after the Pacers' season ended. “That will start today with exit meetings. He’s a great player. He was tremendous for us."

Detroit Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after one season that ended with NBA’s worst record

The Detroit Pistons fired coach Monty Williams on Wednesday after just one season that ended with an NBA-worst 14-68 record.

“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Coaching has many dynamic challenges that emerge during a season and Monty always handled those with grace. However, after reviewing our performance carefully and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course moving forward.”

Last season was the first in what was a six-year, $78.5 million contract for Williams — one that, at the time, was the richest ever given to an NBA coach. The team started a front office rebuild when the season ended, including the hiring of Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations, the departure of general manager Troy Weaver and now a vacancy at head coach.

The firing continues a wildly strange run for Williams. In 2021, as coach of the Suns, he went to the NBA Finals, where Phoenix led 2-0 before falling in six games to Milwaukee. In 2022, he was the NBA’s coach of the year in runaway voting. In 2023, the Suns fired him and now, in 2024, the Pistons have done the same.

NBA mock draft: Frenchman Alexandre Sarr to go No. 1, more big men to follow

French 7-footer Alexandre Sarr has widely been projected to follow the footsteps of fellow countryman Victor Wembanyama as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

But Sarr isn't the only big man expected to have his name called.

Though the June 26 draft isn't loaded with bigs, it does have the two-time national college player of the year and a two-time national champion available.

UConn's Donovan Clingan won two national championships and could go in the lottery with his strong pick-and-roll skills and shot-blocking ability.

Celtics have short to-do list as they look to become 1st repeat NBA champion since 2018

BOSTON (AP) — It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves, and some free agency luck for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that brought an end to their 16-year championship drought.

But with NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown already locked up long-term and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum set to join him in the $300 million club this summer, Boston doesn’t have nearly as much work to do this offseason to keep together a core that is set up to become the first team since the 2018 Golden State Warriors to repeat as champions.

In the euphoria of locking up the franchise’s record-breaking 18th championship, Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck gave president of basketball operations Brad Stevens a shoutout for finishing a process that began when Stevens was originally hired as Boston’s coach in 2013.

“We all watched the team the last few years. Great teams, but not quite there,” Grousbeck said. “And Brad was brilliant. We knew we needed to make changes ... and he got it done.”

Kyrie Irving sounds ready to keep chasing titles in Dallas after NBA Finals loss to Boston

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving is a year away from having the option to leave the Dallas Mavericks, and at that point would be closing in on his longest stint anywhere since asking out of Cleveland, where he was drafted, in 2017.

Yet the mercurial guard sounded as if Dallas could be his basketball home well beyond 2025 after losing the NBA Finals in five games to the Boston Celtics in his first full season with co-star Luka Doncic.

“I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we’re competing for championships,” Irving said after Dallas' 106-88 loss in Game 5.

Irving jilted Boston in free agency in 2019 and has been steadfastly booed by Celtics fans since then. His 3 1/2 seasons in Brooklyn were filled with mostly self-inflicted drama, to the point that he finally asked for a trade after doing the same to break away from LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

For Dominicans, Celtics star Al Horford is a national treasure after NBA championship victory

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Al Horford is being celebrated in the Dominican Republic after the Boston Celtics center became the first player from the country to win an NBA title on Monday.

Horford — whose full name is Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso — has been congratulated by the president of the Dominican Republic, international bachata stars and others after finally winning a championship in his 17th NBA season.

“Al Horford has made history as the first Dominican to win an NBA Finals series,” President Luis Abinader said on X. “What great pride for our country! Congratulations on your incredible achievement.” The tweet included an emoji of the Dominican flag and the hashtag #OrgulloDominicano, or #DominicanPride.

The Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.

Analysis: It takes time to win, and that’s a lesson Luka Doncic is learning

Michael Jordan needed seven seasons to win his first title. LeBron James needed nine seasons and two futile trips to the NBA Finals before he became a champion. Shaquille O’Neal got swept in his first finals. And the newly crowned champion Boston Celtics lost the finals in 2022 and lost in the Eastern Conference finals last year before breaking through now.

The lesson, as everyone knows: Winning the biggest prize almost always takes time. Not always. But usually.

Such is the reality for Luka Doncic. At 25, he already is one of the best players in the world, if not the very best of the bunch. But he’s not a champion. Not yet.

The wait for his first championship will extend until at least 2025, which really shouldn’t be all that surprising. Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks weren’t a logical pick in this series against the Celtics; one was a 50-win team that caught fire at the end of the regular season, the other was a 64-win team that was better than everyone from the very beginning. The smart money said Dallas would fall in these finals, and that’s what happened. It ended Monday night in Boston, the Celtics winning 106-88, an 18-point margin for their record-setting 18th title.

‘I trusted him. He trusted me.’ Brown and Tatum answered critics while leading Celtics to 18th title

BOSTON (AP) — In 2008, the Celtics ended a 22-year championship drought led by a Big 3.

Sixteen years later, they did it again following the play of a dynamic duo.

When Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were drafted third overall in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017, they were almost instantly branded with the hopes of a franchise that was desperately chasing its elusive 18th championship.

Along the way they've endured criticism about their individual play and questions about whether two players with similar skillsets could co-exist.