Garnett Hangs It Up

Breaking Report: Kevin Garnett expected to announce retirement Friday 4:13 PM ET ESPN.com news services Kevin Garnett is expected to announce his retirement from the NBA on Friday after agreeing to a contract settlement with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to a report by the Star Tribune. Garnett, 40, had one year worth $8 million remaining on his contract with the Timberwolves. Drafted by the Wolves straight out of high school in 1995, Garnett was the face of the franchise for 12 seasons until his July 2007 trade to the Boston Celtics. Garnett won a championship in his first season with the Celtics, moved to the Brooklyn Nets via trade in June 2013, then returned to Minnesota in February 2015, when then-Wolves coach Flip Saunders convinced Garnett to waive his no-trade clause to clinch the storybook reunion. ESPN's Marc Stein contributed to this report.

Kevin Durant to sign with Warriors

Kevin Durant to sign with Warriors
10:42 AM CT
ESPN.com news services
Kevin Durant will sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Durant announced his decision in a post on The Players' Tribune.

He will sign a two-year, $54 million contract, sources told ESPN's Marc Stein. The deal includes a player option after the first year.

The biggest catch on the free-agent market, Durant met with six teams the past three days: Oklahoma City, Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 27-year-old Durant has spent all nine seasons of his career with the Thunder organization. He won the MVP in 2014, has been named first-­team All-­NBA five times and has made seven All-­Star teams. He has appeared in four Western Conference finals and one NBA Finals, losing in five games to the Heat in 2012.

Durant bounced back last season to earn second­-team All-NBA honors after undergoing three surgeries on his right foot to repair a Jones fracture suffered prior to the 2014-­15 season, when he was limited to 27 games before undergoing a season-­ending bone graft procedure in March. Without Durant, the Thunder missed the postseason.

With him back for 72 games last season, the Thunder improved to 55-27 and finished third in the West. The Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the opening round, upset the 67-­win Spurs in six games in the second round and pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference finals.

Durant averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season, and he scored at least 20 points in 67 straight games.

In nine seasons, Durant is averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Al Horford agrees to 4-year, $113M deal with Celtics!!

ESPN.com news services
Free-agent big man Al Horford has announced that he is heading to the Boston Celtics.

Horford and the Boston Celtics agreed to terms on a four-year, $113 million deal, league sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The Atlanta Hawks had offered Horford five years, $136 million, which was less than the max, the sources said.

Horford also revealed the news on his Twitter account on Saturday, posting "Celtics pride."

Horford, an unrestricted free agent, has played his entire nine-year career in Atlanta, which drafted him third overall in 2007. The four-time All-Star averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists this past season.

After the Hawks were swept by the Cavaliers for the second straight year, Horford stressed just how much he has enjoyed playing in Atlanta and that the team still can win with some improvements to its current core.

"There are a lot of things that we need to address," Horford said of talking to his family and advisers. "But the biggest thing for me is I feel good here. I have a great relationship with coach (Mike Budenholzer). That is important to me. And my teammates.

"Atlanta is a city that welcomed me from the first day... I'm very grateful for people that have always been real positive toward me and my family. I feel good. I feel like the way the team is going, I feel like we can win here."

Horford was the topic of trade rumors at the deadline, with the Boston Celtics reportedly being among those interested.

The 6-foot-10 center, who turned 30 in June, was expected to draw interest on the free agent market for his ability to shoot from the perimeter.

Last season, Horford shot a career-high 256 3-pointers after taking a total of 65 attempts in his previous eight seasons.

"I probably got a little away from the post this year trying to expand my game and do different things," Horford said. "That is a point of emphasis that I will try to be better in the post and be able to put the ball down a little more on the floor. Being able to drive a little more. Even though I had some strides in that area this year, I think I can be even better at that."

Derrick Rose to The Knicks!

Derrick Rose set to join Knicks after trade from Bulls.

Marc SteinIan Begley
The Knicks and Bulls have agreed to a deal that will send point guard Derrick Rose to New York, sources told ESPN.

The Knicks are sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant to the Bulls, who are shipping Justin Holiday, Rose and a 2017 second-round pick back to New York, sources said.

The Chicago Tribune first reported the deal.

Sources: Kevin Durant will be Warriors top target in free agency.

Marc Stein
ESPN Senior 

Writer

The Golden State Warriors, after their NBA Finals defeat, are going ahead with their long-held plans to pursue Kevin Durant in free agency, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN that Durant is by no means Golden State's lone target in free agency but stressed that he'll indeed be the Warriors' top target when the offseason marketplace opens July 1.

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Warriors owner Joe Lacob, without addressing Durant specifically so as not to violate league rules that prohibit such discussion before July 1, said Sunday night on his way out of Oracle Arena: "All I can say is that I will be very aggressive."

The Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are widely regarded as the league's two top threats to the Oklahoma City Thunder's attempts to keep Durant this summer.

Sources say that the Warriors and Spurs are on the short list of teams expected to secure a face-to-face meeting with Durant when he allows a select number of teams to court him once free agency starts.

ESPN reported earlier this month that the most likely scenario for Durant, at this juncture, remains signing a two-year deal to stay with Oklahoma City that includes a player option to return to free agency in the summer of 2017 alongside Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook.

But Golden State's unexpected loss to Cleveland in the Finals -- in which the Warriors became the first team in history to fail to win the championship after seizing a 3-1 series lead -- could enhance the Warriors' chances of convincing Durant to join them.

The Warriors have eight unrestricted free agents of their own, including swingman Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli, both of whom are expected to attract significant attention from rival teams this summer.

Durant addressed his pending free agency Monday, acknowledging that "it's a little bit complicated right now" but also stressing that he ultimately is "worried about basketball."

"That's what it is for me," he said. "It's a basketball decision."

Asked what he meant by a "basketball decision," Durant said it's not necessarily about the spotlight or the money.

ESPN's Royce Young contributed to this report

Dwight Howard declines player option, will become free agent.

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard has informed the team that he is opting out of his contract and will become a free agent on July 1.

Howard, 30, averaged just 13.7 points and attempted just 8.5 field goals per game in 2015-16, his lowest numbers since his rookie season with Orlando in 2004-05.

Howard had an opportunity to remain with Houston, but declined a player option that would have paid him $23.2 million.

Dwight Howard will become a free agent this summer after declining his $23.2 million player option with the Rockets. Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and newly hired coach Mike D'Antoni praised Howard's efforts and welcomed him back if he was willing to play a different style. That style wouldn't allow him to become a focal point of the offense, particularly in the post, or in some cases the second-option. With D'Antoni in charge, the Rockets will continue their presence as a 3-point-shooting team, use more pick-and-roll plays and have a desire to go younger at center, using Clint Capela, a 22-year old who played in a career-high 77 games last season.

Howard, who didn't play well in his one season with the Los Angeles Lakers when D'Antoni was the coach, didn't seem excited to play in that system again.

Health was an issue at the start of last season with Howard as he couldn't participate in back-to-back games due to a sore back. As the season progressed, Howard played in back-to-back games and didn't have any limitations, but the Rockets went in a different direction offensively, leaving him seeking more opportunities.

Howard said he spoke with Morey about increasing his involvement in the offense but was told things weren't changing.

So now Howard is officially gone from the Rockets and starts a new journey with his fourth NBA team.

Information from ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins was used in this report.

Dirk Nowitzki opts out of deal with Mavs, will be free agent on July 1.

Marc Stein
ESPN Senior Writer

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki opted out of his contract Tuesday, which will make him an unrestricted free agent July 1, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN that Nowitzki, who faced a Wednesday deadline to either become a free agent or lock himself into an $8.7 million next season, formally notified the club of his intentions with one day to spare.

After premature reports in May that he had already come to a decision, Nowitzki weighed whether to opt in or opt out for much of the past month before ultimately deciding to return to the open market for the first time since the summer of 2014.

Yet the overwhelming expectation, ‎both in Dallas and league-wide, is that Nowitzki intends to stay with the Mavericks, who acquired him on draft night in 1998 and have made him the focal point of their franchise ever since.

Dirk Nowitzki will become a free agent on July 1 after opting out of his deal with the Mavericks, but he is expected to return to Dallas. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
"Dirk gets to do what Dirk wants," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said during a recent public appearance. "Period, end of story.

"I told him the other day: If Dirk wants to be the head coach, we'll move Rick (Carlisle) over a little bit. Dirk's done so much for this franchise, he's earned that opportunity."

In his last public comments on the matter before leaving the country to see his brother-in-law Martin Olsson play for the Sweden, Nowitzki said earlier this month: "Since I felt great, played decent, I might opt out and sign a two- or three-year deal. That's probably the plan for now."

Nowitzki, who turned 38 on Sunday, has spent his entire 18-year career with the Mavericks, earning an MVP award, one NBA Finals MVP trophy and 13 All-Star selections. He is sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 29,491 career points and is on pace to surpass Wilt Chamberlain to move into the top five at some point in the 2017-18 season as long as Nowitzki avoids significant injury.

Tuesday's decision takes Nowitzki out of the final season of his three-year, $25 million contract, which represented a steep hometown discount to provide the Mavs the salary-cap flexibility to construct a contender during Nowitzki's twilight years. The Mavs, however, have failed to get out of the first round since their 2011 title run, though Nowitzki led them in scoring again this past season.

The 7-footer from Germany has consistently maintained that he fully intends to finish his career with the Mavs, saying he'd be particularly proud to play 20 seasons with only one team. Kobe Bryant, who retired at the end of this past season after 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, is the only player in league history to spend an entire two-decade career with only one franchise.

Tim Duncan can become the second member of that club if he returns to the San Antonio Spurs next season.

Nowitzki has acknowledged that his decision to stay in Dallas would be much more difficult if the Mavs hadn't broken through to win the title in 2011. With a championship ring in his possession, Nowitzki has repeatedly said the only reason he would consider playing for another franchise is if the Mavs opted for a full-fledged rebuilding plan, which doesn't interest Cuban in the least.

Sixers Meet With No.1 Draft Pick, Ben Simmons

76ers hold first face-to-face meeting with ‎Ben Simmons.

The Philadelphia 76ers had their first face-to-face meeting with ‎presumptive No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons on Thursday, ESPN.com has learned.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting said Friday that new Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo and coach Brett Brown -- in the latest signal Philadelphia plans to take LSU's Simmons with the first pick in next Thursday's draft -- headlined a contingent of team officials that ‎came to Cleveland to dine with Simmons and agent Rich Paul before Thursday's Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The Sixers are impressed by the 20 pounds of muscle Ben Simmons is said to have added to his physique since the end of the college season. Frank Mattia/Icon Sportswire
The Sixers, sources said, came away impressed by the 20 pounds of muscle Simmons is said to have added to his physique since the end of the college season and viewed the meeting as the start of "building a relationship" with the player they are strongly expecteddraft.elect ahead of Duke's Brandon Ingram with the first pick next week.

Thursday's sitdown did not include any basketball work, but sources say that the Sixers are to date the only team that has been granted direct access to Simmons in the lead-up to the draft.

Marc Stein
ESPN Senior Writer

Curry EJECTED!! PISSED!!

The Golden State Warriors had to finish Game 6 of the NBA Finals without star Stephen Curry.

Curry was whistled for a foul on the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, his sixth of the game, with 4:22 to go and the Warriors down 12 points. And he wasn't happy about it.

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Curry was whistled for the foul and then picked up an immediate technical foul for throwing his mouthguard, which hit a fan courtside. He received an automatic ejection for throwing at item into the stands. He also faces a possible fine and suspension, although the precedent is just a fine.

Curry apologized to the fan he hit before leaving the court and shared some words with chuckling Cavs coach Tyronn Lue as well.

Curry finished with 30 points and fouled out for the first time since Dec. 13, 2013, as the Warriors lost 115-101, forcing a deciding Game 7.

"It's obviously frustrating to be fouling out in the fourth quarter of a clinching game," Curry said in his postgame news conference.

Curry's wife, Ayesha, also was unhappy, tweeting: "I've lost all respect sorry this is absolutely rigged for money... Or ratings in not sure which. I won't be silent . Just saw it live sry."

She later deleted the tweet and apologized in a follow-up tweet.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Stephen Curry "had every right to be upset" and that he was not concerned Curry might be suspended for Game 7.

"He's the MVP of the league, he gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous," said Kerr, who emphasized that the fouls were not the reason the Warriors lost the game.

"I am happy he threw his mouthpiece; he should be upset."

One person who wasn't upset was the fan who was hit by Curry's mouthpiece, Andrew Forbes, son of Cavs minority owner Nate Forbes.

"It's all good," Andrew Forbes said. "It just hit me, and I was like, 'Who? What?' I was just cheering, being a fan. I don't even know where he was throwing it. ... He was good about it."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tom Haberstroh and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Cavs Win: Lebron says we gave it Everything.

LeBron: We gave it our all tonight and were able to come away with a victory .

CLEVELAND -- The Golden State Warriorslost 115-101 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, their second straight sound defeat. It’s difficult to know which Cleveland scene might haunt the Warriors more if they complete the collapse. Will it be Draymond Green’s suspension-worthy poke at LeBron James’ groin in the waning minutes of an already-decided Game 4? Or will it be the onslaught of missed 3-pointers to begin Game 6?

Golden State began this game moving the ball and getting open shots. One slight issue: As happened in the second half of Game 5, the shots kept missing. That issue was compounded when Stephen Currypicked up his second foul on a James drive and was pulled for the remainder of the first quarter. In retrospect, coach Steve Kerr likely erred in doing this, as the Cavs' lead ballooned beyond 20 points. But in retrospect, maybe nothing would have worked on a night when non-Curry Warriors started out 1-of-17 from distance.

Meanwhile, the Cavs were humming, with James making incisive pass after incisive pass. Kyrie Irving again had success against the usually stout Klay Thompson.

The Warriors managed to make things interesting, insofar as LeBron would let them. A Thompson-powered run allowed Golden State into single-digit territory entering the fourth quarter. But in that last stanza, James proved too good. He finished with 41 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds.

Nate Robinson Going NFL!

If it wasn't clear that 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson's attempted transition from being one of the NBA's smallest point guards to becoming a member of the Seattle Seahawks' blanketing core of defensive backs was a long-shot, Seahawks coachPete Carroll gave some confirmation on Tuesday.

When asked about Robinson's chances of earning a spot on an NFL roster after a 14-year hiatus from football (he played at the University of Washingtonin 2002), Carroll was brutally honest: “I think it’s all but impossible," he said, per The Seattle Times.

"It’s as hard as it could possibly get," Carroll continued. "And he’s 32, as well. So it would be, I don’t know if anybody could do it. But if anybody could it might be Nate. He’s that versatile of an athlete and that great a competitor.’’

Robinson played three years of college basketball at Washington as well (2002-05) where he earned two All-Pac-10 First Team selections before ultimately deciding to take the NBA route. He was drafted with the 21st overall pick in 2005 by the Phoenix Suns and hopped around various teams before ending his career with the New Orleans Pelicans this season. He was best known for his electrifying performances at the NBA's annual Slam Dunk Contest, where he became the first player in league history to win the event three times (2006, 2009, 2010).

He announced his intention to pursue his NFL dreams in March and was given a tryout with Seattle on Monday.

“He’s got a lot of work to do,’’ Carroll told The Seattle Times. “He’s getting ready for whatever comes next for him and he’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do, whether it’s going to be in the NBA or overseas playing or whatever. Football is an option he wants to investigate. He’s a great kid. I’ve known him for a long time since way back when and always loved the kid and excited to give him a chance to see where this all fits together with him and we’ll find out down the road.’’

For what it's worth, Carroll also added that Robinson “looked really quick" and "caught the ball really well" during his tryout.

Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK

Bogut (Out) for Remainder of Finals!!

Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut will miss the remainder of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers after suffering a "significant impaction injury" to his left knee during Monday night's Game 5, the team announced Wednesday.

An MRI on Tuesday revealed bone bruises to his proximal tibia and distal femur. The injury will not require surgery, but expected recovery time is 6-8 weeks.

The injury occurred early in the second half of Game 5 as Bogut went up to block Cavs' guard J.R. Smith's layup attempt. He landed on Smith awkwardly and immediately fell to the floor grabbing his left knee. He did not return to the game, which the Warriors lost 112-97.

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