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

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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."

NHL Approves Las Vegas Expansion

NHL approves expansion to Las Vegas with team to begin in 2017-18.

Craig Custance
ESPN Senior Writer

LAS VEGAS -- The NHL is now officially the first major professional sports league to gamble on Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, the NHL's board of governors approved expanding to this city, making the franchise the 31st team in the league.

The team will start play during the 2017-18 season.

Businessman Bill Foley, a West Point graduate, paid the $500 million expansion fee to bring NHL hockey to Las Vegas and the announcement is the culmination of two years of hard work for him that included a successful season ticket drive to prove local interest.

"I know there's a lot of work to do now," Foley told ESPN's Scott Burnside in an interview shortly before the board of governors agreed to expand to Las Vegas.

"It's taken a long time. It's been a long process. And I say that as a compliment to Gary Bettman and the league and other owners. They've all been great. But it has been a process."

The T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip will be the home of the NHL's newest expansion team in 2017-18. Ethan Miller/Getty Images for MGM Resorts International
Las Vegas will play its home games on the Vegas strip at T-Mobile Arena, an arena with a hockey capacity of 17,500 and compete in the Western Conference, which now has 15 teams compared to 16 in the East.

It's the first expansion in the NHL since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild started play during the 2000-01 season.

The move to Las Vegas completes a longtime relationship with the city and the NHL. The NHL's postseason awards show, which will be held on Wednesday evening, have been hosted in Las Vegas since 2009. The Los Angeles Kings have played in several exhibition games in Las Vegas, including a 1991 outdoor game against the New York Rangers in the Caesars Palace parking lot.

The approval of Las Vegas temporarily puts Quebec City's hopes of landing an NHL team on hold. Quebec City was the other city to go through the NHL's formal expansion process but ultimately the league decided to settle on just one franchise for now, keeping open the option of Quebec as a relocation destination for a current NHL team.

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.

Penguins To Celebrate Cup Championship at Home Opener.

Pittsburgh plays Washington on Oct. 13; League announces first 2016-17 home game for all 30 teams
NHL.com @NHL
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate their Stanley Cup championship at their first home game of the 2016-17 season on Oct. 13 against the Washington Capitals. 

The League released the home openers for all 30 teams Monday. The full 2016-17 schedule will be released Tuesday.

The Penguins defeated the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in the Eastern Conference Second Round in six games en route to beating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win the Cup for the fourth time.

The Sharks, who played in the Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, play their home opener against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on Oct. 12. The Sharks defeated the Kings in the Western Conference First Round in five games.

The 2016-17 season also marks the 50th anniversary season for the Penguins, Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.

The Kings' home opener is Oct. 14 against the Flyers; Philadelphia plays its first home game Oct. 20 against the Anaheim Ducks; the Blues' home opener is against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 13.

The Detroit Red Wings have their final home opener at Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 17 against the Ottawa Senators. The Red Wings move into Little Caesars Arena for the 2017-18 season.

The Edmonton Oilers play their first game at Rogers Place against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 12. The 2015-16 season was the Oilers final season at Rexall Place.

The Baltimore Ravens Release (Marijuana) Monroe, Who Says Its Due to His Position on Marijuana

The Baltimore Ravens released starting left tackle Eugene Monroe on Wednesday, the team announced on its website.

Baltimore acknowledged earlier in the week it had been seeking to trade Monroe, who has been an outspoken advocate for the NFL to remove medical marijuana from its list of banned substances.

Monroe wrote on Twitter last Friday that he believed the organization had taken issue with his stance.

 Follow

Eugene Monroe 

✔@MrEugeneMonroe

@Ravens continue to distance themselves from me and my cause. I invite you all to do some research. I won't stop. This is for my brothers

10:33 AM - 10 Jun 2016

 Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports4:20 p.m. EDT June 15, 20