A roster rebuild is in full swing in Indiana, where the Pacers made their second trade in as many days to land Thaddeus Young from the Brooklyn Nets for the 20th overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft. Young follows point guard Jeff Teague - acquired Wednesday in a three-team deal from the Atlanta Hawks - to Indiana, where he'll play for former NBA point guard Nate McMillan and team with forward Paul George to formulate a new nucleus for the Pacers.In addition to the 20th overall pick, the Nets receive a future second-round pick in the swap.Young, a 6-8 forward, averaged 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds in his first nine NBA seasons.

Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler are among the latest players who have committed to playing for the United States at the Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.Anthony, the New York Knicks forward, will be on the squad for a fourth time if he makes the final 12-man roster. Butler, a guard for the Chicago Bulls, would be playing in his first Olympics.Also giving commitments to play are Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.Cleveland forward LeBron James is expected to make his decision this weekend. USA Basketball is expected to announce the roster next week.Also, Portland point guard Damian Lillard (foot) won't be part of the team due to injury. Anthony had considered not participating due to concerns over the Zika virus, which has created major health risks in Brazil.Jordan reportedly is in the mix for a roster spot because Detroit center Andre Drummond has decided not to play.Other players who have committed to playing include Oklahoma City forward... [More]

The New York Knicks made a major move to upgrade their ailing backcourt, acquiring former NBA MVP Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls, according to multiple reports Wednesday.New York is expected to acquire Rose, fellow guard Justin Holiday and a second-round pick of the 2017 draft from Chicago for center Robin Lopez and guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon, the Chicago Tribune reported.ESPN reported last week that the Knicks entertained internal discussions on acquiring Rose, although that story did not detail if the Bulls were willing to part ways with the top overall pick of the 2008 draft.The oft-injured Rose tore his ACL in his left knee during the 2012 playoffs before tearing the meniscus in his right knee early in the 2013-14 campaign. The 27-year-old averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists for the Bulls last season.The Knicks will also add depth to their backcourt by acquiring the 27-year-old Holiday, who averaged 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest last season.The reported move... [More]

The Atlanta Hawks traded point guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team deal, according to reports Wednesday.The deal includes Pacers point guard George Hill going to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz also will send the No. 12 pick in Thursday's NBA draft to Atlanta.Teague, 27, averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists 79 regular-season games in 2015-16 to lead the Hawks to a 48-34 record this past season. In 10 playoff games, Teague shot just 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range while averaging 14.5 points and 6.1 assists.Atlanta was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in each of the last two postseasons.Teague revealed earlier this month in an Instagram post -- he later deleted it -- that he played the entire 2015-16 season with a torn patellar tendon in his knee. Teague did not require surgery following an MRI taken after the Hawks were eliminated, a source told ESPN.Hill, 30, averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists in 74 regular-season games last season with the Pacers. He averaged 13.6 points and 2.1 assists in the Pacers' seven-game playoff loss to the Toronto Raptors.

Hundreds of thousands of fans packed downtown Cleveland on Wednesday to celebrate alongside LeBron James and the NBA champion Cavaliers with a parade honoring the team after the city's first major professional sports title in 52 years.The parade began outside Quicken Loans Arena before ending at the downtown Mall as fans spilled into streets along the 1.3-mile route.The Cavs became the first team to rally from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit, beating the defending champion Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 on Sunday night and ending the championship drought in Cleveland.Fans, wearing Cavaliers T-shirts and carrying signs, were screaming, cheering and crying. One poster read: "LeBron For Prez."The parade featured the players, 60 floats and the Ohio State University marching band, with James and Kyrie Irving riding in Rolls-Royce sedans.The parade began with a truck spraying confetti into the crowd and was followed by Ohio State coaches Urban Meyer and Thad Matta and the Buckeyes' marching band.James, who... [More]

The New York Knicks should be well under the salary cap when it comes time to start spending money in free agency on July 1.On Tuesday, forwards Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams said they would opt out of their contracts and test free agency. That should give the Knicks more than $30 million in cap space, according to reports.Williams, 25, came off the bench in 71 games and started nine for the Knicks this past season. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game this season.Williams was a top prospect coming out of Arizona in 2011. That year, Cleveland had the No. 1 pick and considered drafting Williams. Instead, the Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving out of Duke.Afflalo signed with the Knicks last summer, but was benched midway through the season and replaced by Sasha Vujacic.Afflalo averaged 12.8 points on 44.3 percent shooting, but feuded with head coach Kurt Rambis. With Rambis gone and new coach Jeff Hornacek taking over, there had been hope that Afflalo might remain in the Big Apple.

A parade 52 years in the making will finally take place Wednesday in Cleveland.Fresh off their Game 7 win over Golden State, the world champion Cavaliers will be the toast of the town and honored during festivities that begin at 11 a.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.The city of Cleveland has released the parade route, which will pass the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and issued warnings to fans that a number of streets will be closed.The parade is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of championship-starved Cleveland fans. The Cavaliers' title is the first for the city since the 1964 Jim Brown-led Browns won the NFL Championship.The parade will feature more than 60 units including floats, specialty vehicles, The Ohio State University Marching Band and LeBron James and his teammates.

The Warriors lost 18 games over the course of the regular season and playoffs but in the end it was one game - the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals on Sunday - that shifted Golden State's trajectory.With the 93-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors fell short of repeating as NBA champions and dampened the glory achieved with a regular-season record 79 victories. But owner Joe Lacob is ready to win the offseason, a detour route back to a second title that appears to include courting Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant. "I will be very aggressive," Lacob said Sunday night in the aftermath of the Game 7 loss. For Durant's part, he reportedly toured real estate options during a Super Bowl eve visit to the Bay Area and had his mother do the same. Then again, Durant downplayed the housing peeks in the Bay and other areas, including San Antonio. Durant can be offered a four-year deal or choose to take the higher-risk route with a potential monster reward next summer... [More]

LeBron James helped Cleveland end a 52-year championship drought and the reward for ending the city's sports misery was being unanimously named the MVP of the NBA Finals Sunday night.James capped his brilliant performance with a triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the Cavaliers' series clinching 93-89 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 7, giving the city its first title since the Browns won the 1964 NFL championship. James is the third player to have a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, joining Jerry West in 1969 and James Worthy in 1988.James willed the Cavaliers to their first title by scoring 41 points apiece in Games 5 and 6 as Cleveland became the first team to win an NBA championship when facing a 3-1 series deficit.James won MVP awards in leading the Miami Heat to championship victories over the Oklahoma City and San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and 2013, respectively, but ending Cleveland's drought seemed more significant for the 31-year-old.Before... [More]

G J.R. Smith was a third Cavalier scoring in double figures with 12 points.

F Kevin Love was a surprise contributor to the title-clinching victory Sunday, going for nine points and 14 rebounds.

G Stephen Curry missed four of the 3's, including one with 30.7 seconds to go that could have matched Irving's 3 and tied the score. "I was searching for a 3 and rushed and didn't take what was there, which was probably better to go around (Kevin Love) and try to get into the pain," he said. "It hurts, man. Curry had 17 points.

F LeBron James was unanimously selected as the best player in the 2016 NBA Finals. He wrapped up the Finals MVP with a 27-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist, three-block performance at a site where the Warriors had lost just four times previously, including Game 5, all season. "Just knowing what our city has been through, Northeast Ohio has been through, as far as our sports and everything for the last 50-plus years," James said. "For us to be able to end this, end this drought, our fans deserve it. They deserved it. And it was for them."

LeBron James' stellar performance and Stephen Curry's out-of-character meltdown helped Game 6 of the NBA Finals be a ratings smash.Thursday night's contest in which the Golden State Warriors failed to close out of the series for the second straight time drew a 14.1 overnight rating for ABC. Viewership peaked at 16.7 over a 15-minute period near the end of the contest.The Cleveland Cavaliers tied the best-of-seven series at 3-3 with a 115-101 victory. Game 7 is Sunday night on ABC.James scored 41 points for his second consecutive 40-point effort. Curry fouled out and then was ejected for firing his mouthpiece and hitting a spectator.The Cleveland market averaged a 44.3 rating and San Francisco checked in at 34.9.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr were each fined $25,000 for their outbursts Thursday night in the 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.The fines were announced Friday by Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations.Curry was fined for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands after picking up his sixth foul. The incident, which resulted in a technical foul and subsequent ejection for Curry, occurred with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena.Curry was upset about several fouls that were called against him throughout the game."It got the best of me," Curry said after the game. "The playoffs hasn't been easy, hasn't been a breeze. The work we've put in, the opportunity we've given ourselves ... we've got to be excited. But we've got to figure it out so that we can take advantage of our homecourt."Kerr was fined for his criticism of the officiating when asked by reporters... [More]

CLEVELAND -- J.R. Smith lofted the pass toward the sky and LeBron James soared through five decades of rot and rust to catch it. When he landed the dunk and the crowd roared, James swung from the rim like a pendulum and the Cleveland Cavaliers' lead was 19 points again in the third quarter.The Cavaliers have life again because of their star and this series is headed back to the Bay Area for the most delicious event in all of sports: Game 7.Fifty-two years of misery are four quarters from distant memory. The Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors again on Thursday 115-101 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, evening this series at 3-3 and handing the Warriors consecutive losses for just the second time this season.No NBA team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. The Warriors haven't lost three consecutive games in more than three years. None of that matters anymore. LeBron James is big game hunting. The championship is four quarters away."I'll take it," James said of a Game... [More]

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry's father-in-law was nearly arrested when he was mistaken for a fake-credential con artist at Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.A league official told ESPN's The Undefeated that NBA security was on alert during Game 6 on Thursday night to find David Aminzadeh, who previously had sneaked in to many major sporting events. Quicken Loans Arena security officials checked the credentials of the father of Curry's wife, Ayesha, because they thought he looked like Aminzadeh, before determining they were mistaken. Aminzadeh was never spotted at the game.Curry was briefed by an NBA official about the situation with his father-in-law after he spoke to the media following the Warriors' 115-101 loss to the Cavs in Game 6."I was just kind of debriefed on what the security thought happened with some guy that poses with fake credentials and gets backstage at a lot of events, the NBA Finals and all that stuff," Curry told The Undefeated as he... [More]

F Andre Iguodala left the game in the first quarter to receive treatment for a back injury and moved gingerly when he returned in the second. Trailing by 19 in the third quarter, the Warriors instead went to backup Brandon Rush after a lengthy conversation involving coach Steve Kerr, Iguodala and the Warriors' training staff.

C Andrew Bogut will likely be unable to playing for Australia in the Olympics this summer after the knee injury he suffered during Game 5. Bogut will be sidelined up to eight weeks after suffering multiple bone bruises in his left knee against the Cleveland Cavaliers. "I'm not great at math, but six to eight weeks minimum is what I've been told," Bogut said during Golden State's mid-day shootaround in advance of Thursday's Game 6. "It's very unlikely at this point, to be honest."

F LeBron James scored 41 points for the second consecutive game and the Cavaliers emphatically denied Steph Curry and the Warriors a chance to repeat as NBA champions. The Cavaliers forced the winner-take all Game 7 on Sunday at Oracle Arena after trailing the best-of-seven series 3-1, dealing the Warriors their first back-to-back losses this season. James also had 11 assists, eight rebounds, four steals, three blocks and one turnover before leaving to a thunderous ovation with 2:19 left and Game 6 on ice. He also had 41 points in Game 5. "We know we cannot turn the ball over against this team," James said.