G Randy Foye will miss the opener for the Nets due to a mild hamstring pull.

F Quincy Pondexter (knee), who has not played since April 2015, has had a few setbacks in his recovery and "is probably going to take a little bit longer."

G/F Lance Stephenson made the team over Alonzo Gee even though Gee had a $1.2 million guaranteed contract. "With the injuries to Tyreke (Evans) and Jrue (Holiday) not being with the team, we felt we needed a little more playmaking," general manager Dell Demps said. ("Lance) can go out and create and make plays for others."

Eric Bledsoe is the undisputed point guard, hoping to rebound from injuries that forced him to watch most of last season's 23-59 disaster from the sideline.

F Matt Barnes will miss his first game with the Kings due to rib and knee problems.

PG Darren Collison will begin an eight-game suspension due to a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. Ty Lawson will start at the point for the Kings, looking to rebound after two poor seasons and two DUI arrests in 2015.

Fs forwards Gordon Hayward (finger) and Derrick Favors (knee) and reserve G Alec Burks (knee) sat out for Utah. "When you're without your two best players, or two of your best players, it's a challenge," Utah coach Quin Snyder said.

F Derrick Favors (knee) was among three players out for the Jazz. "When you're without your two best players, or two of your best players, it's a challenge," Utah coach Quin Snyder said.

G/F Dahntay Jones was waived by the Cavaliers to finalize their 15-man roster ahead of Wednesday's season opener against the New York Knicks. Jones, 35, joined the Cavaliers for his 12th NBA season last year and played in only one game, totaling 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. He appeared in 15 postseason games with the Cavaliers, averaging 1.1 points in 3.3 minutes per game.

G Brandon Paul was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

Spurs star forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge insists he is happy in San Antonio despite reports of friction between him and 25-year-old franchise cornerstone forward Kawhi Leonard."I'm winning. Of course I'm happy," Aldridge told ESPN on Thursday. "That's why I don't buy into the rumors. I feel like I do my job here and I feel like I've done everything that they've asked."The San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday that the Spurs are "open to trading the former (University of Texas star) should the right package surface.""Those close to the situation suggest Aldridge may not be happy at the moment," the Express-News report reads. "The belief is the Spurs pitched him on becoming the center of their offense when they recruited him in 2015, and that hasn't occurred with the rise of Kawhi Leonard."A team source also told the Express-News that "there are currently no problems with Aldridge, adding he is a part of the Spurs' future."Aldridge signed with the Spurs before the 2015-16 season... [More]

The Cleveland Cavaliers officially re-signed guard J.R. Smith on Saturday after a contract stalemate lasted for most of training camp.The deal is for four years and worth $57 million, ESPN reported Friday night, with $45 million guaranteed over the next three seasons. The fourth season of the contract is not fully guaranteed, sources told ESPN.Many in the organization were getting worried that Smith might consider moving on from the defending NBA champions. LeBron James was outspoken, saying a deal with Smith needed to get done."Bringing J.R. back as part of our core group was a priority for us," Cavs general manager David Griffin said in a statement. "He's a special part of this family and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that we all can feel good about. We know he can't wait to get back on the court with his brothers and we are certain that everyone in this organization and city feels the same way."On Friday night, Smith posted a video on Uninterrupted about the deal."We... [More]

The Washington Wizards announced Saturday that backup center Ian Mahinmi suffered a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee and is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks.The injury occurred in Thursday's preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers. An MRI performed on Friday revealed the partial tear and Mahinmi underwent successful surgery Friday evening, the team announced.The 29-year-old Mahinmi signed a four-year, $64 million contract in July."It's unfortunate when any guy gets hurt, but that's part of the game," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "That's the tough part of the game that I don't like. He was really starting to play well with his defensive rim protection."The 6-foot-11 Mahinmi recorded career-highs in points (9.3) and rebounds (7.1) and starts (71) last season with the Indiana Pacers. Those numbers were considerably better than the 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds he averaged in his previous eight seasons with San Antonio, Dallas and the Pacers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and J.R. Smith have reached agreement on a new four-year contract worth up to $57 million, according to an ESPN report on Friday.The 31-year-old sharpshooter is the final remaining piece to rejoin last year's NBA-title winning team. He had been seeking a deal worth $14 million a year; the Cavs had offered $11 million a season. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the deal which has not been signed, and is not 100 percent guaranteed.Smith made 204 3-point shots last season. In 21 postseason games, he made 43.6 percent of his 3-pointers.Many in the organization were getting worried that Smith might consider moving on. A handful of other teams showed interest, most notably the Boston Celtics.LeBron James also was publically critical, saying a deal with Smith needed to get done.Now that the two sides have agreed on a contract, Smith has one exhibition game to play in before the Cavaliers open their season on Oct 25 against the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony took offense to SLAM Magazine's ranking of the New York Knicks star as the 15th-best player in the NBA entering the 2016-17 season."I just looked at it, and it was disrespectful," Anthony said after practice Thursday. "I feel like I have something to prove, regardless of what's going on."Anthony, 32, averaged just 21.8 points last year -- his lowest per-game mark since his second season in the league with the Denver Nuggets in 2004-05 -- as the Knicks limped to a disappointing 32-50 campaign.Anthony said that he won't use the perceived slight as motivation."I don't really need something like that to motivate me," he said. "Probably somebody sitting at their desk over at SLAM coming up and doing their job."The nine-time All-Star and former league scoring champion also reacted to the ranking on Instagram, commenting "don't play yaself" and "all credibility lost in my (eyes)" on SLAM's account Wednesday.The magazine is unveiling its list of the top 50 players in the league day by day leading up to the Oct. 25 opening night, when the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers host the Knicks.SLAM released two more rankings Thursday, pegging Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin as the 13th and 14th best players, respectively.

Atlanta Hawks center Tiago Splitter will miss at least four weeks due to a hamstring injury, the team announced Tuesday.An MRI exam diagnosed a Grade 2 hamstring strain and the timetable depends on how quickly Splitter recovers. The injury could keep him sidelined into December.Splitter injured the hamstring during a practice and missed Atlanta's first three exhibition games. Splitter played in just 36 games for the Hawks last season due to a hip injury. He averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds before undergoing season-ending surgery in late February.

The Utah Jazz lost their top player for up to six weeks on Friday when forward Gordon Hayward broke his left ring finger during practice.The injury occurred when Hayward's hand became caught inside the jersey of a teammate, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. He was evaluated at the University of Utah Health Care Orthopaedic Center in the afternoon.If Hayward is out six weeks to recover, he would miss the first 13 games of the regular season, which begins in two weeks.No determination had been made whether surgery will be required on the finger of his non-shooting hand. It was stable and Hayward could move it.In six NBA seasons, Hayward has averages of 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 443 games. Last season, he led the Jazz with a 19.7-point average and 3.7 assists.The ninth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft led the team with a 19.7-point average and 3.7 assists last season. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 2015-16.The offseason acquisitions of veterans Joe Johnson and George Hill should help the Jazz fill the void until Hayward returns.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed veteran point guard Toney Douglas to a contract Monday, adding depth at the position.Douglas' deal includes no guaranteed money, according to ESPN. He will compete in camp to earn a spot on the team as a backup behind Kyrie Irving.The defending NBA champions were looking for another point guard after Mo Williams retired last week.The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Douglas appeared in 61 games for the New Orleans Pelicans last season, averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. Douglas, 30, also has played with New York, Houston, Sacramento, Golden State and Miami in his seven-year NBA career, with averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19.2 minutes per game.Douglas, who was a teammate of LeBron James in Miami in 2013-14, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 29th overall pick in the 2009 draft.In a related move, the Cavs waived forward/center Eric Moreland. He signed a training camp deal last month.

LeBron James, in a continued pledge to take a leading role in social activism, on Monday wrote a column explaining why he's with Hillary in 2016. Though Donald Trump has a vocal endorsement from fiery former basketball coach Bobby Knight and retired boxer Mike Tyson, James wrote in a guest column for the Akron Beacon-Journal that his vote for president in the 2016 election would be cast for Hillary Clinton."Only one person running truly understands the struggles of an Akron child born into poverty. And when I think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear: That candidate is Hillary Clinton."James, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA title last season, has become outspoken on social issues in the past year, including opening remarks at the ESPYs Awards show in July regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. He has called for fellow athletes to be more active and stand together, saying "we all have to do better."Alongside... [More]

Chris Bosh fired back at the Miami Heat and president Pat Riley, who said earlier this week that he believes the star power forward has played his final game for the team.Bosh claims the Heat did not inform him that he failed the team's physical last week before putting out a news release."I didn't see my career in Miami ending like this," Bosh said Friday in his ongoing video series on the Uninterrupted digital network. "I didn't get a call or a text or anything like that. I mean, it's a business. We understand that. We always say those things. But if you say certain things to the person and you win championships and you have these moments, you don't want to find things out through the media."It's kind of tough. We say all these things, the commitment, brotherhood and all these things. And then, for whatever reason, you find out, or I find out like this. So, it hurts."A Heat spokesman told ESPN that the team was unable to reach Bosh after calling, emailing and texting him before putting... [More]