As the dust begins to settle from Tuesday's blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland, the larger picture for both teams starts to come into focus. The breakup of the partnership of Irving and LeBron James seemed inevitable after the former said he wanted to be traded. James offered nothing but respect to Irving in his Twitter message in response to the trade:"That's the only way to be to the kid! Special talent/guy! Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together."James will now try to blend his skills with Thomas, a point guard who likes to have the ball in his hands.The question surrounding Thomas concerns his hip. Thomas' season ended following Game 2 of the conference finals because of a torn labrum and aggravation of a previous injury.The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge speculated on a conference call on... [More]

O.J. Mayo would relish a return with the Milwaukee Bucks when he returns from his two-year suspension from the NBA.Mayo has less than a year remaining on his ban for violating the league's substance abuse policy. "I want to go back to what I left (in Milwaukee)" the 29-year-old Mayo told The Crossover. "I was real close with (coach) Jason Kidd. ... I had great relationships with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Khris Middleton. I felt like I let them down, cheated them for two years. They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my (stuff), and when you're not on top of your (stuff), it shows. I'll be 30 next summer. If they just give me the chance, I can make it up. I owe them."Mayo told The Crossover that the drug that led to his discipline was not a hard drug, rather marijuana. He also admitted that he abused prescription pain medication.The 6-foot-5 Mayo averaged a career-low 7.8 points as well as 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds during his third and final season with the Bucks.Mayo was originally a No. 3 draft pick of Memphis, where he spent the first four seasons of his career. Mayo joined Dallas for one season before signing with Milwaukee.In his career, Mayo has averaged 13.8 points, 2.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

The NBA is investigating the Los Angeles Lakers for alleged tampering involving Paul George after the Indiana Pacers filed a formal complaint.The league released a statement Sunday from Mike Bass, executive vice president of communications."At the request of the Indiana Pacers, the NBA opened an investigation into alleged tampering by the Los Angeles Lakers," the NBA statement said. "The independent investigation is being conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The Lakers have been cooperative and, at this point, no findings have been made. We have asked both teams to refrain from commenting while the investigation is ongoing." Peter Vecsey on Patreon reported Saturday that Lakers president Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss were contacted by an investigator for the NBA and asked to provide "any correspondence pertaining to" George, his agent and his parents."As the NBA's statement made clear, we cannot comment about the specifics of any... [More]

G/F Paul Pierce's No. 34 will be retired by the Boston Celtics during the season next year, cementing his 15-year legacy with the franchise. The Celtics announced Friday they will honor Pierce after a midseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Feb. 11. A 10-time All-Star, Pierce spent the first 15 years of his career with the Celtics, helping the club to the NBA title in 2008. Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.44 steals and 36.6 minutes in his 1,102 career games with the Celtics.

F Kevin Durant said he would not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship if the Golden State Warriors are invited to White House. Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump. "Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now." Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have not been invited officially by the Trump administration.

If the Golden State Warriors are invited to the White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have not been invited officially by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

If the Golden State Warriors are invited to White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have been officially been invited by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James referred to President Donald Trump as the "so-called president of the United States" while calling for unity in the wake of the Charlottesville, Va., tragedy over the weekend.During his annual family reunion charitable event Tuesday night in Sandusky, Ohio, James gave an emotional speech as he held his daughter, Zhuri, in his arms and was flanked by his two sons, LeBron Jr. and Bryce Maximus, while standing on stage before students, parents, Cavs teammate JR Smith and pop musician Jordin Sparks.James took advantage of his first public appearance since the NBA Finals to call out Trump's actions."I know there's a lot of tragic things happening in Charlottesville," James said, via ESPN.com, before leaving the stage at Cedar Point amusement park. "I just want to speak on it right now. I have this platform and I'm somebody that has a voice of command, and the only way for us to be able to get better as a society and us to get better as people is love."And... [More]

F Kevin Durant of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors issued an apology for comments he claims were "taken out of context" regarding the development of basketball in India. In a Q&A with Durant that appeared in The Athletic earlier this week, he was quoted as saying that the country is "20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience." In a statement on Twitter, Durant said: "Sorry that my comments about India were taken out of context, I'm grateful for the time I've got to spend there and I'm really pissed about how my comments came off, that's my fault, should've worded that better."

F Carmelo Anthony could still join the Rockets after the team reportedly revived trade talks with the Knicks for the 10-time All-Star. Anthony will only waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to the Rockets, refusing to include more teams on his list of potential destinations, league sources told ESPN. Houston is reportedly trying to find a third team to make the deal possible, and finding a way to include forward Ryan Anderson, who has three years left on his $60 million deal, is viewed as an obstacle. Anthony, 33, averaged 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 74 games last season.

Carmelo Anthony could still join the Houston Rockets after all.After initial talks between the New York Knicks and Rockets about an Anthony trade stalled, the teams have re-engaged in discussions to send the 10-time All-Star to the Magnolia City, according to an ESPN report on Friday.Anthony will only waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to the Rockets, refusing to include more teams on his list of potential destinations, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.Houston is reportedly trying to find a third team to make the deal possible, and finding a way to include forward Ryan Anderson, who has three years left on his $60 million deal, is viewed as an obstacle.--LeBron James might be considering whether to bring his talents to Los Angeles next season, and there's a chance Kyrie Irving could be going with him. In a manner of speaking.Irving, who asked the Cleveland Cavaliers for a trade in July after he grew sour of playing alongside James, has his sights set on the Los Angeles Clippers... [More]

LeBron James might be considering whether to bring his talents to Los Angeles next season, and there's a chance Kyrie Irving could be going with him.In a manner of speaking.Irving, who asked the Cleveland Cavaliers for a trade in July after he grew sour of playing alongside James, has his sights set on the Los Angeles Clippers as a team he would like to play for if traded."(Irving) loves L.A. and he's been working out there a lot this summer," veteran NBA reporter Peter Vecsey of Patreon.com said.James, who owns a home in Los Angeles, is rumored to be considering teaming up with Los Angeles-area native Paul George on the Lakers next summer.The Clippers may be looking to rebuild after trading All-Star guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets earlier this offseason, but they did retain the services of All-Star forward Blake Griffin.Building around the 25-year-old Irving would be a great start, but Vecsey does not believe the Clippers have the assets to pull off a trade."Do they have the assets they get him? I don't see how," Vecsey said. "But they also have (consultant) Jerry West and he's been able to figure out before ... the Lakers didn't have the assets to get Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) and he wheeled and dealed and figured out and they got him ... he was able to get Kobe (Bryant) for (Vlade) Divac in the draft."Irving's reported list of preferred destinations also includes the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves.

F Zach Randolph was arrested on a felony charge of marijuana possession with intent to sell by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday night. he arrest was part of a disturbance that resulted in damage to five Los Angeles Police Department vehicles and one sheriff's vehicle, according to ABC-7 in Los Angeles. Officers reportedly encountered a group drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and playing loud music while blocking the street in the Nickerson Gardens area in Los Angeles. The disturbance escalated with Randolph being arrested at 11 p.m. PT and booked 5 1/2 hours later with bail being set for $20,000, according to police reports.

F Patrick Patterson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Thursday, the team announced. Patterson, who will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, is expected to start at power forward for Oklahoma City after agreeing to a three-year, $16.4 million contract in July. The 28-year-old is the second significant offseason addition for Oklahoma City, which picked up Paul George in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. That deal saw another forward, Domantas Sabonis, exit the Thunder for the Pacers. Patterson averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 65 games (eight starts) for the Toronto Raptors last season. He produced 3.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 10 playoff games.

The highly anticipated debuts of Chris Paul with the Houston Rockets and Gordon Hayward with the Boston Celtics will highlight the opening night of the NBA season, the league announced Thursday.Paul and the Rockets will visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday Oct. 17 as the second part of a doubleheader on TNT. Paul, a nine-time All-Star point guard, spent the past six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Warriors will be receiving NBA championship rings for the second time in the past three seasons.In the opener, Hayward and the Celtics will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals. Hayward joined Boston as a free agent during the summer after seven seasons with the Utah Jazz, including making his first All-Star appearance last season.Cleveland once again will have LeBron James on the floor but the status of guard Kyrie Irving remains unclear after he asked to be traded.The NBA also announced its five Christmas Day matchups with... [More]

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Patrick Patterson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Thursday, the team announced.Patterson, who will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, is expected to start at power forward for Oklahoma City after agreeing to a three-year, $16.4 million contract in July.The 28-year-old is the second significant offseason addition for Oklahoma City, which picked up Paul George in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. That deal saw another forward, Domantas Sabonis, exit the Thunder for the Pacers.Patterson averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 65 games (eight starts) for the Toronto Raptors last season. He produced 3.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 10 playoff games.A first-round pick by the Rockets in 2010 out of Kentucky, Patterson spent 2 1/2 seasons in Houston. He played parts of two seasons with the Sacramento Kings before joining the Raptors in the 2013-14 season.Patterson has appeared in 477 career games, making 73 starts. He has averages of 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph was arrested on a felony charge of marijuana possession with intent to sell by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday night.The arrest was part of a disturbance that resulted in damage to five Los Angeles Police Department vehicles and one sheriff's vehicle, according to ABC-7 in Los Angeles.Officers reportedly encountered a group drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and playing loud music while blocking the street in the Nickerson Gardens area in Los Angeles. The disturbance escalated with Randolph being arrested at 11 p.m. PT and booked 5 1/2 hours later with bail being set for $20,000, according to police reports.A two-time All-Star, Randolph signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Kings this summer after ending his eight-year tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies.Randolph averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 points for Memphis last season.The 36-year-old Randolph ranks first in Grizzlies' franchise history in rebounds (5,612) and is second behind Mike Conley in points (9,261). He excelled in a reserve role last season, averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds.With Sacramento, Randolph reunites with Dave Joerger, his former coach with the Grizzlies.

F Luke Babbitt signed a contract, the Atlanta Hawks announced Wednesday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he signed a one-year deal. Babbitt played in 68 games, including 55 starts, for the Miami Heat last season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes, while making 41.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Fans in Mexico will receive a first-hand look at reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook next season when the Oklahoma City Thunder play the Brooklyn Nets in the nation's capital.The NBA Mexico City games feature the Nets playing a regular-season contest against Westbrook, four-time All-Star Paul George and the Thunder on Dec. 7. Brooklyn will then face the Miami Heat two days later."They will also mark the 25th anniversary of our first game in Mexico City, a milestone in our relationship with our Mexican fans and a further indication of our desire to strengthen our ties to Mexico and Latin America," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.In January, the NBA held two games in Mexico with the Phoenix Suns playing against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.Nets general manager Sean Marks was thrilled that his team is being able to represent the NBA in this capacity."The Brooklyn Nets are honored to be the host team for the 2017 NBA Mexico City games and help... [More]

Forward Michael Beasley is headed for a sixth NBA team, as he agreed to sign with the New York Knicks on Tuesday.The club announced the signing but not the contract terms. Multiple media outlets reported that Beasley received a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, $2.12 million.Beasley's role with the Knicks is uncertain because of the possibility of a trade that could see Carmelo Anthony leave the team.Beasley, 28, spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 56 games (six starts).He previously played for the Miami Heat (2008-09 to 2009-10, 2013-14 to 2014-15), the Minnesota Timberwolves (2010-11 to 2011-12), the Phoenix Suns (2012-13) and the Houston Rockets (2015-16).In 509 career games (206 starts), Beasley averages 12.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder was a first-round pick, second overall, of the Heat out of Kansas State in 2008.