"Today, the basketball gods smiled upon the Nets."

In the summer of 2013, Mikhail Prokhorov, the Nets' billionaire owner, took a victory lap in the news release announcing his team's trade for a pair of future Hall of Famers. The cost to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn was extreme -- a grab bag of players and three first-round ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Bill Self approached a group of reporters Monday afternoon at his Kansas basketball camp with something other than hoops on his mind.

"Let's talk golf!" Self, KU's 17th-year coach, said enthusiastically.

He was still thinking about KU graduate Gary Woodland's three-shot victory over Brooks Koepka at the U.S. Open, which was ...Read more

Jay Bilas was talking about the struggles of a freshman who is a potential lottery pick in the NBA draft and he stopped himself.

"It's one year," said Bilas, who is ESPN's top college basketball analyst and will work his 17th NBA draft on Thursday night.

One year is just about all the NBA gets to judge the top talent in college basketball. ...Read more

General manager Travis Schlenk is on the phone "a lot of hours."

The Hawks draft board has more than 100 players on it.

The top 44 prospects have been ranked. There are 16 more names to be slotted.

Staff meetings and mock drafts are being held in the war room.

Nearly 20 players workouts and visits have been completed.

The analytics team is ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The details of the blockbuster trade that will make Anthony Davis a Los Angeles Laker are still being sorted out. Chief among them: the timing of the trade.

For now, the plan is to execute the trade on July 6, right after the moratorium ends on the start of free agency -- and while both sides are open to moving the date, it's ...Read more

LOS ANGELES--You can close your eyes and let your imagination run wild, LeBron James dribbling the ball at Staples Center, pushing toward the basket. The defenders collapse around maybe the strongest ball handler the game has seen. And instead of forcing a shot, he just lobs the ball near the rim for a long-armed, spring-legged, one-eyebrowed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The Anthony Davis saga is over and the Lakers have their next superstar big man.

The New Orleans Pelicans agreed Saturday to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers, according to people with knowledge of the deal. The Lakers sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart along with three first-round draft picks, including the No. 4 ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- At this point, the Warriors can barely think.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has struggled processing that their failed championship run coincided with losing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to debilitating injuries. Warriors general manager Bob Myers struggled to comprehend that the NBA draft starts on Thursday, exactly a week ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- When John Calipari became University of Kentucky basketball coach, he asked one of his predecessors a pointed question: How long could a coach expect to endure and prosper in such a high-pressured job? Joe B. Hall, who lasted 13 seasons as UK's coach, told Calipari that it was a 10-year job.

Ten seasons later came Thursday's ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Less than one week ago, Kevin Durant's impending free agency seemed relatively cut and dry.

Continue rehabbing his strained calf. Pick his new team or stay with his current one. Make a boatload of money.

Now it's not so simple.

Durant will likely miss the entire 2019-2020 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Game 5...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is under investigation and could face criminal charges after he is suspected of pushing and striking an Alameda County sheriff's deputy in the face Thursday night following Game 6 of the NBA Finals, authorities said Friday.

He was not arrested and both the sheriff...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The moments left Mychal Thompson feeling sleepless. It did not tamper his optimism, though.

His son, Klay, tore an ACL in his left knee and walked out of the arena on crutches. Then, the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, hardly the ending they envisioned in their final game at ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It's why you miss birthdays and anniversaries, why you know hotel beds better than your own. It's why it feels like you spend more time in the air than on the ground, why you have to settle for FaceTime calls instead of hugs and kisses.

It's the back-to-backs, the late nights in cities across the country. It's never knowing ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The gasps became audible on the court, from the bench and near the rafters.

The Warriors lost another All-Star once again with an injury. Klay Thompson clutched his left leg in pain after falling awkwardly on a fouled dunk attempt.

The Warriors expected the crowd at Oracle Arena to be loud for its final home game. But not ...Read more

MIAMI -- Goran Dragic is back in play for the Miami Heat, with the Sun Sentinel confirming Thursday through an NBA source that the veteran point guard has picked up the $19.2 million 2019-20 option on his contract.

Dragic had until June 29 to inform the Heat of his opt-in decision. By rule, he was ineligible to be traded until such a decision ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- John Calipari signed a new 10-year contract on Thursday to remain head coach of the University of Kentucky men's basketball team.

The new deal, with total guaranteed compensation -- which includes base salary and media/endorsement payments -- is valued at $86 million over the lifetime of the contract. With a base salary of $...Read more