FILE PHOTO: 2016 Rio Olympics – Basketball – Final – Men’s Gold Medal Game Serbia v USA – Carioca Arena 1 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 21/8/2016. Carmelo Anthony (USA) of the USA smiles while on the bench during the game. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
July 24, 2018
A week after being traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard is expected to attend the U.S. national basketball team’s camp in Las Vegas this week, according to a TSN report.
The camp, which takes place Wednesday through Friday, will be run by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and is expected to also include guards DeMar DeRozan — who was traded to San Antonio in the package for Leonard — and Kyle Lowry, Leonard’s new teammate on the Raptors.
Per the TSN report, it is “up in the air” whether Leonard — who missed all but nine games last season while battling a nagging quad injury — will participate in practices, if at all.
ESPN reported last Tuesday — before Leonard was dealt — that the two-time Defensive Player of the Year was “seriously considering” participating in the Team USA camp, in part so he could showcase his progress in his recovery for teams that were potentially interested in trading for him.
–The framework for a complex deal eventually expected to lead Carmelo Anthony to Houston is in place but will take several more days to complete, according to a report.
Marc Stein of The New York Times wrote that Anthony plans to sign with Houston once he is traded, released and clears waivers. His current team, Oklahoma City, and the Atlanta Hawks have agreed on a trade that will send him to Atlanta. A third team — Philadelphia — also is part of the deal, which is expected to be made once the 76ers make another move.
All of this is not expected to be done until next week at the earliest, Stein said. Once the previously reported trades are complete, the Hawks are expected to release Anthony, who will sign a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum of $2.4 million with the Rockets.
–Dirk Nowitzki signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks to return for an NBA-record 21st season with one team, the Mavericks announced.
The Mavericks didn’t release terms of the deal, but Marc Stein of The New York Times said the contract is worth $5 million.
Nowitzki, 40, led the team to the NBA title in 2011. He was the league’s most valuable player in the 2006-07 season and is a 12-time All-NBA selection. He enters the season sixth on the all-time NBA scoring list with 31,187 points. He needs 233 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for fifth-place on the list.
–Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge was open to a reunion with Isaiah Thomas, who reportedly phoned the team about a reunion before signing a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets.
Ainge, according to ESPN, told Thomas he would first need to sort through the contract status of guard Marcus Smart. The restricted free agent signed a four-year, $52 million deal last week, but Thomas had already agreed to a $2 million deal with Denver.
Thomas was traded from the Celtics last offseason in the deal that brought Kyrie Irving to Boston from the Cleveland Cavaliers. But a hip injury kept Thomas on the shelf until January, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February as part of a dramatic roster overhaul. Thomas did not finish the season with the Lakers due to ongoing issues with the hip.
–The Lakers officially announced the signing of free agent forward Michael Beasley.
“Michael adds another component of versatility to our deep roster,” general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “His length and ability to guard multiple positions, stretch the floor, play-make and create his own shot are all essential characteristics for us. Coming off one of the finest years of his career, we think Michael is poised to have a very exciting and strong season for us.”
Beasley, 29, spent last year with the New York Knicks, averaging 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Those were his highest marks since the 2010-11 campaign, and he managed them in 22.3 minutes per game while appearing in 74 contests (30 starts).
–The Orlando Magic acquired forward Jarell Martin and cash considerations from the Memphis Grizzlies for center Dakari Johnson and the draft rights to guard Tyler Harvey, both teams announced.
Martin, 24, averaged 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.8 minutes last season while appearing in 73 games (36 starts). All of those figures were career highs through three NBA seasons for Martin, whom the Grizzlies took 25th overall in the 2015 draft.
Johnson, 22, was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. A second-rounder of the Thunder in 2015, Johnson saw his first NBA action last season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per game in 31 appearances (six starts). Harvey, who turned 25 last week, was a second-round pick by Memphis in 2015 but has yet to appear in an NBA game.
–Field Level Media
