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 According to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, the long-discussed trade
to send Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package of young
players is agreed upon and will be finalized Aug. 23, the earliest
allowable date under NBA rules for trading recently signed draft
picks.
In return for the All-Star power forward, Minnesota will receive a
first-round draft pick and the past two No. 1 overall selections in
the NBA draft: Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.
Love, 25, averaged 19 points and 12.2 rebounds with the Timberwolves
but never made the playoffs. In the final year of his rookie
contract, Love planned to test the free agent market in July 2015 if
he wasn't traded by the Timberwolves, who took the opportunity to
get a young potential star in return rather than lose him on the
open market.
---Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant announced that he had
withdrawn from the U.S. national team and will not participate in
the FIBA World Cup later this month in Spain.
Durant informed USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo on Thursday
of his decision, saying he was physically and mentally drained. The
news comes less than a week after he completed a weeklong training
camp with the U.S. team, which lost Paul George to a serious leg
injury.
"This was an extremely difficult decision as I take great pride in
representing our country," Durant said in a statement. "I know that
I owe it to my USA Basketball teammates to be totally invested in
the experience. After going through training camp with USAB, I
realized I could not fulfill my responsibilities to the team from
both a time and energy standpoint.
"I need to take a step back and take some time away, both mentally
and physically in order to prepare for the upcoming NBA season. I
will be rooting for USAB and look forward to future opportunities
with them."
---Dallas Mavericks guard Raymond Felton has been suspended four
games next season after pleading guilty to gun charges in New York,
the NBA announced.
Felton pleaded guilty last month to attempted criminal possession of
a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. As part of a plea
deal that allowed him to avoid jail time, Felton admitted he
knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a
semi-automatic pistol without a license, according to ESPN.com.
Felton's suspension will begin with the first game of the 2014-15
regular season.
The criminal case arose when Felton was in the midst of the breakup
of his marriage and a poor season with the New York Knicks. He was
traded to Dallas along with Tyson Chandler in a six-player deal in
June.
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---Greg Oden was arrested in Lawrence, Ind., for allegedly punching his
ex-girlfriend.
The incident took place at Oden's mother's home, police said, and the
NBA player admitted to wrongdoing when authorities arrived on the scene
at 3:30 a.m.
Oden, a 7-foot center, has played just three seasons, dealing with
chronic knee issues that prompted microfracture knee surgery. He was out
of the NBA in 2013 but attempted a comeback last season with the Miami
Heat, playing in 23 games. Oden is a free agent.
---ESPN suspended radio talk-show host Dan Le Batard for two days after
he paid for billboards in Akron, Ohio, that mocked LeBron James' return
to Cleveland from a successful four-year run in Miami.
The billboard displayed two championship rings emblematic of the NBA
titles won with the Heat and read, "You're Welcome, LeBron; Love,
Miami."
James, who announced last month that he was going home to play for the
Cavaliers, grew up in Akron and still lives in the area.
ESPN was not amused and apparently surprised by the billboard.
"Dan LeBatard will be off the air for two days, returning Monday," ESPN
spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement. "His recent stunt does not
reflect ESPN's standards and brand. Additionally, we were not made aware
of his plans in advance."
---The Heat signed undrafted guard Tyler Johnson. He appeared in 11
Summer League games with the Heat and averaged 12.2 points, 3.1
rebounds, 1.5 assists and 22.2 minutes.
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