LDN - Sports

National Basketball Association roundup

[July 09, 2016] July 8 (The Sports Xchange) - Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mitch McGary was handed a five-game suspension to begin the 2016-17 season for violating the league's drug policy, the NBA announced on Friday.

McGary dealt with several injuries and was limited to just 20 games last season, averaging just 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in limited playing time.

The 24-year-old also removed himself from the team for a few weeks at the conclusion of the campaign due to a "personal matter."

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An arrest has been made in the hit-and-run that killed the cousin of Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in last month's NBA Draft.

Mark Nicholas, 50, was arrested by New York police around 3 a.m. Friday in connection with the fatal crash, authorities said. Nicholas is a Jamaican-born U.S. citizen who lives in Brooklyn.

Police said 21-year-old Zachary Simmons died after being struck by an SUV in Hoboken, N.J., on June 25 around 3:30 a.m. while walking home from a friend's birthday party. The vehicle fled the scene.

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The San Antonio Spurs' trade of Boris Diaw to the Utah Jazz, which was reported earlier this week, became official Friday when the teams announced the deal.

The Jazz sent the rights to last year's second-round pick Olivier Hanlan to the Spurs. Hanlan played this past season overseas.

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The trade gives San Antonio enough cap space to sign Pau Gasol, who agreed to a two-year, $30-million deal with the Spurs on Sunday.

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The Detroit Pistons officially welcomed guard Ish Smith and forward/center Jon Leuer into the fold by signing the pair to multi-year contracts.

The Detroit News reported that Smith's contract was for three years and $18 million while Detroit Free Press detailed that Leuer's pact was for four years and $41 million.

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The Brooklyn Nets signed free agent forward Trevor Booker to a multi-year contract, the team announced. CBSSports.com reported that Booker agreed to a two-year, $18.5 million deal.

This past season, the 28-year-old Booker played in 79 games with the Utah Jazz, averaging 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. (Editing by Andrew Both)

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