NBA notebook: Warriors GM saw no
way to retain Durant
Send a link to a friend
[July 16, 2019]
Golden State general manager Bob
Myers was hopeful his team would retain Kevin Durant since it could
offer a five-year, $221 million contact but said Monday that there
wasn't anything the Warriors could have done to keep the star
forward with the team.
"He felt like it was something inside of him and his heart that he
wanted to try something different," Myers told reporters at the
team's practice facility. "There was nothing wrong about it. I'm at
peace about it. I hope our fans can be, too. He's one of the best
athletes we've ever seen come through our city and certainly this
organization."
Durant accepted a four-year, $164 million free agent deal from the
Brooklyn Nets. He could end up missing the entire first season of
his new contract as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles sustained
during the NBA Finals in June.
The Warriors and Nets engineered a sign-and-trade deal involving
Durant, and Golden State ended up with All-Star guard D'Angelo
Russell, who agreed to a four-year, $117 million contract. Myers
refuted speculation that the Warriors are willing to ship Russell
for multiple assets to help in their reloading process.
--Point guard Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a
five-year, $170 million maximum contract extension, The Athletic's
Shams Charania reported.
Agent Rich Paul confirmed the deal, Charania said. Simmons, who
turns 23 on Friday, made his first All-Star team in the 2018-19
season and averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.4
steals in 79 starts.
The 6-foot-10 Australian was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA
Draft and won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2017-18.
--Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $50,000 by the NBA for
leaking information from a recent Broad of Governors meeting to a
reporter, ESPN reported.
Cuban was disciplined because league rules prohibit discussing Board
of Governors information with reporters or other outsiders. The
league office released a memo to inform teams of the fine but didn't
announce it publicly, according to ESPN.
"I appreciate the irony of your reporting on a fine that someone
should, but won't, get fined for leaking to you," Cuban told ESPN.
He reportedly admitted to leaking information about the league's
decision to allow coaches the ability to challenge referees' calls.
--The Milwaukee Bucks locked up veteran shooting guard Wesley
Matthews with a two-year, $5.26 million contract, The Athletic
reported.
[to top of second column] |
Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors warms up before his NBA
pre-season game against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena in
Oakland, California, U.S., September 30, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen
Lam/File Photo
The deal includes a player option for the 2020-21 season, according
to the report. Matthews, 32, played for the Dallas Mavericks, New
York Knicks and Indiana Pacers last season and averaged a combined
12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 69 games (68 starts).
Matthews played with the Utah Jazz (2009-10) and Portland Trail
Blazers (2010-15) before spending three-plus seasons with Dallas. He
has made at least 150 3-pointers in eight of the past nine seasons,
including a career-high 201 with the Trail Blazers in 2013-14.
--The Cleveland Cavaliers waived veteran JR Smith in order to stay
below the NBA's luxury-tax threshold.
The Cavaliers were unable to find a trade partner to take on the
33-year-old shooting guard scheduled to make $15.7 million next
season -- of which just $4.3 million is guaranteed. Smith would
become a free agent if he clears waivers.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Smith is unlikely to be
reunited with former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James, as the Los
Angeles Lakers are unlikely to make a run at the pending free agent.
Smith has averaged 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 971 career games
(395 starts) with New Orleans Hornets (2004-06), Denver Nuggets
(2006-11), New York Knicks (2011-15) and Cleveland.
--Lakers forward Anthony Davis is pulling out of participation in
Team USA and the FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer.
Davis, acquired by the Lakers this month in a trade from the New
Orleans Pelicans, said he would not participate in the USA
Basketball training camp and FIBA Basketball World Cup to focus on
the upcoming NBA season, per multiple reports.
Davis, 26, won gold medals with Team USA at the 2012 Olympics in
London and at the 2014 World Cup in Spain. He reportedly is still
interested in playing in the 2020 Olympics.
--Field Level Media
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |