NBA notebook: D’Antoni reportedly halts contract talks with Rockets

[May 31, 2019]  Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni ended talks geared toward a new contract, ESPN reported Thursday.

D'Antoni remains under contract for next season and said recently he plans to continue coaching beyond the 2019-20 campaign.

D'Antoni's agent, Warren LeGarie, informed Rockets general manager Daryl Morey of the coach's decision on Thursday afternoon, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

The 68-year-old D'Antoni said earlier this month he hoped to be around in Houston for three more years: "I've let Daryl and (owner) Tilman (Fertitta) know that I'm energized to keep coaching -- and believe that I can continue to do this at a high-level for at least another three years. I want be part of a championship here," he told ESPN.

--The Golden State Warriors will have a reinforcement for Game 1 of the NBA Finals with big man DeMarcus Cousins available to play.

Head coach Steve Kerr announced at morning shootaround that Cousins can play for the first time since April 15, when he tore his left quadriceps muscle during Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cousins saw limited action in the regular season after returning from a 2018 ruptured left Achilles tendon. He played in just 30 games with the Warriors, scoring 16.3 points per game with 8.2 rebounds.

--Bronny James and Zaire Wade are taking their talents to Sierra Canyon High School.

The famous offspring of LeBron James, Bronny James will transfer from Santa Monica to team with Zaire Wade, the soon-to-be high school senior and son of Dwyane Wade.

Bronny James is a social media sensation with more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Zaire Wade played in Plantation, Fla., but will move to the Los Angeles area for his senior season to play at the same school that the sons of Scottie Pippen and Kenyon Martin did last year.

Houston Rockets training ahead of preseason game against New Orleans Pelicans - Beijing, China - 11/10/16. Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni talks to the media. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

--Projected No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson will be represented by CAA Sports, which announced its partnership with Williamson.

ESPN's Wojnarowski reported that CAA basketball agent Austin Brown and executive Lisa Joseph-Metelus will represent Williamson, who played one season at Duke. CAA will be charged with navigating Williamson through various endorsement deals, including what is expected to be one of the largest shoe contracts ever.

"In my lifetime, I think it's going to be the biggest bidding war ever done," Sonny Vaccaro, a former marketing executive with Nike, Adidas and Reebok, told ESPN last month. "I would put them all on go."

--Eighty-nine players notified the NBA of their desire to remove their names from the list of early entrants into the 2019 draft and instead return to college next season.

The NBA released the list one day after the deadline for NCAA underclassmen to withdraw from the draft and retain their college eligibility.

Among the players staying in school is Kansas' Silvio De Sousa, a rising junior who was suspended last season while the NCAA investigated claims related to the bribery scandal that enveloped the sport this season. Rising sophomore Devon Dotson also is returning to the Jayhawks. Rising sophomore Quentin Grimes withdrew his name from the draft but announced that he will transfer from Kansas.

--Field Level Media

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