News

12:05 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has made his entire roster and future draft picks available in trade talks, a dramatic initiative with hopes of reshaping the team into a championship contender, league sources told ESPN. The possibility of trading All-NBA guard James Harden is believed to be extremely limited,

8:30 PM ET Warriors star Kevin Durant traveled on the team’s charter to Toronto on Tuesday ahead of Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals against the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf. Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the

5:34 PM ET Warriors star Kevin Durant flew on the team’s charter to Toronto on Tuesday for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals with the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf. Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the Warriors

8:59 AM ET Marc J. Spears Amadou Gallo Fall will be named the president of the NBA’s new Basketball Africa League Tuesday, Fall told ESPN’s The Undefeated. Fall is currently the NBA vice president and managing director for Africa. The Senegal native will begin his role as Basketball Africa League (BAL) president immediately while aiding

9:51 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is “awake, responsive and resting comfortably” after suffering a stroke Sunday, according to a Jay Farner, the CEO of Quicken Loans, the company Gilbert founded and chairs. Farner said Gilbert, 57, felt ill on Sunday and a friend took him to a Detroit-area hospital, where he suffered

11:00 AM ET ESPN News Services The Brooklyn Nets have hired Jeff Peterson and Andy Birdsong as assistant general managers. The Nets announced Peterson’s hiring on Saturday and Birdsong’s addition on Monday. Trajan Langdon, who had been the Nets’ assistant GM, was recently hired as the New Orleans Pelicans‘ general manager. Peterson spent seven seasons

11:54 PM ET With or without Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors are the favorites in the NBA Finals for a fifth consecutive year. Caesars Sportsbook installed the two-time defending champion Warriors as -320 favorites to beat the Toronto Raptors in the Finals. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Toronto. Golden State

10:23 PM ET ESPN news services Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing stroke-like symptoms, according to a statement released by Quicken Loans, the company Gilbert founded and chairs. The company’s statement did not indicate where Gilbert was hospitalized, but The Detroit News reported the 57-year-old was admitted to Beaumont Hospital, Royal

2:05 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN TORONTO — Giannis Antetokounmpo vowed that with his team’s backs against the wall, the Milwaukee Bucks wouldn’t fold. The Bucks had just suffered a disappointing Game 5 loss to the Toronto Raptors and for the first time in the 2019 post season, were facing elimination. Antetokounmpo said then that he

3:13 AM ET TORONTO — There’s very little about Kawhi Leonard that screams “mindfulness guru,” but as the Toronto Raptors gathered on the bench during a timeout in the midst of the team’s big 26-3 run in the second half, he told his teammates, “Enjoy the moment, stay here, stay together, we’re good,” according to

2:50 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — After the confetti fell on the Raptors, fresh off of their 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night that sent Toronto to the NBA Finals for the first time in history, president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri was asked

11:28 PM ET In a move that could disrupt some types of betting on the Finals, the NBA plans to cut off unauthorized sportsbooks from accessing the league’s official data feed starting next week. Sportradar, an authorized data distributor for the NBA, sent a letter Thursday notifying sportsbook operators that the league was forcing it

8:20 AM ET The Toronto Raptors are one win away from advancing to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. What do Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks need to do to force a Game 7 and potentially advance to the next round? What’s the key for Toronto in Saturday’s Game 6? Does Kawhi Leonard

11:50 PM ET Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic is taking his talents to the world stage. The 24-year-old announced on Friday that he will be playing in the FIBA World Cup for his native Serbia. “I am very pleased with everything I did in the NBA this season, I had a great year in

6:47 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant said he is “doing better every day” but acknowledged that he isn’t sure when he’ll be able to return as he continues to recover from a strained right calf. Speaking to reporters for the first time since suffering the injury on May 8,

8:21 AM ET It has been a popular parlor game among league executives all season: How good will the Golden State Warriors be if Kevin Durant leaves? You can’t draw a direct line from the 73-win Warriors — the last pre-Durant version — to the theoretical 2019-20 team. Harrison Barnes is gone. Andre Iguodala, dunking

2:53 AM ET MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks had been shading Kawhi Leonard for days, taking away the largest, strongest and most decisive right hand in basketball. But with his Toronto Raptors trailing by a bucket inside of nine minutes remaining in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals that’s knotted at 2-2, Leonard got

4:44 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The three finalists for the NBA MVP award — Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Paul George — led the balloting for the All-NBA teams, announced by the league Thursday afternoon. Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo and Oklahoma City’s George were named to the two forward spots on the first team; Stephen Curry of

12:32 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS are on the clock. While things seem great in Milwaukee at the moment, greatness is fragile. Yes, the Bucks posted the best record in the NBA this season, are set to play a pivotal Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals tonight, and have a young team

9:36 PM ET The NBA has made a last-minute decision to cancel the NBA Global Camp, a showcase for draft-eligible prospects from outside the United States that was scheduled for May 30-June 2 in Monaco. “We have cancelled the NBA Global Camp 2019 due to logistical issues and other contributing factors that jeopardized our ability

5:49 PM ET Drake clearly has been enjoying Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s struggles during the Eastern Conference finals, but the superstar rapper’s antics are rubbing some people the wrong way. A senior executive for Octagon, the agency that represents Antetokounmpo, tweeted Wednesday that he has “never seen anything as disrespectful” as Drake’s repeated trolling of Antetokounmpo and

2:15 AM ET TORONTO — In the parlance of the Toronto Raptors, it’s called Drive-Kick-Swing. Though it’s a mainstay in the Raptors’ playlist of practice drills, Drive-Kick-Swing was on full display under the bright lights of Scotiabank Arena in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. In the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard

2:15 AM ET TORONTO — In the parlance of the Toronto Raptors, it’s called Drive-Kick-Swing. Though it’s a mainstay in the Raptors’ playlist of practice drills, Drive-Kick-Swing was on full display under the bright lights of Scotiabank Arena in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. In the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard

5:44 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The prospects of a return home to Washington and the Wizards were undeniably appealing to Tim Connelly. But not nearly as alluring as finishing what he’s started with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets’ president of basketball operations elected to stay in town even with the Wizards calling. The

4:52 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — There is no award for most valuable player of the conference finals. If there were, there’s a good chance Draymond Green would’ve won it for his play with the Golden State Warriors in their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. His defense was just sensational. His playmaking was at

11:51 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers fans fell in love all over again with their team this season, from the breathtaking performances of their star guards to the toughness of their role players to the mere presence of their wounded center in the playoffs. The end against the Golden State Warriors was bitter. Even as

5:19 PM ET Oh Youngmisuk EL SEGUNDO — New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel called new assistant coach Jason Kidd “an incredible asset” and said he’s not going to worry about looking over his shoulder. Vogel said that while the Lakers’ front office planted the seed of adding Kidd to his staff, he

7:59 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Interim coach Ryan Saunders is finalizing a multi-year deal to become head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources told ESPN. The deal is expected to be completed soon, perhaps as soon as Monday, sources told ESPN. Saunders is working on a staff. New Timberwolves president of Basketball Operations Gersson

1:27 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN TORONTO — These are the nights when Giannis Antetokounmpo frets. Through the first three quarters of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, Antetokounmpo scored just six points and finished with 12 total. He missed two key free throws in the first overtime and fouled out less than one minute

5:31 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — As the Golden State Warriors attempt to become the first team since the 1960s Boston Celtics to go to the NBA Finals for the fifth straight season, Warriors forward Draymond Green said the group is motivated to finish off the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of the Western