Tag: deal

Nambatac deal signals TNT transition to young core

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Rey Nambatac makes his debut for Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES

The recent acquisition of Rey Nambatac is seen more as a move to help TNT return to its perch as one of the PBA’s perennial contenders.

But Nambatac’s entry to the Tropang Giga camp from the Blackwater Bossing should also continue the transition to a younger core that would ease the responsibilities of those who brought the franchise to multiple championships.

“That’s the plan really,” TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa told the Inquirer after the Nambatac deal was given a go-signal by the league last Tuesday.

Getting Nambatac meant that TNT had to give up role player Kib Montalbo, big man Jewel Ponferada and a second round pick in the PBA’s 53rd season Rookie Draft which would likely be held in 2028.

Nambatac’s lone conference with Blackwater resulted in averages of 11.1 points on 35-percent shooting with 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 11 games during the Philippine Cup, showing why he can still produce after his minutes dwindled in his first PBA team Rain or Shine.

He put up 27 in his Bossing debut last February against the Meralco Bolts, and had five games of scoring at least 10 points the rest of the way. His offense at the backcourt position could benefit the Tropang Giga.

And it could also lessen the load carried by longtime guard Jayson Castro, who averaged 12.4 points after playing all 14 games in the Philippine Cup. But TNT knows the 38-year-old Castro needs all the help he can get.

“We don’t have much time for our vets, and we need to transition into younger players,” said Lastimosa.

That transition has been somewhat felt during the recent two-conference season which saw TNT failing to reach the semifinals in both the Commissioner’s Cup and Philippine Cup.

Calvin Oftana has emerged as the Tropang Giga’s go-to-guy on offense, with RR Pogoy, who missed a portion of the Commissioner’s Cup after dealing with a heart ailment, producing numbers as well.

Kelly Williams has taken a bigger responsibility, and has been efficient despite being 42, but TNT missed serviceable frontcourt players due to injuries in Poy Erram and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who was traded from NLEX before the Philippine Cup started.



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Kyle Anderson, Warriors completing $27 million, 3-year deal

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FILE -Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (1) drives around Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum (0) during the first half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Dallas. Free agent forward Kyle Anderson and the Golden State Warriors were working to complete a $27 million, three-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday night, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

SAN FRANCISCO — NBA Free agent forward Kyle Anderson and the Golden State Warriors were working to complete a $27 million, three-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday night.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract wasn’t finalized and hadn’t been formally announced.

A day after losing guard Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State continued adding to its roster in an offseason that general manager Mike Dunleavy has said will be important in building the team back into a contender after missing the playoffs.

READ: NBA: Klay Thompson heading to Mavericks in NBA free agency

The Warriors will use a Traded Players Exception to acquire Anderson from Minnesota and both sides will swap second-round draft picks, according to the person who spoke to the AP, in the wake of Thompson’s departure on a sign-and-trade deal of $50 million over three years. ESPN first reported that aspect of the deal.

The 30-year-old Anderson played 79 games with 10 starts for the Timberwolves last season, averaging 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 22.6 minutes.

The Warriors will be his fourth team as he enters his 11th season. Anderson played four seasons with San Antonio and four with Memphis before spending the past two years with the Wolves, who valued his versatility, leadership and poise in a reserve role.



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Oliver Bearman signs multi-year deal with Haas from 2025

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FILE – Oliver Bearman of Britain has signed with F1 team Haas taking the seat vacated by German driver Nico Hulkenberg. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina— Oliver Bearman has been signed on a multiyear deal by the Haas Formula 1 team from 2025 onward.

Haas announced the signing in a statement Thursday, without giving more details. The 19-year old British driver will take the seat vacated by German driver Nico Hulkenberg, who is joining Sauber at the end of the year ahead of its rebranding to Audi for 2026.

“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me. To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for (the) Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud,” Bearman said. “To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible.”

READ: F1: ‘A star is born’ in Ferrari teen Oliver Bearman

Bearman impressed with a stunning seventh-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, when he stood in for Carlos Sainz Jr. He got the unexpected F1 debut after Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed an operation.

Bearman, who was 18 at the time, became the third-youngest driver in F1. He had only had two practice sessions with Haas — in 2023 — yet produced a commanding drive on a tricky circuit that was way beyond his limited experience.

He is currently competing in the F2 championship and is a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas — which uses a Ferrari engine. He won the Austrian GP sprint race last weekend driving for Prema Racing in F2.

READ: F1: Ex-boss Guenther Steiner not surprised by Haas’ scoring start

Bearman signed for the prestigious Ferrari academy in 2021 after being earmarked as a rising star.

“I wouldn’t be here without you,” he told Ferrari. “Thank you for preparing me since F4 for this incredible opportunity and know I will give it everything I have.”

Haas team owner Gene Haas has high hopes for Bearman.

“He’s undoubtedly an exciting rookie prospect, not just based on what he showed in Saudi Arabia but also through his time developing his relationship with our team,” Haas said. “I’m personally excited to see how he grows as a driver, and we look forward to seeing him deliver for (the) Haas F1 Team next season and beyond.”



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Bearman’s promotion means there will be four British drivers on the F1 grid next year, with Lewis Hamilton (who is joining Ferrari ), George Russell (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren) the others.

Jonathan Isaac agrees to $84 million deal with Magic

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FILE -Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, right, goes to the basket as he is defended by Sacramento Kings center Alex Len, middle and Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. Jonathan Isaac has agreed to an $84 million deal that will keep him with Orlando for five more seasons, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski, File)

Jonathan Isaac has agreed to an $84 million deal that will keep him with Orlando for five more NBA seasons, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday.

Isaac agreed to a renegotiation of the last year of his current deal along with an extension, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the new contract cannot be finalized before the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted Saturday.

ESPN first reported the agreement between Isaac and the Magic.

It’s yet another success story for Isaac, whose career seemed in jeopardy a few years ago because of injuries that kept him sidelined for 2 1/2 years.

READ: NBA: Paul George will leave Clippers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Magic

The No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft by the Magic hurt his left knee on Jan. 1, 2020, in a game at Washington. He returned and played two games in the pandemic bubble seven months later but blew out his left ACL in the second of those appearances. Isaac had other setbacks along the way in recovery — including a right hamstring injury that required surgery — and saw his 2022-23 season end early because of an adductor injury.

But this past season was a bounceback in many ways.

He averaged 6.8 points on 51% shooting, played in 58 games — 13 more than he played in the previous four seasons combined — and helped the Magic win the Southeast Division and return to the playoffs. Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley repeatedly credited Isaac for his defensive prowess.

“Elite, elite, elite defender,” Mosley said late in the season.



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Heat bring back Dru Smith on two-way deal

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FILE–Dru Smith #9 of the Miami Heat jumps for a layup over Oshae Brissett #12 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at TD Garden on October 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Schroeder/Getty Images/AFP

MIAMI — Dru Smith is back with the Miami Heat, with the injured guard agreeing Monday to a two-way contract in a sign that he’s on his way back to the court.

Smith was hurt and saw his 2023-24 NBA season end when the Heat visited Cleveland back in November, tearing his right ACL when he slipped off a raised portion of the floor in front of the Cavaliers’ bench.

He had been part of Miami’s rotation to that point, appearing in nine of the team’s first 15 games.

READ: NBA: Pat Riley says Heat not sure on Jimmy Butler extension

The Heat waived him in March to make room for the signing of veteran guard Patty Mills, though when Miami made that move coach Erik Spoelstra made clear that the team wasn’t giving up on him and indicated that the team would continue to assist him with his rehab process.

The 26-year-old Smith averaged 4.3 points for the Heat this past season. He has appeared in 24 NBA games — 14 with Miami and 10 others with Brooklyn — over the last two seasons.

The Heat have not released a timetable for when Smith could return to game action.



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NBA: Paul George set to join 76ers on $212 million deal

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FILE–Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on April 09, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP

PHILADELPHIA — Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said early Monday morning.

A nine-time All-Star, George intends to sign the contract shortly after the league’s moratorium on signings is lifted July 6, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be announced by NBA rule until that time.

With George joining 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers will boast one of the most formidable trios in the league.

George picked Philadelphia after he spurned the Los Angeles Clippers and declined a player option in his contract for $48.7 million in 2024-2025, ending a five-year stretch with the team where he averaged at least 21.5 points each season.

READ: NBA: Paul George will leave Clippers, Caldwell-Pope to Magic

George has averaged 20.8 points over a 14-year career spent with Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Clippers.

“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers said in a release Sunday night.

The team added: “We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract.”

He looked all the way across to Philadelphia.

The 34-year-old George joins a Sixers team that has been a perennial underachiever, even as Embiid blossomed into one of the top players in the NBA. They have not won an NBA title since 1983 or even advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference since 2001.

READ: NBA: 76ers president Daryl Morey has big plans for Embiid, Maxey

Embiid fueled rumors George was headed to Philadelphia during a TV appearance together during the NBA Finals.

“Hopefully this offseason, we find a way to get better, and you know,” Embiid said, pausing to side-eye George, “add some pieces.”

The 76ers have failed to find the right pieces to build around Embiid, failing with Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden and the list goes on. Team president Daryl Morey had prepared for this opportunity for years, building a roster with essentially all expired contracts at the end of this past season. Embiid and Maxey, expected to sign a five-year, $205 million contract this summer, are the lone key holdovers on a team chasing NBA champion Boston, New York and Indiana.

George is a six-time member of the All-NBA Team. He’s a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team and was the league’s most improved player in 2013. He was a finalist for both NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he led the league with 2.21 steals per contest.

Much like Embiid, George’s injury history should give the 76ers reason for concern. George played 76 games last season, the first time he played more than 56 since 2018-19.

Still, with few available options, and plenty of cap space, the 76ers had little choice but to chase an aging — yet, still elite — star such as George.

“We’re planning on being the best team in the East next season,” Morey said during the NBA draft.



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George at least keeps them in the mix in the East.

Max Christie returning to Lakers on 4-year, $32 million deal

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FILE – Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie controls the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Dec. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

LOS ANGELES — Promising wing Max Christie is returning to the Los Angeles Lakers with a four-year, $32 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the Lakers haven’t announced the deal for their former second-round draft pick. ESPN first reported it.

The 21-year-old Christie has averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists while playing inconsistently during his first two NBA seasons, but the Lakers clearly believe in his potential.

READ: NBA: LeBron James intends to sign new deal with Lakers

The Michigan State product is a career 37.8% shooter on 3-point attempts, and he showed promise as a three-and-D wing during his stretches in the Lakers’ rotation last season, including seven starts.

New Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned Christie prominently when he spoke of the team’s promising young talent ripe for development during his introductory news conference last week.

Even with two years of NBA experience, Christie is two years younger than Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ first-round draft pick last Wednesday.

Christie’s brother, Cam, was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers last week.



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LeBron James intends to sign a new deal with Lakers

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FILE – Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures for a call in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

LeBron James is going to move toward a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul George and Klay Thompson may simply be on the move to new NBA teams.

And the NBA’s free agency period, which officially starts Sunday, suddenly has some intrigue.

James did not exercise his option to accept what would have been a $51.4 million contract for this coming season and instead is seeking a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of the decision said Saturday.

The terms of the new deal could be finalized quickly, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither James nor the Lakers revealed the decision publicly. ESPN, The Athletic and the Los Angeles Times all reported the decision earlier Saturday.

Meanwhile, George made a similar decision, the nine-time All-Star choosing to not opt-in for what would have been a $48.8 million contract this coming season with the Los Angeles Clippers — a team that he’s spent the past five years with, averaging 23 points per game. He’ll become a free agent and is planning to talk to the Clippers about a new deal and also intends to hear pitches from Orlando and Philadelphia, plus potentially others, a person briefed on George’s plans told AP on Saturday night.

READ: NBA: Lakers hope to lock down LeBron James for good next

Saturday’s moves came just ahead of the NBA’s free agency period, which formally opens at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, though at least $1.2 billion in contracts already have been agreed upon because of new rules that allowed teams to speak with their own players about new deals — in many situations — starting on the day after the NBA Finals.

Among those already having agreed to deals that cannot be finalized until the new league year opens on July 6: Toronto teammates Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, and New York’s OG Anunoby.

It was expected that James would technically be a free agent. It’s also been expected that he would stay with the Lakers.

The Lakers selected Bronny James — LeBron James’ oldest son — on Thursday in the second round of the draft, putting them in position to have the first on-court father-son duo in NBA history. And with a new deal, it’s even possible that LeBron James could sign for a lower number than he could have commanded to give the Lakers additional financial flexibility for other moves.

“He is prioritizing a roster improvement,” James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN on Saturday. “He’s been adamant about exuding all efforts to improve the roster.”

READ: Bronny James picked by Lakers in NBA draft

LeBron James is a four-time champion and is about $20 million shy of becoming the first player in league history to top $500 million in on-court earnings. Add in his many off-court ventures and investments, and his net worth has been presumed to be more than $1 billion for some time now.

He’ll turn 40 in December and will tie Vince Carter this season in terms of most seasons played in NBA history; the 2024-25 campaign will be James’ 22nd in the league. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists last season — as the oldest active player in the league.

And if he’s going to leave money on the table, he’s going to want a player who can help the Lakers contend for a title again. Among the Lakers’ potential targets: Golden State’s Klay Thompson, a free agent who could be on the move for the first time in his career.

Thompson, a starter on all four of the Warriors’ championship teams of this era and half of the famed “Splash Brothers” duo alongside 3-point king Stephen Curry, has spent all 13 of his NBA years with Golden State. And his status — will he go back to the Warriors or not? — is one of the biggest questions that’ll be answered in the coming days. It may not be financially possible for Golden State to retain Thompson.



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“We want him back. We’ve said that all along,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said on June 24. “Hopefully he’ll come back. But as far as the specifics and discussions and those types of things, I think it’s important to keep in-house and that stuff. When we figure out a solution to all that, we’ll have news for you.”

OG Anunoby will stay with New York Knicks on 5-year deal

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FILE – New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby (8) runs up the court after hitting a shot against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 2 in an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, May 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

NEW YORK  — OG Anunoby will stay with the New York Knicks on a five-year NBA contract worth more than $210 million, a person with knowledge of the details said Wednesday.

Keeping the swingman was a priority for the Knicks after they flourished when Anunoby was in the lineup after arriving in December in a trade with Toronto.

READ: NBA: Knicks improve to 5-0 since OG Anunoby trade

The deal was first reported by ESPN, which said Anunoby’s deal would be worth $212.5 million. The person confirmed the details to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract is not yet official.

The deal comes a day after the Knicks agreed to acquire Mikal Bridges in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets and means New York will have two top defensive players on the wings. Anunoby led the NBA in steals in the 2022-23 season.

The Knicks went 20-3 with Anunoby in the lineup in the NBA regular season after sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors, and outscored their opponents while Anunoby was on the floor in every one of those games.

READ: NBA: Knicks must weigh whether being healthy enough is good enough

They were up 2-0 on Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals before he had to miss the next four games after injuring his hamstring while scoring a career playoff-high 28 points in Game 2. Anunoby attempted to return in Game 7 but was still hurt and left quickly in the Knicks’ eventual loss.



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