Let the talking begin. The trading, too, and eventually the signing.
Free agency officially opens Thursday in the NBA, with teams able to begin negotiating at 6 p.m. Eastern with players who are not under contract — although, in reality, free agency and the slew of offseason movement is already off and running.
John Wall and the Houston Rockets have agreed that his contract will be bought out, a move that will free him to sign with any team of his choosing, two people with knowledge of the situation said Monday night.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic has his first victory in an elimination game.
Now the young Dallas superstar gets another one — and another Game 7 to boot.
Doncic scored 33 points and the Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 113-86 on Thursday night to force a deciding game in the Western Conference semifinals.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pascal Siakam gave a pregame pep talk to keep the Raptors calm in a hostile Philly environment where they already lost twice and fell into a playoff hole.
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets aren't fazed.
They realize no team has ever won four elimination games in a single postseason series. They also know they're the only team in league history to overcome back-to-back 3-1 playoff deficits.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As down as they felt after blowing two chances to make the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers can’t wait for next season.
That’s when a healthy Kawhi Leonard is expected back in the lineup, alongside Paul George and Norman Powell.
PHOENIX (AP) — Willie Green's time as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns taught him that quick improvement can happen with the right mix of talent, desire and steady leadership.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A franchise player out for the season. A first-year head coach. A 1-12 start. The New Orleans Pelicans overcame it all and stormed back to make the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and the Pelicans rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 in a play-in Friday night and earn the West’s No.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 in a play-in Friday night and earn the No.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul George has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols and will miss the Los Angeles Clippers' play-in game against New Orleans on Friday night.
“We feel really bad for Paul and hope for a speedy recovery,” Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said in confirming George's status for the elimination game at Crypto.com Arena.
DALLAS (AP) — Just when the Dallas Mavericks finally earned home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since winning the NBA title 11 years ago, they could face multiple games without their top player.
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns guard Landry Shamet didn't practice Friday because of a left foot injury.
The Suns have the NBA's best overall record and are preparing for the first round of the playoffs against either the Clippers or Pelicans.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — All-Star guard Ja Morant believes one big difference between last postseason and these playoffs for Memphis: The Grizzlies now have playoff grit.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — From their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance to a last-gasp play-in game, the Los Angeles Clippers have been a surprisingly resilient bunch.
They finished two games above .500 despite not having superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and losing Paul George for a big chunk of it.
Patrick Beverley jumped atop a table, then cracked open a postgame beer for the whole world to see and used so many bad words that the league fined him $30,000. Miles Bridges briefly lost control of his emotions, threw his mouthpiece and was fined $50,000.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have several reasons to be confident they can make another deep playoff run. They have the No. 1 overall seed, they're talented, they're healthy and their roster has loads of continuity and postseason experience after advancing to the Finals last season.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley was fined $30,000 by the NBA on Thursday for what the league declared “inappropriate statements,” including the “egregious use of profanity” in a media interview and social media post following the team's play-in game victory.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum got New Orleans going early and Brandon Ingram took over late to send the Pelicans to Los Angeles for a chance at the final playoff spot.
McCollum scored 27 of his 32 points in the first half to carry the young Pelicans to a 113-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Trea Turner and the Los Angeles Dodgers broke open a tie game with a six-run eighth inning, then waited out the rain to take a 7-2 victory Tuesday night in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell came through with a steady stream of clutch makes. Patrick Beverley supplied the intensity in an emotional triumph over his former team.
The Minnesota Timberwolves proved they belong in the playoffs, and that rare air for this franchise is just where they're headed.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch signed a multi-year contract extension on Monday, after guiding the team to seventh place in the Western Conference and a play-in game berth.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amir Coffey had career highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder 138-88 on Sunday night to end the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic strained his left calf in Dallas’ 130-120 victory over San Antonio in what turned out to be a meaningless regular-season finale Sunday night, putting the superstar’s status in question for the playoff-bound Mavericks.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Williams scored a career-high 35 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 26 points in a season-high 45 minutes as the Chicago Bulls hung on for a 124-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night with both teams in rest-the-regulars mode in preparation for the postseason.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown added 18 and the Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the East with a 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul George put the Western Conference on notice that he is ready for the play-in tournament, and hopefully beyond.
George scored 23 points, tied a career high with 12 assists and added eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers won their fourth straight game, beating the Sacramento Kings 117-98 on Saturday night.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 21 points and nine assists in his return from soreness in his right knee, Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114 on Saturday night to tie the 2012-13 franchise record for victories in a season at 56.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers got way too comfortable against the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns and it nearly cost them.
Leading by 39 points in the third quarter, the Clippers survived an offensive onslaught by Phoenix's bench in the fourth and hung on for a 113-109 victory on Wednesday night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA-leading Phoenix Suns will be without four starters against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder are out for Wednesday night’s game in Los Angeles.
Gene Shue, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who won 784 games with the Bullets, 76ers and Clippers, has died. He was 90.
A five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marcus Morris Sr. scored 22 points, Ivica Zubac got his 22nd double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers prevented the New Orleans Pelicans from clinching a spot in the play-in tournament with a 119-100 victory Sunday night.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Joel Embiid had 44 points and 17 rebounds, James Harden recorded his second triple-double with Philadelphia and the 76ers locked up a playoff spot with a 112-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Luka Doncic continues to feel right at home when he’s facing the Milwaukee Bucks, even when his Dallas Mavericks are on the road facing a fourth-quarter deficit.
Doncic scored 32 points and matched a season high with 15 assists to help the Mavericks defeat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Bucks 118-112 on Sunday.
Dillon Brooks scored 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 122-114 on Friday night in a matchup of the NBA’s top two teams, extending their winning streak to seven.
Brooks converted a three-point play with 32 seconds left for an eight-point lead and the short-handed Grizzlies held on to snap the Suns’ nine-game winning streak.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — On a night when both the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers rested their top guys, Robert Covington made the most of an opportunity for additional playing time.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and three other regular Milwaukee Bucks starters won’t be available for their Friday night game with the Los Angeles Clippers.