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Among the ideas being formally explored: — A midseason cup-style tournament — A postseason play-in tournament — A shorter regular season from the current 82 games Per ESPN.com: “According to those with knowledge of the conversation, which sources regard as very exploratory, the proposed reforms would be adopted initially as a pilot program. The NBA would have the chance to observe the trial run and evaluate the long-term viability of such a schedule design....

However, the West Coast franchise has been reluctant about a deal for Simmons since the beginning of the offseason due to the Sixers’ high asking price. Now, according to the latest NBA rumors, it appears the Warriors organization is also split about his potential fit with Draymond Green. ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Stephen A. Smith discussed the issue on the former’s ‘Lowe Post’ podcast on Tuesday. Both confirmed that those within the Dubs franchise are divided regarding Ben Simmons playing alongside Green in the Warriors frontcourt....

The 37-year-old is under contract with the team until the end of the 2022-23 season. However, as per Jack Fischer from Bleacher Report, if he doesn’t sign an extension this summer, the Purple and Gold could lose the services of the four-time NBA champion. At the end of his contract, LeBron James will be aged 38 and will be an unrestricted free agent. This leaves the door open for him to go to any team in the league that has the cap space to sign him....

Bam Adebayo is the only recognized center on the Miami Heat with some experience and the franchise has decided to remedy the situation. As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Heat are planning to sign free agent center Dewayne Dedmon. Dewayne Dedmon last played for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019-20 season, averaging 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He was waived by the Hawks before the start of this campaign....

That didn’t happen because the Heat ran into the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. Since then, James moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the pull of his supreme talent was indicated in the GM survey for the 2014-15 NBA season. MORE: Under pressure in ‘14-15 | The year after: Following up 20-win jumps | Impact rookies The Cavaliers were predicted to win the Eastern Conference and Central Division, while also being named the team that made the best offseason acquisitions....

It was an offseason for the ages, but summer has turned to autumn and the games are about to count for real this time. The Raptors look to defend their title without Kawhi Leonard, who is now a member of the Clippers. Los Angeles is the biggest city in the NBA again, as both the Clippers and LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Lakers are eyeing the NBA Finals behind immense star power acquired during the offseason....

Malcolm Brogdon was named the Rookie of the Year after he was selected 36th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016. Draymond Green was picked 35th by the Golden State Warriors in the 2012 draft and became an instrumental part of three NBA championship teams. Isaiah Thomas, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap were second-round draft choices, and all have gone on to make at least one All-Star team. Here are five players projected to be picked in the second round of this year’s draft who could make an impact....

Cleveland is hanging on for dear life after a 137-116 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. They still have to push a gigantic boulder up the mountain if they want to win the title, but the Cavs can build on what they did in their first win of the series. MORE: These Warriors are poised to change Bay Area championship history As for the Warriors, Steve Kerr’s squad must be at least slightly disappointed in suffering its first playoff loss....

Green who is arguably the team’s most important player has been in the eye of a storm in recent times. In the Wester Conference finals, he had trouble controlling his appendages and came under heavy storm when his right foot inexplicably made contact with Steven Adam’s groin region for which he was lucky to be given a flagrant-1 foul. The Warriors who are currently leading the Finals three games to one, were practicing when the news came through....

With Kyrie Irving out for the remainder of the playoffs, the point spread and total have been adjusted for Game 2 (8 p.m. ET, ABC). About seven hours before tipoff, Golden State is a 7.5- to 8-point favorite, and the total is around 200.5. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current Las Vegas lines. After 10,000 simulations, AccuScore gives the Warriors a 75.6 percent chance to win the game outright....

The 28-year-old wing would “be willing to return to the Pistons” if the “finances were in order,” according to a report from The Athletic, which cites an unidentified league source. Detroit is also interested in bringing back Bullock, according to an earlier report from the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons sent Bullock, who was having a career season, to the Lakers in exchange for Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and a second-round draft pick before the trade deadline....

The Nets guard has declined his $12.3 million player option for the 2021-22 season, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Winfield reports that Dinwiddie, who missed nearly the entire 2020-21 campaign after partially tearing his right ACL in a Dec. 27 game against the Hornets, is “unlikely” to re-sign with the Nets. MORE: Warriors owner speaks out on Stephen Curry contract extension...

The flop in question took place during Monday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the league issued the warning on Wednesday morning. There will be no further action taken by the league at the moment, but a second violation would result in a $5,000 fine. LaMelo Ball has been a standout for the Hornets this season, and has already been the star of multiple highlight plays. The rookie is still learning the physicality and pace of the NBA, and will likely grow from this experience....

Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets are also attempting to make big moves as they look to build a roster that can compete during the 2019/20 season. So, here are all the latest NBA rumours you need to know for June 25. Celtics and Sixers opted against trading for Kawhi Leonard due to their belief that he would end up in Los Angeles When Kawhi Leonard refused to sign a new long-term deal with the Spurs last summer, the franchise opted to send Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Potl and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick....

Golden State is a 10.5-point favorite with a total of 219.5 at MGM Resorts in Las Vegas. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current Game 1 spreads and totals. With an average score after AccuScore ran its 10,000-plus simulations of Golden State 113, Houston 100, our best bet tonight is on UNDER. There’s nearly a 61 percent chance the total combined score in Game 1 stays UNDER 219....

The Milwaukee Bucks center loves the national burrito chain. So do many of his colleagues. NBA players bounce from city to city on road trips, and few things are as reliable as that burrito or bowl or tacos. E. coli and norovirus cannot take that away. MORE: Midseason NBA award picks | Best player at each number “I’m not worried; I’ll be all right,” Henson told Sporting News recently. “I actually like it more now because the lines aren’t as long....

Not only did the Cavs get the largest halftime lead in NBA postseason history (41 points), the Cavs also gave Boston its largest halftime deficit of any home game since the start of the shot clock era. And, oh, the Cavs beat the No. 1 seed in the East by 44 points. That’s important to note. MORE: Cavs absolutely embarrass Celtics We could wax poetic about what this means for Boston (nothing good) or how this elevates the seemingly inevitable NBA Finals matchup between the Cavs and Warriors....

In the end, the Trail Blazers claimed a 100-96 victory to advance to the Western Conference finals. Here are three takeaways from Portland’s big win CJ McCollum could be just as important as Damian Lillard Damian Lillard was terrible when it came to shooting the basketball. The Trail Blazers star was scoreless in the first quarter and finished with 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting. But CJ McCollum kept Portland in the game....

The Pacers, however, weren’t going to go down without a fight. Indiana kept the game close throughout the entire matchup and even led by two at the half. Boston stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford didn’t have a strong first half as they struggled to shoot, but they were determined to change the course of the game in the second. The Pacers held the lead until the final seconds of the third quarter before the Celtics managed to pull ahead by one when Marcus Morris made a pair of free throws to make it 73-72 entering the fourth....