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NBA FREE AGENCY 2017: Ranking the best players (and finding out who’s actually available) Western Conference teams are leveling up to try and compete with the Warriors’ all-star quartet of former MVP’s Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, 3-point champion Klay Thompson and newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green. The Timberwolves added three-time all-star Jimmy Butler to go along with 2015 and 2016 Rookie of the Year winners Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns....

According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, the All-Star forward was set to sign with Boston. The Celtics, Heat and Jazz all coveted Hayward and took their best shots at wooing him during the free-agency moratorium period, but it appeared Boston made the biggest impression. FREE AGENCY TRACKER: Latest news, signings of top available players Now, there are conflicting reports on Hayward’s decision. While Haynes, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and USA Today’s Sam Amick initially confirmed Hayward planned to sign with the Celtics, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA....

After a long summer with no basketball, the anticipation of the season tip-off has gotten us impatient. Fortunately, there isn’t a lack of activity, it’s just low. All the free agency drama is more or less done in June, after which we have a really down month in August. But in this age of social media where multiple reliable and trust-worthy writers drop tit-bits as reports serve as great information to the public....

NBA News Roundup: Chris Paul believes LeBron James will be in the league for a lot longer than people believe Chris Paul and LeBron James have both had stellar careers and play a key role in how the league is represented in the media, as leading figures of the NBA. In this time, they have developed a bond as friends off the court. Therefore, it is no surprise that Chris Paul had strong opinions regarding LeBron’s future, a topic which has been hotly discussed in NBA News recently....

NBA News Update: Billy Donovan excited about the opportunity with Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls insider K.C.Johnson recently reported Billy Donovan’s first reactions about his new role. After spending 5 years as the head coach of the OKC Thunder, Billy was excited to be a part of the Bulls’ organization. Arturas and Billy share tremendous respect towards each other and that is believed to have played a major role behind the recent hiring....

NBA News Update: Richard Jefferson tweets in support of LeBron James after MVP snub LeBron James only receiving 16 out of 101 first-place votes for the NBA MVP has sparked a debate on the internet. The King himself voiced his displeasure to the media and also shared his thoughts on the same on Twitter. ESPN analyst and former NBA star Richard Jefferson has also come out and expressed his disappointment on this subject....

NBA News Update: Brooklyn Nets improve Steve Nash’s strong coaching staff by hiring Mike D’Antoni The Brooklyn Nets have made some bold coaching staff additions this offseason. Hiring Steve Nash in itself was a huge move and he’s been adding former colleagues to his team starting with Amar’e Stoudemire. Mike D’Antoni is no stranger either. Nash led D’Antoni’s seven seconds or less Phoenix Suns from 2004 to 2008 which also resulted in two MVP honors for the former....

The NBA first introduced the format last year when the coronavirus pandemic shortened its regular season and has retained the system in place for the current season, which was played across 72 games as opposed to the traditional 82. While the tournament adds a new layer of intrigue to the postseason, it has already gathered an illustrious list of critics, with four-time NBA champion LeBron James, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Mavs owner Mark Cuban all scathing of the format....

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-86 on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round series. Russell Westbrook had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who nearly squandered a 25-point lead but recovered from a dismal third quarter to make 10 of 16 shots in the fourth....

It’s hard to believe the Celtics — a team that relies heavily on Thomas to carry them offensively — could survive an important game at home without their star getting his usual numbers, but it makes sense when you look at the impact Thomas had in other areas of the game. With the Wizards throwing multiple defenders at him whenever he had the ball in his hands, Thomas used his gravity in a similar fashion to Stephen Curry to open up shots for his teammates in the half court....

It’s one of those things that simultaneously says a lot and doesn’t say much, but is nonetheless true. On one hand, the Western Conference is projected to be an open road for the Rockets to get to the NBA Finals, so “some noise” could mean as little as winning an unexpected game against a team with home-court advantage. At the same time, the Jazz have been successful this season because of their defense-first, slow-pace style of play....

Detroit center Andre Drummond gave Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo a two-handed shove during a shot attempt in the third quarter. Drummond was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. Pistons star Blake Griffin, who sat out due to an injury, received a technical from the bench for approaching officials after the call. Drummond did record a double-double though, totaling 12 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes....

The series was billed as Antetokounmpo against Leonard — and the former gained the early advantage when his Bucks opened up a 2-0 lead with back-to-back victories at home. However, Milwaukee could not build on their early advantage and lost the next four on the spin, finishing with Saturday’s 100-94 reverse in Toronto that sent the Raptors through to their first NBA Finals. While Toronto will be breaking new ground as a franchise, star man Leonard has won the title before with the San Antonio Spurs....

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Sunday’s matchup between the Cavaliers and Hawks has been postponed due to “Cleveland’s shortage of players.” An hour earlier, Wojnarowski reported that the Cavaliers have a COVID-19 outbreak on their roster, with five players having tested positive. Hawks star Trae Young has also entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Wojnarowski. MORE: Updated team-by-team list of players in health and safety protocols Additionally, Sunday’s meeting between the Nets and Nuggets has reportedly been postponed....

In their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, the Lakers are bidding to win a 17th NBA title, which would see them equal the Boston Celtics’ all-time record. Miami, meanwhile, returns to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, which marked their fourth consecutive appearance in the Finals. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Game 1. Tip off time—Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins at 9 p....

The Rockets are signing the forward to a partially guaranteed deal for 2019-20, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified league sources. Although Anderson wasn’t productive in 2018-19, he might be a great fit for Houston. Anderson can help stretch the floor, as he is a career 38% shooter from beyond the arc and is familiar with Houston’s system. Anderson spent two seasons with the Rockets from 2016-18, starting in 122 games during that span....

Take advantage of BetQL’s free trial and see all of today’s best NBA bets, including player props, plus what the model is projecting for every football game this week! Start your free trial today! NBA Betting Lines, Odds & Picks for Saturday Kings at Magic Prediction The only game on Saturday’s slate that doesn’t feature at least one team on a back-to-back is between the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic....

Mauer said in a recent episode of Fearless, a show from The Blaze hosted by Jason Whitlock, that some of the NBA’s over 70 referees in the union had questions about the union agreeing to a vaccine mandate. NBA players were not required to get the COVID vaccine before returning to play for the 2021-22 season, as the NBA Players Association pushed back on a full mandate. The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Referees Association, however, did include a vaccine mandate, and by the start of the season only four referees, including Mauer, were not vaccinated, Mediaite reported....