3:57 PM ET First-year Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas said he had a “good conversation” with James Harden before the perennial All-Star’s first practice of the season Monday, but they did not discuss Harden’s reported desire to be traded. “You can ask him about his commitment and all that sort of thing,” said Silas, who
NBA
7:08 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After a chaotic offseason that saw the NBA draft and free agency compressed into a single week — followed almost immediately by abbreviated training camps amid teams adjusting to newly implemented COVID-19 testing protocols — the chase is on to see if the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to
11:27 PM ET NEW YORK — After a year and a half of Achilles rehabilitation, Kevin Durant returned to the basketball court for the first time on Sunday night for the Brooklyn Nets preseason game against the Washington Wizards. “I was anxious, nervous,” Durant said afterward. “I visualized this moment for so long. Nine, ten
8:17 AM ET The 2020-21 NBA season has arrived. Preseason games tipped off last week, and the regular season is scheduled to begin Dec. 22, just 71 days after the NBA Finals ended. After successfully finishing the 2019-20 season in a bubble environment at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the league —
1:34 AM ET Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are back. For the first time in more than nine months, Curry and his team were back on an NBA floor in a 107-105 preseason win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Curry went 3-for-10 from the field, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes,
4:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Saturday that he is unsure the team’s biggest addition this offseason, center Tristan Thompson, will be ready to play in time for Boston’s season opener at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 23. “I think that’s hard to say right now,” Stevens said after
11:41 PM ET John Wall vowed that he’d return to his previous All-Star form after missing almost two years because of heel and Achilles tendon injuries. His preseason debut with the Houston Rockets on Friday night at least hinted at that hope being possible. It was also quite an encouraging first step in a Rockets
7:03 PM ET The Dallas Mavericks plan to release veteran point guard and fan favorite J.J. Barea, sources told ESPN. The Mavs plan to sign Courtney Lee to replace Barea on the training camp roster, according to sources. The Mavs anticipated releasing Barea, 36, when they signed him to a one-year deal worth the veterans
4:44 PM ET Bradley Beal says he won’t study film of how Kevin Durant, Paul George and James Harden played alongside Russell Westbrook to get tips or insight into his new backcourt mate. The Washington Wizards guard says his first week with Westbrook has been “smooth sailing” so far and he wants to learn Westbrook’s
7:35 PM ET NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have each been fined $25,000 by the NBA for failure to comply with the league’s media rules. “The fines result from Irving’s refusal on several occasions this week to participate in the team media availability,” the NBA said in a statement Thursday. The
2:37 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Last season, then-Indiana Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke wasn’t much of a fan of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. These days, however, Embiid said things are a lot different, for one big reason: They’re now on the same team. “It’s easy to say stuff when you’re playing against somebody,” Embiid
7:04 PM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman are both “very unlikely” to play in the team’s three preseason games, coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. “Neither one will play Saturday and very unlikely to play either game in Sacramento, too,” Kerr said during a video conference call
1:17 PM ET Six-time All-Star forward Paul George has signed a maximum contract extension with the LA Clippers that guarantees him as much as $226 million over the next five years, his agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, told ESPN. The Clippers are extending George’s contract for an additional four years at $190 million on
3:42 PM ET Houston Rockets star James Harden must have six consecutive negative COVID-19 tests before the NBA clears him to practice with the team, a league source told ESPN. Harden, the eight-time All-Star who has requested to be traded to a contender, did not report to the Toyota Center for COVID-19 testing until Tuesday,
4:57 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN There’s a multimillion dollar question looming over the NBA that only Giannis Antetokounmpo has the answer to. However, the Bucks superstar didn’t put to bed any speculation on his long-term future in Milwaukee on Wednesday, instead saying he will put faith in his agent and the team’s front office to
10:30 AM ET While the NBA expects positive COVID-19 cases throughout the 2020-21 season, league sources told ESPN there isn’t a specific number of positive cases or a precise scenario that could cause a game to be canceled or postponed. In conjunction with league and team health officials, the NBA will consider several variables, including
8:25 PM ET After a conference call with the NBA on Tuesday night, the National Basketball Coaches Association told ESPN its full membership is prepared to participate in the upcoming NBA season despite high rates of coronavirus infection and spread in many parts of the country. “As we enter the season, all of the protocols
5:54 PM ET LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first preseason game looming Friday against the LA Clippers — which will be just six days into training camp and 61 days since their clinching Game 6 NBA Finals victory — coach Frank Vogel sounds like he’s calling off the big guns. “We haven’t