"LeBron is in my top 10 (of all-time) BUT he's No. 10..…
August 11, 2022 | 11:23 am EDT Update
Kevin Durant received eight-figure check from Nets the day after he requested trade
On June 30, Kevin Durant formally asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him. On July 1, league sources say Durant was owed and received an eight-figure check from the Nets — one of two massive advance payments that the disgruntled superstar is scheduled to collect from Brooklyn by Oct. 1 while he’s also in the midst of lobbying the team to move him. If it wasn’t sufficiently audacious that Durant is demanding a trade before playing a single game under the four-year, $194 million contract extension he signed in August 2021, there’s even more to consider.
Dario Saric, 28, was forced to sit out the entire 2021-22 NBA season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals. But he is cleared for action and set up for the Chequered Ones. “I missed the national team, it is always an honor and pride to play for Croatia,” he explained to gathered reporters during a break from practice, “The feeling of being back is fantastic. After the end of the NBA season, I trained there until mid-July. I was preparing to be as fit as possible. I feel good. It’s nice to be with these players.”
Coming in for his fourth participation in EuroBasket, he will join forces with fellow NBA players Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Bojan Bogdanovic of the Utah Jazz. From there, he intends to return to the Suns for the 2022-23 season. “Right now, the plan is to go back to Phoenix,” Saric said referring to his contract lasting through the next season, “I talked with the coach, but you never know in the NBA. I don’t worry about that. I am trying to come back from injury and my focus is on the national team.”
Christos Tsaltas: Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in the game between Greece and Spain in Madrid due to knee soreness. #HellasBasketball #FeartheDeer
Quinton Mayo: The Washington Wizards unveil their 2022-23 Classic Edition jerseys. These uniforms celebrate the team’s 25th anniversary since rebranding to the Wizards name in 1997. Washington saw four postseason appearances in the original uniforms. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/U51UE2JAbI
August 11, 2022 | 2:12 am EDT Update
Robert Williams not available in potential trade involving Kevin Durant
There’s good reason for pessimism, Durant’s ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai did not light a fire under trade talks. If anything, it made it far less likely a deal gets done in the short term. — why would Boston improve its offer now? It robbed the Nets of leverage. For example, Brooklyn was trying to get Boston to put Smart in the trade, but why would they even consider it now? That said, even without Smart (or Robert Williams III, sources told NBC Sports he is not available), a Celtics offer with Jaylen Brown may be the best one the Nets will see.
Chris Mannix: I had one executive who was not involved in the Durant sweepstakes say to me ‘if the Nets don’t have the stomach to bring him to training camp, they should find a way to do a deal with Boston because they’re not going to get a better player in a deal than Jaylen Brown’.
