NBA NEWS

FORMER NBA PLAYERS MALIK BEASLEY, ED DAVIS ARE LATEST TO BE CHARGED IN GAMBLING SCANDAL

Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis have been indicted in the latest round of charges in the government’s sprawling gambling investigation, authorities said Monday.

When he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024, Beasley agreed to tailor his performance based on prop bets in certain games, according to an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said Beasley and others “turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation.”

The schemes, he added, “erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public.”

Attorneys for Beasley and Davis did not immediately return messages seeking comment on charges of conspiracy and bribery.

Nocella said the scheme involved hundreds of thousands of dollars. The indictment, which names six people, says Beasley had financial woes, including millions of dollars in gambling losses, and had relied on Davis, a former teammate, for financial help.

In return for fixing his performance, Beasley got paid by his money-winning co-conspirators and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated, the indictment alleges.

In one example, Beasley dashed past four players to grab a rebound at the last second in a Milwaukee victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024. With the Bucks ahead by seven points, the shot and any rebound would not have affected the outcome.

But by hustling to grab the missed shot, Beasley finished with four rebounds that night, which was a winning prop bet, the indictment states.

“What’s funny is after he got it he had a big sigh of relief,” a co-conspirator said in a text message, according to the indictment.

Beasley last played for the Detroit Pistons in 2024-25, averaging 16 points. He is one of five players in NBA history with more than 300 3-pointers in a season, but has not played in the NBA since because of the investigation. He played briefly for a team in Puerto Rico earlier this year.

Beasley’s financial woes have been widely reported by the news media, including lawsuits by his Detroit landlord and payment disputes with a Milwaukee barber and Minnesota dentist.

Davis was a journeyman who was primarily a backup in a 12-year career that got him roughly $48 million in gross salary. He and Beasley briefly were teammates in Minnesota in the 2020-21 season.

In April, former NBA player Damon Jones, 49, became the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.

Jones entered guilty pleas to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, and filch millions of dollars from unwitting poker players.

He was accused of selling or attempting to sell insider information to bettors based on his relationships in the NBA.

One of the biggest figures in the sweeping gambling investigation is Chauncey Billups, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame who was coach of the Portland Trail Blazers when he was charged last year.

Billups is accused of participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million. He has pleaded not guilty.

Another key figure is Terry Rozier, who was on the Miami Heat when he was charged in 2025. Rozier is accused of conspiring with friends to help them win bets on his performance during a 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. He, too, has pleaded not guilty.

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FREE AGENCY STARTS TUESDAY IN NBA, AND LEBRON JAMES HAS ALL EYES ON HIM ONCE AGAIN

NBA free agency in 2026: Everyone is waiting again for James to make a decision.

James was the biggest domino to fall in the NBA’s offseason player movement period 16 years ago when he decided to join Miami, and he may be the biggest domino to fall — at least in free agency — this summer as well. Free agency opens in the NBA on Tuesday evening, with James’ future atop the list of most intriguing storylines that will be solved over the coming days and weeks.

It seems like retirement isn’t happening yet, which would mean the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored, minutes played and games played coming back for a record-extending 24th season and potentially — when including playoff contests — appearing in the 2,000th game of his career.

His options would figure to include staying with the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to Miami or Cleveland (both would have interest for obvious reasons) or even thinking about moving elsewhere like Golden State and teaming up with longtime friends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to chase one more title.

Green — who is not expected to leave Golden State — on Monday declined his $27.6 million option for next season, doing so to give the Warriors more maneuverability to add players in the coming days, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because that detail was not revealed publicly by the team, and it raises the possibility that the Warriors might now have more of a selling point to pitch to James.

“When the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do,” James said when the Lakers were eliminated this spring by Oklahoma City in a 4-0 sweep.

The time is coming.

The window when teams can begin officially talking with free agents — other than the ones on their own team, those talks could begin when the NBA Finals ended — opens at 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, and deals could be flying not long afterward.

In most cases, any new deals cannot be executed until at least the end of the NBA’s offseason moratorium on July 6.

“This period we’re in right now, kind of from mid-May to mid-July, it’s a two-month sprint through the draft, combine, free agency, Summer League, all that,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said earlier this month. “We’re super busy right now. But it’s a fun time of year. This is where we get to make decisions, shape the roster, do all that stuff.”

The NBA finalists — champion New York and runner-up San Antonio — both will have moves to make in the coming days, though they are expected to keep their cores largely intact.

Plenty of decisions and roster-shaping already has happened around the league, either by trades (such as the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster) or teams re-signing or extending their own players (such as Trae Young’s $212 million deal with Washington and Austin Reaves’ $185 million deal with the Lakers).

Miami will land Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in a trade that sends Tyler Herro, other players and draft capital to Milwaukee, but that won’t be finalized until that moratorium date passes. But in the interim, the Heat will be looking to add shooters — Tim Hardaway Jr., whose father’s number is retired in Miami, and longtime Antetokounmpo favorite Khris Middleton make a lot of sense.

The Heat will be keeping Andrew Wiggins, who on Monday exercised his $30 million option for this coming season and, according to a person familiar with the talks between the sides, has agreed in principle on a $34 million deal for the following two seasons — with 2028-29 at his option.

More trades could be coming, with a person familiar with the negotiations confirming to the AP that Toronto has spoken with the Los Angeles Clippers on the possibility of Kawhi Leonard — who led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title — returning to Ontario next season. And Boston is still believed to be holding talks about the possibility of trading 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who was the centerpiece of the Celtics’ ultimately futile offer to land Antetokounmpo in trade discussions with Milwaukee.

“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media over the weekend. He’s right: The Celtics have won 523 games with Brown in the lineup, including playoff contests, which is six more than Denver has won with Nikola Jokic over that span.

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REPORTS: HEAT F ANDREW WIGGINS OPTS IN, SIGNS EXTENSION

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins will pick up his $30.2 million player option and sign a two-year, $34 million extension with Miami, multiple outlets reported Monday.

The deal includes a player option for the third season in 2028-29, according to ESPN.

Wiggins, 31 is agreeing to a sizable pay cut with the extension — a projected $16.5 million salary in 2027-28 and $17.5 million in 2028-29 — to give the Heat more flexibility to build around new franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo, per the Miami Herald.

Wiggins averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 68 games (all starts) in his first full season with Miami in 2025-26. He shot a career-best 41.4% from 3-point distance.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Wiggins was the 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year with Minnesota. He made his lone All-Star team and won an NBA championship with Golden State in 2021-22.

Basketball

Wiggins has averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 834 career games (822 starts) for the Timberwolves (2014-20), Warriors (2020-25) and Heat.

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REPORT: LAKERS G MARCUS SMART DECLINES $5.4M OPTION

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart declined his $5.4 million player option for the 2026-27 season and will become a free agent, ESPN reported Monday.

Smart, 32, signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers in advance of the 2025-26 season. In 62 games (54 starts) last season, he averaged 9.3 points with 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Over 12 NBA seasons, Smart has averaged 10.5 points with 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 697 games (441 starts) with the Boston Celtics (2014-23), Memphis Grizzlies (2023-25), Washington Wizards (2024-25) and Lakers.

A first-round draft pick (sixth overall) by Boston in 2014, Smart was the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

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REPORTS: JAMES HARDEN OPTS OUT, NEGOTIATING NEW DEAL WITH CAVS

James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in talks about a multiyear extension after Harden declined the $42.3 million player’s option on his contract, multiple outlets reported Monday.

If the 11-time All-Star and the Cavaliers don’t reach an agreement, Harden will become a free agent.

Cleveland acquired Harden from the Clippers at the February trade deadline and sent fellow All-Star guard Darius Garland to Los Angeles.

Harden, who turns 37 in August, previously said he wants to play in Cleveland and to sign another contract with the Cavaliers.

Should that happen, Harden is expected to give up salary — perhaps $10 million or more per season — in exchange for a longer deal and more guaranteed money, per The Athletic.

That would give Cleveland some much-needed salary relief heading into next season. Cleveland had the highest payroll in the league in 2025-26.

Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 regular-season games for the Cavs, who went to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018. They were swept by the New York Knicks.

Harden has averages of 24.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 1,221 regular-season appearances (1,007 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers and Cavaliers.

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REPORT: CLIPPERS, RAPTORS IN SERIOUS KAWHI LEONARD TRADE TALKS

The Los Angeles Clippers are involved in serious discussions about a trade that would send Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors, ESPN reported Monday.

Leonard’s representatives have made it known that if the Clippers wanted to move on from Leonard that he would sign a contract extension with the Raptors, per the report.

Before signing as a free agent with the Clippers, Leonard spent one season in Toronto — 2018-19 — and led the Raptors to their only NBA title.

A native of the Los Angeles area, Leonard’s preference was to stay with the Clippers but they haven’t committed to him beyond this upcoming season, ESPN reported. He has one season left on his current contract and is due $50.3 million.

Leonard turned 35 on Monday.

If the trade goes through, Leonard would be eligible to sign a two-year extension with the Raptors worth as much as $123.7 million, according to ESPN.

Leonard is a two-time NBA champion, winning his first title in 2013-14 with the San Antonio Spurs in this third season in the league. He won the NBA Finals MVP award in both championship seasons.

The Spurs traded him to the Raptors in July 2018 in a deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio.

Leonard’s time in Los Angeles hasn’t been clear sailing.

He has been saddled with injuries, missing the entire 2021-22 season and playing only 37 games in 2024-25 and 52 in both 2020-21 and 2022-23. He made 65 starts in 2025-26 and led the Clippers in scoring (27.9) and steals (1.9).

The NBA also is investigating whether the Clippers went around the salary cap by paying him through an endorsement with Aspiration, a banking company, instead of through proper payroll channels.

Leonard is a seven-time All-Star and twice was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

The Clippers finished the season at 42-40 and were eliminated in the play-in round by the Golden State Warriors. The Raptors were 46-36 and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs in seven games.

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REPORT: KRISTAPS PORZINGIS STAYING WITH WARRIORS ON 2-YR, $40M DEAL

The Golden State Warriors signed veteran center Kristaps Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million contract on Monday, Porzingis’ agent told ESPN.

The deal includes a player option on the second season.

The Atlanta Hawks traded Porzingis to the Warriors for Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga in February, and in 15 games (11 starts) with his new team, Porzingis averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Now, he’ll stay with a Golden State franchise that, according to reports earlier Monday, has interest in bringing in both LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason.

Porzingis has been hampered in recent years by a condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which causes a rapid heart rate, dizziness and extreme fatigue.

When healthy, the 7-foot-2 Latvian has been a productive and versatile NBA big man. Porzingis has career averages of 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per game in 10 NBA seasons with the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, Hawks and Warriors. He has shot 36.4% from 3-point range for his career.

Porzingis, 30, was a key piece to the Celtics’ NBA championship in 2024, and the following season he made a career-high 41.2% of his 3-pointers (103 of 250) but was limited to 42 regular-season games in part by his illness.

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REPORT: KNICKS TO SIGN LANDRY SHAMET TO 4-YEAR, $24M DEAL

The New York Knicks are signing pending free agent guard Landry Shamet to a new four-year, $24 million contract, ESPN reported Monday.

Shamet, 29, was a key depth piece for the Knicks’ championship run this season. Shamet averaged 9.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 51 games (12 starts) during the regular season and 6.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 47.5% 3-point shooting in the playoffs for New York.

In eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards and Knicks, Shamet has averaged 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Shamet was picked in the first round (26th overall) by the 76ers in 2018.

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REPORT: HAWKS DECLINE JONATHAN KUMINGA’S $24.3M TEAM OPTION

The Atlanta Hawks have declined the $23.4 million team option on forward Jonathan Kuminga, ESPN reported on Monday.

The decision makes Kuminga an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

Kuminga, 23, was traded to Atlanta from Golden State on Feb. 5 in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. The Hawks also received Buddy Hield in the deal.

Kuminga appeared in 16 games for Atlanta with one start, averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. He played all six games of the Hawks’ first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks, averaging 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds against the eventual champions.

The Warriors selected Kuminga with the seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game from 2021-26 with Golden State and contributed to a championship-winning team during his rookie season. He signed a two-year deal worth $48.5 million with the Warriors in September but requested a trade in January as his playing time diminished.

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REPORTS: PISTONS C JALEN DUREN AIMING TO JOIN KINGS IN SIGN-AND-TRADE

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren plans to meet with the Sacramento Kings when free agency begins to pursue a sign-and-trade deal, NBA on Prime and The Athletic reported Monday.

Duren and the Pistons were far apart in recent negotiations, per reports, with the big man eligible for a five-year, $287.1 million extension — $57.42 million per year — because he was named to the All-NBA third team this year. HoopsHype recently reported that Duren’s camp was seeking $40 million per year.

While Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 70 games (all starts) in the regular season, his fourth season in the NBA, the first-time All-Star was far less effective in two playoff series for the top-seeded Pistons.

The eighth-seeded Orlando Magic and fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers both pushed Detroit to seven games before the Cavaliers eliminated the Pistons in the second round. Duren averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in 14 postseason games, including four games in single-figure scoring in the Cleveland series.

The Athletic reported that “the most likely scenario” in a Duren sign-and-trade to Sacramento would involve Domantas Sabonis being sent to Detroit.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star center/forward, has career averages of 16.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 665 career games for Oklahoma City (2016-17), Indiana (2017-22) and Sacramento (2022-26).

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REPORT: BRADLEY BEAL DECLINING CLIPPERS OPTION TO BECOME FREE AGENT

Bradley Beal will become an unrestricted free agent after declining his $5.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reported Monday.

Beal, a three-time All-Star guard with the Washington Wizards, saw his scoring decline in two seasons with the Phoenix Suns and played in just six games for the Clippers before he had season-ending surgery for a hip fracture.

Beal signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers in July 2025. The second year carried the player option.

While Beal was sidelined, the Clippers got off to a 6-21 start before Kawhi Leonard led a midseason turnaround. The franchise still chose to trade James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the deadline, and though they finished above .500 at 42-40, they lost the 9-versus-10 play-in game to the Warriors.

Beal turned 33 on Sunday, and his next steps are unclear. He managed just 8.2 points per game in his six Clippers appearances at the start of the season. He has averaged 21.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists over 807 career games with Washington (2012-23), Phoenix (2023-25) and the Clippers. He is a career 37.6% 3-point shooter.

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BLAZERS ACQUIRE JA MORANT IN 3-PLAYER DEAL WITH GRIZZLIES

Ja Morant joined the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in a trade that ended his volatile run with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Trail Blazers acquired the two-time All-Star in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.

The Blazers also were rumored to be in discussions to deal for Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown, but it was unclear if the Morant move would end those talks.

Morant is signed for two more seasons with salaries of $42.17 million (2026-27) and $44.89 million (2027-28) before he is eligible to become a free agent in 2028.

Morant, 26, played only 20 games last season and a total of 79 the past three years.

In 327 career games, Morant averaged 22.4 points, 7.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and one steal per game.

He was drafted No. 2 overall in 2019, has missed more than 100 games in his career because of injuries and was suspended 25 games in 2023 for a gun-related incident.

The Grizzlies finished 25-57 last season and have parted with most of the prime cast from their 51-win season in 2022-23, the second of their back-to-back Southwest Division titles.

Memphis traded 3-point specialist Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic before the 2025 NBA Draft and shipped two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz at the trade deadline in February.

Grant, 32, has played for five teams since entering the NBA with the 76ers in 2014. He averaged 18.6 and 3.5 rebounds per game in 57 games for the Blazers last season.

Murray, 25, just completed his third NBA season in Portland. He was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 draft and has averaged 5.3 points in 188 career games.

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