NBA: Suns lose guard Brandon Knight for the season to a torn ACL
Phoenix Suns backup point guard Brandon Knight tore his left ACL while playing in a pro-am game last week in Miami and will be lost for the coming season.
The Suns said Tuesday an examination by team doctor Tom Carter determined the surgery would be required.
Knight’s playing time diminished as last season progressed and the Suns chose to go with younger players. He appeared in 50 games, averaging 11 points and 2.4 assists.
Knight came to Phoenix in a three-team trade with Milwaukee and Philadelphia in 2015.
He has been unhappy with his role and the Suns had been expected to try to trade him, a deal that would be complicated by his contract. He has three years and about $44 million left on his contract.
Stephen Curry and Warriors finalize $201-million, five-year deal
Stephen Curry has delivered his share of success already to a franchise that desperately needed it. Now, he’s being paid for all he has done — and certainly will do.
Curry finalized his new contract Tuesday, signing a $201 million, five-year deal with the champion Golden State Warriors that initially was the richest ever, until James Harden topped it with a $228 million extension from the Rockets.
Considered overlooked and undersized when he arrived on the NBA scene after being drafted seventh overall out of Davidson College in 2009, Curry has silenced the doubters with every spot-on heave from half-court.
The two-time NBA MVP, who earned $12 million this season as one of the league’s biggest bargains, averaged 28.1 points in the playoffs while also contributing 6.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds. Now, he will earn $40 million per season.
“Just happy to be a leader on this team that can understand the goals that we set out for ourselves and try to get it done the best way we could,” Curry said immediately after the Game 5 title clincher in the NBA Finals last month.
NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant also signed his new contract worth approximately $53 million over the next two years as Golden State announced its deals with returning free agents.
Starting center Zaza Pachulia has a $3.5 million, one-year contract. Andre Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP, received a three-year contract with $48 million guaranteed; fellow key reserve Shaun Livingston is getting $24 million and three years, and David West earned a one-year deal for the veteran minimum $2.3 million.
Trail Blazers trade Crabbe to Nets for Nicholson
The Portland Trail Blazers have traded Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Andrew Nicholson.
The deal, first reported by ESPN, comes a year after the Nets offered Crabbe a four-year, $75 million deal as a restricted free agent. The Trail Blazers matched that offer.
A 6-foot-6 wing, Crabbe averaged 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists last season in Portland. He hit 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers.
“Allen has been a model teammate on the court and ambassador for the organization off the court,” Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said in a statement. “He will be missed by all of us who shared the last four seasons with him.
Nicholson, who was traded from Washington to the Nets at the deadline in February, averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds last season. Portland is expected to waive the 6-foot-9 power forward.
Muscala signs two-year, $10 million deal to remain with Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed power forward Mike Muscala to a two-year, $10 million deal.
The 6-foot-11 Muscala, who was an unrestricted free agent, could play a bigger role as he returns for his fifth season following the departures of Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard.
Muscala set career highs by averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 70 games, including three starts, last season. He scored in double figures in 20 games and ranked second on the team by making 50.4 percent of his shots from the field.
The team announced the signing Tuesday.
Afflalo takes 1-year deal to return to Orlando
A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that the Orlando Magic have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran guard Arron Afflalo.
The Magic and Afflalo came to agreement on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the deal.
Afflalo averaged 8.4 points and shot 41 percent on 3-pointers last season for Sacramento. The 12-year veteran was a standout performer for the Magic for two seasons earlier in his career, from 2012-13 through 2013-14.
For his career, Afflalo has averaged 11.3 points and 3.0 rebounds for six different teams.
ESPN first reported the agreement.
Cavaliers sign Rose to a one-year contract
Derrick Rose has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who now have a possible replacement for Kyrie Irving.
Rose is getting a one-year, $2.1 million contract from the Cavaliers. The free agent gives Cleveland a proven player to handle point-guard duties if it chooses to trade Irving. Irving recently told the team he wants to be traded despite making it to three straight NBA Finals.
The 28-year-old Rose now has a chance to compete for a championship alongside LeBron James, a fellow former league MVP.
A three-time All-Star and the 2011 MVP, Rose averaged 18 points and 4.4 assists last season while shooting 48 percent from the field with New York. Although he has been injury prone, Rose played in 64 games for the Knicks and in 181 over the past three seasons.
Rose has averaged 19.5 points and 6 assists in eight seasons as a pro.
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