Laettner Sent to Dallas in Five-Player Deal

Forwards Christian Laettner, who was almost a Laker, and Terry Mills were traded Tuesday by the Detroit Pistons to the Dallas Mavericks for forwards Cedric Ceballos and John Wallace, guard Eric Murdock and cash.

“This is another piece to our puzzle,” said Don Nelson, Maverick coach and general manager. “We felt that getting another big player was a priority this summer.”

Laettner, who will split time with center Shawn Bradley and will play some forward in Dallas, was in the last year of his contract in Detroit.

He was almost traded to the Lakers last week in a four-team deal that fell through.

Laettner, a 6-foot-11, former first-round draft pick from Duke, averaged 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds and started all 82 games last season for Detroit.

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The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks are talking about a trade that would send veteran center Patrick Ewing to Washington, the Washington Post reported.

The Wizards would receive only Ewing, 38, from the Knicks, sources said. Although the player New York would acquire is not known, it is likely that at least one of Washington’s high-priced players--Juwan Howard, Rod Strickland or Mitch Richmond--would be part of the deal because of Ewing’s $14-million salary.

Howard, who has a contract of $55 million over the next three seasons, would seem to be the player most likely to be offered by the Wizards. New York is stocked at guard and has tried to acquire power forwards through trades or free agency this summer.

Miscellany

Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., tested a new “soft wall” that could lessen the impact on a driver when cars hit. The retaining wall is made of plastic foam covered by a polyethylene coating.

Track officials tested the wall by lifting a car 100 feet, then dropping it onto the wall. When the car hit the wall, at an estimated 60 mph, the front end was destroyed but the driver’s area appeared to be intact.

Lowe’s tests were a reaction to the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin earlier this year. Their cars hit the concrete wall in separate accidents at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Head trauma was ruled as the cause of death of a Garfield High football player who died last week, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.

Christian Castaneda, 15, collapsed after removing himself from a scrimmage Aug. 22. He was taken by paramedics to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and died Aug. 24.

Scott Carrier, spokesman for the coroner’s office, said an autopsy was performed Tuesday and that Castaneda’s death was ruled an accident.

Funeral arrangements for Castaneda are pending.

A Croatian who was arrested for stalking tennis star Martina Hingis remains in prison in Miami-Dade County jail because he refuses to agree to stay away from her for two years.

Dubravko Rajcevic, 45, was arrested in April and claims he and Hingis have a romantic relationship.

The charges against him would be dropped if he agreed to keep away from Hingis, who is playing in the U.S. Open. But he refuses because, he said, “Martina wouldn’t want that.”

Trial is set for Sept. 18.

New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner has formed a partnership with former drag racer Darrell Gwynn in an NHRA team. Mike Dunn will drive the Yankee top fuel dragster.

Jason Parker, a highly recruited power forward who was turned down by the University of North Carolina earlier this month, enrolled at Kentucky and will be eligible to play for the Wildcats this season.

Washington Athletic Director Barbara Hedges reversed her decision last month to cut the swimming program after the 2000-01 season because, she said, there’s more interest in keeping the sport than she believed.

Cyclist Oscar Freire, of Spain, won the fourth leg of the Tour of Spain in Albacetin. Swiss rider Alex Zulle kept the overall lead in the 21-stage competition.

Golf

Tiger Woods has won the PGA player-of-the-year award for the third time in four years. The award, which is decided on points earned from tour victories, was announced earlier than usual because Woods already has an insurmountable 255 points. Phil Mickelson is second with 64.

Sergio Garcia’s victory over Woods in the made-for-TV “Battle at Bighorn” Monday on ABC got a national rating of 7.6 with a 13 share. The L.A. rating was even more impressive--9.7 with a 17 share. Last year, the “Showdown at Sherwood” in which Woods beat David Duval got a 6.9 national rating with a 12 share.

Jan Stephenson shot a one-under-par 71 for a three-stroke victory in the Hy-Vee Classic in Des Moines, the second stop on the new Women’s Senior Golf Tour.

Annika Sorenstam won $22,500 on the first day of the LPGA Skins competition at Roseneath, Canada.

Jurisprudence

Yao Agbegbon, a cab driver injured in the January car accident that killed NBA star Bobby Phills, is suing the estate of the former Charlotte Hornet guard.

Agbegbon, one of two motorists hurt when Phills lost control of his Porsche while driving in excess of 100 mph, is seeking $10,000 in damages.

Hockey

Holdout goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who sat out last season during a contract dispute with the Phoenix Coyotes, practiced with the team for the first time in more than a year. Incoming part-owner Wayne Gretzky says that’s a sign Khabibulin might be headed back to Phoenix.

Gretzky will become director of hockey operations for the Coyotes when he and partner Steve Ellman take control of the team, possibly next month.

The Montreal Canadiens re-signed center Trent McCleary, who almost died last season after he was struck in the throat by a slap slot, to a one-year contract.

Olympics

U.S. Olympic officials bowed to a federal court and asked the International Olympic Committee to place Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Lindland on the U.S. team for the Sydney Games.

While complying with U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s ruling, which forced it to choose Lindland over Keith Sieracki, the U.S. Olympic Committee asked the same Chicago-based appeals court to overturn Zagel’s order.

The IOC has the authority to turn down the request to put Lindland on the team, USOC spokesman Mike Moran said, adding that the deadline for changes has passed.

Brent Butler, a second baseman, was dropped from the U.S. Olympic baseball team after breaking a bone in his right hand. . . . Canadian gold-medal rower Marnie McBean withdrew from the Sydney Olympics citing a back lower back injury.