Cavaliers Trade Murray to Raptors for Stewart

Lamond Murray wanted out, and the Cleveland Cavaliers granted the disgruntled forward his wish Wednesday.

Murray, who had been asking the team to trade him for months, was dealt along with a second-round draft pick to the Toronto Raptors for center Michael Stewart and a future first-round pick.

“The situation in Cleveland was, we weren’t winning a lot,” he said. “Moving on was important for me.”

A former Clipper, Murray, 30, was Cleveland’s leading scorer last season, averaging a career-high 16.6 points.

Murray has four years left on a seven-year, $29-million contract.

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Michael Jordan is expected to issue a statement later this week confirming he will play a 15th NBA season.

Jordan signed a two-year contract with the Washington Wizards when he ended his second retirement.

Despite sitting out 22 games because of knee problems last season, Jordan, 39, said he planned to fulfill the contract if he was physically able.

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Guard Eddie House, a restricted free agent, accepted a one-year, $770,000 qualifying offer to re-sign with the Miami Heat.

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An arbitrator handed the NBA a victory that should help keep team payrolls down, ruling that the 29 owners can redistribute luxury tax and escrow money any way they please.

The players’ union had filed a grievance in August, arguing that the league’s plan to withhold money from high-spending teams amounted to circumvention of the collective bargaining agreement.

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Turner Broadcasting will announce today that, beginning Oct. 31, Charles Barkley will do a weekly half-hour show on Thursdays at 4 p.m. for TNT.

Ernie Johnson also will be on the show, which will feature a weekly guest and touch on topics dealing with sports, entertainment and politics.

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Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban was married Saturday to Tiffany Stewart in Barbados. It is the first marriage for both.