New Orleans acquires Trevor Ariza as part of four-team trade

The New Orleans Hornets traded for forward Trevor Ariza on Wednesday, part of a four-team deal that involved the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers.

In exchange for Ariza, who signed a five-year, $34-million contract with Houston last year, the Hornets shipped second-year point guard Darren Collison and forward James Posey to the Pacers. Troy Murphy left the Pacers for the Nets, who sent guard Courtney Lee to Houston.

Ariza was a starting forward for the Lakers in 2009 when they won the NBA championship. He averaged a career-high 14.9 points for the Rockets last season.

In another move, the Hornets acquired guard Marco Belinelli from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward Julian Wright.

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Less than a week after being named a consultant for the New York Knicks, Isiah Thomas announced he has rescinded the contract because of a violation of certain NBA bylaws.

Thomas was named a Knicks consultant last Friday and was expected to maintain his position as head coach at Florida International University while serving in a supportive role that was to include player recruitment and assisting current team President Donnie Walsh in various capacities.

Those duties have apparently violated the conflict of interest rules between collegiate and professional basketball.

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Court documents say the ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright told police that he left her home carrying money and a box of drugs the night he disappeared.

In an affidavit for a search warrant by Memphis, Tenn., police Sgt. W.D. Merritt, Sherra Wright says her ex-husband left at 10:30 p.m. on July 18 with the drugs. Lorenzen Wright returned a short time later, then left again with the drugs and money.

The affidavit obtained Wednesday says that before he left, Sherra Wright said she overheard her ex-husband on the telephone telling someone that he was going to “flip something for $110,000.”

Wright was shot to death and his body found July 28 in woods outside Memphis. The 34-year-old had been missing for 10 days.

SOCCER

David Beckham’s international career appears over after England Coach Fabio Capello said Wednesday the former captain is too old to play for the national team — without notifying him first.

Capello said the 35-year-old midfielder will have the chance to play in a friendly “farewell game” but will not be part of England’s team in qualifying for the 2012 European Championship.

Beckham has played 115 times for England, second behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s 125 from 1970-90.

Beckham has repeatedly said he has no plans of retiring from playing for England. He went to the World Cup in South Africa in June as a member of Capello’s off-field staff after being sidelined following Achilles’ tendon surgery.

There was no immediate comment from Beckham, who was training with the Galaxy.

But a statement issued by his spokesman, Simon Oliveira, said: “There has been no discussion of retirement. He will always be available for his country, when fit and if needed he will be there.”

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England beat Hungary in a friendly, 2-1, at Wembley Stadium, as captain Steven Gerrard scored twice in a five-minute span.

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David Silva’s injury-time goal gave Spain a 1-1 draw with Mexico in the team’s first match since winning the World Cup a month ago.

Silva struck in the second minute of added time in a match for which the Spanish arrived late Monday, leaving their players little time to get accustomed to Mexico City’s altitude of 7,350 feet. Silva scored from 10 yards after breaking free into the area.

Javier Hernandez, who signed with Manchester United before the World Cup, scored in the 12th minute to give Mexico the lead.

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Laurent Blanc’s first match as France’s coach was no more successful than Raymond Domenech’s finale. Erik Huseklepp scored twice to lead Norway to a 2-1 exhibition victory in Oslo.

All 23 players of France’s World Cup squad were dropped for the match against a non-World Cup team following their strike during training in South Africa.

ETC.

Novak Djokovic earned a 7-5, 7-5 win over France’s Julien Benneteau at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Andy Murray, the defending champion who is ranked fourth in the world, beat Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, 7-5, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal, the world No. 1, will take center stage Wednesday night. He will face Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka.

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A California woman sued the governing body of U.S. competitive swimming and her former coach, claiming he sexually abused, humiliated and harassed her when she was a teenager training under his supervision.

The suit announced in San Jose is one of several around the country alleging USA Swimming covered up wrongdoing and allowed a culture of abuse to exist in coaching ranks.

USA Swimming declined to comment on the latest case but said it investigates misconduct complaints and revokes membership if behavior was inappropriate.

The lawsuit claims swim coach Norman Havercroft sexually abused Jancy Thompson over a five-year period in the 1990s, beginning when she was about 15. The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse. However, the now 28-year-old has chosen to speak publicly.

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Montana State University was right to fire former women’s basketball coach Robin Potera-Haskins in March 2004 and may not have done so soon enough, a federal judge has ruled.

Potera-Haskins filed a wrongful discharge lawsuit against Montana State, but most of her claims were dismissed with the exception of a sexual discrimination claim that the women’s basketball program was given inferior treatment compared to the men’s program.

During a four-day bench trial before U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Butte in April, former players testified that Potera-Haskins was verbally abusive, that she lied to them and displayed erratic behavior. Six players left the team or the university after the 2002-03 season.