Aug 1, 2021 Associated Press SAITAMA, Japan — The U.S. and Spain played for Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, then faced each other in the semifinals in 2016. And at the Tokyo Games, the top teams in the FIBA world rankings will meet again — just earlier than has been the norm. The three-time

11:18 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul has formally declined the $44 million player option on his contract for next season, but both Paul and the Suns are motivated to negotiate a new deal once talks can begin at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday. Paul had a

7:00 AM ET The NBA offseason has begun. While the playoffs are still in full swing, 26 teams are already looking ahead to next season and making moves in free agency and trades. Prior to last offseason, the 2021 NBA free-agent class was seen as potentially historic. Players like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George,

2:31 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis is declining his $3.8 million player option and will become a free agent, agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday. The most the Bucks can offer Portis is a $5.9 million exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The 26-year-old Portis was one of the more

5:34 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers are nearing a deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire Russell Westbrook for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a 2021 first-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Harrell has opted into his $9.7 million player option for next season, paving the way for the potential deal.

Jul 30, 2021 Oklahoma City added to its stockpile of future first-round picks as the Utah Jazz traded a future No. 1 and center Derrick Favors to the Thunder for a 2027 second-round pick, it was announced Friday. Before the move, the Thunder already had 12 first-round picks above and beyond their own — some

9:46 AM ET SAITAMA, Japan — The best thing Team USA had going for it this summer was Kevin Durant committing to play. Saturday he reminded everyone why. On a night when he became the all-time leading American scorer in the Olympics, Durant added another tremendous performance to his Team USA resume in a 119-84

8:10 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN It’s been a long time since the Detroit Pistons were a factor in the Eastern Conference. They’re hoping Cade Cunningham can be the player to finally get them back to prominence after making the Oklahoma State star the top overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft on Thursday night at

5:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Boston Celtics were involved in a pair of moves to reshuffle their roster Friday that saw them ship out center Tristan Thompson and bring back three players: guard Kris Dunn and center Bruno Fernando from the Atlanta Hawks and guard Josh Richardson from the Dallas Mavericks. The first deal

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders With the 2021 NBA draft in the books, it’s time to shift the focus to the free-agency frenzy, where a host of storylines are set to dominate the next few weeks. Did the Los Angeles Lakers make the right move, opting to swing a blockbuster deal for Russell Westbrook over