9:59 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Steve Ballmer was at his coastal home about two hours outside Seattle when he got the phone call he had been waiting for. Dennis Robertson, Kawhi Leonard‘s trusted uncle and adviser, called the LA Clippers owner around 11 p.m. to inform him that Leonard was joining the Clippers. Ballmer

6:01 PM ET A blockbuster offseason that saw multiple superstars on the move has left the NBA without a consensus title favorite and put some oddsmakers in a conundrum of trying to figure out how the season will unfold. Caesars Sportsbook posted season-win totals for each team Thursday afternoon. Seven teams opened with win totals

2:23 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Speaking publicly for the first time since trading stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti expressed appreciation for both players, but he also disagreed with George’s claim that the decision to deal him was “mutual.” “I think the world of PG. I think

12:38 PM ET Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has agreed to a deal in which she pleads guilty to facilitation to first-degree murder and receives a 30-year prison sentence. Sherra Wright entered the plea Thursday during a hearing in Shelby County Criminal Court in Tennessee. Lorenzen

11:23 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Throughout Kawhi Leonard’s free agency we heard and talked a lot about his desire for secrecy and discretion in his negotiations. The three teams involved mostly abided by those wishes, lest they risk losing the two-time NBA Finals MVP over a careless leak or slip up. But on the

5:50 PM ET The mother of a Grand Rapids G League player who collapsed on the court and died from sudden cardiac arrest last year reached a settlement in her federal lawsuit against the NBA and the Detroit Pistons Wednesday. Zeke Upshaw, a guard/forward for the Pistons’ Grand Rapids Drive, died March 26, 2018, two

5:49 PM ET LOS ANGELES — A historic afternoon for the LA Clippers franchise started with a fired-up Steve Ballmer shouting his excitement and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George calling it “destiny” to play with one other. The Clippers ushered in a new era with Ballmer, arguably the NBA’s most exuberant team owner, turning an

6:59 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN For the first time in years, the NBA does not have an odds-on favorite to win the title. The dual impact of the Golden State Warriors falling in the NBA Finals then losing Kevin Durant in free agency (along with the expected loss of Klay Thompson for most of next

1:17 PM ET The San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday promoted longtime general manager R.C. Buford to CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, moving assistant general manager Brian Wright to the GM position. Buford, a two-time NBA Executive of the Year, had served as general manager since 2002 and was given the title of president of

1:11 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN After months of deliberating a handful of offers, New Orleans Pelicans rookie and No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Zion Williamson has signed a multiyear shoe deal with Jordan Brand. “I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family,” Williamson said. “Since I was a kid,