9:40 PM ET Marc J. Spears The Golden State Warriors have signed free-agent guard Tyler Ulis to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source told ESPN. Ulis, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound guard, picked the Warriors over the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals paying the minimum salary. They also can be used

6:44 PM ET BOSTON — Kyrie Irving looks different. He has just jogged off the Auerbach Center court after an informal pick-up session with his Boston Celtics teammates and his distinctly more chiseled upper body is beaded with sweat. He’s sporting a headband to keep a fuller noggin of hair at bay, and he’s smiling.

Sep 21, 2018 Joel Embiid, no stranger to overcoming the rigors of the NBA, says Phoenix Suns rookie Deandre Ayton is about to be introduced to a process all his own. Embiid, in an interview Friday on ESPN’s The Jump at Philadelphia 76ers media day, said the 2018 No. 1 draft pick will have his

2:17 PM ET The initial trade market for Jimmy Butler is confused and cool, league sources say, as teams contemplate their appetite for risk and wonder whether the Timberwolves can coalesce around trade talks — or whether Tom Thibodeau’s reported desire to keep Butler at all costs wins the day. The three teams on Butler’s

8:51 PM ET Our annual NBArank forecast of the 100 best players this season is in the books as LeBron James takes the throne for the eighth straight season. Let’s examine a few other trends we’re seeing as we wrap up the countdown for 2018-19. The King: Eight years of NBArank reign After Klay Thompson

10:33 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Saying he understands that the revamped Los Angeles Lakers will need time to mesh, Magic Johnson said he told head coach Luke Walton not to worry if the team gets off to a bumpy start. “As I was talking to Luke [with GM Rob Pelinka], we said don’t

1:33 PM ET CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers formally introduced Elton Brand on Thursday as their new general manager, the culmination of a months-long process to identify and install a new senior basketball executive. Sitting alongside Brand at the dais, Philadelphia controlling owner Joshua Harris cited his new general manager’s work ethic, intelligence and

2:59 AM ET Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler formally requested a trade Wednesday — and that set off a series of events that eventually involved former NBA player Stephen Jackson, Minnesota small forward Andrew Wiggins and Andrew’s brother Nick Wiggins. Butler and Andrew Wiggins have been teammates for only one season, as Minnesota

10:14 PM ET ESPN News Services Three NBA stars who grew up in North Carolina — Golden State‘s Stephen Curry, Houston‘s Chris Paul and Washington‘s John Wall — have teamed to support Hurricane Florence reliefs effort with a fundraising website. Paul, a native of Winston-Salem who attended Wake Forest, donated $25,000 to get the donations

1:09 PM ET The New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday waived Emeka Okafor, who made a comeback with the team last season after being out of the NBA for the previous four seasons. Okafor, 35, averaged 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1 block in 26 games with New Orleans last season. A herniated disk in his