u/YujiDomainExpansion

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7556446/2026/09/01/kroenke-sports-entertainment-acquire-angels-anaheim-mlb/?unlocked_article_code=1.91A.yhIb.UKX8I0y0SN3a&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

Arte Moreno has agreed to sell the Los Angeles Angels to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, ending Moreno’s longtime ownership of the Major League Baseball franchise and adding to Kroenke’s large portfolio of sports teams.

The deal, announced Tuesday by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, pending approval by MLB’s owners.

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So that’s where the Peyton Watson tax money went.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7541898/2026/08/28/anthony-edwards-jonathan-kuminga-timberwolves/?unlocked\_article\_code=1.81A.oXpr.aK2sPWTwGd7c&source=user\_shared\_article&smid=ta-ios-share

As Jonathan Kuminga mulled over where his basketball journey would take him next, he got a call from Anthony Edwards that put the Minnesota Timberwolves front and center in his mind.

Edwards and Kuminga are kindred basketball spirits, in a way. Two high-flyers who like to put the ball in the basket and delight in breaking down a defender off the dribble with the shot clock winding down. But what really resonated with Kuminga about the conversation, his agent, Aaron Turner, said, was that Edwards didn’t talk about scoring at all.

“Ant was super active in the recruitment of him,” Turner told The Athletic. “One thing he did was focus his message on, we’re gonna really guard here. Everybody looked at the offensive end. JK and I looked more at the defensive end.”

Turner is well aware of the perception surrounding his client. Kuminga spent his first four-and-a-half seasons with the Golden State Warriors, and his relationship with coach Steve Kerr grew contentious before he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in February. Some painted Kuminga as a player more concerned with becoming a featured scorer than with fitting in with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the championship-chasing Warriors.

Kuminga’s decision to turn down significantly more money from the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls this week in favor of a two-year, $12 million offer from the Timberwolves could help change that view of him as a single-minded player. The deal has a player option for 2027-28, giving Kuminga the flexibility to re-enter the market next summer if bigger deals become available. But Turner said that money did not play a role in Kuminga’s decision this time around.

“We sat at the gym this week, and I asked him, what’s the best basketball situation?” Turner said. “He said Minnesota. Well, nothing else matters. Why would you go anywhere else?”

It wasn’t just Edwards who made an impression on Kuminga. He had dinner in Miami with team president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who didn’t mince words about what the Wolves could give Kuminga and what they would ask of him as well. Owner Alex Rodriguez connected with him to show him that he would have backing in Minnesota at the highest levels. LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels also reached out, telling him how much they wanted him on the team. And coach Chris Finch had several long conversations with Kuminga about the team’s culture of accountability.

…

“This is your chance to go to a place you can feel believed in,” Turner said he told Kuminga. “They’re going to encourage you. They’re going to push you, but they’re not going to run away from you.”

…

Kuminga looked at the Wolves roster and saw Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, McDaniels, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and Edwards, who can be a bulldog when he locks in on that end. He envisions tag-teaming with McDaniels in guarding the opponent’s best scorers, pressuring the ball, bolstering the team’s rebounding and creating turnovers for transition opportunities.

“Ant did a great job of painting a picture of we’re going to be nasty defensively, and we’re going to share the ball,” Turner said.

And after so much concentration on Kuminga’s spot in the offensive pecking order in Golden State, Turner said Kuminga just wants to be a part of an unselfish offense that moves the ball and gets everyone involved.
“He made this decision because of the defensive versatility of this team,” Turner said. “Offense is secondary to what he’s thinking about. It’s going to be whatever we gotta do to win that night. Nobody is going to care about stats or shots.”

Source: https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2027-asian-qualifiers/games/126973-KSA-JPN

Rui Hachimura in a FIBA World Cup qualifier win for Japan against Saudi Arabia: 27 MINS │ 29 PTS │ 4 REB │ 2 AST │ 2 STL │ 11-13 FG │ 3-4 3P │ 4-4 FT │ +23 +/-

More from The Athletic here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7536019/2026/08/26/jeanie-buss-petition-siblings-lakers-sale/?unlocked_article_code=1.8VA.rV2I.lqg8TL2qTpOL&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

Jeanie Buss and her attorney, Adam Streisand, have filed a petition to block her siblings’ attempted sale of the family’s Lakers shares.

A court hearing is scheduled for November 5, according to a filing that was publicly processed today.

Jeanie Buss is not only calling for the family's vote of the Lakers shares to be deemed void, but for co-trustees Joey and Janie Buss be removed for "breach of fiduciary duty." She calls for her siblings to be liable "for loss and damages" as well.

“Their conduct is not driven by financial necessity but by animosity toward Jeanie and in willful disregard for the (Trust), this Court’s 2017 Order, their fiduciary duties, and Dr. Buss’s express intent,” the petition reads.

Source: https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-late-night-nba-intel-d05?r=nuq3a&utm\_medium=ios

Being told the Clippers haven’t yet withdrawn their qualifying offer to Bennedict Mathurin, but Los Angeles will indeed work with Mathurin and New Orleans to get him to the Pelicans. This deal still has some pieces to sift through.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7536208/2026/08/24/brandon-clarke-autopsy-drug-use/?unlocked_article_code=1.71A.t6tV.JocivuDp0CwC&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, who died of an accidental overdose of heroin and cocaine, had been struggling with a history of drug use that included prior stints in rehabilitation, according to a report released Monday by the L.A. County Medical Examiner.

Clarke, who spent his entire NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, died May 11 at a residence in Southern California. He was 29.

His agent was unable to reach him and asked Clarke’s roommate to check on him. The roommate had believed Clarke was napping or at basketball practice, but at the agent’s urging, he discovered Clarke unresponsive in his bedroom.

While the medical examiner listed the effects of heroin and cocaine as the cause of death, the office also said the “combined effects of multiple prescription medications” were a contributing factor.

Toxicology testing detected oxycodone, anti-anxiety medication and muscle relaxers, noting that they were found “within therapeutic levels.” Mitragynine, which is derived from the kratom plant, was also detected and reported alongside the prescription medications.

…

Found inside Clarke’s bedroom and attached bathroom were vape devices, cannabis products, injectable peptides, syringes and a box of Narcan, the medical examiner wrote. A plate with a white powdery substance was found on the kitchen island.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7520728/2026/08/21/timberwolves-sale-lynx-owner-marc-lore-stad/?unlocked_article_code=1.7FA.r89s.fhtnc6FUpr8J&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

Stad founded Dragoneer, which manages over $35 billion in capital, according to Forbes, in 2012. Stad had been a limited partner in the group helmed by Lore and Rodriguez, working behind the scenes as they charted a course forward for the organization.

Stad and his wife, Elisa, will now serve at the head of the ownership table. Elisa will be the designated governor for the Timberwolves to allow Marc Stad to be fully engaged at Dragoneer. Elisa spent two decades working around the globe as an executive in consumer branding before the couple co-founded the University of California-San Francisco’s Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine.

Rodriguez will retain his position as governor of the Lynx, who are in first place in the WNBA standings as the playoffs approach behind the play of rookie phenom Olivia Miles and veteran Napheesa Collier.

Unlike the wholesale changes that rocked the Los Angeles Lakers when Mark Walter stunningly sold to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger last week, the Timberwolves’ transaction amounts to a reorganization of team structure. Lore goes from the largest single investor to a limited partner, with less money tied up and more time to devote to Wonder. Stad moves up from No. 3 to No. 1. Rodriguez holds firm as the second-largest shareholder.

The group’s stated plans to build a new arena in the Twin Cities and keep the Timberwolves in Minnesota for the long term are unchanged, the team sources said.

That said, this still represents a monumental shift just over a year after Lore and Rodriguez assumed full control of the Wolves and Lynx following a bitter battle with previous owner Glen Taylor.

…

Lore turned down opportunities to sell his controlling interest for more than the $4.5 billion valuation at which Stad is purchasing it, a league source familiar with the market told The Athletic on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were private*.* But Lore chose continuity over price tag to ensure all of the work the group has done over the past year could continue uninterrupted.

Source: https://youtu.be/GrH4FNutMwo

The negotiations between the Pistons and Jalen Duren have been “awfully nasty” and there is concern about his long-term future in Detroit.

More from Scotto here: https://www.hoopshype.com/staff/84455328007/michael-scotto/

Sources: James Harden and the Cavaliers have agreed to a 3-year, $97 million fully guaranteed deal, including a third-year player option and 15% trade kicker.

Harden’s agents, Mike Silverman, Troy Payne, and Brandon Grier worked with Cavs officials to finalize the deal.

Source: [https://www.espn.com/nba/story/\\\_/id/49639157/nba-la-clippers-aspiration-investigation-steve-ballmer-kawhi-leonard\](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/\_/id/49639157/nba-la-clippers-aspiration-investigation-steve-ballmer-kawhi-leonard)

The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, sources tell ESPN.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49639157/nba-la-clippers-aspiration-investigation-steve-ballmer-kawhi-leonard

The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, according to three people with knowledge of discussions between the two sides in recent days.

Instead, the NBA is focused on whether the team's introduction of Leonard to team sponsors constitutes a violation of the league's rules prohibiting salary cap circumvention, two of the sources said. The league is examining whether the Clippers are guilty of "failure to supervise" employees, though it's unclear what specific rule the team would have violated or what the penalties would be, two of the sources said.

…

Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation said Leonard has maintained to the NBPA, league and Wachtell Lipton that he had no involvement in salary cap circumvention, and so far conversations around potential consequences have centered on him paying restitution for potential improper benefits from the Clippers, such as travel and lodging, for his representative and uncle Dennis Robertson.

If the case goes to arbitration, the arbitrator could compel document production, witness testimony and order discovery. After a hearing, the arbitrator's ruling would be subject to an appeals panel made up of three people jointly appointed by the NBA and NBPA. The appeal panel decision is binding. Only after that process could Silver be authorized to issue any potential punishment.

More from Bobby Marks: https://espnpressroom.com/bio/bobby-marks/

Swapping out Dennis Schroder for Tre Mann creates savings below the apron for Cleveland.

First apron: $32m below

Second apron: $44m below

The figures do not include a new contract for James Harden.

For now, Cleveland is likely to have the $6.1m tax midlevel exception.

A sign-and-trade (incoming salary) hard caps them at apron 1.

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Welcome to Cleveland, Jonathan Kuminga!