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NBA GONE WILD!

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Kawhi Leonard Signs With Clippers

LAC Also Acquire Paul George from OKC

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off two major acquisitions late Friday night, as ESPN reported that free agent forward Kawhi Leonard will sign with the team, which also acquired forward Paul George in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Leonard received a four-year, $142 million maximum contract. 

In order to acquire George, the Clippers will send guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Danilo Gallinari to Oklahoma City. The Thunder also will receive four unprotected first-round draft picks, one protected first-round pick and two draft-pick swaps, according to the ESPN report.

Leonard, who led the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship after he was acquired in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs last July, reportedly selected the Clippers over the Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers.

Leonard, a 28-year-old Southern California native, averaged 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds over 60 regular-season games with the Raptors in 2018-19. He then improved on that over 24 playoff games averaging 30.5 points with 9.1 rebounds.

In the NBA Finals, Leonard scored 28.5 points per game with 9.8 rebounds as Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games.

The three-time All-Star, who was drafted 15th overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2011, has averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds over 467 games (440 starts) with the San Antonio Spurs and the Raptors.

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George, a 29-year-old who makes his offseason home in the Los Angeles area, averaged 28 points per game with 8.2 rebounds for the Thunder last season. In nine NBA seasons, George has averaged 19.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 604 games (556 starts) with the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City.

The six-time All-Star played just six games in the 2014-15 season because of a serious leg injury. He reportedly requested a trade from the Thunder after Leonard had reached his deal with the Clippers, the ESPN report indicated.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who turns 21 next week, was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 draft. As a rookie for the Clippers last season, he averaged 10.8 points and 3.3 assists.

Gallinari, 30, put up career bests of 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Clippers last season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Game Scout:

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L.A. Lakers at Boston Celtics

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 7, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

Lakers LeBron James (House of Highlights/Youtube).

BOSTON – The Los Angeles Lakers are at the center of a media circus in front of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, and the rumors seem to be getting to some of the young players on the team. The Lakers might look like a completely different team when they visit the rival Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Los Angeles is reportedly in hot pursuit of disgruntled New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis to pair with superstar LeBron James and offered up just about every young player on the roster in negotiations, including Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. The rumors left the Lakers looking lifeless at Indiana on Tuesday, when they suffered the worst loss of James’ career 136-94 while Ingram and company were serenaded with “LeBron’s gonna trade you” chants at the free-throw line. The Celtics, who would very much like to get into the Davis trade discussions but have to wait until July 1 to pair him with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, are winners of 10 of their last 11 games and eased past the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 on the road Tuesday despite missing Irving, center Aron Baynes and forward Marcus Morris. “That’s what makes us so dangerous, that we have depth in that aspect, where we can bring guys off the bench and we can sit guys, or we can go without guys, and guys are going to step up and have a good game,” Boston guard Marcus Smart told reporters.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE LAKERS (27-27): James sat on the end of the bench with several empty seats between him and the rest of his teammates toward the end of Tuesday’s setback and acknowledged that what the young players are going through isn’t easy. “I know it has to be tough on a lot of our guys, especially our young guys,” James told reporters. “Right now, they’ve just never been a part of it and they’re hearing it every single day — and I know that the worst thing that you can do right now is be on social media. And I know all young guys love social media. So, that definitely can’t help.” The Lakers dropped 13 of 20 games since James went down with a groin injury on Dec. 25 and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (35-19): Boston is not expected to make any big moves in front of Thursday’s deadline and already enjoys enviable depth on a team that took James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals last season. “I think it should stay the same,” Morris told the Boston Herald of the team’s roster. “Guys are playing into what’s going on, (the All-Star Game) is about to pass and that’s when it ramps up. Guys want to play the way they’re supposed to during winning time, like we did last year when the intensity picked up. We should stay the same.” One difference from last season is the health of swingman Gordon Hayward, who is battling some inconsistency but put up 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and five assists off the bench on Tuesday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Irving (hip) and Morris (knee soreness) are both day-to-day.

2. James (32,008) became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 32,000 points on Tuesday.

3. The teams split the two meetings last season, with each protecting homecourt.

LA-Bron

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LOS ANGELES – LeBron James is taking his talents to Southern California and just might have to change the spelling of his name from LeBron to LAbron. According to Klutch Sports Media Group, free agent NBA superstar James has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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LeBron James

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James will join the iconic NBA franchise on a four-year, $154 million deal, his representatives, Klutch Sports Group, tweeted Sunday night.

The tweet read, “LeBron James, four time NBA MVP, three time NBA finals MVP, fourteen time NBA All Star, and two time Olympic gold medalist has agreed to a four year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.”

The bombshell announcement changes the scope of both the Eastern and Western Conferences as the Lakers look to re-emerge as championship contenders.

James, 33, is the latest — and one of the greatest — legends to play for the Lakers. He has averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in 1,143 career contests.

This marks the first time James will play for a team in the hotly contested Western Conference, which includes heavyweight teams such as the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. James spent his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his next four seasons with the Miami Heat, and his last four seasons back at home with Cleveland.

The Cavaliers had hoped to re-sign James, who has appeared in eight consecutive NBA Finals. The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly had strong interest in wooing the 6-foot-8, 250-pound superstar who entered the league directly out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

“Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible 4 seasons,” James said in a message on his Instagram account. “This will always be home,” he added referring to his upbringing in Akron, nearby to Cleveland.

The Lakers’ big offseason might not be finished. Another star forward, Kawhi Leonard, reportedly wants to go to Los Angeles via trade from the San Antonio Spurs.

–Field Level Media

Celtics’ Spin Continues in LA

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L.A. Lakers 108, Boston 107
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

LOS ANGELES – Kyle Kuzma scored 17 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Los Angeles Lakers avoid a season series sweep against the visiting Boston Celtics with a 108-107 victory on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Kuzma’s fourth-period point total was a season high for a Laker in any quarter. Jordan Clarkson finished with 22 points, Julius Randle had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Brook Lopez scored 12 as Los Angles won its third consecutive game.

Kyrie Irving had a game-high 33 points, Marcus Smart added 22 and both Al Horford and Marcus Morris scored 13 for the Celtics, who dropped their fourth straight. Horford also grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 14 in the first half and were down 53-45 at halftime before outscoring the Celtics 31-21 in the third quarter.

Los Angeles extended its lead to 99-96 on Josh Hart’s layup with 3:52 remaining, but Irving hit a 3-pointer followed by a finger roll layup with 1:51 to go to bring Boston within 102-100.

Boston’s Terry Rozier hit a 3-pointer with 23.8 ticks to go before Hart missed two free throws. Randle sent Smart to the foul line with 19.2 seconds left to make it 106-105.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed both of his free throws with 5.7 left, giving the Celtics a chance to win — but Smart missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Celtics held the Lakers to a season low in first-quarter points and led 21-15 after one. Los Angeles’ previous season low for the quarter was 16 in a 107-96 loss at Boston on Nov. 8.

Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball missed his fifth straight game due to a knee injury, and the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft is not expected back any time soon.

Before the game, Horford was named an All-Star reserve. It is his fifth career All-Star selection, and he joins teammate Irving — who was voted a starter — as the Celtics’ only two representatives in the game.

Boston stays in Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Wednesday night. The Lakers begin a five-game road trip Friday in Chicago.

–Field Level Media

NBA Fines LA Lakers Half-Million $

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been fined $500,000 for violating the anti-tampering rule, the NBA announced.

The league said the fine was a result of communication between Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and representatives for Paul George, while the All-Star forward was still under contract with the Indiana Pacers.

Los Angeles Lakers Draft Room during 2017 NBA Draft

Los Angeles Lakers General Manager, Rob Pelinka and President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson make a phone call in the draft room during the 2017 NBA Draft (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images).

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The Pacers filed formal tampering charges and Thursday’s fine followed an investigation conducted by the independent law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

The fine also reflected a previous warning issued by the NBA to the Lakers regarding tampering, following comments made during an April 20 national television appearance by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the team’s president of basketball operations.

The investigation did not reveal evidence of an agreement or understanding that the Lakers would sign or acquire George.

“We respect and accept the NBA’s decision regarding this matter,” Pelinka said. “On behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, I want to express our regret over this unfortunate incident to both our fans and the NBA.”

The league’s anti-tampering rule prohibits teams from interfering with other clubs’ contractual relationships with NBA players. This includes publicly expressing interest in a player who is currently under contract with another team or informing the agent of another team’s player of interest by one’s own team in that player.

The Pacers dealt George to the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 30 in exchange for guard Victor Oladipo and forward Domantas Sabonis.
George, who is from Palmdale, Calif., previously mentioned his admiration of Lakers legends Johnson and Kobe Bryant

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