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Tony Parker retiring

By Dan FeldmanJun 10, 2019, 12:38 PM EDT

Tony Parker‘s long run as the Spurs’ starting point guard – which began as a teenager who’d just come from France in 2001 – ended when he ceded way to Dejounte Murray last season. Parker’s time in San Antonio ended when he signed with the Hornets last summer. Parker’s 17-year playoff streak – which trails only Karl Malone and John Stockton all-time – ended when Charlotte missed the postseason this year.

And now Parker’s great career will end entirely.

Parker, via Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

“I’m going to retire,” Parker told The Undefeated. “I decided that I’m not going to play basketball anymore.”

“A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision,” Parker said. “But, at the end of the day, I was like, if I can’t be Tony Parker anymore and I can’t play for a championship, I don’t want to play basketball anymore.”

Parker is a lock for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili formed the core of the Spurs’ dynasty. They won four championships together, Parker winning 2007 NBA Finals MVP. Parker received an MVP vote in seven different seasons, peaking at fifth place in 2012. He made three All-NBA second teams and an All-NBA third team and six All-Star teams. It’s a heck of a resumé.

Parker sometimes caused issues with teammates, most recently Kawhi Leonard. But Parker provided steady production for a championship contender for more than a decade. That will be his legacy.

Though Parker spoke of playing 20 seasons, he finishes with 18. That’s nothing for him to hang his head about. The 37-year-old lasted far longer than most and had a storied career.

Parker’s $5.25 million salary for next season is unguaranteed. The Hornets will surely waive him. Parker previously said he’d retire with the Spurs. He could sign an unguaranteed deal with them just to get waived again, the technical process behind a sentimental move.

No matter how Parker ties this up, he’ll be remembered for his time in San Antonio – as a winner, as a pioneering European guard and as an all-time great player.

Report: Pelicans consider multi-team deals in Anthony Davis trade to maximize return

Associated Press

By Kurt HelinJun 10, 2019, 1:30 PM EDT

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New Orleans only gets one shot at this.

When the team trades Anthony Davis — and expect that deal to be agreed to in advance of the NBA Draft on June 20, or that night, even if it can’t be fully executed until July 1 — they get one shot to jumpstart a roster rebuild around No. 1 pick Zion Williamson as well as point guard Jrue Holiday (who can ideally help this team push toward the playoffs next season). New team Grand Poobah David Griffin knows he needs to maximize return on any trade and he’s going to be smart about this.

Which is why he is pushing toward multi-team deals, something Adrian Wojnarowski reports at ESPN.

According to front offices who’ve engaged in conversations with Griffin, he hasn’t sounded convinced that one team is likely to fulfill his wishes for a Davis deal. To that end, Griffin has been working to find multiteam trade scenarios that could redirect assets for players or picks more preferable to the Pelicans, sources said.

For example, those sorts of scenarios could include the Lakers helping to find a team that hypothetically values Los Angeles’ young players more than New Orleans does, or New York could flip its two first future first-round picks via Dallas into players the Pelicans prefer. New Orleans seems determined to be creative in constructing a deal to maximize the return on Davis, one of the NBA’s elite talents.

The challenge with bringing in a third (or fourth) team is that every team in the trade has to feel they are getting a “win” and it’s not easy to construct deals where three teams are getting needs met.

The teams most active in talks so far are the teams we expect — the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Nets — according to the report. Boston is also engaged in the negotiations, but the question remains how many of their best young players (specifically Jayson Tatum) they would be willing to throw in now that it seems a lock Kyrie Irving leaves via free agency. Boston has to balance how much to give up in a trade vs. its chances of retaining Davis as a free agent in 2020.

All those teams — and others than the mix — want to get a deal done around the draft so they could use the presence of Davis to help lure in major free agents this summer. The Pelicans would like dealt with too so they can move on to their next phase around Williamson.

What ultimately matters in this trade is who Griffin and New Orleans value as players. Which guys do they want?

The buzz for a while has been that the Pelicans have not been as high as others on the Lakers’ young players — Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma — and would want another team involved to take at least some of those players and get New Orleans players they believe will be a better fit. That said, the Lakers young players are more coveted than the Knicks group around the league. The Clippers and Nets are very interesting possibilities because of their young players (although there are reports the Clippers would not put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade) but what players do the Pelicans value, and which ones not as much?

Also, after the Raptors success rolling the dice on Kawhi Leonard and Oklahoma City with Paul George, other teams could decide to roll the dice and jump into the mix.

Expect rumors to fly in the next week, but also expect Griffin to keep a lid on things and not let the trade talks become the circus that happened at the trade deadline.

Warriors: Kevin Durant game-time decision for Game 5 of NBA Finals

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By Dan FeldmanJun 10, 2019, 12:55 PM EDT

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By not ruling him out the day before, the Warriors already took their Kevin Durant decision closer to the start of any other NBA Finals game.

They’ll apparently take it even closer to the limit for tonight’s Game 5.

Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area:

Kevin Durant is a game time decision tonight, per Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) June 10, 2019

I really can’t see Golden State – with frustration festering – sitting Durant again. That’d be so deflating.

Durant’s return probably won’t be enough. But it might be! That’s what makes this so intriguing.

Durant is a superstar when healthy. He can defend Kawhi Leonard, allowing Draymond Green to make a larger impact as a help defender. Durant unlocks the Warriors’ death lineup by giving them enough quality wings to slide Green to center.

That’s why, as likely as it now appears Durant will play, there’s still plenty of anticipation for an announcement tonight.

James Harden, Anthony Davis headline invitees to USA Basketball training camp

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By Kurt HelinJun 10, 2019, 11:23 AM EDT

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Some of the biggest stars of the NBA decided to take this summer off…

And Team USA is still going to be STACKED for the World Cup this summer in China.

Ridiculously stacked. USA Basketball has released the names of the 20 players invited to take part in its training camp this August in Vegas, as part of the run up to the FIFA World Cup this August and September in China. By the time of the World Cup at the end of the month, this group will be narrowed down to 12 players who will represent the United States.

The Invitees are:

• Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings)
• Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
• Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
• Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
• Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets)
• James Harden (Houston Rockets)
• Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers)
• Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
• Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
• CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
• Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets)
• Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
• Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
• P.J. Tucker (Houston Rockets)
• Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
• Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)

Notice that only one player from these Finals is on that list, Lowry, but no Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard. USA Basketball reached out to each of them but in the case of the three Warriors they have put a lot of miles on their bodies in recent years with five straight Finals appearances, and they wanted the summer to recover. Leonard is coming off a season where he and Toronto made the term “load management” famous (or, infamous), so it’s not a surprise he didn’t accept (it is more than any issues with coach Gregg Popovich from his Spurs days).

LeBron James also decided not to play to rest his body (plus the timing of the event could push up against the shooting of “Space Jam 2” this summer). Russell Westbrook and Paul George also did not accept invitations, although both have represented the USA in the past.

Even without those stars, this list has the potential for a roster that can play the attacking, up-tempo style coach Gregg Popovich wants. There’s an abundance of athleticism for plays in transition, plus plenty of shooting, including from the big men. Also, there are a handful of grinders who can play a physical game and crash the boards (the international game tends to be more physical, and the referees let more go than in the NBA).

Popovich will follow the model Mike Krzyzewski had before him with Team USA — not merely a collection of stars, but a balanced roster that can play as a unit. The USA’s athleticism can overwhelm all but a couple of teams in this tournament, the goal is an aggressive defense that leads to a lot of transition points, just overwhelming teams with that athleticism and depth. There’s a reason the USA has gone 88-1 in major men’s international competitions since 2006. The couple of teams that can hang with the USA (Spain the past couple of Olympics, for example) require more strategy and matchups.

This World Cup is the primary qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Players who take part here, or have a history with Team USA, will have priority for making that roster.

At the training camp, these players will go against a USA Select group of up-and-coming stars who are being groomed to represent the USA in future years. Zion Williamson will headline those 10 players.

The U.S. is scheduled to begin its pre-World Cup camp in Las Vegas Aug. 5, with an intrasquad exhibition game at the T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 9. Then the team heads to Southern California for more training followed by an exhibition against Spain on Aug. 16 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Report: Pelicans making Swin Cash among NBA’s highest-ranking female executives

Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV

By Dan FeldmanJun 10, 2019, 10:42 AM EDT