NBA notebook: Report has Irving going to Nets; Zion Williamson files lawsuit


Reuters | Washington DC | Updated: 14-06-2019 07:23 IST | Created: 14-06-2019 07:13 IST
NBA notebook: Report has Irving going to Nets; Zion Williamson files lawsuit
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All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is "preparing to sign with the Brooklyn Nets" when contracts can officially be completed in free agency on July 6, the Boston Herald reported Thursday. The Herald report cited separate sources pointing to an Irving-Nets union but said the Boston Celtics have not been informed of Irving's plans and remain optimistic he could remain with the team.

The top pick in the 2011 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving is a six-time All-Star who is viewed as one of the best players available in a loaded free agent class this summer. Acquired prior to the 2017-18 season from the Cavaliers, Irving also has been linked to being part of a superstar tandem in Brooklyn. In one such scenario, Irving could team with Kevin Durant. The Golden State Warriors star can become a free agent on June 30 by opting out of the final year of his deal.

--A week before he likely will be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, Zion Williamson filed a lawsuit in an attempt to nullify a marketing agreement he signed on April 20, ESPN reported. The suit, brought in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, alleges the deal that the former Duke star reached with Gina Ford and Prime Sports Marketing violates North Carolina law.

According to the filing, the contract between the parties included a clause that the deal could not be broken for five years, which Williamson's attorneys maintain is illegal in North Carolina. After signing with Prime Sports, Williamson later signed with CAA for representation and marketing.

--Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker said that to stay with the team long term, he is willing to sign for less than the supermax contract terms he earned by being on an All-NBA team in 2019.

The 2017 collective bargaining agreement projects that Walker's supermax contract would be worth five years and $221 million. The maximum Walker could make by signing with another team is four years and $140 million. The three-time All-Star just finished a four-year, $48 million deal. The 29-year-old Connecticut product averaged 25.6 points with 5.9 assists for the Hornets in the 2018-19 season. Those numbers are above his eight-year career averages of 19.8 points and 5.5 assists.

--A GoFundMe page launched by a suburban Toronto man has raised nearly $30,000 for the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. The organizer, Hamzah Moin, said he started the fundraiser to support Durant after some Toronto Raptors fans seemingly reacted with joy when the Golden State Warriors star ruptured his Achilles in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Durant had surgery to repair his Achilles on Wednesday.

"On behalf of the level-headed and true fans of Raptor Nation -- from Toronto to Vancouver to Iqaluit to St. John's, and any fans living outside Canada: we wanted to say 'sorry'," Moin wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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