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• Cavaliers big man Mobley agrees to 5-year, $224 million extension

  Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has agreed to a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie contract extension that could become worth as much as $269 million based on incentives, agents Joe Smith and Thad Foucher of Wasserman told ESPN on Saturday.

  Since entering the league as the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley has emerged as one of the NBA’s premier defensive players. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023 and was also named first team All-Defense that year.

  Mobley, 23, averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season, while also notching career-high shooting percentages of 57.9 overall, 37.3 from 3-point range and 71.9 from the free throw line.

  He is one of just four players to have at least 300 blocks and 150 steals over the past three seasons. The others are Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr.

  Mobley was likely headed for his second straight all-defense selection, but an early-season knee injury limited him to 50 regular-season games in 2023-24.

  Over his 198 career games, Mobley has averaged 15.6 points on 54.4 percent shooting to go with 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks.

  He had arguably his best game as a pro in Cleveland’s final game of the 2024 playoffs when he tallied 33 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 43 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

  The Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson to replace J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach earlier this offseason and signed star guard Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million max extension.

• Hield excited to learn from Warriors stars- “I’ve watched these guys play since college”

  Sharpshooting Bahamian Buddy Hield expressed excitement at the opportunity to play for the Golden State Warriors in his first interaction with Warriors media on Thursday.

  The 31-year-old joined the seven-time NBA Champions through a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in early July.

  The Warriors will be the fifth team Hield has represented since being drafted sixth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2016 NBA Draft.

  “Excited! Excited for the opportunity to come in here and learn from great players, a great organization, great coach, and be a sponge and an open book to everybody around me,” was Hield’s response to a question about his emotions heading into his first season in San Francisco.

  Hield was brought in by the Warriors as a like-for-like replacement for franchise legend Klay Thompson who left for the Dallas Mavericks in Free Agency after 13 seasons and four titles with the Warriors.

  The Bahamian says he isn’t feeling the pressure of trying to replicate what Thompson gave the Warriors.

  “There’s no pressure, I just have to come and do my job. What Klay has done for this organization has been tremendous. I love Klay a lot and I watched him over the years and he’s special,” he said.

  “The way he can get hot and change the game as a two-way player. I think it’s fun being in that role,” he added.

  One of the hallmarks of the Warriors during their run of dominance in the Steph Curry-Draymond Green-Klay Thompson era has been their complicated offensive scheme.

  Hield believes practice is the key to learning where he fits into the offense quickly.

  “Taking it day by day in practice, watching a lot of film. Practice will be really important. I’ve watched these guys play since college. Even in the pros when they play, they’re always a fun team to watch,” he said.

  “I think it’s a great fit and it shouldn’t be that hard but everything takes time,” he added.

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Clippers trading Westbrook to Jazz, clearing move for guard to join Nuggets

  Russell Westbrook is on the move once again, but isn't yet at his final destination.

  The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to send Westbrook to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, as part of a sign-and-trade deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

  The Jazz are expected to reach a contract buyout agreement with Westbrook, opening the door for him to join the Denver Nuggets.

  Denver will be the sixth team Westbrook has played for in the last seven seasons.

  To complete the trade, Utah will also receive a swap of second-round draft picks and cash from Los Angeles, while shipping guard Kris Dunn to the Clippers.

  The 35-year-old Westbrook was named the NBA MVP in 2016-17, averaging a career-high 31.6 points, along with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

  In 2023-24 for the Clippers, he averaged career lows of 11.1 points and 4.5 assists with 5 boards. He came off the bench in 57 of the 68 games he played, shooting 27.3 per cent from 3-point range - the second-lowest mark among the 226 players with at least 150 attempts from beyond the arc.

  The Nuggets still believe he can provide depth off the bench and help them make another run at a title after being eliminated in the Western Conference semi-finals in May.

  The Clippers were ousted by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, with Westbrook averaging 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the six play-off games.

  In 1,162 games in a 16-year career, Westbrook has averages of 21.7 points, 8.1 assists and 7.1 rebounds. His 199 career triple-doubles are the most in NBA history.

  Dunn has career averages of 7.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.3 boards since being drafted fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016.

  In starting 32 of 66 games for the Jazz last season, the 30-year-old Dunn averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds.