Karl-Anthony Towns bade farewell to the Minnesota Timberwolves as he completed a trade to the New York Knicks.
In a three-team trade also involving the Charlotte Hornets, Towns has joined the Knicks with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo heading the other way.
Towns, a four-time NBA All-Star, averaged 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season.
Having joined the Timberwolves in 2015, Towns said goodbye in an emotional social media message.
"To the Timberwolves Family: Nine years ago, I arrived in Minnesota as a young man with a dream," he said.
"Little did I know that this place would become my home, and its people would become my family.
"Your love, support, and unwavering loyalty have fuelled my journey and inspired me to be the best player I could be. You'll always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for everything."
Towns could well meet his old team on October 13, with the Wolves and Knicks slated to play each other in preseason.
Steve Kerr believes the competition for places will allow the Golden State Warriors "a chance to reinvent ourselves" ahead of the new NBA season.
The Warriors are aiming to improve on a difficult 2023-24 season, during which they finished 10th in the Western Conference and missed out on the playoffs for only the third time in 12 years.
Kerr struggled to find his strongest combination and constantly rotated during the campaign, using 27 different starting line-ups.
Aside from Stephen Curry, who he sees as a guaranteed starter, the head coach does not think choosing his strongest team will be an easy task either.
However, Kerr is aiming to use the selection dilemma to his and his players' advantage.
"There is competition across the board," he told reporters. "It's not as simple as: 'Who is going to be the two?' It's got to be: 'Who is going to be the five? Who's the four?' We know that Steph is the one, but what's the combination?"
"The starting line-up is going to have to be dependent, not only on the first five fitting, but the second fitting as well. We've got a lot of work to do to figure out line-ups. All the guys can do is compete.
"This feels like a new beginning for us, whereas last year felt like an extension of who we already were. It gives us a chance to reinvent ourselves a little bit.
"It's easier when you know your starting five, and you know your first four guys off of the bench. [It is] way easier as a coach knowing that.
"But, we don't have that. So, let's turn that into a positive and turn it into competition. Let's establish our identity out of that competition."
LeBron James believes it would be "unfair" to put too many expectations on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers will be working under a new coach in the upcoming season, with JJ Redick having come in to replace Darvin Ham.
Los Angeles were defeated 4-1 by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season.
And though the core of a roster that reached the conference finals two seasons ago remains in place, James does not think expectations should be too high, too early.
"I don't have any expectations," James said after the first day of the Lakers' training camp.
"And that's unfair to put any expectations on us right now. The only thing that we can count on each other is how we come to practice and come to work every day."
James said it had been a "great first day" but stressed that it will take time for the Lakers to adjust to their new coach's methods.
He added: "It was very detail oriented.
"It's a collision course for all of us. We're all learning on the fly."
The Lakers kept hold of Max Christie over the offseason, and James believes he will be a crucial cog in 2024-25.
"I think Max will be a big part of our rotation," James said.
"He's gotten better and better and I'm happy we were able to bring him back in the summertime. I look forward to a bright season from him."
LeBron James is feeling revitalised, saying the chance to play alongside son Bronny for the Los Angeles Lakers gives him "pure joy".
James is set to start his 22nd season in the NBA, tying Hall of Fame inductee Vince Carter for the most in NBA history.
While the Lakers had an up-and-down season last time out, making the playoffs with a late surge only to exit in the first round, James is going into this one on a high.
The 39-year-old won gold at the Paris Olympics with Team USA, their fifth in a row, being named MVP of the tournament.
This season, he has added motivation, as he will become the first father to team up with his son, who joined the Lakers as a second-round draft pick, in the NBA.
"It's a lot of excitement, a pure joy, to be able to come to work every day, put in hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow," James said at the Lakers media day.
"We push each other. He pushes me. I push him. We push our team-mates, and vice versa.
"So, it's just a very joyous moment, not only for myself but for our family. It's pretty awesome. Gives you a lot of life.
"I feel really good physically. Mentally, I feel really good. Really sharp. Very fresh. Looking forward to getting to work.
"I have not thought about what the future holds. Kind of just living in the moment. Especially with Bronny being here, too. I don't want to take this moment for granted."
James, who will turn 40 in December, believes that the tough games in the Olympics, and playing alongside fellow greats Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, also helped to renew his spirit for basketball.
"When you're with 11 other unbelievable, great talents, some of the best talent we've ever seen, it gives you a lot of joy to be able to play the game, play it at a high level," he added.
"For myself individually, to go out there at my age, the miles that I have, and to be able to play at the level I played at, it gave me like, 'Okay, I do have a lot in the tank, a lot, and I can help a big part of a team win the ultimate.
"It felt damn good to play meaningful basketball at the highest level.
"So, to have that feeling again where you're playing like meaningful basketball, every possession means something - if you make a mistake, it burns you. That was good to relive that moment."
The new NBA season begins on October 22, with the Lakers facing the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dikembo Mutombo, one of the greatest shot-blockers in NBA history and a Hall of Famer, died Monday due to brain cancer at 58.
He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October 2022, and the NBA said he was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.
Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that he will be remembered for his play on the court and his humanitarian work after his retirement.
"Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life," Silver said. "On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others."
The fourth overall pick of the 1991 draft, Mutombo was an eight-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection during his 18-year career, playing for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and the then-New Jersey Nets.
A native of the Congo, the 7-foot-2 centre was also one of just three players to be named the defensive player of the year four times, along with reigning winner Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Hall of Famer Ben Wallace.
Mutombo was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 after putting up career averages of 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.75 blocked shots. He led the league in blocks five times - the most by any player in the past 50 seasons.
He routinely followed up a blocked shot by waving his index finger in his opponent's face, insinuating don't try to shoot the ball over me.
Also remembered for his gigantic smile, Mutombo spent his time after his retirement from the NBA in 2008-09 working for several charitable organisations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
In 1997, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which focused on improving the health and quality of life for people in the Congo.
In a franchise-altering trade, the New York Knicks are close to acquiring four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, according to reports on Friday night.
Minnesota would also get a protected first-round pick from the Knicks that originally belonged to the Detroit Pistons.
The deal is expected to be finalised Friday night, sources said.
Because the Knicks and Timberwolves are both operating over the luxury tax apron, more players and possibly a third team must be involved.
Towns previously played under current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau from 2016-2019 and has been linked to New York ever since Leon Rose took over the front office in March 2020.
Towns, who grew up in nearby New Jersey, will pair with star guard Jalen Brunson to give New York one of the best inside-outside combinations in the league.
This would be the second major addition this offseason for the Knicks, who acquired forward Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in July.
Towns has spent all nine of his NBA seasons with Minnesota and helped the Wolves reach the Western Conference finals this past season following a 56-26 regular season.
He averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this past season and has averaged 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds for his career.
Randle was a three-time All-Star with the Knicks as their starting power forward, a Most Improved Player winner and a two-time All-NBA selection.
He did not play in the playoffs after dislocating his shoulder on January 27, and after two months of rehab, opted to undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery in April.
DiVincenzo averaged a career-best 15.5 points last season for the Knicks and ranked third with 283 3-pointers made, trailing only Stephen Curry and Luka Dončić.
JJ Redick says the Los Angeles Lakers are mulling plans for the first time LeBron James and son Bronny James share the court together this season.
Bronny is gearing up for his first NBA season with the Lakers, who drafted the 19-year-old in the second round after he played a single campaign at USC.
He and LeBron - a four-time MVP - will become the first father-son duo in NBA history when they take to the court during the upcoming season, which begins against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
And Redick says plans for how to commemorate the historic moment are still in the air, but insists both players will be involved in the decision-making process.
"We obviously have talked about it as a staff, and we've gotten into some specifics of what that might look like," Redick told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
"But we haven't committed to anything. And obviously, there's a discussion to be had once we're all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well."
Redick is embarking on his first venture in the NBA, having been appointed the Lakers' 29th head coach in June.
Along with managing the James duo, the 40-year-old will be looking to improve on the franchise's first-round playoff exit last term, but is not fazed by the prospect.
"I don't look at it as a challenge," he said. "It's unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship.
"Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he's young, and he's hungry, and he's got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mould into a really good NBA player.
"On top of that, he's a fantastic kid. He's extremely coachable. He's got the right spirit and energy every single day."
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