The Phoenix Mercury told Brittney Griner she was "missed every day that she was gone" as her return to the team was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
Reports over the weekend revealed Griner was signing a one-year contract to rejoin the Mercury for the 2023 season, and that deal was announced in a team statement.
Griner spent the first nine seasons of her career in Phoenix but missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign after she was detained in Russia for 10 months.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport in February 2022 for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into the country in vape cartridges.
Griner said she made an "honest mistake", with her lawyers arguing she was using the cannabis for medicinal purposes and was unaware of its illegal status in Russia.
She was subsequently jailed for nine years for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent but was released in December in a prisoner exchange that saw convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout return to Russia.
Back in the United States, Griner quickly outlined her desire to return to the Mercury, and the team were delighted to do that deal.
"It's a great day for all of us to announce that Brittney Griner has officially signed to play for the Mercury in 2023," general manager Jim Pitman said.
"We missed BG every day that she was gone, and while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organisation and within our community was greatly missed.
"We will continue to use the resources of our organisation to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly.
"This is a special signing, and today is a special day for all of us."
Griner is a two-time WNBA scoring champion, averaging 17.7 points per game for her career.
Mitchell agrees to extension to remain with Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman told reporters Monday that the team felt good about signing Donovan Mitchell to an extension.
A day later, the deal was done.
Mitchell agreed to a three-year, $150.3million contract extension with the Cavaliers on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
The 27-year-old had said previously that he is happy with the Cavaliers, and Altman said on Monday, he is "very, very much pro-Cleveland."
Mitchell's deal includes a player option, and was structured in a way to be favourable to both him and the Cavs.
It was reported that the extension is for three years instead of four years because in the 2027-28 season, Mitchell will have 10 years of service, and then is able to sign or be extended for 35 per cent of the salary cap. So, in July of 2026, he will be eligible to sign a four-year extension, with a projected max in 2027-28 at $65.5million.
The 13th overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft, Mitchell was acquired by Cleveland from the Utah Jazz shortly before the 2022-23 season.
A five-time All-Star, Mitchell averaged a team-high 26.6 points in 2023-24, as well as career highs of 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.84 steals.
A left knee injury, however, limited him to 55 games, and a left calf strain forced him to sit out Cleveland's final two play-off games, as the Cavs were eliminated by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. He had averaged 36.8 points on 51.9 per cent shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 5 assists in his previous five play-off games.
In seven pro seasons, he has career averages of 24.8 points, 4.3 boards and 4.6 assists.
A week after Cleveland was ousted, J.B. Bickerstaff was fired as coach, and the Cavs hired his replacement, Kenny Atkinson, on June 24.
Celtics sign Jayson Tatum to record $314M extension
The Boston Celtics continued to celebrate their 18th NBA championship by rewarding star forward Jayson Tatum with a record-breaking contract extension.
The Celtics and Tatum agreed to a five-year supermax extension worth nearly $314million, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
The contract is the largest in NBA history, with Tatum qualifying for a supermax deal by being voted to the All-NBA First Team in 2022-23.
Tatum’s deal is the latest in the Celtics’ effort to keep their championship core in place into the foreseeable future, despite a massive luxury tax bill.
Multiple media outlets reported that Boston and Derrick White agreed to a four-year, $126million extension earlier Monday.
Finals MVP Jaylen Brown signed a five-year, $286million extension last summer. Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday are both signed through at least the 2025-26 season.
Even before agreeing to Tatum’s extension, the Celtics were projected to be over the second apron luxury tax, which restricts roster transactions by the league’s highest-spending teams.
Tatum, 26, is already a five-time All-Star and has been voted to the All-NBA First Team in each of the last three seasons.
Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and a career-high 4.9 assists last season while leading the Celtics to a 64-18 record.
He has helped Boston to two NBA Finals appearances and has already played in 113 play-off games.
In 513 career regular-season games, Tatum averaged 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Thompson set to join Mavericks on three-year, $50M deal
Klay Thompson was instrumental to the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.
The Dallas Mavericks are hoping he can help their franchise capture a second NBA title.
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50million deal with the Mavericks on Monday, according to multiple sources.
The deal, which includes a player option, is part of a multi-team sign-and-trade that sends Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets.
Thompson, a core member of the Warriors' four NBA championship teams over an eight-year span from 2014-22, now joins a Mavericks team that recently fell to the Boston Celtics in five games in the NBA Finals.
He'll team with All-NBA first-team selection Luka Doncic and eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, as the Mavericks will look to secure the franchise's first title since winning its only championship in 2011.
With Thompson moving to another Western Conference power, it marks an end of an era in Golden State, where the 34-year-old developed into one of the best players in franchise history.
The 11th overall pick of the 2011 draft by Golden State, Thompson's 2,481 made 3-pointers trail only long-time teammate Stephen Curry for the most by a Warriors player. He also ranks fourth in team history in games played (793) and sixth in points (15,531).
One of the most feared long-range shooters of his generation, he averaged a league-leading 4.4 made 3-pointers a game just one season ago in 2022-23.
He wasn't as effective this past season, however, as that average dropped to 3.5 3-pointers a game, and he shot 38.7 per cent from beyond the arc - just the second time in his career he failed to shoot 40 per cent or better from long range.
During his prime, though, he was among the best scorers in the NBA.
A five-time All-Star, Thompson averaged at least 20 points per game for five consecutive seasons from 2014-19 as a vital part of three NBA championship teams (2015, 2017, 2018) during that period.
He missed the entire 2019-20 and 2020–21 campaigns due to a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon, but returned to average 20.4 points in 32 games the following season and help Golden State to another NBA title.
His run of seven straight seasons averaging 20 or more points per game came to an end in 2023-24, when he averaged 17.9 points in 77 games. Midway through the season, he was moved out of the starting lineup for the first time since he was a rookie in 2012, coming off the bench in 14 games.
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