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Powell joining Heat, Collins to Clippers, Love and Anderson to Utah in 3-team trade, AP source says | Sports

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat are acquiring Norman Powell, John Collins is going to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson are headed to the Utah Jazz as parts of a three-team trade, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Monday. Also in the deal: at least one second-round draft pick, going from the Clippers to Utah, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not gotten the required approval from the NBA. Powell averaged 21.8 points last season for the Clippers and is a career 40% shooter from 3-point range. Collins averaged 19 points in 40 games for the Jazz last season, while Love averaged 5.3 points in 23 games with the Heat and Anderson averaged 6.7 points in 25 games after being traded to Miami. ESPN first reported the agreement. Powell figures to give Miami much-needed scoring and shooting. The Heat were 24th out of 30 teams in points per game last season, plus have already seen the departure of Duncan Robinson — the team’s all-time 3-point leader — this summer. Robinson is joining the Detroit Pistons. Love is an NBA champion, a five-time

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Hornets acquire Collin Sexton from Jazz for Jusuf Nurkic, 2nd-round draft pick, AP source says | Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets acquired guard Collin Sexton from the Utah Jazz for center Jusuf Nurkic and a future second-round draft pick, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been made official by the NBA. Sexton, a seven-year NBA veteran, played in 63 games last season for the Jazz, averaging 18.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. His best NBA season came in 2020-21 when he averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz drafted Walter Clayton in the first round and also have Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George in the backcourt, making Sexton expendable. Nurkic was acquired in a trade with the Suns last year, so this will mark his return to Utah. He played in 26 games and averaged 9.2 points for Charlotte. The move leaves the Hornets particularly thin at center. They traded away center Mark Williams on the first night of the NBA draft and also dealt away Nick Richards last year. That potentially leaves 6-foot-9 Moussa Diabate as the team’s starting center, although the team did draft 7-footer Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner

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Ace Bailey says he’s ‘blessed’ to be with the Jazz after he fell to them at No. 5 in the NBA draft | Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah was not believed to be one of Ace Bailey’s preferred destinations to start his NBA career. Still, Bailey indicated Sunday that he never thought about holding out or forcing a trade after the Jazz drafted him No. 5 overall. Bailey reported to Utah after he was criticized for his approach to the pre-draft process, during which he refused to work out for teams interested in him. When asked during his introductory news conference if he considered not coming to Salt Lake City, he only expressed enthusiasm for being with the Jazz. “Just blessed to be in the position I am,” Bailey said. Before the draft, Bailey canceled a scheduled workout with Philadelphia and declined invitations from Charlotte and Utah to work out for them. That didn’t stop the Jazz from using their lottery pick on him anyway. Utah is betting the 18-year-old will unlock his potential and blossom into a prolific scorer. Utah Jazz drafted players, left to right, Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr., John Tonje, and Austin Ainge, President of Basketball Operations for the Utah Jazz, pose together during the Utah Jazz player introduction press conference Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Salt Lake

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In Northwest Division, NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder get deeper, Jazz get busy, Wolves go big | Sports

After building an NBA championship team with a commitment to young player development, the Oklahoma City Thunder dived back into the draft pool a few days after the celebration. The Thunder used the 15th overall pick in the first round on Wednesday night on Thomas Sorber, a 6-foot-9 versatile defender with the potential to be an effective low-post scorer who played one season in college at Georgetown. Sorber can provide some bulk and depth behind the slender Chet Holmgren and his frontcourt partner, Isaiah Hartenstein. Oklahoma City also had the 24th pick, sending it to Sacramento in a proposed trade. General manager Sam Presti’s trades in recent years have allowed the Thunder to stockpile picks for maximum control over the most unpredictable aspect of professional sports. They have as many as 10 first-round picks, including their own, over the next five years, including three in 2026. Last year’s first-rounder, point guard Nikola Topic, is nearly recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee that kept him out for his entire rookie season. The Utah Jazz, who bottomed out this season with the worst record in the league, have a long way to go with their rebuild. After bad lottery luck left them with the fifth

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NBA mock draft: Duke’s Cooper Flagg closing in on completing journey to becoming No. 1 overall pick | Sports

There’s little to no drama when it comes to predicting the No. 1 overall pick for this month’s NBA draft. Cooper Flagg was earmarked for that spot before ever stepping foot on Duke’s campus last fall. He did nothing to disappoint as a one-and-done college standout, guiding the Blue Devils to the Final Four while becoming only the fourth freshman to be named The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year. The other three? Texas’ Kevin Durant in 2007, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis in 2012 and Duke’s Zion Williamson in 2019. Of that group, Davis and Williamson were No. 1 picks, while Durant was picked No. 2. Flagg, headlining the AP’s NBA mock draft, will fit right in when the first round begins June 25. 1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, forward, Duke Fresh off trading away Luka Doncic, the Mavericks luck into a versatile 6-foot-8, 221-pound forward who can thrive as a scorer ( Atlantic Coast Conference freshman-record 42 points against Notre Dame) or playmaker (team-best 4.2 assists). His length and competitive edge can impact games defensively (team highs of 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks). And he has an all-around game more advanced than his age with room

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Austin Ainge joins father Danny Ainge in Utah as Jazz president of basketball operations | Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Austin Ainge, who like his father played at BYU and was a long-time executive with the Boston Celtics, was hired Monday to join Jazz CEO Danny Ainge as Utah’s president of basketball operations. Austin Ainge spent the previous 17 seasons with the Celtics, including the past six as assistant general manager. Danny Ainge, a former Celtics championship player who also served as their executive director of basketball operations from 2003-21, has been with the Jazz since leaving Boston. “I have lived this my whole life, constantly studying teams, talent, chemistry and the selflessness necessary to win,” Austin Ainge said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing that to Utah and am excited to give Jazz fans a lot to cheer about as we build our program back up.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Source link

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Moving up 4th in the NHL draft in the lottery adds to the Utah Hockey Club’s exciting summer | Sports

When the Utah Hockey Club selected Tij Iginla with the sixth pick and took 10 other players in the first draft since the team moved to Salt Lake City, fans were excited, thinking they would be in the NHL right away. General manager Bill Armstrong tried to temper expectations, telling them, “No, it takes some time.” After an unexpected victory off the ice Monday night in the draft lottery, the expectations for the club’s future are Rocky Mountain high once again. Utah won the second random draw of lottery balls to move up from the 14th pick to No. 4, adding to an already momentous summer that could feature a free agent spending spree with tons of salary cap space and an owner not afraid to spend money, the first phase of massive arena renovations taking place and the full-time name getting unveiled before next season. “It’s a game-changer for us,” Armstrong said on a post-lottery video call with reporters. “These are exciting times for Utah. … Just great stuff for the franchise. I can’t express in words on the excitement of when that happened and the opportunity in front of us.” Armstrong has over $22 million in room, and

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Utah Jazz extend coach Will Hardy’s contract through 2031 | Sports

Will Hardy is being given more time to continue the rebuild of the Utah Jazz. The Jazz announced Monday that Hardy has signed a contract extension, one that could keep him as head coach through the 2030-31 season. He’ll enter his fourth season with the Jazz next fall. “Will’s leadership has been invaluable to our program,” Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said. “He has established a vision for our players and a strong foundation of core values, competitive habits, and growth mindset. He is one of the brightest young coaches in our league, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him.” Hardy has gone 85-161 in his first three seasons with the Jazz, missing the playoffs in each of those three years. Utah won 37 games in his first season, 31 in his second and just 17 this season — by far the worst record in franchise history and the worst record in the NBA this season. The Jazz — who didn’t play anyone over the age of 27 in the final weeks of this season and finished the year with the youngest roster in the NBA — clearly understand why that was the case, and the extension shows they’re happy

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Owners of NBA’s Jazz and NHL’s Utah Hockey Club unveil renovation plans to add seats to arena | Sports

The owners of the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club and NBA’s Jazz are beginning a massive renovation of their downtown Salt Lake City Arena that will eventually increase hockey capacity to roughly 17,000 and basketball to nearly 19,000 fans. Smith Entertainment Group announced its plan Wednesday after a meeting of the Salt Lake City Council earlier in the week. Officials said the initial stage of renovations this summer should boost the number of full-ice view seats by 1,400: 1,000 new ones and upgrading 400 that had a sightline of just one end of the rink in the team’s first season in the city. After a historic season welcoming the NHL to Utah, Delta Center is about to be transformed into a fundamentally new dual-use arena.The basketball experience will remain one of the loudest in the NBA with seats as close to the action as before, hockey fans will enjoy better… pic.twitter.com/Jod3OXFZkf — Delta Center (@deltacenter) April 30, 2025 “Just in Year 1 (post-renovations) we’re going to see a great improvement for the lower-bowl capacity for hockey,” Jazz president Jim Olson said on a video call with reporters. Rendering of the newly remodeled Delta Center to better accommodate both hockey and basketball. 

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Former Jazz owners buy Salt Lake City-area professional soccer teams | Sports

SANDY, Utah (AP) — The former owners of the Utah Jazz bought controlling interest of professional soccer teams Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals on Friday. The Miller family and Miller Sports + Entertainment owned the Jazz for 35 years before selling the NBA franchise in 2020. David Blitzer will remain with the MLS and NWSL teams as minority owner and as the second-largest shareholder. “The Millers have a long-standing commitment to community, youth sports, and sound business operations, and we have a proven history with David, one of the most accomplished sports owners in the world,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “Together, this group is perfectly positioned to strengthen the club and grow soccer in Utah and the region.” Real Salt Lake was founded in 2004 and began playing in MLS the following year. The Utah Royals were reestablished in 2023 after a previous stint in the NWSL. “This powerful partnership between the Miller family and David Blitzer will elevate women’s soccer in Utah and continue to build fandom for the Royals FC,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may

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