The Milwaukee Bucks breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after finally agreeing to a five-year, $228 million supermax contract extension with star player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” was under contract for the 2020-21 season with the Bucks, but would have become an unrestricted free agent next offseason had he not signed an extension with Milwaukee this year.

The Bucks were able to get the job done and keep one of the most exciting and talented players in the league on their roster for the upcoming future, no small feat for a small market team.

Antetokounmpo’s new contract, which makes him the highest-paid player in the league, will keep the 26-year-old forward in Milwaukee through the end of the 2025-26 season.

The deal is a coup for the Bucks, who ensure that they will have a star to lead their team, and a perennial MVP caliber player that they hope will bring them the franchise’s second-ever title.

Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game last season.

The two-time reigning MVP is now set to begin the upcoming season with his future settled and his focus back on helping getting the Bucks to once again be one of the league’s best teams and a legitimate title contender.

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Despite not having played in an NBA game since March 2019, legendary big man Pau Gasol expressed a desire in an interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe to return to the league, possibly for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Gasol, whose best years were spent as the main piece in the Lakers’ frontcourt where he won two championships in 2009 and 2010, said that he is working out in an attempt to sign with the team.

The Spanish big man’s last appearance was in 2019 for the Milwaukee Bucks. After falling victim to a foot injury in March, he then missed the rest of the season. He had only played three games that season before the injury.

Gasol hasn’t played regularly since the 2017-18 season for the San Antonio Spurs, and might be a long shot to make it back to the league at the age of 40.

However, Gasol’s desire appears to be genuine and he would especially like a chance to play with his brother for the first time on a Lakers team that will head into the season as favorites to repeat as NBA champions.

The big man said, “I’m not going to lie. It would be very special, and now that my brother’s there, even more special. But I’m not in a position now to be very demanding. I don’t have 10 offers on the table.”

Gasol will look for an opportunity over the coming weeks to return to the league, even if it means waiting past its December 22nd start date for that chance to come.

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After joining the Lakers prior to the 2019-20 season via trade, and winning an NBA title with them as well, free agent forward Anthony Davis has decided to sign a max contract for the next five years.

Davis, a seven-time All Star, ended up being the perfect complement to LeBron James in Tinseltown after signing with the Lakers. Although he hit the free agent market this summer, his resigning with the team was to be expected.

This expectation came to fruition on Thursday, when the former Kentucky star settled on a contract that was the biggest he could possibly get, worth $190 million and keeping him in LA through the end of the 2024-25 season.

The big man averaged 26.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during his first season in Los Angeles, maintaining his status as one of the league’s best players.

Quite appropriately, the Lakers had also just come to an agreement with LeBron James for a two-year contract extension the same week. As a result, now their two biggest stars will be around for the next three seasons.

With a new revamped roster, fans and non-fans alike can expect the Lakers to be a serious threat to defend their crown for years to come.

The post Anthony Davis Set to Sign Five-Year Max Deal with Lakers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is heading back to Texas once again in the 2020-21 season after he decided to ink a new one-year deal with the team.

Barea, an NBA veteran who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the league with Dallas, will sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal to contribute off of the bench for the Mavs.

The Puerto Rico native, who won an NBA title with the team in 2011 and has served as a spark plug off of the bench for many years in the league, missed part of last season after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January 2019.

He appeared in just 29 games for the Mavs, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in an average of 15.5 minutes of action.

Barea, who has long expressed a desire to become a coach after his playing career ends, is expected to play a role as a mentor in the upcoming season while serving as one of the team’s last options off of the bench.

His expertise should help young players like Jalen Brunson and newly-acquired draft pick Tyrell Terry continue to grow as they look to become the team’s stars of the future.

Barea’s new deal is expected to be formally announced in the coming week.

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The Indiana Pacers, who were set to host the 2021 All-Star Game and Weekend in the upcoming season, revealed on Wednesday that those plans have been put on hold until 2024.

The league made the decision to call off the All-Star Game and its related festivities in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the altered season schedule, which will start in late December.

It was a tough bit of news for Indianapolis and the Pacers, but they will have the game to look forward to after all, even if it comes a few years later than they expected.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “While we are disappointed that the NBA All-Star Game will not take place in Indianapolis in 2021, we are looking forward to the Pacers and the city hosting the game and surrounding events in 2024.”

The Pacers have not hosted the All-Star Game since 1985 when the West beat the East by a 140-129 final score. Rockets center Ralph Sampson was named the game’s MVP.

The league hopes to see the All-Star Game and Weekend return in 2022 when it will be hosted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it’ll make a stop in Salt Lake City in 2023 before ending up in Indianapolis.

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It did not take long for the Toronto Raptors to find a replacement for departed center Marc Gasol, as the team inked center Alex Len to a one-year deal.

The contract, valued at $2.3 million according to ESPN sources, brings the former fifth overall draft pick to a team that needed depth in the paint after losing Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

Their new Ukrainian big man has already spent seven years in the league with the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and most recently, the Sacramento Kings.

Len, who moved from Atlanta to Sacramento in a mid-season trade last season, only averaged 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 2019-20, a small step back from his 2018-19 season which saw him break the double-digit scoring mark for the first time in his career.

The veteran center, who is still only 27 years old, is expected to be Toronto’s first big man off the bench and will provide interior scoring, rebounding, and tough defense at a very low price.

Len will be tasked with playing for the first contender of his career, a move that could spark him to tap into some of his untapped potential.

The team is expected to officially announce the signing in the coming days.

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Free-agent Marc Gasol found a new home over the weekend, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.

The veteran Spanish big man, who spent the past season and a half with the Toronto Raptors, will arrive in LA to strengthen the defending champions who look to be priming for another title run in 2020-21.

Gasol, a three-time All-Star and an NBA Champion after winning the title with Toronto in 2019, debated whether or not he would return to play in his native country after his contract with the Raptors expired. He ultimately decided to join the NBA’s most star-studded roster, however.

The 35-year-old center had a down year with Toronto last season, averaging only 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, career worsts in each statistic. He was forced into a secondary role in Toronto, losing much of the offensive relevance he had during his career with the Grizzlies.

It isn’t immediately clear what Gasol’s role will be with the Lakers, but he figures to be a steadying presence in the paint for a team that would like to add some veteran muscle alongside star forward Anthony Davis next year.

Expect Gasol’s new deal to be announced over the next few days.

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Free agent big man Serge Ibaka has agreed to a two-year contract worth $19 million with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to multiple sources.

Ibaka, a powerful interior presence, has become one of the league’s most intimidating post presences during his time with the Thunder, Magic, and most recently, Raptors.

Despite helping Toronto to a 2019 NBA Championship and playoff appearances during every season with the team, he will head west to join one of the NBA’s most attractive rosters and a team that figures to be a title contender over the next two seasons.

Ibaka is set to help the Clippers become stronger in the paint after Montrezl Harrell’s departure. The Congolese-Spanish big man averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2019-20.

The Clippers, despite a star-studded roster featuring Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, were unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs over the summer. They hope that Ibaka, along with new coach Tyronn Lue, will allow them to take the next step towards competing for the franchise’s first-ever NBA title.

Expect Ibaka to continue posting strong numbers and help the Clippers take the next step towards a championship during his two years with the club.

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One of the biggest prizes on this offseason’s free-agent market revealed his next destination on Saturday as Gordon Hayward announced that he will sign a new deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

Hayward, who spent the past three seasons playing for the Boston Celtics, has agreed to a four-year, $120 million max deal with Charlotte which will make him one of the highest-paid players in the league.

After bursting onto the scene as one of the game’s best young players during his seven years with the Utah Jazz, the small forward had ups and downs during his tenure with Boston, missing all but one game of his first season with the team after suffering a gruesome injury in his Celtics debut.

The Indiana native struggled to get his feet under him last season before rebounding in the 2019-20 campaign, averaging 17.5 points per game on 50% shooting along with 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Hayward joins a Charlotte team which will hope that he can be a consistent all-around presence as the Hornets look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

He is expected to move immediately into a primary role for his new team and look to build upon his successful 2019-20 season.

The post Gordon Hayward Signs 4-Year, $120 Million Deal with Charlotte Hornets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a blockbuster deal on Tuesday which will see future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul move west.

The teams agreed to a mega-deal which will see Chris Paul move from the Thunder along with F Abdel Nader to the Suns in exchange for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick.

This move is a clear sign that the Suns are looking to contend in the 2020-21 season and that they have real ambitions to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

Phoenix acquires one of the best point guards in the league who, at the age of 34 averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game along with excellent efficiency.

The Thunder, on the other hand, will look to retool and rebuild for the future with the package that they acquired in the deal. Oubre and the 2022 first-round pick are the biggest pieces in the deal, with the Thunder acquiring one of the league’s bright young talents. Oubre averaged 18.7 points per game last season.

Rubio looks set to fill in for Paul as the team’s starting point guard, while Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque are young players who saw minimal playing time for Phoenix last year.

This trade should have a huge impact in the Western Conference race and could signal the Suns’ return to playoff and title contention.

The post Suns, Thunder Agree to Blockbuster Chris Paul Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Milwaukee Bucks breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after finally agreeing to a five-year, $228 million supermax contract extension with star player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” was under contract for the 2020-21 season with the Bucks, but would have become an unrestricted free agent next offseason had he not signed an extension with Milwaukee this year.

The Bucks were able to get the job done and keep one of the most exciting and talented players in the league on their roster for the upcoming future, no small feat for a small market team.

Antetokounmpo’s new contract, which makes him the highest-paid player in the league, will keep the 26-year-old forward in Milwaukee through the end of the 2025-26 season.

The deal is a coup for the Bucks, who ensure that they will have a star to lead their team, and a perennial MVP caliber player that they hope will bring them the franchise’s second-ever title.

Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game last season.

The two-time reigning MVP is now set to begin the upcoming season with his future settled and his focus back on helping getting the Bucks to once again be one of the league’s best teams and a legitimate title contender.

The post Bucks Agree to 5-Year, $228 Million Supermax Extension with Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Despite not having played in an NBA game since March 2019, legendary big man Pau Gasol expressed a desire in an interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe to return to the league, possibly for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Gasol, whose best years were spent as the main piece in the Lakers’ frontcourt where he won two championships in 2009 and 2010, said that he is working out in an attempt to sign with the team.

The Spanish big man’s last appearance was in 2019 for the Milwaukee Bucks. After falling victim to a foot injury in March, he then missed the rest of the season. He had only played three games that season before the injury.

Gasol hasn’t played regularly since the 2017-18 season for the San Antonio Spurs, and might be a long shot to make it back to the league at the age of 40.

However, Gasol’s desire appears to be genuine and he would especially like a chance to play with his brother for the first time on a Lakers team that will head into the season as favorites to repeat as NBA champions.

The big man said, “I’m not going to lie. It would be very special, and now that my brother’s there, even more special. But I’m not in a position now to be very demanding. I don’t have 10 offers on the table.”

Gasol will look for an opportunity over the coming weeks to return to the league, even if it means waiting past its December 22nd start date for that chance to come.

The post Pau Gasol Expresses Desire to Return to Lakers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After joining the Lakers prior to the 2019-20 season via trade, and winning an NBA title with them as well, free agent forward Anthony Davis has decided to sign a max contract for the next five years.

Davis, a seven-time All Star, ended up being the perfect complement to LeBron James in Tinseltown after signing with the Lakers. Although he hit the free agent market this summer, his resigning with the team was to be expected.

This expectation came to fruition on Thursday, when the former Kentucky star settled on a contract that was the biggest he could possibly get, worth $190 million and keeping him in LA through the end of the 2024-25 season.

The big man averaged 26.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during his first season in Los Angeles, maintaining his status as one of the league’s best players.

Quite appropriately, the Lakers had also just come to an agreement with LeBron James for a two-year contract extension the same week. As a result, now their two biggest stars will be around for the next three seasons.

With a new revamped roster, fans and non-fans alike can expect the Lakers to be a serious threat to defend their crown for years to come.

The post Anthony Davis Set to Sign Five-Year Max Deal with Lakers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is heading back to Texas once again in the 2020-21 season after he decided to ink a new one-year deal with the team.

Barea, an NBA veteran who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the league with Dallas, will sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal to contribute off of the bench for the Mavs.

The Puerto Rico native, who won an NBA title with the team in 2011 and has served as a spark plug off of the bench for many years in the league, missed part of last season after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January 2019.

He appeared in just 29 games for the Mavs, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in an average of 15.5 minutes of action.

Barea, who has long expressed a desire to become a coach after his playing career ends, is expected to play a role as a mentor in the upcoming season while serving as one of the team’s last options off of the bench.

His expertise should help young players like Jalen Brunson and newly-acquired draft pick Tyrell Terry continue to grow as they look to become the team’s stars of the future.

Barea’s new deal is expected to be formally announced in the coming week.

The post J. J. Barea Re-Signs with Mavericks on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Indiana Pacers, who were set to host the 2021 All-Star Game and Weekend in the upcoming season, revealed on Wednesday that those plans have been put on hold until 2024.

The league made the decision to call off the All-Star Game and its related festivities in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the altered season schedule, which will start in late December.

It was a tough bit of news for Indianapolis and the Pacers, but they will have the game to look forward to after all, even if it comes a few years later than they expected.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “While we are disappointed that the NBA All-Star Game will not take place in Indianapolis in 2021, we are looking forward to the Pacers and the city hosting the game and surrounding events in 2024.”

The Pacers have not hosted the All-Star Game since 1985 when the West beat the East by a 140-129 final score. Rockets center Ralph Sampson was named the game’s MVP.

The league hopes to see the All-Star Game and Weekend return in 2022 when it will be hosted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it’ll make a stop in Salt Lake City in 2023 before ending up in Indianapolis.

The post Pacers to Host 2024 NBA All-Star Game After 2021 Cancellation appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It did not take long for the Toronto Raptors to find a replacement for departed center Marc Gasol, as the team inked center Alex Len to a one-year deal.

The contract, valued at $2.3 million according to ESPN sources, brings the former fifth overall draft pick to a team that needed depth in the paint after losing Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

Their new Ukrainian big man has already spent seven years in the league with the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and most recently, the Sacramento Kings.

Len, who moved from Atlanta to Sacramento in a mid-season trade last season, only averaged 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 2019-20, a small step back from his 2018-19 season which saw him break the double-digit scoring mark for the first time in his career.

The veteran center, who is still only 27 years old, is expected to be Toronto’s first big man off the bench and will provide interior scoring, rebounding, and tough defense at a very low price.

Len will be tasked with playing for the first contender of his career, a move that could spark him to tap into some of his untapped potential.

The team is expected to officially announce the signing in the coming days.

The post C Alex Len Agrees to Deal with Toronto Raptors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Free-agent Marc Gasol found a new home over the weekend, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.

The veteran Spanish big man, who spent the past season and a half with the Toronto Raptors, will arrive in LA to strengthen the defending champions who look to be priming for another title run in 2020-21.

Gasol, a three-time All-Star and an NBA Champion after winning the title with Toronto in 2019, debated whether or not he would return to play in his native country after his contract with the Raptors expired. He ultimately decided to join the NBA’s most star-studded roster, however.

The 35-year-old center had a down year with Toronto last season, averaging only 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, career worsts in each statistic. He was forced into a secondary role in Toronto, losing much of the offensive relevance he had during his career with the Grizzlies.

It isn’t immediately clear what Gasol’s role will be with the Lakers, but he figures to be a steadying presence in the paint for a team that would like to add some veteran muscle alongside star forward Anthony Davis next year.

Expect Gasol’s new deal to be announced over the next few days.

The post Marc Gasol, Lakers Agree to 2-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Free agent big man Serge Ibaka has agreed to a two-year contract worth $19 million with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to multiple sources.

Ibaka, a powerful interior presence, has become one of the league’s most intimidating post presences during his time with the Thunder, Magic, and most recently, Raptors.

Despite helping Toronto to a 2019 NBA Championship and playoff appearances during every season with the team, he will head west to join one of the NBA’s most attractive rosters and a team that figures to be a title contender over the next two seasons.

Ibaka is set to help the Clippers become stronger in the paint after Montrezl Harrell’s departure. The Congolese-Spanish big man averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2019-20.

The Clippers, despite a star-studded roster featuring Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, were unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs over the summer. They hope that Ibaka, along with new coach Tyronn Lue, will allow them to take the next step towards competing for the franchise’s first-ever NBA title.

Expect Ibaka to continue posting strong numbers and help the Clippers take the next step towards a championship during his two years with the club.

The post Serge Ibaka to Sign 2-Year Contract with Los Angeles Clippers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of the biggest prizes on this offseason’s free-agent market revealed his next destination on Saturday as Gordon Hayward announced that he will sign a new deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

Hayward, who spent the past three seasons playing for the Boston Celtics, has agreed to a four-year, $120 million max deal with Charlotte which will make him one of the highest-paid players in the league.

After bursting onto the scene as one of the game’s best young players during his seven years with the Utah Jazz, the small forward had ups and downs during his tenure with Boston, missing all but one game of his first season with the team after suffering a gruesome injury in his Celtics debut.

The Indiana native struggled to get his feet under him last season before rebounding in the 2019-20 campaign, averaging 17.5 points per game on 50% shooting along with 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Hayward joins a Charlotte team which will hope that he can be a consistent all-around presence as the Hornets look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

He is expected to move immediately into a primary role for his new team and look to build upon his successful 2019-20 season.

The post Gordon Hayward Signs 4-Year, $120 Million Deal with Charlotte Hornets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a blockbuster deal on Tuesday which will see future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul move west.

The teams agreed to a mega-deal which will see Chris Paul move from the Thunder along with F Abdel Nader to the Suns in exchange for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick.

This move is a clear sign that the Suns are looking to contend in the 2020-21 season and that they have real ambitions to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

Phoenix acquires one of the best point guards in the league who, at the age of 34 averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game along with excellent efficiency.

The Thunder, on the other hand, will look to retool and rebuild for the future with the package that they acquired in the deal. Oubre and the 2022 first-round pick are the biggest pieces in the deal, with the Thunder acquiring one of the league’s bright young talents. Oubre averaged 18.7 points per game last season.

Rubio looks set to fill in for Paul as the team’s starting point guard, while Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque are young players who saw minimal playing time for Phoenix last year.

This trade should have a huge impact in the Western Conference race and could signal the Suns’ return to playoff and title contention.

The post Suns, Thunder Agree to Blockbuster Chris Paul Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.