AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Report: Garrett Temple opts in with Kings for $8 million

By Dan FeldmanJun 29, 2018, 9:03 PM EDT
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The Kings have lured a few notable veterans over the last few years by overpaying them.

They usually wind up unhappy in Sacramento, anyway.

The Kings gave Garrett Temple a contract that included an $8 million player option for next season. Yet, the 32-year-old merely fine player took until option-deadline day to exercise it.

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

This is the choice I would’ve advised Temple to make. He’ll never earn nearly that high a salary again in his life. Make that money while he can, and get to a more favorable situation later.

Maybe the Kings will trade him. They’re extremely unlikely to win this year, anyway. But they also already dealt their first-round pick, giving them minimal incentive to tank. (They’ll have the lower of their own and the Bucks’ second-rounders.) If Temple has to spend the year mentoring the young super team while making $8 million, it could be worse.

The Kings project to have about $19 million in cap space to accept salary dumps and/or chase restricted free agents like Zach LaVine.

Report: Heat, Clippers, Mavericks, Rockets still looking to add Jimmy Butler

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By Dane DelgadoOct 23, 2018, 10:00 PM EDT
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Trade talks for Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler have apparently gone dormant. Things fell through with the most likely deal between the Wolves and the Miami Heat earlier in October, and now we are in sort of a weird limbo state where Butler is still playing for Minnesota.

The season has started, the Timberwolves have new jerseys, but everyone knows what is coming.

It certainly doesn’t mean that interest in Butler’s services have waned. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, four teams still have adding Butler at the top of their list.

Windhorst appeared on Alex Kennedy’s podcast this weekend and said that the Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets are still gunning for Butler.

Via Twitter:

Windhorst gave a caveat for both Dallas and the Clippers, who have the ability to sign Butler this offseason through free agency. That makes a trade between the Timberwolves and those teams less likely, especially because Minnesota’s asking price for Butler apparently keeps going up (rather than down) as time goes on.

No doubt this saga will continue for some time until Butler eventually gets traded to somewhere strange, like the Milwaukee Bucks.

Much like the Kawhi Leonard situation last season in San Antonio, we could be waiting all season for something to happen on the Butler front.

Prince-themed Timberwolves jerseys leaked

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By Dane DelgadoOct 23, 2018, 9:00 PM EDT
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Things aren’t pretty with the Minnesota Timberwolves right now. The team is still trying to figure out what to do with Jimmy Butler, and a willing trade partner doesn’t seem available at the moment.

But that doesn’t mean that the Timberwolves can’t still look good.

On Tuesday, some of Minnesota’s alternate uniforms for this season leaked on Reddit. They of course made their way to Twitter, and they have a very specific theme: “Purple Rain”.

Via Twitter:

The jerseys are of course based on Prince’s iconic 1984 album/film combo. Prince, a Minneapolis native, passed away in 2016.

Meanwhile the Wolves may be bad, but at least their uniforms will rock.

Ben Simmons out for 76ers against Pistons with back tightness

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Associated PressOct 23, 2018, 7:40 PM EDT
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DETROIT (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons is out Tuesday night against the Detroit Pistons because of back tightness.

76ers coach Brett Brown says Simmons is questionable for Wednesday at Milwaukee after he left Saturday’s game in the first quarter against Orlando and did not return. Brown says Simmons wasn’t fully comfortable and that resting him Tuesday boosted the chances he could play Wednesday.

Simmons, the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year, was averaging 16.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the first two games before playing just eight minutes Saturday.

 

Indiana museum to tell story of basketball great Larry Bird

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Associated PressOct 23, 2018, 6:23 PM EDT
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A museum is being planned to tell the story of basketball great Larry Bird, an Indiana native.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Saturday that the museum will be located in a new convention center that’s being built in Terre Haute in western Indiana. The Tribune-Star reports Bird plans to donate personal items and memorabilia from his career with the Boston Celtics, Indiana State University, the U.S. Olympic team and beyond.

Holcomb predicts the museum will be a global draw, describing Bird as “Larry the Legend – Indiana’s favorite son.”

Details about the museum are still being developed, but plans include interactive displays to detail Bird’s life and career. He won three NBA championships with the Celtics.

Construction on the convention center is expected to start in the spring.