Thunder grateful for fans
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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Jalen Ross couldn't stop smiling after attending the Oklahoma City Thunder's championship parade.
The 19-year-old Ross was among thousands of Oklahoma City's unwavering fans who finally got to celebrate an NBA championship after their team suffered through several close calls and heartbreaking moments the past two decades.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers on Sunday to clinch the title. On Tuesday, Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and their teammates joyfully greeted their adoring fans, who lined the downtown streets despite 90-degree heat.
Ross said it was well worth it.
"It's crazy," he said. "From the days of wearing my KD (Kevin Durant) jersey every day, to crying when he left, having the Russell Westbrook Fathead in the living room during the playoffs, and all the Thunder playoff shirts, programs, hats hanging up on my wall to this day -- it's crazy to think about. But we did it."
The parade route ended at Scissortail Park, where Mayor David Holt declared a city holiday for Clay Bennett, the head of the Thunder's ownership group, then added days for general manager Sam Presti, coach Mark Daigneault and every player on the roster. The fans cheered loudly for each announcement.
"I just feel like they really represent us as Oklahomans and put us -- the whole state and the whole city -- on their backs," said Chris Willert, a 15-year-old fan from nearby Norman.
Oklahoma City first hosted an NBA team during the 2005-06 season, when the New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Oklahoma City's fans fell in love with the team and a young point guard named Chris Paul who would be named rookie of the year.
The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in time for the 2008-09 season, and fans feverishly supported the team, despite its early struggles. The Thunder became contenders with young stars Durant, Westbrook and James Harden.
Celtics trade big man
Kristaps Porzingis is being traded by the Boston Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks, and part of what will be a three-team deal gives the Brooklyn Nets another selection in Wednesday's first round of the NBA draft, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement.
Porzingis is going to the Hawks, while Georges Niang and a second-round pick will be acquired by Boston, and Brooklyn will wind up with Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick that is held by Atlanta in Wednesday's draft, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade isn't expected to be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6.
The move is the second major one by Boston of the week, after the team agreed to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland. The combination of those moves still has Boston past the tax line for next season but out from under the second apron, which gives the Celtics -- who will be without Jayson Tatum for, at minimum, a significant portion of next season because of an Achilles tear -- more flexibility moving forward.
Getting under the second apron is important; that threshold, once exceeded, limits ways that teams can trade for or sign players.
Porzingis -- who, like Holiday, was part of the team that helped Boston win the 2024 NBA title -- will make $30.7 million next season on an expiring contract. He was slowed by illness at times in the second half of this past season, as well as in Boston's playoff run this spring. But he intends to play for Latvia at EuroBasket this summer, a good sign.
Pelicans, Wizards deal
NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade veteran guard CJ McCollum, center Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, wing Saddiq Bey and the 40th overall pick in Thursday's second round of the NBA Draft, a person with knowledge of the agreement said.
McCollum, a 12-year veteran who has averaged 19.6 points per game throughout his career, now joins his third team since 2022 after spending the bulk of his career with Portland.
Poole, a six-year veteran who has averaged 16.8 points per game, also joins his third franchise after spending his first four seasons with Golden State and the past two with the Wizards.
The Wizards -- who are clearly maximizing the youth movement now -- will gain a ton of financial freedom in the deal, which they can use going forward to continue their rebuild. They easily could have around $100 million in cap space for the summer of 2026, largely by clearing $57 million in expiring contracts for McCollum and Olynyk this coming season.
The Pelicans are entering a new era under the direction of Joe Dumars -- a former NBA champion as a player and general manager with Detroit -- who was hired in April to replace David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations.
T-wolves sale approved
MINNEAPOLIS -- The $1.5 billion sale of the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor to an investment group led by e-commerce entrepreneur Marc Lore and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez gained NBA approval on Tuesday, finalizing a complex and contentious process more than four years after the deal was reached.
The ownership transfer that Taylor tried to stop last year received an unanimous vote from the league's board of governors that comprises the 30 team owners. The deal, which is expected to close this week nearly 51 months and more than 1,500 days after the initial agreement, includes the four-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx.
The Timberwolves are planning an introductory news conference for Lore and Rodriguez next month in Las Vegas during the NBA Summer League. Lore and Rodriguez will serve as co-chairmen on the board, with Lore as Timberwolves governor and Rodriguez as alternate governor, the league announced. For the Lynx, Rodriguez will serve as governor and Lore as alternate governor.