Viral News Drift

Ben Margot/Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The first night of NBA free agency overflowed with blockbuster deals. One by one, top names came off the board like  Kyrie Irving , Kemba Walker, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler (assuming the sign-and-trade to Miami eventually goes through ). Not a peep out of Los Angeles on the Lakers. Word that D’Angelo Russell would sign (via trade) with the Golden State Warriors erased the Lakers’ backup plan. At this point, it’s Kawhi Leonard or nothing. The Lakers are playing a high-stakes game of poker. They could have tried to go all-in on Russell or any of the other big names, but they held their cards, hoping that Leonard will choose to leave the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors for Los Angeles. And not just L.A., but the Lakers. Not to the Clippers, the other local team that is in the very same boat. The Clippers hoped to pair another star free agent with Leonard but didn’t get a commitment from Durant, Butler or Al Horford . The Laker

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press Seconds after free agency began Sunday evening, Kevin Durant made official what had been reported an hour earlier after gaining momentum for the past week: He and Kyrie Irving will, in fact, team up in New York, as had been rumored for the better part of a year. The curveball is the team. A s first reported by ESPN’s   Adrian Wojnarowski , the two superstars will be joining the Brooklyn Nets , not the New York Knicks . It was the counterintuitive choice based on all the noise that’s been circulating around the NBA for the last year. But it was ultimately the one that made the most sense for the next chapter Durant wants to write. Durant had been linked to the Knicks for most of this past season. For months, Golden State Warriors staffers had operated under the assumption that he was gone this summer. The notion that he would be suiting up at Madison Square Garden next year appeared to be as much of a foregone conclusion in behind-the-scene

Brian Babineau/Getty Images The Golden State Warriors are close to acquiring point guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets , according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Golden State would also receive Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier , per Charania. According to  ESPN’s  Adrian Wojnarowski , Russell will sign for $117 million over four years. Wojnarowski  also reported the Warriors traded  Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies in part to accommodate Russell’s contract. The move comes on the same day Kevin Durant agreed to a four-year, $164 million deal with the Nets, per Wojnarowski . Kyrie Irving is on his way to Brooklyn along with Durant, which meant Russell would be on the move at some point during free agency. Russell took his game to a new level this season, averaging  21.1 points and 7.0 assists while earning his first All-Star selection.  He stayed healthy (81 appearances) and became a leader while helping the Nets finish

David Zalubowski/Associated Press Derrick Favors is headed to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a trade with the Utah Jazz , per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jones added the Jazz will receive draft picks in exchange for the deal. Favors has $16.9 million remaining on his deal for 2019-20, but the money was not guaranteed until July 6, per Spotrac . The Jazz could have kept him, but they ran out of cap space after agreeing to a four-year, $73 million deal with  Bojan Bogdanovic, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Bobby Marks of ESPN reported the team would have to trade or waive Favors in order to work out the deal. By completing a trade, Utah was at least able to bring back assets in exchange for the talented player.  Favors has spent the past eight seasons with the Jazz. The New Jersey Nets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, but he appeared in just 56 games for the organization before getting dealt to Utah in the blockbuster Deron Williams

Michael Conroy/Associated Press Al Horford is reportedly joining the third team of his career. The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a four-year, $109 million deal with the big man Sunday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. “Horford’s agent tried to do a deal in Boston, but the money was significantly less than the Philly deal,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s The Jump . Wojnarowski reported June 18 that Horford declined the $30.1 million player option on his contract for the 2019-20 campaign to become an unrestricted free agent instead of returning to the Boston Celtics . The move turned heads, especially considering Horford rejected such a financial windfall while he is likely on the back end of his career, but Wojnarowski noted there was still “motivation” on both sides to sign a long-term contract that could give the front office financial flexibility. However, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported Horford stopped discussing a three-year deal with the Celtics an

David Zalubowski/Associated Press Julius Randle has agreed to sign a three-year, $63   million deal with the New York Knicks , according to his agents, Aaron Mintz and Steve Heumann.   Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shared the confirmation from Randle’s agents. He declined his player option, which was part of the  two-year, $18 million deal  he signed with New Orleans  after the Los Angeles Lakers renounced his rights.   “If you ask every [ NBA ] player if they had their dream scenario, their dream scenario is everyone just wants to be wanted,” Randle told The Undefeated’s  Marc J. Spears  in September 2018. “For me talking to New Orleans, they wanted me. I was a part of their future.” Fast-forward to now, and it’s clear the Knicks wanted him. In four seasons with Los Angeles, the 2014 seventh overall pick topped out at 16.1 points per game. All Randle did in his lone season in New Orleans was post a career-high 21.4 points while adding 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong blocked key roads early Monday morning as part of a mass planned pro-democracy rally on the anniversary of the city’s handover to China. The semi-autonomous Chinese territory has seen historic protests in recent weeks over a controversial extradition bill that would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China to face trial. More than a million protesters took to the streets of the city twice last month calling for the bill to be scrapped permanently. Pro-China Chief Execuitve Carrie Lam was forced to shelve the controversial bill last month due to the public backlash but the protesters are demanding her resignation as well as dropping of charges against demonstrators arrested in recent weeks. Tensions spiked once more in the financial hub as dawn rose on Monday after small groups of mainly young, masked protesters seized three key thoroughfares, deploying metal and plastic barriers to block the way. Rows of riot police with helmets and shie

Chuck Burton/Associated Press Free-agent guard JJ Redick agreed to a two – year, $26.5 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans , according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.   This comes after the guard signed a pair of one-year deals with the Philadelphia 76ers . In his 13th year in the league, Redick is coming off one of his finest seasons to date. He averaged a career-high 18.1 points on 44 percent shooting. His 39.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc was second on the team to only Mike Scott (41.2 percent in 27 games), and Redick had the highest three-point percentage among Sixers players who made at least 28 appearances  and  finished the season in Philadelphia. The guard is a career 41.3 percent shooter from distance. Prior to Redick’s arrival in 2017, Philadelphia was in the midst of a five-year playoff drought as “The Process” continued. The Sixers went two-for-two in playoff appearances with Redick in the mix, as his veteran presence and consistent perimeter shooti

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press The Brooklyn Nets  have reportedly landed arguably the biggest prize on the free-agent market with Kevin Durant  agreeing to sign a contract with the franchise. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Durant’s plans ahead of the 6 p.m. ET start of free agency. Wojnarowski  added Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan will join Durant in Brooklyn. The 30-year-old will have a long road to recovery after suffering a  ruptured Achilles  in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, his first game back after missing over a month with a calf strain. Per  Wojnarowski , he is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season. As Faizal Khamisa of Sportsnet noted, most former NBA players have taken about eight to 12 months to return from the injury. Durant’s former teammate DeMarcus Cousins needed about a full year to return to the court after suffering an Achilles injury in January 2018. His new team would be smart to remain conservative with his recovery and not force him bac

Authorities have halted flights at the only functioning civilian airport in Libya ‘s capital after it was hit by forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa  Haftar , amid rising tensions between the eastern-based commander and Turkey. Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which has been waging an armed campaign to seize Tripoli from the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), said on Sunday its air force destroyed a Turkish drone parked at Mitiga airport. “Our fighter [jets] targeted and destroyed a Turkish Bayraktar aircraft as it was taking off,” the LNA said in a statement on Facebook. “The aircraft had been prepared to target our armed forces’ positions,” it said. Earlier on Sunday, Turkey’s foreign ministry accused Haftar’s forces of arresting six of its citizens, and warned that the LNA would become a “legitimate target” if the Turks were not released immediately. For its part, the LNA said it had  arrested two Turks in the northeastern oil to

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press Kevin Durant ‘s free-agent tour isn’t expected to last long with a decision expected to come Sunday night.  Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski , the two-time NBA Finals MVP will make his announcement on his company-owned business network.  Per   Marc Stein   of the  New York Times , the Golden State Warriors will offer Durant the full five-year max extension worth $221 million as soon as free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET.  Wojnarowski   reported the Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers are the four teams Durant will talk to, though not all of them will be in-person meetings.  “ There is expected to be some combination of face-to-face meetings and communications by other means with Durant and his business manager, Rich Kleiman, front-office sources told ESPN,” Wojnarowski wrote. The Athletic’s   Marcus Thompson II   reported Stephen Curry is in New York, along with team president Bob Myers, to speak with Durant as part of Golden

Chris Szagola/Associated Press The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly preparing to make a major run at signing free-agent point guard D’Angelo Russell . According to Marc Stein of the New York Times : “Minnesota is at the top of D’Angelo Russell’s free-agent wish list as the opening bell nears, league sources say—with the Timberwolves increasingly confident they can make the necessary salary-cap moves to land him.” Stein added that the Los Angeles Lakers are also gunning for Russell, calling their interest “undeniable,” though he added that “ Minnesota has made the All-Star guard its top priority in free agency knowing that the Brooklyn Nets mere hours away from the momentous addition of Kyrie Irving.” While the Wolves can focus on Russell, the Lakers are still reportedly in the running for Kawhi Leonard. Until he makes his decision or makes it clear he isn’t interested in the Lakers, they’ll be in something of a holding pattern. The Wolves find themselves in their o

Palestinians have condemned the attendance of two  United States officials at the inauguration of a tunnel at a contested archaeological site in occupied East Jerusalem  that was organised by an Israeli settler-linked group. White House adviser Jason Greenblatt and Ambassador to  Israel  David Friedman took part in Sunday’s event, which marked the completion of the project next to the Old City in the neighbourhood of Silwan, according to the group, the City of David Foundation. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it viewed “the American attendance and celebration of the Judaisation activities in occupied East Jerusalem as hostile acts against the Palestinians”. “The administration of President Donald Trump proves day by day its … unlimited affiliation to the colonial settlement project led by the extremist right in the state of the occupation (Israel),” it said. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the

0 of 32 Ron Schwane/Associated Press Every NFL season, breakout players define the next generation.  Sometimes, a breakout player merely provides hope for the future during a losing season. Other times, the breakout propels a contender into the playoffs and more.  No matter the overarching team context, a breakout typically features a player at least entering his sophomore season who has a massive upswing in performance—often sparked by a perfect  marriage of development, acclimation and potential. With the NFL entering a dead zone until late July when training camps start, now is a good time to take a step back and identify the likeliest breakout player for all 32 teams.  1 of 32 Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press The Arizona Cardinals have a few different breakout candidates, including defenders like Haason Reddick.  But with a new head coach with an offensive slant like Kliff Kingsbury, not to mention a talent like Kyler Murray under center, the attention has