Trending
Pistons, Duren agree on 5-year contract
(AP) -- Jalen Duren has decided to accept a five-year, $200 million contract offer with the Detroit Pistons, a person with knowledge of the agreement confirmed Thursday night.
Duren accepted the deal shortly before a midnight deadline on a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Pistons had yet to announce the signing.
ESPN, The Athletic and The Detroit News, among others, were first to report the agreement.
It brings an end to an odd saga, one where it seemed as if Duren -- who made $6.5 million on his way to being an All-Star last season for the first time -- might actually pass on the $200 million offer. He was not on Detroit’s initial training camp roster while the contract talks continued; the Pistons, like most NBA teams, have been on the practice court since Tuesday.
Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points last season, along with 10.5 rebounds per game on 65% shooting. He made the All-NBA third team but struggled in the playoffs, averaging 10.2 points as the top-seeded Pistons failed to get out of the second round.
Duren has averaged 13.5 points in his first four NBA seasons, all with Detroit.
Blazers fire new TV announcer
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers fired new play-by-play television broadcaster Braiden Bell on Thursday when past inappropriate social media posts resurfaced just hours after the team announced his hiring.
“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” the team said in a statement Thursday night. “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.”
Bell had been the play-by-play announcer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns before the Trail Blazers announced they had hired him on Thursday to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro.
Hours later, posts surfaced that were apparently made on X by an account with Bell’s name from 2012 and 2013. The posts were first reported by KGW-TV in Portland, which said they were made when the 29-year-old Bell was a teenager.
“We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City,” the team’s statement said. “We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.”
Suns’ Brooks charged with DUI
PHOENIX (AP) -- Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has been charged with driving under the influence related to his arrest in March by police in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Online court records show that Brooks has a court date on Oct. 28 for the Class 1 misdemeanor charge.
“This charge stems from the incident last March,” Suns senior vice president of communications Stacey Mitch said in a statement. “We have addressed the matter with Dillon and have no further comment.”
Brooks was arrested during a traffic stop on March 6 at roughly 1 a.m. and after an investigation, he was taken to jail. He was released following the booking process around 3:30 a.m.
The 30-year-old was out with a fractured left hand at the time. He averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game last season and signed a $73 million, three-year extension during the offseason that will keep him with the team through 2030.
Brooks is also facing separate misdemeanor reckless driving and speeding charges related to an arrest in January. The court date for that case is Nov. 9.
ESPN first reported the developments in the cases.