Digest: Mavs have deal with Dirk Nowitzki, will add Seth Curry
NBA: Dirk Nowitzki’s new contract will give the Dallas forward a chance spend 20 seasons with the only franchise he has ever played for.
The Mavericks and Nowitzki have reached agreement on a two-year, $40 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because contracts can’t be signed until late Wednesday night Central time. Nowitzki will have a player option in the second year.
The person also said the Mavericks have agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with free agent guard Seth Curry, the younger brother of two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
At $20 million per season, Nowitzki’s deal is a significant raise for the 38-year-old, who opted out of the final year of a three-year, $25 million deal that was a huge discount for the Mavericks. It helped them get Chandler Parsons in free agency two years ago, although he is leaving for a max deal in Memphis.
Hibbert, Sessions agree to terms with Hornets: Center Roy Hibbert and point guard Ramon Sessions agreed to terms with the Charlotte Hornets, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Hibbert will receive one-year deal worth $5 million and Sessions will get a two-year deal worth $12.3 million with a team option for the second season. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deals cannot be signed until Thursday.
Henderson, 76ers agree to two-year deal: A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to terms with guard Gerald Henderson on a two-year deal worth $18 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until Thursday.
Memphis hires Smart, Mazarei: The Memphis Grizzlies have hired Keith Smart and Adam Mazarei as assistants on new coach David Fizdale’s staff. Terms of the deals weren’t disclosed.
Smart and Fizdale worked together the last two seasons as assistant coaches with the Miami Heat. Smart previously was a head coach with the Sacramento Kings (2011-13), Golden State Warriors (2010-11) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2003). He also spent three seasons as head coach of the Continental Basketball Association’s Fort Wayne Fury. He made the winning shot in Indiana’s 1987 NCAA Tournament championship game over Syracuse.
Wizards hire Lowe, Brown: Former NBA head coach Sidney Lowe and interim coach Tony Brown have been hired as assistants to Scott Brooks with the Washington Wizards.The Wizards announced that Chad Iske, Mike Terpstra and Maz Trakh also will be assistants to Brooks. Brooks replaced the fired Randy Wittman after the team failed to make the playoffs last season, finishing 41-41 and 10th in the Eastern Conference.
West signs with Warriors: David West agreed to a one-year deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until Thursday.
Less than 24 hours after Kevin Durant shook the NBA landscape with his decision to leave Oklahoma City for Golden State, West jumped at the chance to join him in the Bay Area. It will be his 14th season in the league, and he has yet to capture a championship. But joining a team with four All-Stars and two MVPs should give him the best chance yet.
West left some $11 million on the table last season when he opted out of his contract with Indiana to try to get a title with the Spurs. He averaged a career-low 7.1 points per game and the Spurs lost to Durant’s Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
Durant’s decision to come to the Warriors stocked their starting lineup with talent rarely seen in NBA history. But it also caused them to jettison some important parts of their success, including Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, and gutted their bench.
With their salary cap stretched, the Warriors are relying on veterans willing to work for the minimum to give them some depth.
Spurs trade Diaw for Jazz’s Hanlan: The San Antonio Spurs have traded Boris Diaw to the Utah Jazz for point guard Olivier Hanlan, a person with knowledge of the deal said Tuesday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because league deals do not become official until Thursday. TheVertical.com first reported the trade.
Diaw tweeted, “Spurs’ fans, thanks for all your messages. Great years here and a ring! Leaving but San Antonio will always be a special place to me.”
He added in another tweet, “Hey (at)utahjazz and (at)rudygobert27 ! I’m looking forward seeing you!”
The 33-year-old Diaw, a key member of the Spurs’ 2014 championship team, averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season. He has two year remaining on his contract with 2017-18 being non-guaranteed, according to Spotrac.com.
Hanlan was a 2015 second-round pick by the Jazz. He played in Lithuania last season.
The Jazz have been active in the last few days. The team traded for point guard George Hill and signed free agent forward Joe Johnson to a two-year deal worth $22 million within the last week.
Moore nets 33, lifts Lynx over Sky
WNBA: Maya Moore scored 33 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Lynx outlasted Elena Delle Donne’s strong performance for an 87-82 victory over the Chicago Sky in Minneapolis.
Moore hit a 3 just before the shot-clock buzzer with 55.7 seconds left to give Minnesota an 85-80 lead. Chicago had the ball, down three, with 19.7 seconds left but Rebekkah Brunson jumped a pass attempt and went coast-to-coast for a layup to seal the win for Minnesota (15-3), which is ranked No. 2 in the AP power poll.
Delle Donne scored 25 of her season-high 38 points in the first half for sixth-ranked Chicago (7-10). She made 10 straight shots, including an open 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the third for a 58-52 lead. Chicago was up 10 midway through the third quarter before Minnesota rallied.
Sylvia Fowles’ putback with 7:20 remaining capped a 10-2 run to open the fourth for a 71-70 lead, the Lynx’s first since the opening minute of the third.
Courtney Vandersloot injured her right ankle with 6:57 left in the first quarter and did not return after being helped to the locker room. Her replacement, Jamierra Faulkner, finished with 18 points and seven assists.
Johnson, Wings top Mercury: Glory Johnson had 23 points and a WNBA season-high 22 rebounds to help the Dallas Wings beat the Phoenix Mercury 77-74 in Arlington, Texas.
It was the first 20-20 performance in the WNBA this season. She was 10 of 20 from the field and grabbed nine offensive rebounds.
Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull Phoenix to 75-72 with 43 seconds left. Taurasi added two free throws with 7.3 seconds left to make it 75-74 but Aerial Powers answered with two free throws.
Phoenix had possession with 5.3 seconds left, but Taurasi’s good look from 3 hit the back of the rim at the buzzer.
Odyssey Sims added 19 points and Powers finished with 17 for Dallas (9-10), which is ranked No. 7 in the AP power poll. The Wings outrebounded Phoenix 46-24.
Taurasi made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points for fifth-ranked Phoenix (8-11). Brittney Griner added 13 points, six assists and five blocks.
Wild sign Kuemper to $1.55 million contract
NHL: The Minnesota Wild have signed goalie Darcy Kuemper to a one-year, $1.55 million contract.
The 26-year-old Kuemper went 6-7-5 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average for the Wild last season. He has played in 84 games over the past four seasons with the Wild and is 3-1-1 with 2.13 goals-against in nine playoff starts.
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said the team was looking at trading Kuemper before the draft. But the market has cooled since then and right now Kuemper slots in behind Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock on the depth chart.
Blues re-sign Paajarvi: The St. Louis Blues have re-signed forward Magnus Paajarvi to a one-year, $700,000 contract. The 25-year-old Paajarvi had three goals and six assists in 48 regular-season games and one assist in three playoff games.
Devils sign Gazdic, re-sign Josefson: The New Jersey Devils have signed free agent left wing Luke Gazdic and re-signed restricted free agent center Jacob Josefson.
The 25-year-old Josefson got a one-year, $1.1 million contract and Gazdic signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000.
Jensen, Bodie agree to terms with Rangers: The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with restricted free agents Nicklas Jensen and Mat Bodie.
The 23-year-old Jensen was acquired by the Rangers from Vancouver along with a sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft for Emerson Etem last season. He was a first-round pick by the Canucks, No. 29 overall, in the 2011 draft.
The 26-year-old Bodie skated in 76 games with the Wolf Pack this past season, getting seven goals and 29 assists. He was signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent on April 15, 2014.
Berube, Islanders agree to one-year deal: The New York Islanders have agreed to a one-year deal with goaltender Jean-Francois Berube.Berube, 24, made his NHL debut with the Islanders last season, posting a 3-2-1 record with a 2.71 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in seven games.
Ducks sign Boll, Raymond: Forwards Jared Boll and Mason Raymond and defenseman Jeff Schultz have agreed to contracts with the Anaheim Ducks.
Boll got a two-year, $900,000 deal with the Ducks after spending his entire NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets.Raymond and Schultz both agreed to two-way contracts.
Tennessee settles Title IX lawsuit for $2.48 million
Miscellany: Tennessee is paying $2.48 million to settle a lawsuit filed by eight unidentified women who said the school had violated Title IX regulations and created a “hostile sexual environment” through a policy of indifference toward assaults by athletes.
Lawyers for the school and the plaintiffs issued a joint press release announcing the settlement. The payment will be split equally between Tennessee’s athletic department and the school’s central administration. Lawyers representing the school said no taxpayer dollars, student fees or donor funds would be used to fund the settlement.
Six women filed the suit in federal court in Nashville on Feb. 9. Two more plaintiffs added their names to an amended complaint two weeks later.
Title IX is a federal statute that bans discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.
NIH funds Zika study in Olympic athletes: Researchers will study some U.S. athletes for Zika during the summer Olympics and Paralympics in Brazil, to better understand how the virus infects. The National Institutes of Health announced the study Tuesday, amid concern among athletes over the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause severe birth defects.
International health officials have said pregnant women should skip the games, but the virus also sometimes spreads through sex and may persist in semen longer than blood. Some athletes from several countries have dropped out, citing Zika worries.
NIH-funded researchers aim to enroll at least 1,000 athletes, coaches and staff. Participants will provide samples of bodily fluids for routine testing to determine to help determine risk factors for infection, and where and how long the virus persists in the body.