Off the wire
BASKETBALL
Pierce to retire with Celtics
Paul Pierce is retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics announced Monday that they have signed Pierce to a contract so the 10-time AllStar can retire with the team he spent his best 15 seasons in the NBA with. Pierce helped bring a championship in 2008 as part of the “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Drafted by Boston as the 10th overall pick in 1998, Pierce started a 15-season run that is behind only John Havlicek’s 16 seasons for the most played in a Celtics uniform. Pierce, 39, retires atop the franchise’s lists in threepoint field goals (1,823), free throws (6,434) and steals (1,583). He is also is Boston’s second all-time leading scorer with 24,021 career points, trailing only Havlicek. Pierce was traded to Brooklyn in 2013, spent the 2014-2015 season in Washington and the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. Lakers win Summer League
Kyle Kuzma had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night in the NBA Summer League championship game in Las Vegas. Kuzma hit 6 of 10 three-pointers and Matt Thomas scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 5 for 5 on three-pointers to help the Lakers overcome the loss of Lonzo Ball, who sat out with a calf injury. Caleb Swanigan had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Jake Layman had 21 points and seven boards for Portland. The Lakers announced Monday that Ball suffered a mild calf strain in the third quarter Sunday and will be cautious with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Ball averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals, earning the Las Vegas MVP award.
FOOTBALL
FSU picked to win ACC Florida State is the preseason pick to win the Atlantic Coast
Conference and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville is the preseason player of the year. The ACC announced voting results Monday after a poll of 167 media members who attended last week’s media days in Charlotte, N.C. The Seminoles were picked as overall ACC champions on 118 ballots while reigning national champion Clemson received 35 votes. Florida State also was picked as the Atlantic Division favorite while Miami was the top choice in the Coastal. Clemson was picked behind the Seminoles in the division, followed by Louisville, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Boston College. Behind Miami in the Coastal were Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.
Florida WR gets plea deal Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors dropped a marijuana possession charge as part of Monday’s plea deal, which State Attorney Bill Cervone said was standard for cases involving small amounts of drugs. Callaway also was fined $301. Callaway, the team’s top playmaker, was cited on May 13 in Gainesville. He was a passenger in a SUV that officers pulled over for a seatbelt violation. Police said officers smelled marijuana in the SUV and found 7 grams of the drug in Callaway’s pocket. Callaway is entering his junior season. In two years, he has 89 catches for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was suspended last spring amid sexual battery allegations. In court documents, Callaway admitted smoking marijuana, though he was eventually cleared of the battery allegation by a Title IX investigation. Florida Coach Jim McElwain hasn’t said whether Callaway will be suspended for the season opener against Michigan on Sept. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
HOCKEY
Predators sign Gaudreau The Nashville Predators have signed forward Frederick Gaudreau to a three-year contract. For the first two years of the deal, Gaudreau’s contract will be worth $650,000 when he’s in the NHL or $70,000 when he’s in the American Hockey League. His contract will earn him $700,000 in the 2019-2020 season. Gaudreau’s deal comes after a breakthrough playoff performance, as he scored his first three career NHL goals during the Stanley Cup Final. Gaudreau, 24, played a total of eight playoff games. He also appeared in nine regular-season games and had one assist. Gaudreau had 25 goals and 48 points in 66 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in 2016-2017 before he was recalled to Nashville for the playoffs.
Senators, Pageau agree
The Ottawa Senators avoided arbitration with restricted free agent forward Jean-Gabriel
Pageau by agreeing to terms on a $9.3 million, three-year contract. The center will earn $2.6 million next season, $3.3 million in 201819 and $3.4 million in 2019-2020. Pageau, 24, had eight playoff goals last spring as the Senators reached the Eastern Conference final. He had 12 goals and 21 assists in 82 regular-season games. In 251 regular-season games, Pageau has 101 points (45 goals, 56 assists) and 71 penalty minutes. Pageau had four goals — including the game-winner — in Ottawa’s 6-5 double-overtime victory over the New York Rangers in Game 2 of their conference semifinal. The Ottawa native, who grew up in nearby Gatineau, Quebec, has 16 points (12 goals, 4 assists) in 35 playoff games.