Ohtani’s locker packed up, and the Angels decline to say why

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Shohei Ohtani’s locker has been mostly cleared out at Angel Stadium, and the Los Angeles Angels declined to say why Friday night.

The two-way superstar missed his 11th consecutive game with an oblique muscle injury Friday night when the Angels lost 11-2 to Detroit. Although Ohtani was at the stadium before the game, the soon-to-be free agent’s locker was largely empty afterward.

Nearly all of the personal items had been removed from his locker and the adjoining empty stall. A fully packed bag with a logo from the 2023 All-Star Game sat in front of his stall where his shoes would normally be, and only a few workout shirts hung on the rack.

Nearly a half-hour after reporters were allowed into the locker room and noticed the absence of Ohtani’s possessions, an Angels spokesman said the team will give more information about the development Saturday.

Ohtani will be a free agent this winter after six seasons with the Angels, and his future has been a constant source of speculation this season, only increasing after the Angels plummeted out of the playoff race in August.

Ohtani has been mum about his future, and his recent injuries have further altered the discussion about his longterm plans.

He has already been shut down as a pitcher this season due to a tear in his right elbow ligament, but the Angels had held out hope he could to return as a hitter this month after straining his obliques in batting practice last week.

Mavericks re-sign Morris, the other piece in Irving trade

DALLAS – Markieff Morris, the other piece of the trade that brought Kyrie Irving to Dallas from Brooklyn, is re-signing with the Mavericks.

The return of Morris was announced Saturday, a little more than two months after Irving agreed to stay with Dallas on a $120 million, three-year contract.

Irving and Morris were traded in February.

The 34-year-old Morris played sparingly after the trade, averaging 4.5 points in almost nine minutes per game with Dallas.

The forward has career averages of 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 12 seasons with eight teams.

Whether Morris sees more playing time will depend on the roles of trade acquisitions Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes.

Another factor will be the development of rookie first-round picks Dereck Lively II and Olivier MaxenceProsper.

Morris was with the Los Angeles Lakers when they won the championship in the 2020 playoff “bubble” in Florida.

Cavs exec Altman charged with operating vehicle while impaired

CLEVELAND – Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was arrested Friday night and charged with operating a vehicle while impaired.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Altman was stopped by officers for a traffic violation. The officers suspected Altman of impairment during the stop and he was taken into custody, according to a report from the highway patrol.

Altman refused to take a breath test but was “respectful and cooperative” with troopers, the report said.

Altman turned 41 on Saturday.

The Cavaliers released a short statement Saturday saying they were aware of “an incident” involving Altman and were gathering more information.

Altman was promoted to general manager of the Cavs in 2017. He has led a massive rebuild of the team following LeBron James’ departure in 2018. Cleveland won 51 games last season and returned to the NBA playoffs for the first time in four years.

– Wire reports