Curry to skip Team USA minicamp
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry won’t attend Team USA’s minicamp next week in Las Vegas, league sources have confirmed to The Chronicle.
Instead of participating in the minicamp, held July 25-27 at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center, Curry will spend time with his newborn son, Canon.
Of the 35 players selected for the national-team pool, five — Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins — are on Golden State. Durant and Thompson are expected to attend minicamp. Cousins will miss minicamp as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury, and it is unclear whether Green plans to attend.
Twelve of the 35 players selected for the national-team pool will be picked to compete at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Those who opt not to attend minicamp won’t necessarily be eliminated from consideration. — Connor Letourneau
Extension for Kerr:
Head coach Steve Kerr has signed a contract extension with the Warriors.
Golden State didn’t release terms of the deal, but Kerr is expected to be one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches.
“We’re excited to have Steve under contract and poised to lead our team for the next several years,” general manager Bob Myers said in a news release.
Kerr and Golden State began to discuss an extension last summer, but Kerr opted to wait to be sure he was healthy enough after a series of setbacks in connection with two back surgeries to make a longterm commitment. It wasn’t until he coached every game in the Warriors’ run to the 2017-18 NBA championship that Kerr was ready to sign an extension.
— Connor Letourneau
Durant honored:
Kevin Durant was among the honorees at at the Sports Humanitarian Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Durant won the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award as an athlete who demonstrates integrity and bravery while creating a positive impact on his community. His foundation helps atrisk and homeless youth and builds basketball courts .
Summer League ends:
Josh Hart wasn’t around to see the conclusion of the summer league after being ejected from the championship game for criticizing the officials, and his team fell short as the Lakers lost the title game to Portland 91-73 on Tuesday night.
Hart still earned league MVP honors for a stellar two-week performance, including 37 points in the double-overtime win over Cleveland in the semifinals on Monday.
Hart finished with 12 points in a disappointing appearance in the title game as the the Lakers failed to repeat as Summer League champions.
Surgery for Ball:
Lakers guard Lonzo Ball underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The team said the procedure was successful and Ball is expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp in September ahead of his second season.
McLemore returns to Kings:
Memphis acquired guard Garrett Temple from Sacramento in exchange for guard Ben McLemore, center Deyonta Davis, a future second-round pick and cash considerations.
The trade returns McLemore to Sacramento, which selected the Kansas alum with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft. McLemore, 25, spent his first four NBA seasons with the Kings before coming to Memphis last year. He averaged 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 19.5 minutes with the Grizzlies.