Knicks get cap space, picks for Porzingis
The Dallas Mavericks made injured forward Kristaps Porzingis’ wish come true Thursday by agreeing to acquire the him from the New York Knicks in a deal involving seven players and two first-round picks.
The Knicks will also send Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Mavericks in return for two future first-round picks, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan. Porzingis — who will be a restricted free agent after this season — has yet to make a decision on his future with Dallas, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
The Knicks’ record this season is an NBA-worst 1040, and they have lost 11 in a row, 19 of 20 and 24 of 26.
Porzingis, who has been out almost a year while recovering from a torn left ACL suffered in February 2018, had his name surface in trade rumors for the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, but ESPN reported earlier Thursday that it was unlikely he would be part of a package deal this summer because he would be a restricted free agent and “re-
luctant” to agree to a signand-trade.
Moving Hardaway and Lee clears more than $30 million off their payroll next year. With Enes Kanter coming off the books and both Matthews and Jordan on expiring contracts, New York has stripped its roster to the bones and created more than $70 million in cap space for this summer.
If Porzingis decides to play this season with the Mavericks, there’s no telling when he will be ready. LEBRON BACK IN LINEUP
FOR LAKERS » Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James returned to the court against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing 17 games because of a groin injury he sustained on Christmas Day.
The Lakers went 6-11 without James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player who entered the night averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 34 games in his first season with the team.
While James will be closely watched for signs of the injury, Lakers coach Luke Walton said James would not have any minutes restrictions. James was in the starting lineup.
Baseball
PADRES JOIN HARPER PURSUIT » Bryce Harper will meet with the San Diego Padres and representatives of their ownership group on Thursday, according to multiple reports, adding a surprise team to a free agency sweepstakes that’s been oddly quiet given its preceding hype.
Harper, the 26-year- old outfielder who spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Nationals, has shared the dull spotlight of a dragging offseason with shortstop Manny Machado. Neither player has found a landing spot with the start of spring training less than two weeks away.
It is believed that Harper is being pursued by the Philadelphia Phillies, Nationals, Chicago White Sox and, now, the Padres, a team with a top-notch farm system and, conceivably, a lot of money to spend. ARENADO GETS $26 MILLION, AVOIDS ARBITRATION » The Colorado Rockies agreed to a one-year deal with third baseman Nolan Arenado to avoid arbitration, the team announced. Terms were not announced, but multiple outlets report the deal is worth $26 million, surpassing Josh Donaldson’s $23 million from last year for the largest one-year salary for an arbitration- eligible player.
Motors
GORDON ENTERING NASCAR HALL OF FAME » Jeff Gordon, 47, a four-time NASCAR Cup series champion and three- time Daytona 500 winner, will be inducted tonight into the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame. Gordon, who started go- cart racing and dirt track racing in Vallejo, joins longtime team owners Roger Penske and Jack Roush and the late drivers Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison to be inducted in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gordon won 93 times in his career and was selected in his first year of eligibility. Three consecutive years — 1996-97-98 — he won at least 10 races. He won multiple races in 17 seasons — including a streak of 14 consecutive years between 1994-2007.
NHL
VETERAN VERMETTE RETIRES » Antoine Vermette, a center who played 14 seasons in the NHL and helped lead the Chicago Black- hawks to a Stanley Cup title, announced his retirement at the age of 36.
After playing for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks, Vermette didn’t sign with a team after becoming a free agent last summer. His last NHL team was the Ducks in 2017-18, when he led the league in faceoff percentage.
Colleges
MISSOURI HIT WITH POSTSEASON BAN » The NCAA levied a slew of penalties on University of Missouri athletics, including a postseason ban on the football program for the 2019 season and a reduction in scholarships, in the wake of misconduct by a tutor at the school. The baseball and softball programs were also hit with a postseason ban for this current season. Further, Missouri was hit with a vacation of records in football as well as baseball and softball.
An NCAA infractions panel determined that a former tutor completed academic work for 12 studentathletes across the three sports. The committee rebuffed the tutor’s assertion that she was pressured to ensure the athletes passed courses.
Women’s college basketball
LOUISVILLE DOWNS UCONN » Third-ranked Louisville (20-1) snapped a 17- game losing skid to Connecticut (18-2), beating the secondranked Huskies 78- 69 before 17,023 home fans in the nonconference matchup of national powers. Louisville’s Asia Durr led all players with 24 points. UConn’s Napheesa Collier led the Huskies with 20 points.
Soccer
PSG, D. C. UNITED FAIL TO STRIKE TRANSFER DEAL FOR ACOSTA » Luciano Acosta will remain with D. C. United, at least for the immediate future. A whirlwind of negotiations on the final day of the transfer window ended without an agreement between the MLS organization and Paris Saint- Germain, killing a proposal that would have sent the Argentine playmaker to one of the wealthiest and most ambitious soccer clubs in the world.