NBA free agency shake-up: Klay Thompson joins Mavricks, Paul George heads to 76ers | The Express Tribune

Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson agreed to a sign-and-trade deal to join the Dallas Mavericks, several reports said Monday, closing the historic championship chapter of his career with the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson is signing a three-year, $50 million contract to join the Mavericks and team with All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, ESPN reported. Dallas lost in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics last month. As part of the three-team trade, the Mavericks confirmed they are trading Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets.

ESPN and The Athletic reported the Warriors will receive a financial trade exception and two second-round picks.

Thompson, 34, teamed with Steph Curry for four NBA championships in 13 seasons with the Warriors but turned down a contract extension offer last season.

A career 41.3 percent 3-point shooter, Thompson averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in Golden State. He scored 17.9 points per game last season, his first season under a 20-point average since 2013-14 (18.4 points per game), not counting the two full seasons he missed with injuries.

LA Clippers forward Paul George reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks. PHOTO: REUTERS

Star forward Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract, ESPN reported early Monday morning.

ESPN reported that George’s new deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 campaign, the final season of the contract.

The oft-injured George played at least 60 games for Los Angeles for the first time in 2023-24, appearing in 74 contests, all starts. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.

In 14 NBA seasons with the Pacers (2010-17), the Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19) and the Clippers, George has career averages of 20.8 points, 6.3 boards, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals across 867 games (819 starts).

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris dunks against the New York Knicks. PHOTO: REUTERS

The Detroit Pistons are signing former 76ers forward Tobias Harris to a two-year, $52 million contract, ESPN reported.

Harris, who turns 32 later this month, averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 70 games (all starts) with Philadelphia in 2023-24. The Sixers are moving on from Harris after landing George in free agency.

Harris previously played for the Pistons for parts of three seasons from 2016-18. He has career averages of 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 897 games (777 starts) with five teams. Harris has knocked down 1,218 career 3-pointers at a 36.8-percent clip.

Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton brings the ball up court. PHOTO: REUTERS

After the reported Thompson sign-and-trade, Golden State signed free agent guard De’Anthony Melton to the midlevel exception of one year and $12.8 million, several reports said.

Melton, 26, started 91 of the 115 games he played for the 76ers the past two seasons while fighting a back injury. This past season, he averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game to go with 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals but played just 38 games (33 starts).

In 350 career games (146 starts) for the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Sixers since entering the league in 2018, Melton has averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic. PHOTO: REUTERS

Veteran forward Nicolas Batum agreed to return to the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $9.6 million free agent deal, ESPN reported.

Batum, 35, was traded from the Clippers to the 76ers in November as part of the three-team deal that brought James Harden to Los Angeles.

In 57 games (38 starts) with the 76ers last season, Batum averaged 5.5 points with 4.2 rebounds and shot 39.9 percent from 3-point range.

In 207 games with the Clippers, going back to the 2020-21 season, Batum averaged 7.3 points with 4.2 rebounds, while shooting 39.9 percent from distance. In 16 NBA seasons, the first seven of which were with the Portland Trail Blazers, Batum has averaged 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds.

New York Knicks centre Isaiah Hartenstein. PHOTO: AFP

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed free agent centre Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million contract, The Athletic and ESPN reported.

Hartenstein, 26, emerged as a prominent piece of the New York Knicks’ postseason run but the franchise prioritised other moves to start the offseason, including a trade for Mikal Bridges and re-signing forward OG Anunoby. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 75 games (49 starts) last season.

The Thunder also re-signed guards Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe on Monday. Wiggins, after declining a team option, cashed in with a new five-year, $47 million contract and Joe agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract on Monday, according to The Athletic and ESPN.

Wiggins, 25, played an average of 15.7 minutes in 78 games (four starts) last season and shot 49.2 percent from 3-point range. In 198 career games, he averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Joe, who turns 25 on Tuesday, is a deadly 3-point shooter, connecting on better than 41 percent of his treys last season. He averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 78 games (one start) for OKC in 2023-24.

Read: Celtics reward Jayson Tatum with historic five-Year, $314m extension

The Milwaukee Bucks signed veteran guard Delon Wright to a one-year, $3.3 million deal, ESPN reported.

Wright, 32, will join his ninth career team after splitting the 2023-24 season between the Washington Wizards and Miami Heat. In 508 career games, coming off the bench in all but 85, Wright has averaged 7.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Read also: Cavs lock in Donovan Mitchell with 3-Year, $150.3m contract

The Chicago Bulls signed free agent centre Jalen Smith to a three-year, $27 million contract, ESPN reported.

Smith featured in 61 games (starting 14) this past season and averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In four NBA campaigns split between Phoenix and Indiana, he has averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 boards.

Orlando Magic centre Goga Bitadze. PHOTO: AFP

The Orlando Magic re-signed centre Goga Bitadze to a three-year, $25 million contract and guard Gary Harris to a two-year, $14 million deal, according to ESPN.

Bitadze, 24, started 33 of his 62 games for Orlando in 2023-24 and averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds. He’s put up 4.9 points and 3.4 boards per game in 249 career contests with Indiana and Orlando.

Harris, 29, started 27 of his 54 games last season and averaged 6.9 points per game one year after averaging 8.3 points and shooting 43.1 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23. He has career averages of 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 37 percent shooting from deep in 10 NBA seasons split between Denver and Orlando.