Fox News Flash top headlines for June 30
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NBA star Kevin Durant will sign a four-year deal to play for the Brooklyn Nets, bringing an abrupt end to one of the most hotly anticipated sagas of the league's free agency season.
Durant's decision was confirmed in an Instagram post on an account for The Boardroom, an online series looking at sports business produced by the superstar and business partner Rich Kleiman. However, Fox Sports and other outlets reported that Durant was bound for Brooklyn approximately one hour before the official 6 p.m. ET Sunday start of the NBA's free agency period.
ESPN reported that Durant's contract will be worth $164 million. The deal cannot be officially signed until July 6 because of the league's annual moratorium.
The Golden State Warriors were expected to offer Durant a five-year, $221 million contract to remain with the team, one year and $57 million more than any other team could have offered. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers were also reported to be pursuing Durant.
ESPN also reported that the Nets will sign former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving to a four-year contract worth $141 million, and will also ink former Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Knicks center DeAndre Jordan to a contract.
Durant, who turns 31 in September, is a ten-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA Finals MVP, but he is expected to miss the entire 2019-2020 season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.
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A native of Washington, D.C., Durant was drafted out of the University of Texas with the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007 and became a superstar after that franchise moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
Kevin Durant (35), seen here with the Golden State Warriors last April, reportedly plans to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
In the summer of 2016, Durant signed a two-year deal with the Warriors, who were coming off an NBA-record 73-win regular season but had fallen to the Cavaliers in a seven-game NBA Finals. Durant led the Warriors to the title in 2017 and 2018 and was named Finals MVP in both years.
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Durant played 78 regular season games for the Warriors in 2018-19, averaging 26 points per game. He averaged 34.2 points per game in the playoffs before suffering a calf injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets. Durant missed Golden State's next nine playoff games before returning for Game 5 of the Finals against the Raptors with the Warriors facing a 3-1 deficit. Durant played 12 minutes and scored 11 points before tearing the Achilles early in the second quarter.
This past season was filled with talk of Durant's future, though for much of the season it was focused on the Knicks if he decided to leave. But the Nets became a more attractive option with young talent that should help them be competitive next season even while Durant recovers.
Brooklyn finished 42-40 this season and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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