Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against the NBA for moving forward with a $1.8 billion per year media rights deal with Amazon despite WBD holding match rights as the incumbent party as part of their existing contract.
WBD contends they had the contractual right to match either NBC or Amazon’s deal with the company choosing to match the “C” package that the NBA contends is for streaming only and that was not technically matched.
“Given the NBA’s unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights,” WBD said in a statement. “We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms – including TNT and Max.”
The NBA signed a combined 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon.
Russell Westbrook has agreed to sign with the Denver Nuggets on a two-year, $6.8 million contract. Westbrook will hold a player option for the 25-26 season.
Westbrook became a free agent after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz following his trade from the LA Clippers.
Westbrook, who is now represented by Jeff Schwartz after parting ways with his longtime agent Thad Foucher in 2022, averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 22.5 minutes over 68 games with the Clippers last season.
In joining the Nuggets, Westbrook will play a reserve role and also be a spot starter. As the Nuggets move younger with the departures of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, the acquisition of Westbrook gives them a veteran presence. Depending on his corner three-point shooting, Westbrook will give the Nuggets a similar element they had in 2023 with Bruce Brown Jr.
The Chicago Bulls are anticipating keeping Zach LaVine on their roster to start the season with the hopes of him rebuilding his trade value from where it has been this offseason, sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line. The Bulls are incentivized to have the worst record possible as their first round pick in 2025 will be conveyed to the San Antonio Spurs if it falls out of the top-10.
LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls during his free agency in 2022. LaVine has three seasons at nearly $140 million remaining on his contract. LaVine has a player option for 26-27 worth $49 million that he almost certainly will pick up considering his current value around the league.
The Bulls also gauged trade interest in LaVine during the 2023 offseason, but maintained a “large asking price.”
LaVine, who is represented by Rich Paul and Lucas Newton, averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 34.9 minutes over 25 games last season with the Bulls. LaVine was most recently an All-Star in 21-22.
