When the green flag drops on NBA free agency on Sunday, the queue of general managers ready to spend will depend on which players actually reach the open market. Changes in the Collective Bargaining Agreement permitted players to re-sign with their current teams and a number of coveted potential free agents are already off the board. Pascal Siakam ($189.5 million) returned to the Indiana Pacers, OG Anunoby ($212.5 million) is back with the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley ($175 million) agreed to stick with the Raptors, Nic Claxton (four years, $100 million) grabbed a bag in Brooklyn and Malik Monk ($78 million) re-upped with the Kings after his runner-up Sixth Man of the Year award finish. Several other would-be free agents in line for significant paydays also signed new contracts during last season, including Grayson Allen (Suns), Mike Conley (Timberwolves) and Jrue Holliday (Celtics). The good news for pending free agents: there's plenty of money left. Whether teams find much talent to offer their pot of gold isn't as certain. Teams are permitted to negotiate with all free agents as of 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. We won't include restricted free agents such as 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey with the full expectation he's ticketed for a max deal in Philadelphia. Here's a look at the players potentially available by expected salary tier. Baseline of $30 million per season: SF DeMar DeRozan, Bulls Season 16 for DeRozan might be a new start given the emphasis he placed on being with a winning team after Chicago's season-ending loss to the Miami Heat in the play-in round. A pairing with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia could be enticing unless the Lakers or Clippers find themselves looking to replace an All-Star of their own this summer and welcome DeRozan home. SF Paul George, Clippers If the Warriors are holding the door with a max contract, George might be compelled to hit the exits. He was a beneficiary of an All-Star supporting cast in L.A., but no doubt could thrive in a lineup led by Steph Curry and Draymond Green. PG James Harden, Clippers Pass-first Harden brought tremendous value and, dare we say, chemistry to the Clippers last season. At age 35, he can be a playmaker and floor-spacer. If there's cause for concern, it's durability and, in turn, longevity. He made 44 percent of his 3-pointers before the All-Star break but finished at 38.1 percent for the season. SF LeBron James, Lakers A perimeter shooter and elite passer at age 39, James can't possibly be leaving the Lakers after GM Rob Pelinka selected Bronny James in the second round of the draft this week. If he does take his talents elsewhere, the list of teams LeBron James would consider at this stage is miniscule. From the $15 million-20 million rack: C Isaiah Hartenstein, Knicks At 26, Hartenstein earned his reward by proving he's an award-worthy role player for a title contender. Re-signing Anunoby and acquiring Malik Bridges from the Nets puts the Knicks in a precarious position where the options are trading Julius Randle or letting Hartenstein walk. SG Klay Thompson, Warriors On a short-term deal, would some team be willing to pay more? Maybe. But Thompson might not see a two-year, $48 million offer like the one he received from the Warriors last year. He's not the same defender but can still shoot, and there's a demand for his ultra-competitive, championship brand. SF Buddy Hield, 76ers If it's 3s you need, we have just the Buddy. Hield doesn't attack the basket or get to the foul line which causes efficiency scoring police to sound the alarm. He's the fundamental definition of a shooter, with more 3s than anyone in the NBA the past five seasons. F Tobias Harris, 76ers He turns 32 in July and legions of Philly fans would be glad to drive him to the airport, but their disdain for Harris is over the top for a player who ranked in the top 56 in field goal percentage (48.7), points per game (17.2) and rebounds per game (6.5). Best of the rest: G D'Angelo Russell, Lakers SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nuggets SG Gary Trent, Raptors PG Markelle Fultz, Magic C Jonas Valanciunas, Pelicans –Field Level Media
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Jamie Vardy scored the only goal of the game at the King Power Stadium, as his looping header over goalkeeper Jamal Blackman in the 66th minute settled a hard-fought tie.
Riyad Mahrez provided the assist on his first start for the Premier League side since January 20, the winger s deep cross setting up his unmarked team-mate at the back post.
Yet the hosts needed a moment of excellence from Kasper Schmiechel to deny Sheffield United an equaliser, the goalkeeper stretching low to his left to keep out a first-time effort from George Baldock that looked destined to find the corner of the goal.
Instead, Vardy…
Sam Allardyce was left frustrated on his Crystal Palace debut as Troy Deeney s second-half penalty earned Watford a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road on Monday.
Palace parted ways with Alan Pardew last week after a poor run of form left the Eagles just a point above the relegation zone.
Allardyce was consequently confirmed as his replacement marking a return to management following his dismissal as England boss after just 67 days after he was caught on camera reportedly claiming to give advice on how to circumvent third-party ownership rules as part of an undercover newspaper sting.
His return to the dugout started well with Palace rewarded for a lively opening when Yohan Cabaye opened the scoring following good work from Andros Townsend.
However, the smile was w…
Liverpool are closing in on the surprise signing of Southampton striker Rickie Lambert, .
The Reds, who finished second in the Premier League last season – two points behind champions Manchester City, are preparing to compete in the Champions League after an absence of five years.
Strike pair Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez scored a combined fifty-two top flight goals between them last term though back up forward Iago Aspas failed to hit the net in fourteen league outings.
Lambert, a boyhood Liverpool fan, has averaged twenty goals in the last three seasons and is currently preparing for this summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil having been selected by Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson.
The 32 year old spent five years at the Merseyside club as a youn…
Sadio Mane has beaten Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Manchester City s Riyad Mahrez to the CAF African Player of the Year award for 2019.
Mane was a standout player as Liverpool went all the way in the 2018-19 Champions League, while he has also enjoyed a strong start to the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.
The Senegal international placed in the top three in each of the previous three years, finishing runner-up to Salah in 2017 and 2018, and third in 2016, when Mahrez came first.
But this time Mane claimed the prize, ahead of Liverpool team-mate Salah and Mahrez, who won a domestic treble with City and captained Algeria to glory at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
It s official!
The African Player of the Year for is
What an achieve…
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Yet Klopp, a beaten finalist with Borussia Dortmund in 2013, is far from overawed by the size of the task, drawing inspiration from his club s famous 2005 triumph.
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I think he can t believe his luck that he s got this wonderful opportunity to come back to the club, I think he d be the first to admit that, Yorke told beIN Sports.
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