The Lakers and Clippers will be in the same group for the opening round of the 2025 NBA Cup.

The crosstown rivals were placed in West Group B alongside the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans for the third iteration of the NBA’s in-season tournament, the league said Wednesday.

All 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.

The Lakers will be the top seed in West Group B and the Clippers will be the No. 2 seed. The Grizzlies will be No. 3 seed, the Mavericks are slotted at No. 4 and the Pelicans will be No. 5.

Group-play games for the 2025 NBA Cup will take place on Fridays from Oct. 31-Nov. 28. Quarterfinal games, to be played at the arena of the higher-seeded team, will take place Tuesday, Dec. 9, and Wednesday, Dec. 10. The semifinals will be played Saturday, Dec. 13, in Las Vegas and the final is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16, also in Las Vegas.

Each team will play one game against each of the four opponents in its group —two games at home and two on the road.

Eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals: the team with the best standing in group-play games in each of the six groups and one wild-card team from each conference. The wild card will be the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group.

The Lakers will host the Clippers and Mavericks, and travel to the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Clippers will host the Grizzlies and Pelicans, and travel to the Mavericks and Lakers.

The game and broadcast schedules for group play will be announced in August.

— Khobi Price

Chet Holmgren agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, multiple sources reported. The signing has not yet been announced. ESPN, which first reported the deal, citing agent Bill Duffy, said it could eventually be worth $250 million because of various contract escalators.

It is the second major extension for the Thunder since winning the NBA title last month. The other went to NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and reigning scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who got a four-year, $285 million extension.

Holmgren will make $13.7 million this coming season, the final year of his rookie deal, before his salary jumps to about $41 million for 2026-27 and the start of the extension.

He was the No. 2 pick behind Orlando’s Paolo Banchero in the 2022 NBA draft, then missed the entirety of what would have been his first pro season with a foot injury. He played all 82 games in 2023-24 to help the Thunder make the second round of the playoffs, then was limited to 32 games this past season after suffering a hip injury.

Holmgren was there for the entirety of the Thunder playoff run, averaging 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in 23 postseason games — capped by Oklahoma City holding off Indiana and winning the NBA Finals in seven games.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic decided to delay a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer, multiple sources reported. It doesn’t affect Jokic’s status in Denver in the short term: He has at least two years remaining on his deal — $55.2 million this season and $59 million in 2026-27, along with a player option in 2027-28 worth nearly $63 million.

Jokic became eligible Tuesday to sign an extension that could have added three years and around $212 million to his contract. By waiting until next summer to sign, Jokic would be eligible to add four years to his deal at even more money than this summer’s extension would have guaranteed.

The Toronto Raptors signed center Jakob Poeltl to a four-year contract extension. Financial terms of the de The 29-year-old from Austria averaged a career-best 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds, along with 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in 57 regular-season games for Toronto (30-52) last season.

Kelly Olynyk is getting traded for the third time in five months, this time going from Washington to San Antonio for two players and a second-round pick, multiple sources reported. The Wizards will receive Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley.

Olynyk was traded by Toronto to New Orleans in February as part of the deal that sent Brandon Ingram to the Raptors, then was moved by the Pelicans to the Wizards last month in the deal that sent Jordan Poole to New Orleans and CJ McCollum to Washington.

He now moves on to the Spurs, where he’ll add more frontline depth to a team built around Victor Wembanyama.

Washington, which creates a $13 million trade exception with the deal and positions itself to add more salary during the season, gets two more young players and another pick — all the latest signs that the team is in asset-collection mode before next summer, when it could have $100 million in salary cap space.

James Jones is joining the NBA front office as executive vice president and head of basketball operations, replacing Joe Dumars in that role.

MOTORSPORTS

Red Bull abruptly fired longtime team principal Christian Horner, ending a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers titles and recent turmoil that rocked the team.

Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will “forever remain an important part of our team history.”

Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as team principal and chief executive of the Red Bull team.

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005.

Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers’ titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Max Verstappen — and six constructors’ titles during his time with the team.

But McLaren has dominated this season in F1, while Red Bull’s performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth.