Celtics trade all-star Walker to Thunder

AFP

Boston dealt all-star Kemba Walker and a first round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in deal that involves both players and draft picks changing hands, the Celtics announced on Friday.

The Celtics are giving up guard Walker and a 2021 first round pick in exchange for centre Al Horford and prospect Moses Brown.

This is the first significant move for Brad Stevens who replaced former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge in early June.

The NBA clubs also exchanged second-round draft picks. Walker recently signed a four-year, $140.8 million contract with the Hornets.

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Walker, who is the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer, struggled with knee injuries during the 2020-21 season.

He was limited to 43 regular-season games and missed the final two games of the Celtics’ loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs.

The deal marks the return of Horford to the Celtics, where he played for three years before leaving in 2019.

Tropical storm Priscilla forms off Mexico, expected to strengthen into hurricane

Tropical Storm Priscilla, the sixteenth cyclone of the Pacific season, formed in recent hours off the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and could strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the coming days, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported on Saturday.

In a statement, the SMN said that as of 3:00 p.m. (El Salvador time), the storm’s center was located 460 kilometers (286 miles) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima. Priscilla currently packs maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h (47 mph), with gusts reaching 95 km/h (59 mph), and is moving northwest at 11 km/h (7 mph).

According to the projected track, Priscilla will move parallel to Mexico’s western coastline and could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane between Sunday night and early Monday.

In coordination with the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the SMN issued a tropical storm watch from Punta San Telmo (Michoacán) to Punta Mita (Nayarit).

The agency also warned that Priscilla’s extensive rain bands could produce heavy rainfall (75–150 mm) in Michoacánand Guerrero, and very heavy rainfall (50–75 mm) in Jalisco and Colima.

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Additionally, wind gusts of 70–80 km/h are expected along the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 40–50 km/h in Guerrero. Wave heights could reach 2.5 to 3.5 meters (8–11 feet) in Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 1.5 to 2.5 meters (5–8 feet) in Guerrero.

“These rains could be accompanied by electrical activity and may cause flooding, landslides, and overflowing in low-lying areas,” the SMN warned. “Strong winds may also topple trees and billboards. Residents are urged to follow official updates, heed Civil Protection advisories, and take precautions due to strong winds and high surf.”

So far this year, sixteen named storms have formed in the eastern Pacific: Alvin, Bárbara, Cosme, Dalila, Erick, Flossie, Gil, Henriette, Ivo, Juliette, Kiko, Lorena, Mario, Narda, Octave, and Priscilla.

Mexico’s meteorological forecast predicts up to 20 named storms in the Pacific basin this season, of which four to sixcould become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

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Deportes

FBI hunts former athlete accused of leading cocaine trafficking network

A former Olympic snowboarder has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, accused of running a drug cartel that trafficked hundreds of kilos of Colombian cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada.

Ryan Wedding, 43, from Thunder Bay, Canada, was included on the list Thursday, replacing alleged child rapist and murderer Alexis Flores.

Authorities believe Wedding fled to Mexico and is now under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. The FBI accuses him of leading a transnational drug trafficking network, orchestrating regular shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Known by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Gigante,” and “Public Enemy,” Wedding is also accused of ordering multiple murders, including the 2023 killing of an innocent Canadian couple in a case of mistaken identity.