BASKETBALL

LARGEST EVER NBA TRADE SENDS WALKER TO MIAMI

In the largest trade in NBA history, Antoine Walker was dealt from Boston to Miami last night in a transaction involving five teams and 13 players.

The Heat also acquired point guard Jason Williams and small forward James Posey from Memphis, while the Grizzlies received guard Eddie Jones from the Heat. The New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz were also involved in the deal.

The trade was larger than a 12-player, four-team deal in 2000 involving Patrick Ewing that had been the biggest in league history.

Miami also received Andre Emmett from Memphis and the draft rights to Roberto Duenas from the Hornets; Utah received Greg Ostertag from Memphis; Boston picked up Curtis Borchardt from Utah and a package – Qyntel Woods, the draft rights to Albert Miralles, two second-round draft picks and cash – from Miami; New Orleans acquired Rasual Butler from Miami and Kirk Snyder from Utah; and the Grizzlies received guard Raul Lopez from the Jazz.

O’NEAL SIGNS $100 MILLION, 5-YEAR DEAL WITH MIAMI

Shaquille O’Neal signed a $100 million, 5-year contract with the Miami Heat yesterday, a deal that ensures the 12-time All-Star center plenty of added financial security while allowing the team salary flexibility to pursue other players. He’ll make $20 million in each of the next five seasons in an agreement believed to include incentives. He was to have earned $30.6 million this coming season, opting out of that deal for a longer-term pact with less money annually.

SACRAMENTO GETS WELLS FROM MEMPHIS

The Sacramento Kings acquired guard Bonzi Wells from the Memphis Grizzlies yesterday in a long-anticipated trade for guard Bobby Jackson and center Greg Ostertag, who was then traded to Utah in the five-team blockbuster deal involving Antoine Walker.

FOOTBALL

PATRIOTS’ SEYMOUR ENDS HOLDOUT

Defensive lineman Richard Seymour reached a deal for more money with the New England Patriots, ending his four-day holdout from training camp yesterday. Seymour, a three-time Pro Bowl player, is entering the fifth year of a six-year,$14.3 million contract he signed as a rookie in 2001. Seymour was expected to report to camp yesterday, coach Bill Belichick said.

HOCKEY

YZERMAN SIGNS 1-YEAR PACT WITH RED WINGS

Steve Yzerman signed a one year deal yesterday that will ensure a 22nd season with Detroit, the only NHL team for which the 40-year-old forward has played.

Yzerman’s future had been in doubt since he underwent surgery for a scratched cornea and multiple fractures below his left eye following a 2004 playoff game. He had a year off because of the NHL lockout and then became an unrestricted free agent. Yzerman led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships and has been their captain since 1986, making him the longest-serving leader in league history.

ATLANTA SIGNS HOLIK TO $12.75 MILLION DEAL

The Atlanta Thrashers signed center Bobby Holik yesterday, bolstering an offense that already includes Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley. Holik, who was bought out by the New York Rangers after the NHL and the players’ association agreed to a new labor deal, signed a three-year, $12.75 million contract with the Thrashers, who landed one of the biggest prizes on the free-agent market.

BASEBALL

SEATTLE’S FRANKLIN SUSPENDED FOR VIOLATING STEROIDS POLICY

Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin was suspended 10 days for violating his sport’s steroids policy, the eighth major league player caught under tougher drug rules enacted this year. Franklin said he has “no idea” how he tested positive. “There’s got to be a flaw in the system,” he said yesterday. “I have no clue. I tested in [early] May and again three weeks later. The first was positive, the second was negative.”

– Associated Press