NBA free agency tipped off overnight, and this year's crop of signees "will agree to contracts worth more than the gross domestic product of a medium-sized country." Of those "billions of dollars, hundreds of millions will be allocated to role players." And by the end of it all, Warriors G Stephen Curry, the reigning league MVP, "almost certainly won’t be one of the league’s 75 highest-paid players." The "enormous windfall comes" from the TV deal the NBA struck in '14, and the "result is the single biggest injection of cash in the history of professional sports" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/1). The free-agent period "started at a frenetic pace" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 7/1).

ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic said of NBA free agency, “They have the money, they are going to spend the money, and guys are taking advantage of it, and they are making some monster money.” ESPN’s Adnan Virk: “A lot of these guys are not worth this kind of money, but the teams are having that allocated to them, so might as well spend” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 7/1).

The Morning Buzz offers a recap of some early high-profile deals:

• Sources said that C Joakim Noah and the Knicks "are working to finalize a deal in the range of four years" and $70M-plus (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/30).
• The Lakers reportedly "agreed to terms" with C Timofey Mozgov on a deal worth $64M over four years after being "spurned by several of the bigger-name players before the negotiating window" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/1).
• G DeMar DeRozan's new deal with the Raptors could be worth $139M, making him "by far the highest paid player in franchise history" (TORONTO STAR, 7/1).
• C Andre Drummond and the Pistons are "nearing agreement on a five-year maximum contract" in the $130M range, according to sources (ESPN.com, 7/1).
• Sources said that the Wizards and G Bradley Beal were "progressing toward a five-year maximum contract early Friday morning" that will pay Beal "somewhere in the neighborhood" of $128M over the length of the deal (WASHINGTON POST, 7/1).
• Sources: F Nicolas Batum has agreed to a five-year, $120M "deal to re-sign" with the Hornets (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/1).
• C Hassan Whiteside on The Players' Tribune wrote he has "decided to re-sign" with the Heat (THEPLAYERSTRIBUNE.com, 7/1).

Thursday’s announced attendance of 18,823 at the finale of the CWS "pushed the series total to 431,667, the third-highest" in its history. But the average attendance of 20,098 per game was "the lowest since" '95. NCAA Assistant Dir Of Media Service J.D. Hamilton said that heat "likely drove fans away early in the series, as did a lack of big-name teams" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/1). Fans showed up at noon on Thursday, when "nobody had planned" to be there, "including many of the concession workers at TD Ameritrade Park." People "stood in slow lines that went 30 deep in some places" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/1).

Meanwhile, thousands of Coastal Carolina fans late Thursday night "made the pilgrimage" to the General Aviation Terminal at Myrtle Beach Int'l Airport to "welcome their champions home" from the CWS (Myrtle Beach SUN NEWS, 7/1).

The NBA and the Hornets in a statement said that they "do not support proposed revisions to House Bill 2" currently before the North Carolina state legislature, "a potentially serious snag to any compromise on the controversial law." Lawmakers "are considering revisions in the final days of their session ... but the fate of any changes remained uncertain." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said that the '17 NBA All-Star Game "is in danger of being pulled from Charlotte without changes to HB2" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/1).

A NASCAR Drivers’ Council meeting was scheduled to take place Thursday night. Drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin said that "expected to be on the agenda were discussions about perhaps increasing security during pre-race ceremonies and possibly whether the time in Daytona Beach for the Coke Zero 400 weekend could be shortened." Earnhardt said that "'some drivers are getting concerned' about the crush of people around the cars and teams before the start of a race" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 7/1).

Charles Wang's 16-year tenure as majority owner of the Islanders ends today when Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin take over. Wang said that he is "satisfied with the team’s direction but remains disappointed with Nassau politicians who could not help him build a new arena." He said, "I've done everything I think I wanted to do. I put the franchise in good hands." Wang said of the team's first season at Barclays Center, "We didn’t know what a really big arena, run properly, that it can be such a motivator for the fans." He joked of Ledecky and Malkin, "They paid dearly for the opportunity to screw it up their own way – and they will, I’m sure" (NEWSDAY, 7/1).

NEWSDAY's Randi Marshall writes under the header, "The Era Of Charles Wang Is Over."

A "couple hundred tickets per day remain available" for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly said that "none of the eight days of competition that require paid admission" at the Univ. of Oregon’s Hayward Field "have sold out." Reilly said that ticket sales so far "are on pace" with the '12 Olympic Trials, which drew 21,000 spectators per day. Temporary bleachers "boost Hayward Field’s capacity from more than 10,500 people to about 22,000" (Eugene REGISTER-GUARD, 7/1).

Brazil "has replaced the head of its antidoping agency just weeks before the Olympics begin, adding to the uncertainty around efforts to keep the Summer Games clean." The Brazilian Ministry of Sports said that Marco Aurélio Klein will be replaced by Rogério Sampaio. The move comes after WADA earlier this month "suspended the Rio lab that was to be the center of athlete drug testing" during Games. The Ministry of Sports said that the change in leadership "'has nothing to do' with the suspension of the Rio lab" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/1).

The Magic yesterday "narrowed" the choices for the site of their D-League affiliate to Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee and The Lakeland Center. Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista "also were considered." The new team "will begin play" in '17 (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 7/1).

The three major in-house candidates for outgoing Univ. of Florida AD Jeremy Foley’s job, all exec associate ADs, "have informed the school that they are not seeking the position" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 7/1).

S.F.- based AutoLotto will title sponsor the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16 (NHMS).

K.C.-based architecture firm Generator Studio announced the addition of the Vikings to its roster of stadium and sports venue clients, The firm is engaged on a $7.5M, 17,500-square-foot expansion on the upper suite level of U.S. Bank Stadium (Generator Studio).

The 49ers are heading back to S.F. in recognition of the team's 70th anniversary with a practice at Kezar Stadium on Aug. 10. Approximately 9,000 fans "will be admitted to the session, which will be followed by a youth football exhibition" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/1).

FS South has partnered with country singer Dierks Bentley to promote Braves baseball on Fox Sports Go (Fox Sports).

The NCAA runs a full-page ad in the N.Y. Times honoring late Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt: "Statistics Have Nothing On Legacy. ... Thank You, Coach Summitt, For Teaching, Mentoring And Inspiring So Many."

NBC Sports runs a full-page ad in USA Today promoting the return of its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage starting with Saturday Night's Coke Zero 400: "We'll Take It From Here" (THE DAILY).

"Baseball is really strong with the individual markets, but where they've struggled is the umbrella fan, like even if my team's not in it, I'm watching. I think that's what the Cubs provide" – Fox' Joe Buck, who feels the Cubs making the World Series would be good for MLB (NEWSDAY, 7/1).

"We don't have experience with this" – George Freitas, Superintendent of Rio de Janeiro's Integrated Center of Command & Control, on dealing with potential terrorist threats around the Olympics (USA TODAY, 7/1).

"I'm willing to play anywhere, anytime. Of course, I was happy to be on the schedule. I think if all players have to play outside, all players should have to play outside. There shouldn't be any exceptions or any inequality" – Venus Williams, on playing her second-round Wimbledon match on Court 18, which seats only about 800 spectators (ESPN.com, 6/30).

"I would really love to see our football play at that level, be playing in a P5 conference. ... But I do know that it's something that we  hold very sacred. We have never played on a Sunday and we're not going to play on a Sunday" – BYU AD Tom Holmoe, saying the school will not play football games on Sundays, even if that stance forces it to remain independent (AP, 6/30).

"Last year, two NFL players lost fingers setting off fireworks. … It’s a good reminder, if you’re going to play with fireworks, play soccer" – ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, on the July 4 holiday (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 6/30).

VEGASINC.com on e-sports wagering: "The idea that a Las Vegas casino could someday accept wagers on video game competitions might once have seemed unthinkable, but it has rapidly become a very real possibility."

The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL goes with the header, "Road America Provides Indy-Car Experience Milwaukee Mile Couldn't."

Also:

• Credit CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager for re-building conference.
• American water polo looks to be poised for East Coast growth.
• A day in the life of Cowboys Exec VP Stephen Jones.

I think the Lakers are headed in the right direction. No shortcuts to this until you have a foundation that attracts FAs.

— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) July 1, 2016

If you can't win a title, spending a lot of money to relax and hang out with Joakim Noah for a few years is not a bad backup plan

— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) July 1, 2016

Every time I see things like Nicolas Batum getting 5/$120, Beal getting 5/$128 I remember how insane Steph Curry’s contract is.

— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) July 1, 2016

Will never be mad at NBA salaries in a sports world where Roger Goodell - who should've been fired two years ago - made $32 mill last year.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) July 1, 2016

Meet the 6th-gen #Camaro SS serving as the model for #ChevyRacing in the #NASCAR XFINITY series starting in 2017! pic.twitter.com/k30UmAWySN

— Team Chevy (@TeamChevy) June 30, 2016

Recently discovered handwritten papers from 159 years ago that were drafted for a convention of New York baseball clubs will be exhibited at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland from Friday until Oct. 9. The documents sold at auction this year for $3.3M.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “International Film Awards.”

“Released in 2011, it’s the only film that has won both the Oscar and France’s Cesar for best film of the year.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” included the category “The Red Auerbach Trophy.”

For $200: “1995-96: Phil Jackson of this team.”
For $400: “1989-90: Pat Riley of this ‘Showtime’ Squad.”

The $600, $800 and $1000 answers were not revealed.

MLB.com posted this video previewing Sunday's Braves-Marlins game at Fort Bragg Field.

800 – Approximate number of tires used by all cyclists competing in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday (NBC).

“What is ‘The Artist’?”

Correct responses to “The Red Auerbach Trophy” category:

$200: “Who are the Bulls?”
$400: “Who are the Lakers?”