Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert has agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension, his agents, Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports, told ESPN.

The deal comes ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline for rookie extensions.

Kispert, 24, is coming off a year in which he averaged a career-high 13.4 points while shooting 38.3% from distance on six attempts per game. He closed the season with 19 straight starts and averaged 17.2 points on 50.8% shooting from the field and 43.9% from 3 in those games.

A prolific 3-point shooter, Kispert's 459 career 3s are the most by a Wizards player through their first three NBA seasons in franchise history.

The Wizards drafted Kispert out of Gonzaga with the No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs has agreed to a five-year, $150.5 million rookie contract extension with the franchise, sources told ESPN.

Magic officials negotiated the new deal with Suggs' representative, Darren Matsubara of Wasserman, holding a series of meetings in Orlando to finalize terms ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET extension deadline.

Orlando announced the extension on Monday afternoon but did not disclose terms.

Suggs, 22, had a breakout season in his third year, helping Orlando rank third in defensive efficiency last season. He became just the third Magic player to make an NBA All-Defensive Team, joining Dwight Howard and Horace Grant.

An improving shooter, Suggs knocked down nearly 40% of his 3-pointers on an average of 5.1 attempts per game last season to go along with 12.6 points and 1.4 steals in 27 minutes.

Suggs, drafted with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft, joins Franz Wagner as members of that class locked up to long-term deals with the Magic. Wagner signed a five-year, $224 million extension earlier this summer.

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green has agreed to a three-year, $106 million rookie contract extension with the franchise, CAA's Aaron Mintz, Andrew Morrison and Shakira Wardally told ESPN.

The deal includes a player option in the third season, providing Green the ability to increase his earning potential down the road, sources said.

Green is the first NBA player ever to successfully negotiate a 2-plus-1 rookie extension on a nine-figure deal.

For Green, 22, the agreement is another trend-setting moment. He became the pioneer for the NBA's G League Ignite as the first signing in 2020, then went second overall to the Rockets in the 2021 draft.

The three-year deal provides Green with financial flexibility in the short term and the ability to earn more than $240 million total over the next five years -- more than the $224 million current maximum -- because of his extension eligibility as soon as October 2026 and the ability to opt out at the age of 25.

Green closed last season strong, significantly increasing his efficiency on jumpers and shots near the rim in March and April. During the Rockets' 11-game win streak in March, Green averaged 30.2 points on 50% shooting from the field and 45% from 3.

His 545 career 3-pointers are tied for the fifth-most by a player through his first three NBA seasons.

The Golden State Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga will not reach a new deal before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline for rookie contract extensions, sources told ESPN.

The Warriors and Kuminga's representative, Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball, have been in discussions over the past several months but talks never gained traction.

Kuminga believes in his talent and ability to progress into a star in the league, and the Warriors have seen statistics that measure his growth similarly to the early years of the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, Indiana's Pascal Siakam and Boston's Jaylen Brown.

The Warriors, however, prefer to view Kuminga's growth this coming season. The fit between Kuminga and coach Steve Kerr is also something Warriors officials are monitoring, sources said.

Despite not coming to an agreement, the Warriors still have Kuminga's rights in free agency next summer.

"Just because you don't get an extension done doesn't mean they're not going to be here for a long time," Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said ahead of training camp.

"We want those guys here," Dunleavy continued, emphasizing the most important thing for Kuminga to do is have a great season in his fourth year in the league.

Kerr said he has remained in close contact with both Kuminga and Moses Moody as they went through their negotiations. The Warriors agreed to a three-year, $39 million extension with Moody on Sunday.

Kuminga is in competition for a starting spot -- something that has been described as "important" to the forward by team sources. Kuminga told ESPN he didn't have a preference to whether he starts or comes off the bench, but did admit it's a bit easier for him when he's in the starting. group.

The task for Kuminga through the preseason has been adjusting to a small forward role, which would open up a greater possibility of him starting.

Last season, Kuminga averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in a career-high 26 minutes per game. He started 46 of his 74 games played.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner had surgery on his right hand after the season ended.

The 27-year-old Hoerner had right flexor tendon surgery on Oct. 11, according to the Cubs. Dr. Keith Meister performed the operation.

The team offered no further details on Monday.

Hoerner batted .273 with seven homers, 48 RBIs and 31 steals in a career-high 151 games this season. He hit .346 (45-for-130) in his last 34 games.

The Cubs went 83-79 for the second straight season and missed out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Hoerner was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford University. He signed a $35 million, three-year contract in March 2023 that runs through the 2026 season.

Hoerner, who made his big league debut in 2019, is a .278 hitter with 29 homers, 217 RBIs and 102 steals in 548 major league games. He was a Gold Glove winner in 2023.

The Athletics' temporary ballpark in Sacramento, California, will include natural grass, not artificial turf, a pivot that should ease concerns about playing on a synthetic surface in a city of extreme heat.

The A's, who recently concluded their final season in Oakland, will spent at least the next three years sharing Sutter Health Park with the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, before their anticipated move to Las Vegas in 2028.

Major League Baseball initially planned to install synthetic turf at the facility in large part because it would provide a more durable surface for a stadium that would host two teams. But the MLB Players' Association raised concerns about how that surface would exacerbate the heat during the summer months, even with a hydration component touted by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in July. Sacramento experienced its hottest 20-day stretch on record earlier this summer, with temperatures averaging 103.8 degrees from June 23 to July 12.

A final assessment from MLB's field consultant, Murray Cook, stated that natural grass is indeed viable at Sutter Health Park.

"Since the beginning of this process, we have worked collaboratively with the MLBPA to incorporate feedback from major and minor league players regarding the facilities, amenities, and playing conditions in Sacramento," a league spokesperson said in a statement. "Based on feedback from players, as well as guidance from MLB's long-time field expert, MLB, the A's and Sutter Health Park have decided to maintain a natural grass field.

"Our shared, primary concern is ensuring the best and safest playing surface for the A's, River Cats and visiting players. In light of the players' clear preference for natural grass, and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of maintaining natural grass versus replacing the playing surface with synthetic turf, all the parties are aligned in moving forward with a natural grass field for Opening Day 2025."

MLB will also renovate Sutter Health Park's clubhouses, dugouts, bullpens and batter's eye ahead of the 2025 season. The A's have the option to remain in Sacramento for an extra season if construction of their fixed-roof ballpark in Las Vegas is delayed.

NEW YORK -- The average time of a nine-inning game in the League Championship Series rose 12 minutes to 3:16 this year along with an increase in scoring, though the overall postseason figure has fallen by two minutes to 3:00 in the second year of the pitch clock.

The LCS average was 3:40 in 2021, then fell to 3:26 in the first season of the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device and 3:04 last year when the pitch clock was instituted.

Runs per game in the LCS averaged 11.3, up from 8.8 in 2023 and 7.9 in 2022 and 9.9 in 2021.

The postseason average for nine-inning games through the LCS is down from 3:22 in 2022 and 3:37 in 2021. Scoring of 8.2 runs per game was 8.0 last year, 7.9 in 2022 and 8.7 in 2021.

Division Series games averaged 3:00, down from 3:06 last year, 3:22 in 2022 and 3:33 in 2021. The Wild Card Series averaged 2:44, falling from 2:50 last year, 3:19 in 2022 and 3:44 for the wild card games in 2021.

Last year's postseason average finished at 3:02, down from 3:23 in 2022 and 3:37 in 2021. The World Series last year averaged 3:01, the fastest since 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

This season's regular-season average of 2:36 declined four minutes from 2023 and 28 minutes from 2022. It had not been this low since 1984's 2:35.

MLB shortened the pitch clock with runners on base by two seconds to 18 ahead of the 2024 season while keeping it at 15 seconds without runners on base.

US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has risen to number one in the latest WTA rankings, ending Iga Swiatek's 11-month stay at the summit.

Belarusian Sabalenka, who also retained her Australian Open title in January, tops the rankings for the second time after an eight-week stay between September and November 2023.

Neither player was in action last week but Poland's Swiatek drops to second after being given a points penalty for failing to compete in the mandatory six WTA 500 events.

The 23-year-old - who appointed a new coach earlier this month - has only competed in two of the tournaments and has not played since the US Open in September, after deciding to miss the tour's Asian swing because of fatigue.

She had led the rankings by more than 4,000 points at one stage after winning five titles in the first six months of the season.

But Sabalenka, 26, slowly reeled her in the second half of the year, winning titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to go with her triumph at Flushing Meadows.

The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Off-court coaching will be allowed in tennis from January 2025, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced.

The decision was made at the governing body's annual general meeting and follows recent trials on the men's ATP and women's WTA tours.

The ITF says the move will make tennis "fairer and, potentially, more entertaining".

The new changes mean:

The decision whether to implement the rule changes will be at the jurisdiction of the sanctioning body of each individual tournament or event.

Coaching during matches has been controversial in the past, with some players accused of illegally receiving advice - including an outburst from Daniil Medvedev in his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 Australian Open.

Former world number 10 Denis Shapovalov has criticised the change, writing on X:, external "Not just as a tennis player but as a fan of this sport it's sad to see this new off-court coaching rule.

"Tennis is special because you are out there alone. Why are you trying to change the beauty of this game?"

Stuart Miller, ITF senior executive director for integrity and legal, said: "Weve gathered feedback from all key stakeholders including players, coaches and chair umpires.

"Players felt it was a positive development and makes tournaments more interesting for them."

Sale Sharks have signed Tadgh McElroy from Ulster on a deal until the end of next season.

The Irish hooker links up with Alex Sanderson's squad with immediate effect ahead of their game at Bath on Saturday.

Luke Cowan-Dickie is with the England squad and Tommy Taylor is injured, leaving Ethan Caine as Sale's only available senior hooker.

McElroy, 27, only joined Ulster on a short-term deal last month, but has previously played for Saracens, London Irish, Leinster and Connacht.