Allen to join Heat

Ray Allen will take less money for a chance at another NBA championship.

Allen told the Miami Heat on Friday night that he intends to accept their contract offer and leave Boston after five seasons, even though the Celtics could pay him about twice as much as the reigning NBA champions will be able to next season. Miami could only offer Allen the mini mid-level, worth about $3 million for next season.

Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted the news just after 9:30 p.m. - or about 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Europe, where Arison has been for several days.

"I was just woken up with great news," Arison wrote. "Welcome to the family (hash)20."

Arison got the word from Heat President Pat Riley, who made Allen the team's top free-agent priority, especially in recent days. Allen arrived in Miami on Thursday for a visit, went to dinner with Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, team executive Alonzo Mourning and others Thursday night, then left Friday to presumably decide his future.

Hours later, the choice was made. Allen's agent, James Tanner, confirmed the decision to The Associated Press not long after Arison's tweet.

Allen cannot officially sign until Wednesday because of the league's moratorium.

After landing Kidd, Knicks look to keep Lin: The New York Knicks view Jason Kidd as Jeremy Lin's teammate, not a replacement.

And once they finish the deal that would bring Kidd to New York, they can move on to keeping Lin.

They have a chance for a tantalizing tandem at point guard, the 39-year-old veteran who is one of the most accomplished ever at the position and the undrafted Ivy Leaguer who took the NBA by storm last season.

"If we can get Jeremy back, I would love that," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "Overall just to have him back him and Jason Kidd, him learning under Jason Kidd, for however long Jason Kidd is there, I accept that, we accept that, and that's a great opportunity for us."

Step one is nearing its completion. The Knicks and Kidd were still working Friday on terms of the deal that will get him from Dallas to New York, according to a person familiar with the details. Kidd would be able to make a higher salary if the teams are able to work out a sign-and-trade arrangement, rather than him signing in New York as a free agent.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because deals can't be signed until July 11. Coach Mike Woodson, in Las Vegas to watch Anthony and Tyson Chandler practice with the U.S. Olympic team, declined comment on the Knicks' moves until then.

That's when Lin will be able to sign the offer sheet he agreed to Thursday with the Houston Rockets. It would pay him a little more than $5 million in each of the first two years and $9.3 million in each of the last two years, according to a person with knowledge of the salaries. The fourth season is a team option.

The Knicks will have three days to match the offer for the restricted free agent, and they have repeatedly said they plan to keep Lin, who became a breakout star when he took over the starting point guard role in February.

His season was cut short after 35 games, including 25 starts, because of torn knee cartilage that required surgery. But the Knicks had already seen enough on the court - and at the box office and souvenir stands - to know they don't want Lin to get away.

But as good as he was in his brief stint, questions remain whether he is the player to best complement the Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Perhaps that would be Kidd, who has played with both on USA Basketball teams and teamed with Chandler on the Mavericks' 2011 NBA championship team.

Chandler said he was talking to Kidd throughout the summer about him coming to New York, but thought it was a long shot.

"People say things about his age, but with a guy like Jason Kidd you can throw his age out of the window because not only is he capable of doing great things still on the basketball court, but he's invaluable off," Chandler said. "Locker room, huddles, film, I mean he's going to be invaluable to our team."

The Knicks have other decisions to make at guard. Landry Fields, the starting shooting guard most of the last two years and Lin's best friend on the team, has agreed to an offer sheet with Toronto that would pay him about $20 million over three years. New York has to decide whether to accept that and also is trying to keep free-agent JR Smith, who declined the second-year option on his contract but could return.

76ers agree to sign Young, amnesty Brand: Bye-bye, Elton Brand. See you later, Lou Williams.

The 76ers turned a mundane offseason into monumental by jettisoning their leading scorers from each of the last two seasons and clearing needed space in the salary cap to potentially set up a bigger move.

With fans worried a surprising run to the Eastern Conference semifinals might cloud management's view of the stale roster, team president Rod Thorn made a pair of bold moves Friday that showed the team believed changes were needed for the franchise to grow.

Step one meant saying goodbye to Brand.

Thorn said the Sixers have decided to use the amnesty clause on Brand and will get about $18 million in salary cap relief for next season. The amnesty clause allows a team to waive one player during the new labor deal and have 100 percent of his salary taken off the cap and the tax.

Brand was entering the final season of an $80 million, five-year contract. Brand is still owed the $18.1 million on the final year of his deal. Teams under the salary cap can now bid for Brand's services for next season and the veteran forward is expected to be in demand by a contender.

With money to spend, the Sixers agreed Friday to a one-year contract with guard Nick Young. Young's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told The Associated Press on Friday that the deal is for one season in the $6 million range. Deals cannot be signed until July 11.

Young spent his first four-plus seasons with the Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in March. He's averaged 11.4 points over his career.

Young, a two-time all-conference standout at Southern California before becoming a consistent NBA scorer in five seasons with Washington, averaged 14.2 points last season, and 17.4 points in 2010-11. The versatile swingman is slotted - for now - to replace guard Lou Williams, who opted out of the final year of his contract that was worth $6.4 million.