NBA notes: Taj Gibson arrested in New York; James Harden gets $228-million extension

New Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Taj Gibson was arrested for a traffic violation in New York City.

The New York Police Department says a 2016 Mercedes Benz sedan made an illegal U-turn in Queens early Thursday. Police stopped the car and Gibson, who was driving, produced a suspended Illinois driver’s license.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have signed star guard James Harden to a four-year, $228-million contract extension, the richest contract in NBA history.

The Star Tribune reports Gibson was arrested for driving with a suspended license and a moving violation. He’s due in court on Sept. 1.

Gibson recently agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract to play in Minnesota. The deal reunites the 32-year-old power forward with Tom Thibodeau, who coached him for five seasons in Chicago.

The Timberwolves said in a statement Saturday they’re aware of the incident involving Gibson and are “confident that the matter has been resolved.”

Minnesota has reportedly agree to terms with veteran guard Jamal Crawford on a two-year deal worth about $4.2 million for the upcoming season, according to a person spoke on condition of anonymity because Crawford has to clear waivers before signing the deal. The second year is a player option.

The 37-year-old Crawford averaged 12.3 points in 82 games for the Clippers last season. He was traded to Atlanta to help make room for Danilo Gallinari and reached a buyout agreement with the Hawks. Crawford gives the Timberwolves a much-needed scorer off of the bench. It continues an aggressive summer that has also seen the additions of Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Gibson.

The Rockets said Saturday that Harden’s extension will run through 2022-23 season but will not kick in until 2019. That means it will not affect their salary cap this season, so the Rockets are free to continue their roster upgrade. They added Chris Paul earlier this summer.

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander says Harden’s “incredible work ethic, desire to win, and passion to be the best” make him “the perfect leader in our pursuit of another championship.” Harden says “Houston is home for me.”

He averaged 29.1 points and led the NBA with 11.2 assists last season. ESPN first reported the terms of the deal.

In other NBA news:

-- Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Ivan Rabb will miss the first three summer league games as he recovers from a sprained left ankle. The Grizzlies said Rabb would be re-evaluated and the team would update his situation after the first three games. Rabb, a 6-foot-10 forward from California, sprained his ankle during a pre-draft workout. Memphis obtained Rabb for a future second-round pick after the Orlando Magic selected him in the second round. Rabb was the 35th overall draft pick. The 20-year-old Rabb played 31 games for California as a sophomore last season. He averaged 14 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1 blocked shot.

-- The New York Knicks have signed free-agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71-million contract. The 6-foot-5 Hardaway returned to the Knicks after two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Last season, he had career highs in scoring (14.5), assists (2.3), rebounds (2.8), minutes (27.3) and field-goal percentage (.455). He has career averages of 11.0 points and 23.4 minutes. His father, five-time All-Star Tim Hardaway, is an assistant coach for Detroit.

UPDATES:

5 p.m.: This article has been updated with news of Jamal Crawford’s agreement to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2:40 p.m.: This article has been updated with news of James Harden’s contract extension and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s new deal.

This article was originally published at 1:45 p.m.