Hill Says He Will Sign With Magic

All-star Grant Hill said Friday that he will sign with the Orlando Magic.

“This is probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” the former Detroit Piston star told Detroit radio station WDFN. “In my heart, I wanted to stay, I really did, but I decided this was the route that I wanted to go.”

The Magic offered the free agent $67.5 million for six years, the most allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

Piston executive Joe Dumars said he met with Hill on Thursday, two days after the five-time all-star returned from a house-hunting trip to Florida.

“We had a very good conversation,” Dumars said. “I wished him well, and we both expressed some sorriness about the situation.”

Hill became a free agent last Saturday, but cannot sign a contract until Aug. 1.

He visited Orlando with San Antonio center-forward Tim Duncan.

“There’s no guarantee first of all that Tim Duncan’s going there, and I understand that,” Hill said. “He’s got a tough decision to make.”

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Anthony Mason says his brush with the law in New Orleans earlier this week will be his last--even though he said he was only a victim of circumstance.

“My apologies go out to the community, to the Charlotte Hornets and most importantly my family for the black eye this puts out,” he said.

“There won’t be another situation. There definitely will not be.”

Mason was arrested Monday night in New Orleans’ French Quarter and charged with battery on a police officer, inciting a riot and resisting arrest.

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The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks $50,000 each for violating league rules concerning tryouts of prospective draft choices.