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BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations says more than 2,400 people were killed in Iraq in June, making it the deadliest month so far in the country this year.

The U.N. mission to Iraq said in a statement released Tuesday that at least 2,417 people were killed in the country in acts of terrorism and violence in June. The toll includes 1,531 civilians and 886 members of Iraq's security forces.

It said another 2,287 Iraqis were wounded.

The U.N. said the toll does not take into account casualties in Anbar province, which is largely controlled by Sunni militants.

NEW YORK (AP) — Attention, shoppers! Free agency in the NBA is open, and LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are available.

Players and teams could begin negotiating just past midnight EDT on Tuesday morning, though contracts can't be signed until July 10, after next season's salary cap has been set.

James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who joined together in Miami in 2010 and have led the Heat to two championships and four straight NBA Finals, all became free agents.

Though many expect that trio to stay with the Heat, Anthony could be persuaded to leave the New York Knicks for a team he believes gives him a better chance to compete for a championship. He was visiting Chicago on Tuesday, and Houston and Dallas also could try to pry the 2012-13 scoring champion away from the Knicks, who can pay him around $30 million more than any team under NBA rules.

Longtime stars Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol also are free agents, along with players such as Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Indiana's Lance Stephenson, who are coming off their best seasons in the league.

It's the most anticipated free agency class since 2010, when James led a class that included Wade, Bosh, and other All-Stars such as Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson.

That free agency period changed the NBA. This one might mostly change the Heat.

They are in need of an upgrade after getting smashed by San Antonio in the finals, and the Big Three could help give them the means to make one if they agree to salaries that won't clog up too much of the cap.

Knicks president Phil Jackson hopes Anthony also agrees to take less than a maximum salary, which would be more than $125 million if he stayed in New York.

Also in New York, the Brooklyn Nets stagger into free agency without their coach after letting Jason Kidd leave for the Milwaukee Bucks. The teams agreed to a deal Monday, with the Bucks sending two future second-round picks to the Nets, who allowed Kidd to pursue other jobs after denying his request for more power in the organization.

Brooklyn has Pierce and Shaun Livingston among its key players who are free agents.

The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of money to offer, along with the chance to play with Kobe Bryant. Teams such as Phoenix and Atlanta have some good pieces in place and enough cap space to add another.

They would love a shot at James, as would his home state Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he left in 2010. But it's unclear how seriously the four-time MVP will listen to other teams after meeting with six suitors when he was last a free agent.

The Cavaliers may not get James back, but they will have their current All-Star for a while. Owner Dan Gilbert wrote on Twitter early Tuesday morning that he had an agreement on a five-year contract extension with Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft.

"Looking forward to the next 6 years of Kyrie Irving in CLE. Just shook hands & intend to sign on the 10th," Gilbert wrote, adding that he couldn't be more excited about the Cavs' future.

Players such as Cleveland's Luol Deng and Washington's Trevor Ariza could be good fallback options for teams who can't get James or Anthony.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kongers are set to take to the streets in huge numbers Tuesday to push for greater democracy in a rally fuelled by anger over Beijing's recent warning that it holds the ultimate authority over the southern Chinese financial center.

Organizers expect at least 150,000 to join the afternoon protest march to press for reforms allowing residents to elect their leader.

The protest comes days after nearly 800,000 voted in a mock referendum aimed at bolstering support for full democracy.

Ahead of the rally, a small group of protesters burned a copy of a White Paper released by China's Cabinet earlier this month that had enraged many residents. The policy document said that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy is not inherent but is authorized by the central government.

"After China's State Council issued the White Paper, the Basic Law became a figurehead," said activist Derek Chan, referring to the mini-constitution that guarantees Hong Kong can keep a high degree of control over its own affairs under the principle of "one country, two systems."

Chan and other protesters carried a mock coffin and banner reading "RIP Hong Kong" outside a flag-raising ceremony attended by officials to mark the anniversary of the handover of power from London to Beijing on July 1, 1997.

China's communist leaders have pledged to start allowing Hong Kongers to vote for the city's leader in 2017, though it insists candidates be vetted by a Beijing-friendly committee like the one that has handpicked all leaders since the handover.

But pro-democracy activists, encouraged by the strong turnout for their informal referendum, vow to shut down the city's financial district if the government fails to come up with electoral reforms that don't meet international standards.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Tim Howard never counts his caps.

Howard broke Kasey Keller's record for appearances by an American goalkeeper when he played his 103rd international match last Thursday, a 1-0 loss to Germany.

On Tuesday night, he will make it 104 when the Americans face Belgium in the World Cup's second round at Salvador.

The 35-year-old Howard spoke with Keller, now an ESPN analyst, in the leadup to the World Cup when the U.S. team played an exhibition game against Turkey in the New York area June 1.

"Milestones like that are important," said Howard, a top goalkeeper in England's Premier League with Everton. "And obviously Kasey's dear to me in terms of being a friend and a goalkeeping mentor. I never thought I'd get that close, let alone break it. It's a proud day."

— By Janie McCauley — www.twitter.com/JanieMcCAP

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MIDNIGHT CALL

SAO PAULO (AP) — Each time Alejandro Sabella was asked Monday about his lineup — and there were many attempts in different manners — he politely declined.

No hints whatsoever about Tuesday's second-round World Cup match with Switzerland, and no predictions about what style each team might play.

Sabella is preparing Lionel Messi and Argentina to attack a swarming Switzerland defense. The coach must decide whether to go with Ezequiel Lavezzi in a three-man front missing striker Sergio Aguero. An injured left thigh muscle forced him to leave in the first half of Argentina's 3-2 win over Nigeria last Wednesday.

The coach insists he might still be pondering his 11 players until midnight, and someone suggested he could announce the lineup then.

"I'm not going to say until the last minute. I think until this evening until around midnight I will think about the lineup," Sabella said before his team practiced at Itaquerao Stadium. "You can call me if you have my phone number, but I don't know if I will answer my phone at midnight."

— By Janie McCauley — www.twitter.com/JanieMcCAP

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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Brazil during the 2014 World Cup. Follow AP journalists covering the World Cup on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Sports/world-cup-2014