I don’t know what to tell the next generation of black journalists who aspire to sports commentary but didn’t play professionally. Not that it’s better in politics or business - unless we’re writing or talking very narrowly about black people, there’s not much interest in us.
As Jaylen Brown trade rumors swirl, here’s an update on his father Marselles Brown’s attempted murder case in Las Vegas - which is set for a trial this fall. Another factor for teams to consider
The latest evidence in the case obtained by @8NewsNow 🔗
https://t.co/qdyUWp2xKH
This was the moment for me that I’ll never forget. He held it down, carried the torch, and he finished the job.
No one can tell me anything about his Laker tenure. No one.
BREAKING: Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is declining his $27.7 million player option to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. This move gives the Warriors flexibility to pursue LeBron James in free agency and Anthony Davis via trade to form a Big 4.
The Ja Morant situation is fascinating. On paper, it is easy to see why his trade market has dried up: Most teams already have a point guard, and even at his peak, Ja was flawed with his shaky jumper and defense. Factor in his history of off-court troubles, his inability to stay healthy, and his huge salary worth over 40M in each of the next two seasons, and you have a heavily distressed asset.
But could it be a buy low opportunity? Ja looked a lot more like himself after his return in December. It was only an 8-game sample before he got shut down, but he posted numbers basically equal to his two All-Star seasons in terms of scoring efficiency and shot distribution.
Did the league get too anchored to his horrific start to the season? Well, that poor play was compounded by him throwing his new head coach under the bus just months after wanting Taylor Jenkins gone. Given his prickly nature with coaches, it's not like a young team such as the Bulls and Nets can assume he's worth the gamble and could be good for their culture. Same for a contending hopeful like the Rockets. Morant is better than Fred VanVleet in a vacuum. But maybe not in reality for a team that already has chemistry concerns. Teams that might've had interest before, like the Kings or Pelicans, now are invested in young point guards in Darius Acuff and Jeremiah Fears, respectively. It's just really, really hard to find landing spots for Morant.
The team that makes the most sense for Ja is Miami. They have organizational stability and a clear need for shot creation after trading away so many ball handlers in the Giannis deal. Morant is worth the swing and could be a dynamic fit with Giannis. One big problem: The Heat don't have salaries that work financially for Ja (unless they give up Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic, which would be dumb for Miami). If the Heat even want Morant, the odds are they're hoping for a buyout.
Maybe the buyout scenario is exactly where we are headed. But given the flashes Morant showed the last time he was on the court, he could end up a steal.
Ant & LaMelo hasn’t been official for 24 hours and the synergy already shows.
LA Atlanta & Minneapolis rooting for this group is going to be something lol. The postgame moments will be crazy, building will be rocking. Whole rebrand
Wrote a deep dive on Bill Foley’s NBA expansion bid. It follows the VGK owner’s exclusive comments with @sports8 & has insight from league insider @ScoopB
With the MLB & PWHL on deck to join the NFL, NHL, WNBA, UFC .. all roads lead to Las Vegas.
https://t.co/M7rMH3sAUi
With picks 4 & 15, the Bulls should be doing whatever it takes to get Peterson this draft - or go all in to try and get Wilson + Acuff by leveraging future 1sts