Dolphins GM shares what it would take for team to trade Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill has once again been the subject of trade rumors this offseason (some of which he has fueled himself), but Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier says it would take a massive offer for the team to consider moving on from its All-Pro wide receiver.
Grier spoke with the media on Tuesday about the report that the Dolphins and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey have mutually agreed to explore trades. He confirmed that report is true, which led to a question about whether Hill is also on the trade block.
Grier said Miami is not currently shopping Hill in trade talks. The GM did admit, however, that he would consider it if a massive offer came along.
“That is not anything that we’re pursuing. Who knows? If someone wants to come and give me two first-round picks, we’ll consider it,” Grier said.
With the #Dolphins planning to move on from Jalen Ramsey, could Tyreek Hill also be traded?
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 15, 2025
GM Chris Grier: "That is not anything that we're pursuing. Who knows? If someone wants to come and give me two first-round picks, we'll consider it."
Hill openly vented his frustrations following the 2024 season and indicated he wanted out of Miami. He later apologized and said he wants to remain with the team, but he has fueled speculation once again in recent weeks with his cryptic social media activity.
Though he remains an explosive playmaker, Hill is 31 and coming off a season in which he played through an injury. He still had 81 catches for 959 yards and 6 touchdowns, but that was a huge step back from the 1,700-plus yards he had in each of his first two seasons in Miami.
There has also been some recent off-field drama involving Hill, so the chances of a team offering two first-round picks for him are almost nonexistent. If that is the true asking price, Hill likely is not going anywhere.
Former MVP favored to become next Suns head coach
The Phoenix Suns are looking for a new head coach, and a former league MVP is the favorite to get the job.
The Suns on Monday fired Mike Budenholzer after just one season on the job. Despite having the highest payroll in the NBA, the Suns went 36-46 and missed the postseason entirely.
This is the second year in a row the Suns fired their head coach after one season, as they also fired Frank Vogel last year. The job seems unstable, but oddsmakers are favoring former Suns star Steve Nash to get the job next.
BetOnline.ag set odds for the next Suns head coach. Here are all the candidates with odds 14/1 or lower. Nash, Sam Cassell, Willie Green, Jared Dudley and Chris Quinn all have pretty decent odds.
Steve Nash 4/1
Sam Cassell 9/2
Willie Green 5/1
Jared Dudley 6/1
Chris Quinn 7/1
Mike Brown 10/1
Micah Nori 12/1
Taylor Jenkins 12/1
Johnnie Bryant 14/1
Green’s inclusion fairly high on the list is no surprise considering a separate report mentioned him as a candidate. Nash, Green, Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins are the people on the list with previous experience as a head coach. The others have only served as assistant coaches.
Though the Suns have Kevin Durant on the team, they are expected to trade him. That means any coach who steps into the position would be taking on a roster in transition that would likely be centered around Devin Booker.
As for Nash, he served as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets for two full seasons from 2020-2022. He was fired after beginning the 2022-2023 season — his third on the job — with a 2-5 record. Durant was one of the major pieces on those Nets teams, but it doesn’t seem like there will be a reunion if KD is traded. Nash is a Hall of Fame player and was the NBA MVP in 2005 and 2006. He spent 10 of his 18 seasons as a player with the Suns.
Nico Harrison draws criticism for weak move
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison drew a new wave of criticism Tuesday for a weak move he made with the media.
Harrison held his first media availability with local Dallas reporters on Tuesday since the Luka Doncic trade in early February. However, the Mavericks hand-picked the reporters allowed to meet with Harrison, and barred those reporters from using cameras or recording devices during the media availability.
Mavericks execs Nico Harrison and Rick Welts are holding a roundtable this AM with selected Dallas media members.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 15, 2025
Cameras/audio recording devices were not permitted for Harrison's first session with local reporters since the Luka Dončić trade.
More NBA: https://t.co/IIIlAloJCf pic.twitter.com/mHeVLMn8BQ
The evasive move was widely criticized by Dallas media and fans, as it gave the appearance that Harrison is trying to dodge pointed questions about the Doncic trade and its aftermath.
I was not among the reporters invited to speak with Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and CEO Rick Welts this morning.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) April 15, 2025
A front office that is confident in its moves doesn't need to speak only to selected media without recording devices.
This has been an utterly bizarre season.
The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers 73 days ago.
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 15, 2025
Nico Harrison spoke to the media in Cleveland 72 days ago, the morning after the trade was reported, and hadn't been heard from since.
Dallas then decided for him to wait until today, the day before…
I don’t agree with the Mavs banning cameras and recording devices.
— Sam Gannon (@SamGannon87) April 15, 2025
Especially from a tv perspective, it’s a disservice to our viewers.
Having Nico Harrison quoted in print is much different than seeing his expressions, body language when he talked with us for about an hour.
Harrison has become tremendously unpopular in Dallas for trading Doncic, and it has become commonplace for fans there to chant for his firing virtually everywhere. Harrison and the Mavericks are undoubtedly aware of that, and seem desperate to avoid fanning the flames. Moves like this, however, indicate that they are too desperate, and their lack of transparency becomes a story in itself.
The only way the Mavericks can mend fences at this point is to win championships. The front office certainly knows that. Still, they would do well to avoid unforced errors like this one that just open them up to more criticism. This just makes it look like Harrison is hiding from his critics, and that is a pretty bad look.
Karmelo Anthony’s father reveals how family plans to use fundraiser money
An online fundraiser that was set up on behalf of Karmelo Anthony has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the alleged murderer’s father shared some information this week about how the family plans to use the money.
Anthony was arrested on April 2 and charged with first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas. Anthony and Metcalf were among over 100 athletes gathered at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco for a District 11-5A Championship track meet. Teams were gathering under tents as they awaited the start of the meet when an altercation developed between Metcalf and Anthony.
Anthony, a 17-year-old who attends Centennial High School, allegedly was standing under Memorial’s tent. Metcalf confronted Anthony and told him to move. Anthony allegedly challenged Metcalf back, and Metcalf allegedly responded by grabbing Anthony. Anthony then allegedly took out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.
On Monday, Anthony was released from jail after a judge in Collin County, Texas, reduced his bond from $1 million to $250,000. Anthony will be required to wear an ankle monitor and will need permission in order to leave home, according to WFAA 8’s Rachel Behrndt.
In asking for the bond to not be reduced, Collin County Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye argued that the Anthony family has raised enough money from the GiveSendGo fundraiser bearing Karmelo’s name. The fund had raised well over $400,000 at the time of Monday’s hearing.
Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, testified that the family does not currently have access to the fundraiser money. He also said he is the sole provider for his family and that he, his wife and their four children have been forced to move homes due to safety concerns. Andrew told the court that the money from the fundraiser will be needed to cover the costs associated with moving and security for his family.
Several GoFundMe campaigns were also started on Anthony’s behalf, but those were deleted due to the platform’s terms of service. GoFundMe prohibits “fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.” Any GoFundMe donations that were made were returned to the donors.
Many have argued that the GiveSendGo campaign should also be removed, but one of the co-founder’s of the platform recently defended the decision to keep the fundraiser active.
Travis Hunter appears to give NFL teams a surprising ultimatum
Travis Hunter has made it abundantly clear that he wants to continue to be a two-way player when he begins his NFL career, and the former Colorado star would like his future team to know he is very, very serious about that.
In a recent interview with Garrett Podell of CBS Sports, Hunter spoke about how much he has emphasized to teams leading up to the draft that he expects to play both wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL. The Heisman Trophy winner even appeared to give teams an ultimatum.
Hunter said he would rather not play football than be told he has to stick to one position.
“It’s never playing football again,” Hunter told Podell. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.”
That was likely a hyperbole from Hunter. There is no way he would retire if an NFL team told him he needed to focus on one side of the ball. If anything, that was another way for him to show teams that he truly believes he can do at the professional level what very few players have done before him.
Hunter acknowledged that the competition will be much steeper in the NFL than it was at Colorado. He said he has “a competitive spirit that I can do whatever I put my mind to,” however, so he is not concerned about taking on too much.
If Hunter were to play wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL, he would have to find a way to attend meetings with both position groups. Some would say there are not enough hours in a day for that, but the 21-year-old recently made a wild claim about the type of workload he is willing to take on.
Hunter is widely expected to be taken with one of the first four picks in the draft, which belong to the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and New England Patriots. Though, the Titans seem locked in on quarterback Cam Ward.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has indicated he would be willing to have Hunter play snaps on offense and defense, though he offered a disclaimer.
Even if he sees time on both sides of the ball, it is still likely that Hunter’s next team will want him to focus on honing his skills at one position. We doubt any NFL team is concerned about the risk of Hunter retiring.
Big news surfaces about Damian Lillard’s status for playoffs
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been sidelined for nearly a month because of a blood-clot issue, and some new information has emerged about his status for the playoffs.
Lillard is not expected to play when the Bucks begin their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The veteran point guard has not been ruled out for the remainder of the season, however.
Charania says Lillard has made “significant progress” and there is optimism that the 34-year-old could be cleared at some point during the postseason.
Lillard has, however, made significant progress with the blood clot and there remains optimism for his clearance at some point in the playoffs, sources said. He is continuing to increase basketball activity this week. https://t.co/NqriR7quSL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 15, 2025
Lillard has been sidelined since March 18 after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The initial belief was that he would miss the remainder of the season due to the serious nature of the condition, but there have been some positive updates about his recovery.
The Bucks finished the regular season with a record of 48-34, which earned them the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. If they can survive the first round, they may wind up getting a huge boost at some point from Lillard’s return.
Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in his second season with the Bucks. The team’s chances of making a deep playoff run without him might be slim.
Ex-Super Bowl champion Don Hasselbeck dies unexpectedly
Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck has died at the age of 70.
Hasselbeck, who played nine seasons in the NFL for four different teams, died on Monday. Hasselbeck won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983. He is also the father of former NFL quarterbacks Matt and Tim Hasselbeck.
Matt Hasselbeck shared the news of his father’s death via social media on Monday night. He said Don was at home and suffered cardiac arrest.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the passing of our father, Don Hasselbeck, who suffered cardiac arrest and passed away today,” Matt Hasselbeck wrote on X. “We want to thank our parents’ neighbors and all the medical professionals who came to his aid.
“He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller. Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, what we are most proud of is the leader he was for our family.”
It is with deep sorrow that we share the passing of our father, Don Hasselbeck, who suffered cardiac arrest and passed away today. We want to thank our parents’ neighbors and all the medical professionals who came to his aid.
— Matt Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) April 15, 2025
He was a great husband, father, grandfather,… pic.twitter.com/16WKtXHZYj
Don began his career with the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 1977. He spent six-plus seasons in New England before being traded to Los Angeles. The 6-foot-7 tight end blocked an extra point in the Raiders’ 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
Hasselbeck had brief stints with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants before retiring. He finished his NFL career with 107 catches for 1,542 yards and 18 touchdowns in 123 games.
Matt and Tim were both NFL quarterbacks, with Matt making the Pro Bowl three times in his career. Tim, who was mostly a backup, is well-known for his role as an analyst with ESPN.
Giants may have hidden agenda with Shedeur Sanders workout
The New York Giants have decided to attend a private workout for Shedeur Sanders a week before the NFL Draft, which has naturally led to the conclusion that they are considering drafting the former Colorado quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. There may be more to it than that, however.
Sanders will work out for a contingent of Giants officials in Boulder, Colo., on Thursday night. That will reportedly be his last workout before the draft.
For weeks, there have been serious doubts about whether the Giants (or any other team with a top-five pick) have legitimate interest in Sanders. One report on Monday indicated that the majority of NFL coaches and scouts do not believe Sanders is a first-round talent, let alone one of the best players in the entire draft.
It is possible that the Giants disagree and genuinely believe Sanders can become a franchise cornerstone. Either that, or their decision to attend a private workout for Sanders is a last-ditch effort to maximize the trade value of their pick.
By creating the impression that they are thinking about drafting Sanders at No. 3 overall, the Giants might be trying to send a message to any team that is eyeing Sanders. The message would be that if said team wants Sanders badly enough, they will have to trade up for the quarterback.
Another potential scenario that the Giants could be considering is a trade back for Sanders. At least one notable team with a pick late in the first round has met with Sanders. If New York does actually want to draft Sanders, they might be able to do so by acquiring additional draft capital via a trade back and landing him later than No. 3.
The bottom line is the Giants would not waste their time sending executives and scouts to Boulder if they did not think it would benefit the team in some way. Either they strongly disagree with some of the descriptions we have heard of Sanders or are considering a trade back — for Sanders or another player.
Hailey Van Lith looked so uncomfortable in her WNBA draft interview
Hailey Van Lith was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 11th overall pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night, and one interview has many fans wondering if she is pleased about that.
The Sky had the 10th and 11th picks in the draft, and they used the latter on Van Lith. After the selection was made, Van Lith was interviewed by ESPN’s Holly Rowe. Van Lith seemed a bit uncomfortable.
Some people felt Van Lith was forcing a smile, especially when she was asked about reuniting with former LSU teammate Angel Reese.
Hailey Van Lith smiling through the pain of returning to toxic hell pic.twitter.com/70MrbeRiUh
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) April 15, 2025
Van Lith may not have been uncomfortable at all, but she certainly looked it. That led to fans all making the same joke about her teaming up with Reese again.
Gritting her teeth cause she gotta go back to playing with angel 😭😭
— NFL YOUNGBOY (@BlitzedByTurner) April 15, 2025
Haley had her worst season playing with Reese and it wasn’t even close
— Eutychus (@Eutychus411) April 15, 2025
if the organization is smart they will trade Angel asap
— Moe (@districtupnxt) April 15, 2025
Van Lith began her collegiate career at Louisville. She transferred to LSU after three seasons with the Cardinals to help the Tigers defend their national title, but they lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the championship game.
Van Lith did not have a great 2023-24 season at LSU. She averaged just 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on a career-worst 37.8% shooting clip. She then transferred to TCU, where she averaged a much more impressive 17.9 points per game and made history by leading the team to the Elite Eight.
For what it’s worth, Reese seems pumped to be teaming up with Van Lith again.
Report: All-Pro CB placed on trade block
One of the top defensive backs in the NFL could be traded this offseason.
The Miami Dolphins and Jalen Ramsey have mutually agreed to explore trade options for the seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported on Tuesday.
While there does not seem to be a sense of urgency to get a deal done, Rapoport speculates that the Dolphins may want to complete a trade prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, which begins on April 24. That would allow Miami to use any picks they might acquire in exchange for Ramsey.
While there is no firm deadline on a possible trade, with the NFL Draft 9 days away, completing a trade prior to the draft would make sense — if only so Miami can use the pick or picks they would acquire for Ramsey. https://t.co/3d5xQJCmct
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2025
Ramsey signed an extension with the Dolphins prior to last season that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at the time. He played in all 17 games in 2024, finishing with 60 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 11 passes defended.
The Dolphins acquired Ramsey in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the 2023 season. The three-time All-Pro suffered a knee injury in training camp and missed the first half of the season, but he immediately resumed playing at a high level when he returned. He appears to be fully healthy heading into 2025.
While Ramsey is now on the wrong side of 30, he is still viewed as one of the best cover corners in the NFL. There should be interest in him on the trade market, though Miami’s asking price will determine the extent.
Pistons use sneaky tactic to limit Knicks fans at Detroit home playoff games
The Detroit Pistons are clearly aware of how well the New York Knicks fan base travels for road games.
The 3-seed Knicks and the 6-seed Pistons are set to face off in the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs. With Detroit guaranteed at least two home playoff games at Little Caesars Arena, the team wants to make sure home fans are the ones who score most of the tickets.
Fans who have tried to buy tickets for Games 3 and 4 in Detroit online have noticed an interesting disclaimer upon checkout. The site has indicated that the Pistons are “restricting” ticket sales to fans “located in Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada, as determined by the Pistons and subject to change.”
Pistons have restricted fans outside of Michigan from buying tickets for home games vs. the Knicks 👀 pic.twitter.com/SW4LWY1K2i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 14, 2025
The disclaimer above clarified that the Pistons are filtering out non-local fans based on the billing address listed for the credit card used to make the ticket purchase. Those buying tickets outside the select areas will have their orders canceled.
The Pistons have not had much postseason success since icons like Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace were donning the team’s jersey. Detroit has only made the playoffs thrice since 2009. The team has also lost 14 consecutive postseason games, dating back to the team’s 2008 Eastern Conference Finals exit against the Boston Celtics.
While the Pistons’ billing address method is far from foolproof, it’s hard to blame the team for trying to ensure the team’s real fans get to attend the games in person. That rings especially true opposite a Knicks squad with one of the most rabid fan bases in sports.
Braves reporter goes viral for hitting on fans on live TV
Atlanta Braves field reporter Wiley Ballard went viral on Monday for asking for a female fan’s phone number while thousands of baseball fans watched from home.
The Braves visited the Toronto Blue Jays for a night game at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. With the Braves leading the Blue Jays 4-0 in the top of the 5th inning, the FanDuel broadcast cut to Ballard in front of two women sitting at the stadium’s exclusive Corona Rooftop Patio.
Instead of asking about baseball or the stadium experience, Ballard conducted the interview like he was trying to score a date. He broke the ice with a generic pick-up line.
“You guys hang out at the rooftop lounge often?” Ballard asked.
Ballard then tried to ask Braves-related questions to the women who appeared to be Blue Jays supporters. Before sending it back to the booth, he claimed he was going to “get to work.”
A few moments later, the broadcast cut back to Ballard taking out his phone. He told one fan named Lauren that the broadcast booth had wanted him to get her number. He claimed he was simply following orders.
“Alright, so they want me to get your number,” Ballard followed up. “I’m dead serious.”
While the Braves were trying to score runs, their sideline reporter was out here scoring digits.pic.twitter.com/Zdt1CdNc3g
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2025
Lauren eventually did give Ballard her number.
While some fans found Ballard’s segment amusing, the Braves reporter did draw some negative criticism for putting the girl on the spot. It’s harder to say no to someone’s advances with thousands of eyeballs watching. Many fans also joked that Lauren likely gave Ballard a fake number.
Kind of sucks for her to be put on the spot like that. Unprofessional to say the very least. Hopefully she actually wanted to give him her number.
— Ryan (@BaseballGuyRyan) April 15, 2025
He just got the number to a local pizza restaurant.
— Interstate2025 (@Interstate2025) April 15, 2025
$50.00 says she gave him a bogus number!
— Daniel Burton (@LordDarkMaga) April 15, 2025
Ballard wasn’t the only member of the Braves organization to score on Monday night. The Braves themselves outscored the Blue Jays 8-4 to improve their record to 5-11.
Angel Reese sends message to Hailey Van Lith amid reunion on Chicago Sky
Chicago Sky standout Angel Reese sounds more than ready to get back on the court alongside her former LSU teammate Hailey Van Lith.
The Sky had the 10th and 11th picks in the first round of Monday’s WNBA Draft. Chicago used the latter to select Van Lith.
While Van Lith is listed as a TCU alum, she spent her penultimate college season in Baton Rouge.
Following LSU’s 2023 NCAA Tournament Championship run with Reese leading the charge, Van Lith transferred to the team with the hope of helping them go back-to-back. But LSU bowed out against a Caitlin Clark-led Iowa squad during the 2024 Elite Eight in a game that probably still haunts Van Lith’s nightmares.
Reese went on X to express her excitement about her reunion with Van Lith.
“We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk [sic],” wrote Reese.
We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk🫣 https://t.co/8PXLsHkUyN
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 15, 2025
Van Lith was considered one of the best players in the country before she transferred to LSU in 2023. But she took a backseat on a loaded Tigers team, averaging just 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on a career-worst 37.8% shooting clip.
Van Lith regained her scoring form at TCU. She was the clear first option on the Horned Frogs and helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. Van Lith carried TCU all the way to the Elite Eight, which drew also praise from Reese. Now the two are teammates once again.
Fans all said the same thing about Colorado retiring Shedeur Sanders’ jersey
Not everyone is a fan of Colorado’s decision to immortalize the jerseys of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
On Monday, Colorado Football announced that the program plans to retire two numbers later this month: Sanders’ No. 2 jersey and Travis Hunter’s No. 12 jersey. The dual ceremony is set to happen during the Buffaloes’ Spring Game on April 19th.
No. 2 & No. 12 — Officially Untouchable. 🦬
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) April 14, 2025
Witness Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have their jersey numbers retired during the Spring Game on April 19th.
🎟️: https://t.co/H4xwlMeXQF pic.twitter.com/xRPe9kazzj
While Sanders and Hunter had their moments at Colorado, some fans questioned whether the pair did enough to have their jerseys retired. Aside from playing just two seasons each in Boulder, many also pointed out the pair’s lack of postseason success.
13-11 Qb Record gets your jersey retired! 😂😂😂😂
— BeatinTheBookie.com®️ (@BeatinTheBookie) April 14, 2025
These my guys but the bar for retire jersey gotten lower
— Juggin 🦅 (@Mr102ClubTife) April 15, 2025
Is this a joke? They played there 2 years and won nothing.
— RJM🇺🇲 (@BearDawgIV) April 15, 2025
Some felt like Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy in his final Colorado season, had a reasonable case to have his number retired. Sanders had several more doubters than Hunter.
What a complete joke. Hunter, MAYBE but Shadeur … I can’t understand how anyone takes this program seriously.
— TroyBusot (@TroyBusot) April 15, 2025
What exactly did shedeur sanders achieve at Colorado?
— LPJ (@lpj5001) April 15, 2025
Despite Colorado’s middling 13-12 record over the last two seasons, Sanders and Hunter were arguably the two most popular college football players during their time in Boulder. With head coach Deion Sanders running the show, Colorado became the most talked-about program in the country. But jersey retirements should be more than just popularity contests, which is why some fans are upset.
Sanders and Hunter will become the fifth and sixth players to have their jerseys retired by the Buffaloes. They will join Byron White (No. 24), Joe Romig (No. 67), Bobby Anderson (No. 11), and Rashaan Salaam (No. 19) among those to receive the same honor at Colorado.
Nolan Arenado reveals why he vetoed trade to Astros
There’s an alternate universe where the Houston Astros added Nolan Arenado to the team’s lineup in the offseason. Arenado just did not let it happen in this one.
The Astros had a trade in place for Arenado in December. But despite Houston seemingly being an ideal fit for the 8-time All-Star on paper, Arenado opted to exercise his no-trade clause to nix the deal.
On Monday, the Cardinals hosted the Astros to begin a three-game series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Arenado spoke to reporters about his decision to reject the proposed move to Houston.
While Nolan praised the Astros and what they’ve been able to do over the past decade, he admittedly questioned if that success would continue going forward. He cited the team’s decision to trade All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker as a potential cause for concern.
“[Kyle Tucker] is one of the best players in the game,” said Arenado, via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. “When you see a team trade him, 99 out of 100 players would probably be wondering, ‘What does that mean?’ That’s the question I asked myself. And obviously if I went there, [Alex] Bregman wouldn’t have been going there — that’s another player.”
Aside from shipping Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, the Astros also lost Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox in free agency. Arenado was seen as a potential replacement for Bregman at third base.
Arenado cleared up that he was not 100% opposed to waiving his no-trade clause for the Astros. But he had wanted to “see how this all plays out first” in terms of what moves Houston would make to improve their team. The fact that the team was looking to acquire him at all to replace the beloved Bregman was reportedly not an encouraging sign for Arenado.
The Astros eventually signed a different infielder to a three-year deal worth $60 million, a shade more than what Houston would have had to pay Arenado.
Shedeur Sanders holds intriguing final workout before NFL Draft
Shedeur Sanders has lined up one final chance to impress a team picking in the top three of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Sanders will hold “one last private workout” for a contingent of officials from the New York Giants. The workout is expected to be held in Boulder, Colo.
ESPN Sources: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders will hold one last private workout Thursday in Boulder, Colorado, for a contingent of officials from the New York Giants. Some final intrigue leading into next week’s NFL Draft in Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/Wa9u9dZswI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 14, 2025
The 23-year-old quarterback has been linked to the Giants, for months.
The Giants, who hold the third overall pick in the draft, have been tied to Sanders for weeks. Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, has had to deny multiple rumors linking his son to Big Blue.
However, Shedeur’s stock has plummeted as of late. The Buffaloes quarterback was once seen as a contender to go first overall. Now, some NFL mock drafts have predicted that two QBs may be taken ahead of Shedeur later this month. There has even been some buzz that Shedeur could fall out of the first round entirely. The 23-year-old has opted not to attend the draft in person.
The Giants also added veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to their QB room, with the former likely to be the team’s Week 1 starter. But reports following the Wilson signing hinted that the Giants are still interested in a quarterback in the draft.
If Shedeur has a truly impressive workout, he could still end up as a top-3 pick after all.
Suns could reportedly hire Kevin Durant’s former coach
Kevin Durant already seems to have one foot out the door in Phoenix, but a rumored target for the team’s now-vacant head coaching job could give Durant something to think about.
NBA writer Chris Haynes reported Monday that two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown is among the names that the Suns are considering at head coach after firing Mike Budenholzer. Brown has himself been out of work ever since being fired by the Sacramento Kings last December.
Brown, 55, is a very familiar figure to the Suns star Durant. He served as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors under Steve Kerr throughout Durant’s entire time there (from 2016-19). Brown was even the acting head coach for the Warriors during the 2017 playoffs when Kerr had to miss time due to recurring back issues.
On top of that, Brown has plenty of other experience coaching stars. He coached LeBron James in Cleveland, coached Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, coached Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Golden State, and coached De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento.
If the Suns do end up hiring Brown, who has a career head coaching record of 454-304 (.599) with seven total playoff appearances, it would create an interesting situation for Durant. The former MVP Durant has one year left on his contract with Phoenix, and the Suns may reportedly have been trying to appease him by firing Budenholzer.
That said though, the overwhelming expectation remains that Phoenix will trade away Durant, 36, this offseason. Brown is also far from a sure thing to become the Suns’ next coach, especially since the team is said to be eyeing a current NBA head coach whom they are very familiar with.
Troubling injury news emerges about Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant has been unable to stay on the field for the last several seasons now, and his issues now seem to be getting progressively worse.
The Colorado Rockies announced Monday that they have placed the former NL MVP Bryant on the 10-day injured list. Bryant is dealing with “lumbar degenerative disc disease,” the Rockies say.
A degenerative condition is obviously a major concern for any player. But it is even more so for Bryant, who is now 33 years old and has missed extended time due to injury for multiple consecutive seasons.
After appearing in 144 games during the 2021 campaign, Bryant signed with the Rockies as a free agent. But he has never even played half a season for Colorado since then, appearing in 42, 80, and 37 games in 2022-24 respectively. Bryant has been badly hampered by a host of physical issues, primarily back and foot injuries. Even after making a major positional change to reduce the wear-and-tear on his body, Bryant has still been unable to stay healthy.
Now it looks like Bryant’s back problems have recurred and may be part of a chronic condition. He had appeared in 11 games for the Rockies so far this season but was hitting just .154 over that span.
The good news for Bryant is that he secured his bag before getting hurt as the contract that he signed with Colorado was for seven years and $182 million. But that is a whole lot of money for the 3-12 Rockies to be paying to a part-time player in Bryant, who has only been making the headlines recently for unfortunate reasons.
Alex Cora had unusual reaction to Red Sox pitcher losing no-hitter
Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet lost a no-hitter with one out in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. One might expect that would be a letdown, but that was not the case for Boston manager Alex Cora.
Cora admitted after the game he had “never been so happy” to see an opponent get a hit off one of his pitchers when Chicago’s Chase Meidroth broke up the no-hit bit with a single. Crochet had thrown 96 pitches at that point, and Cora was weighing whether he would have to remove his young pitcher from a no-hitter in progress.
“Honestly, I’ve never been so happy for the opponent to get a hit,” Cora said, via Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “You’ve got to make decisions. It’s not easy, man. You’re in that dugout and you’ve got a chance to do something special. But at the same time, you have to balance our season. Without him, it’s going to be hard.”
Crochet threw 107 pitches in his previous start, but the Red Sox would presumably want to avoid going much further than that. Had Crochet managed to get through the eighth with the no-hitter intact, Cora would have had a very difficult decision to make on whether to send the 25-year-old back out for one final inning.
The Red Sox traded for Crochet during the offseason and have made a major investment in him as a future ace. Fans would have been furious, but Cora would not be the first manager to prioritize the health of his young ace ahead of a potential historic achievement.
Shedeur Sanders makes decision on attending NFL Draft
If Shedeur Sanders falls in the NFL Draft, he will not have to endure it from the green room in Green Bay.
The NFL released the list of players that have confirmed their attendance for the first round of the NFL Draft on April 24. Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe, and Jaxson Dart will all be there, but Sanders’ name was notably absent from the list.
As announced on @nflnetwork’s Path to the Draft: The players confirmed to attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, including three QBs — Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe — are below 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/QSuiSjWGaz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 14, 2025
It is an intriguing decision from Sanders, whose draft status remains highly uncertain. He could go as high as No. 3 overall, but other evaluators suggest he might not even be worthy of a first-round pick.
Some might view Sanders’ decision as an attempt to avoid the potential of awkward green room shots if he falls in the draft. There are certainly some cautionary tales for this fate in years past.
More realistically, Sanders likely chose to instead watch the draft at home with his family, though this has not been confirmed. Sanders would not be the first top prospect to go that route, either.
For much of the pre-draft process, Sanders has been viewed as the likely second quarterback off the board. That seems less certain now, regardless of his decision on attending the draft.
