Dec 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Miami Heat at the Chase Center. Photo Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Two teams could reportedly have interest in Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga after he failed to agree to a contract extension with the team.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said on livestream Friday that the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are among the teams that could have interest in making a move for Kuminga. Fischer suggested that the 76ers could have more immediate interest, though they are not seriously making inquiries yet.
“The Sixers have definitely indicated around the league and behind the scenes that they are willing to pay and add in another piece right now,” Fischer said. “They are willing to spend their draft capital.”
Fischer added that there have also been rumblings that the Nets could “throw a big offer sheet” at Kuminga next offseason.
The big question is how the Warriors view Kuminga’s future. The two sides may not have gotten a contract done, but he remains a big part of the team, and it seems unlikely they would want to move him if they still feel that they have a chance to contend. Plus, he would be a restricted free agent next offseason, and the Warriors would still be able to match any offer sheet that came in for him.
Kuminga is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 16.1 points per game in 74 games.
Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Najee Harris has looked great for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, and people are taking notice.
Harris, who is in his fourth NFL season, is putting up his best stats since his 2021 rookie season. The 26-year-old has rushed for 478 yards on 117 carries with two touchdowns this season. He also has 14 catches for 135 yards.
The physical former Alabama running back has been doing a lot of damage after contact. He has rushed for 208 yards over his last two games, and according to Pro Football Focus, 158 of those yards have come after contact.
Just this week, Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen praised Harris for his physicality.
“Glad I’m on the same team as him. He’s doing his thing. … Just a physical guy all around. A mean guy. A nasty guy. Whenever he runs like that, nobody wants to tackle that. Nobody wants to deal with that for four quarters,” Queen said on Wednesday.
Harris isn’t just being physical; he’s also showing good vision and moves.
Perhaps having two rushing threats playing next to him at quarterback has made a difference. When defenses have to worry about Justin Fields and Russell Wilson taking off, it tends to open things up more for a running back. Harris probably realizes that.
May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Help may be on the way for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally caused a stir this week with her activity on social media. Sabally, who is a free agent this WNBA offseason, “liked” multiple fan posts on the Instagram text app Threads about her potentially signing with the Fever.
Take a look below.
The 26-year-old Sabally is a two-time All-Star and one-time All-WNBA selection who averaged 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for the Wings this past season. Also a former No. 2 overall pick, Sabally is generally seen as one of the very best free agents who will be available during the offseason.
Clark and the Fever finished the 2024 season at 20-20 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Guard Kelsey Mitchell is set to become an unrestricted free agent, which could open up a spot in the Fever starting five for a bigger player like the 6-foot-4 Sabally. Interestingly enough, Sabally made the news last month for complaining about the road support that the Fever superstar Clark was getting. After all that, Sabally may just end up as teammates with Clark in Indiana.
Jan 23, 2020; Kissimmee, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cooke (33) poses with NFL 100th anniversary gloves during NFC practice at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys may take a look at a new running back in their upcoming Week 8 contest.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy hinted that Dalvin Cook, who has spent the entire season on the practice squad, could be elevated to the team’s active roster for their game against the San Francisco 49ers. The move comes as the team looks for ways to jumpstart what has been the NFL’s worst rushing offense in terms of yardage.
“I think the biggest thing for us is we’re taking the full week. Dalvin is ready [to play],” McCarthy said Friday, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. “I really like the work that he’s putting in. I think he’s clearly crossed over the threshold of the communication and the understanding [of the offense].”
Cook signed with the Cowboys at the end of training camp, so the team took it slow with him in terms of getting him ready to play. Perhaps Cook did not expect to have to wait until Week 8 for his shot, but he appears poised to get it now.
Cook made four straight Pro Bowls from 2019 through 2022, but struggled to make an impression with the New York Jets in 2023 and effectively had a lost season. The 29-year-old will have to seize his chance with Dallas, and his new role might be bad news for another veteran running back who already had some issues with his lack of workload.
Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees have decided against carrying extra infield depth for the World Series.
On Friday, the Yankees officially announced their roster for the 2024 World Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perhaps the most notable development is that veteran infielder Jon Berti has been left off the roster. The decision was presumably made to make room for former All-Star pitcher Nestor Cortes, who made the final cut after being out since September.
Here is the full roster announcement.
Berti, who led MLB in stolen bases during the 2022 season, provides good value with his ability to play third base, second base, and shortstop. He had also been a part of both the ALDS and ALCS rosters for the Yankees earlier in the month.
Instead though, the Yankees have decided to include just three infielders and two utilitymen (Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswaldo Cabrera) on their roster. Meanwhile, they are putting six outfielders on their roster (though that includes Giancarlo Stanton, who serves as DH). Berti failed to make the cut over Trent Grisham, who has yet to play this postseason, in what appears to be the latest risky move by the Yankees for the World Series.
May 4, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) on the bench in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a fairly worrying take on his team after their season-opening loss to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder beat the Nuggets in Denver 102-87 on Thursday with an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. The Nuggets were held to 35.7 percent shooting overall and went just 7/38 from three-point range in the defeat.
After the game, Jokic suggested those performances were not a coincidence, and called out the team for not having enough good shooters.
“We don’t shoot the ball really good. Not a good shooting team except Mike (Porter Jr.) and Jamal (Murray),” Jokic said. “All of us are kind of streaky, not streaky, but just average shooters. But we have something else. We can probably have advantages in some other things on the floor.”
Jokic is right that the Nuggets have certain advantages elsewhere, but the NBA has increasingly become a league that rewards shooting. Denver could run into real problems if it cannot take advantage of Jokic’s presence, as he would be even more effective with good floor spacing that opponents have to respect.
Jokic certainly does not think the Nuggets are in for a bad season, at least not yet. There are some others that are a bit more concerned about them, though.
Jul 10, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) between plays against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Bronny James madę his NBA debut when the Los Angeles Lakers opened their season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, but the rookie will soon be spending some time in the minors.
The Lakers are getting set to host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night and Sacramento Kings on Saturday. They will then have five consecutive road games. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin, Bronny will travel with the Lakers for their road trip and then begin splitting time between the NBA roster and L.A.’s South Bay G League affiliate.
Bronny and his father LeBron James made history on Tuesday night when they became the first father-son duo to ever play in an NBA regular-season game together. The younger James saw his first action late in the second quarter and played just over two minutes. Bronny missed both of his shot attempts but grabbed a rebound before being subbed out for the remainder of L.A.’s 110-103 win over the Timberwolves.
One of the games on the Lakers’ upcoming road trip is against the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron, of course, was with the Cavs for the first 11 years of his career for his first stint with the team. Bronny was born in 2004 when LeBron was in his second NBA season, so the trip to Cleveland will be meaningful for the James family.
Bronny signed a 4-year, $7.9 million deal with the Lakers after they drafted him in the second round out of USC. Rich Paul, who represents both Bronny and LeBron, made it clear before the draft that Bronny would not agree to a two-way contract with a team. The first two years of Bronny’s contract are guaranteed.
The plan all along has been for Bronny to split time between the NBA and G League, though one Lakers legend believes the 20-year-old would benefit from spending all of his time developing rather than playing alongside his father.
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Aug 29, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; General view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings suffered something of a double loss during their Thursday game against the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did they lose the game, but they lost a key player for the season as well.
Vikings tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered a left knee injury that will require season-ending surgery, according to multiple reports.
Darrisaw, the anchor of Minnesota’s offensive line, went down late in the first half of Thursday’s game after Rams safety Jaylen McCollough landed on his leg. He was ruled out for the rest of the game shortly afterward. The Vikings went on to lose 30-20, and did not catch many other breaks in the process.
The Vikings know Darrisaw’s value, as they signed him to a four-year, $104 million contract extension during the offseason. This represents a huge loss for their offense.
Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (5) during pregame warm ups against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales offered an interesting comment on the future of injured wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
The Panthers ruled Johnson out for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos due to a rib injury. Johnson’s name has come up in trade rumors, and with the Nov. 5 deadline looming, there are questions about whether the wide receiver might have already played his last game with the team.
Canales did not exactly push back on that notion Friday. When asked if the decision to hold Johnson out was related to the upcoming trade deadline, the coach more or less punted on the question to top front office executives Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis.
“Those are all conversations that Dan and Brandt will handle,” Canales said. “I want to do the best thing for Diontae, the best thing for the offense and the continuity of what we’re trying to get done.”
Canales could have simply said Johnson is injured, but kicking the question upstairs is only going to fuel speculation that the Panthers are handling Johnson with extra caution because they are looking to deal him.
In the short term, the Panthers will be very shorthanded against the Broncos, as both Johnson and Adam Thielen will be out. That’s not great news for their starting quarterback this week.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) before the 2024 NFC wild card game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Troy Aikman recently had some harsh criticism of CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver group, but Lamb does not seem to want a war of words with the Hall of Fame quarterback.
Aikman discussed the Cowboys’ early-season struggles during a radio appearance last week. He said Dallas’ entire receiving corps runs “terrible routes.” Aikman also said he sees too much laziness from the group. You can listen to his full comments here.
When asked on Thursday about Aikman’s remarks, Lamb simply said the Cowboys have “got to be better overall.” He then refused to entertain a follow-up question about the three-time Super Bowl champion.
“Next question,” Lamb said, via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
Dak Prescott was also asked about Aikman’s criticism. Prescott said the former Cowboys quarterback’s job as an analyst is “to create a ruckus.” Prescott did not, however, deny that Lamb’s missed time during the offseason has had an impact early on.
“You can call it an excuse or whatever, but it just goes into, right, as I said, being consistent, whether it be my read or his route, then us — I say communication up front — but communication there,” Prescott said. “When you haven’t had that time in camp, you’ve got to be able to communicate through things, which obviously some of these meetings have been adjusted to make sure those happen.”
Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches last season. He set career-high marks across the board and finished with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He then held out for all of training camp and the preseason before signing a massive extension.
It’s worth noting that Lamb admitted earlier in the year that he needed to make a big change, so he is well aware he has not been performing up to his own standards.
H/T Pro Football Talk
