Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft watches from the sidelines before the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have made it clear that they are willing to trade the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, but it is fair to wonder how owner Robert Kraft would feel about signing off on the move.
Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ director of scouting and de facto general manager, told reporters last week that the team is “open for business” with any of its draft picks. Wolf’s remarks left some with the impression that his preferred outcome would be to trade the No. 3 pick.
According to Chad Graff and Dianna Russini of The Athletic, any discussions the Patriots might have about trading the No. 3 pick could become complicated by how “badly” Kraft wants the team to draft a quarterback.
If Kraft insists on the Patriots drafting a QB, they could always trade back and try to get one later in the first round. They could also make multiple trades and move back up the board after trading the third overall pick to a team.
In the past, Bill Belichick would have had the final say over what the Patriots did in the draft. Now that Belichick is gone, the organizational structure in New England seems to have changed significantly.
The Patriots obviously need a quarterback, but they have many holes in their roster. That is why they are open — if not eager — to receive a massive offer for the No. 3 pick. They could potentially address several needs depending on what teams are willing to offer.
Dec 21, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at SoFi Stadium. The Rams defeated the Seahawks 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks appear to be quickly moving on from the Pete Carroll era in a rather remarkable fashion.
New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has made significant changes around the team facility that involve effectively wiping out Carroll’s legacy, according to Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times. That includes all the photos of key moments that had previously been outside the team room, including Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Quake” run and Richard Sherman’s tipped pass in the 2013 NFC Championship game to clinch a victory.
The team has not stopped there, as Carroll’s slogans “Always compete” and “All in!” have also been removed. Macdonald even removed the basketball hoop that Carroll had put in the main meeting room.
This could certainly be controversial in some circles, especially since Carroll has implied he was pushed out as head coach. Macdonald’s aims probably are not sinister, however. Carroll had been in charge since 2010, and Macdonald likely wants his players to be able to embrace a completely new start without being weighed down by the accomplishments of the previous regime.
Virtually everyone from the Seahawks’ title team is gone now. The banners will still hang, but that looks to be about it as far as the team facility goes.
May 14, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors have a big decision to make this offseason regarding Klay Thompson.
Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent, and there are questions about whether the Warriors will re-sign him. The expectation is that Thompson will return to Golden State. However, some noteworthy teams could have interest in him if he were to become available.
Bookies.com posted odds recently on what Thompson’s next team is likely to be. They have the Warriors favored to retain Thompson. The Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs are the teams next on the list to land him.
Here are their odds:
Golden State Warriors +300
Philadelphia 76ers +325
Los Angeles Lakers +450
Orlando Magic +650
Los Angeles Clippers +700
San Antonio Spurs +1000
The Lakers and Clippers are division rivals to the Warriors. In particular, the Lakers are led by LeBron James, who has long been a rival of Thompson and the Warriors. Now there is a possibility that the two could be teammates.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game this season and struggled with his shot. He made 43.2 percent of his field goals, including 38.7 percent on threes. He failed to score in the team’s play-in loss to the Kings last week. That may not be the way the 34-year-old wants to end his Warriors career. So one particular outcome could make sense for Thompson and Golden State.
Nov 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; General view of the in-season tournament court logo during warmups before a game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Somebody at Madison Square Garden might be getting a little bit ahead of themselves.
Ahead of Monday’s Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, 76ers beat writer Ky Carlin shared a photo of an interesting glitch on the MSG scoreboard. The scoreboard mistakenly displayed that the Knicks were playing the Boston Celtics. Check it out.
The Knicks do have to be feeling pretty confident right now about their chances of advancing. They are up in the series 1-0 while the 76ers deal with an ailing Joel Embiid after a Game 1 knee injury scare and an under-the-weather Tyrese Maxey (who is questionable for Game 2 with an illness).
That said, the Celtics are on the other side of the playoff bracket, meaning that the Knicks would have to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to get a shot at them. Even if they defeat the 76ers in Round 1, the Knicks will then have to face the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-Indiana Pacers series, which will be no easy task.
Should the Knicks indeed get to face the Celtics in the conference finals, Monday’s scoreboard glitch will end up looking pretty prophetic. But of all teams, the 76ers can definitely warn the Knicks about the perils of calling your shot too early.
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the sideline during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots appear to be considering a big move prior to the NFL Draft. The move may signal a change in how things are run in the organization.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Monday that the Patriots are taking calls from teams looking to move up to No. 3, which is where the Patriots are set to draft. Notably, while executive Eliot Wolf is still the team’s top decision-maker, Russini says team president Jonathan Kraft is “heavily involved” in the process.
During the Bill Belichick era, it was newsworthy when the Kraft family exerted their influence over the organization. It sometimes led to reports of tension, as Belichick was in charge of football matters. Now that Belichick is gone, the Krafts could be taking a more active role in how the organization is run.
There are still some signs that the Krafts might not yet be perfectly aligned with those in charge of the team’s football operations. However, it does seem that big changes are taking place in terms of how the organization is operating.
Nov 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) dribbles the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Rudy Gobert is clearly still not the NBA’s Mr. Popular.
The Athletic released the results this week of an anonymous NBA player poll that they recently conducted. One question asked in the poll was “Who’s the league’s most overrated player?”
In the end, it was the Minnesota Timberwolves center Gobert who ran away with the vote. Of 81 total responses, Gobert earned a clear plurality with 13.6 percent (making for 11 total votes). That was sizably above the second- and third-place finishers — Washington’s Jordan Poole (at 8.6 percent) and Atlanta’s Trae Young (7.4 percent).
Here is the full list.
Of course, that does not mean that Gobert is objectively overrated. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner (who may be well on his way to winning a fourth this year) and has also earned four total career All-NBA selections despite playing in a new golden age of sorts for big men. You don’t earn all those accolades without being deserving.
Instead, what the poll indicates is that Gobert is not well-liked by his peers, which is something that we have already known for years. Other than his sworn enemy Draymond Green, Gobert is also unpopular among many other NBA players for some reason. Even one of Gobert’s current star teammates used to have it out for him before they teamed up.
Feb 1, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; The NFL shield logo is seen at midfield at SoFi Stadium. Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals will be played on Feb. 13, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
As many as six quarterbacks are expected to be chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, and there is reportedly a belief among executives that at least one of them will be a steal.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network, shared a video over the weekend in which he explained why he believes Penix has all the makings of an elite player at the professional level. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that feeling is shared among many NFL general managers.
Russini said Monday that Penix is “the name GMs have told me is the best kept secret in this draft.”
Most mock drafts have Penix coming off the board somewhere in the middle of the first round. The consensus seems to be that Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy will all be drafted before the former Washington star.
Penix threw for a combined 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions over the past two seasons at Washington. He also impressed scouts with more than just his throwing ability at his pro day last month.
Daniel is not the only NFL analyst who is extremely high on Penix. If GMs and executives feel similarly, it is possible a team could make a surprise move up the board for Penix during the first round on Thursday.
Oct 7, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after a foul is called in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
If the Golden State Warriors decide to let Chris Paul go this offseason, an interesting team reportedly would be interested in the veteran point guard.
Paul is owed $30 million next season, but that salary is not guaranteed. If the Warriors decide to cut Paul, NBA reporter Marc Stein says the San Antonio Spurs could be interested.
The Spurs went 22-60 this season. They have an emerging star in Victor Wembanyama, who shined as a rookie. The Spurs are aiming to build around Wemby, and if their options were limited, adding Paul might end up appealing.
Paul will be 39 years old next season. He played in 58 games (18 starts) with the Warriors this season and averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes per contest.
The Spurs appear to have around $27 million in salary cap space for next season. They have Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins on multi-year deals, so they probably would have room for Paul if the Warriors made the veteran available.
The Warriors have an even bigger decision looming this offseason, as they have to determine what they will do with free agent Klay Thompson.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Udonis Haslem may now be retired, but that is still not stopping him from going at the Boston Celtics.
Brian Scalabrine, a former Celtics player who now serves as a commentator for the team, made a big-time accusation against the Miami Heat and head coach Erik Spoelstra after Game 1 of the Celtics-Heat playoff series Sunday. Scalabrine took exception to a perceived dirty play by Miami’s Caleb Martin on Boston’s Jayson Tatum and accused Spoelstra of telling his team to injure Tatum. You can read Scalabrine’s full remarks here.
The retired ex-Heat big man Haslem was incensed about Scalabrine’s accusation and let him know about it on Monday.
“Shut yo sucka a– up,” wrote Haslem in an Instagram comment (profanity edited by LBS). “[Martin] got pushed. Brian weak a–.”
Indeed, the video of the play showed that many had missed a push by Celtics guard Jrue Holiday to the back of Martin on the play that ultimately led to the contact with Tatum. Even famed Celtics homer Bill Simmons cited the Holiday push as the cause of the whole thing and said that Martin did nothing dirty.
As for Scalabrine, he was pretty far off-base with his accusation, especially against a very highly-respected longtime head coach in Spoelstra (and one who will be coaching Tatum as an assistant on the USA Basketball circuit this summer). Scalabrine has since walked back his controversial remarks, albeit not entirely.
As for Haslem, he had plenty of history with the Celtics during his playing career, including multiple heated playoff battles. Scalabrine now becomes the latest ex-Boston player that Haslem has targeted with sharp comments.
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson throws during warmups before an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
Zach Wilson is finally being traded.
The New York Jets are trading Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are sending a sixth-round pick (No. 207) to the Jets and are receiving a seventh-round pick (No. 256). The Jets are also paying some of the $5.5 million salary Wilson is owed for 2024.
The trade will end Wilson’s extremely disappointing Jets career.
The Jets made Wilson the No. 2 overall pick in 2021. Though the 24-year-old showed the ability to make a big play here or there, Wilson just never showed real improvement during his time with the Jets. He passed for 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over 34 regular season games. He also seemed to be mentally done with the Jets after being shuffled in and out of the lineup so much.
In Denver, Wilson will join a quarterback group that includes Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. The Broncos are also a candidate to select a quarterback in the draft. Denver has the No. 12 overall pick.
