The Detroit Pistons are trying to shore up their rotation ahead of the NBA playoffs. The team added talent Tuesday, acquiring Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić as part of a three-team deal involving the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves.
In exchange for Huerter and Šarić, the Bulls will receive Mike Conley from the Timberwolves and Jaden Ivey from the Pistons, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The move helps the Pistons, who sit at 36-12 entering Tuesday, hold their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Huerter has been the best player of the group this season, averaging 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Šarić has appeared in just five games this season, all with the Sacramento Kings. He was acquired by the Bulls as part of a separate three-team deal Saturday. His time in Chicago didn’t last long.
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The Pistons also received a 2026 first-round protected pick swap from the Timberwolves as part of the deal.
Minnesota — which did not receive a player in the deal — may have had financial motivations for making the trade.
It’s possible the team has another move up its sleeve after getting rid of Conley’s $10 million salary. The Timberwolves could be freeing up cap space to pursue Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Charania.
For the Bulls, the move allows the team to take a chance on Ivey, who has fallen out of the team’s rotation after dealing with an early injury. The 23-year-old Ivey was selected by the Pistons with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting in his first season in the league.
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Conley is on an expiring contract. It’s possible he’ll see time with the Bulls, but he could also be waived or packaged in another deal ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Conley, 38, is averaging just 4.4 points this season.
The move gives the Bulls a surplus of options at guard, so it’s likely Chicago will remain active over the next couple days.
Chicago did exact that roughly an hour after trading away Huerter and Šarić, sending big man Nikola Vucevic to the Boston Celtics.
Welcome back to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to add off the waiver wire and get in your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Every league is different — sometimes a 75% rostered player hits waivers, whether by mistake or because they’ve hit an intolerable slump. If they fit your build, go get ’em. But for this column, we’re focusing on players under 50% rostered who are widely available and ready to help in Week 16 or beyond.
Fantasy basketball pickups and advice.
One note for daily leagues: The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET and deals are already happening. Save your transactions so you can react immediately when news breaks. Don’t waste pickups earlier in the week that could be overcome by events leading up to Thursday.
Add: Kelly Oubre Jr. – FC, Philadelphia 76ers (32% rostered)
News of Paul George’s 25-game suspension elevates Oubre’s status to must-roster in fantasy. In his first game since the announcement, Oubre dropped a 19-10-4 line, scoring 39 fantasy points.
The Sixers are one of nine teams playing four games this week. Though Oubre has an appealing, tradeable $8 million contract, I doubt the Sixers move him now that George will be out until March. Meaning, I’d buy his stock as a starter playing 30 minutes a night.
Stash: Jalen Smith – FC, Chicago Bulls (20% rostered)
You’re probably tired of my Jalen Smith stash campaign, but we have four days left for the Bulls to make a move! Smith missed the past two games with a calf injury, and yet I’m banking on the Bulls (I know, it’s a tall order) to find a taker for Nikola Vučević and his expiring contract. The compensation might be lower than they want, but damnit, they’ll get something. That would leave a void in the frontcourt, where Smith has already been operating well alongside Vuč.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Boston Celtics traded for Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday, February 3.
Before exiting Thursday’s game early, Smith was well on his way to another double-double. Hold him through Thursday because it could be a game-changer for your squad.
Collin Murray-Boyles – FC, Toronto Raptors (25% rostered)
CMB’s versatility has been so impactful for the Raptors. Toronto is a top-five team in the East and the rookie brushed off a thumb injury to return to the starting lineup in Week 15. His skill set is perfect for fantasy, as he provides a healthy mix of scoring, rebounding and assisting with plenty of stocks.
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Jakob Poeltl is not close to returning, leaving CMB as Toronto’s main guy in the frontcourt. It may seem modest, but as a starter, he’s averaging 9.3 points with 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 stocks per game in 28 minutes. That’s over a fantasy point per minute, which is the type of efficiency you want to see in fantasy.
Stash: Bub Carrington – G, Washington Wizards (17% rostered)
Since the Wizards are tanking and in rebuild mode, Carrington stands out as an early short-term hold through the deadline. Trae Young will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break, leaving Bub as the primary facilitator. And who honestly knows how much Trae will play in the second half of the season?
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Since turnovers don’t matter in High Score, I’d prioritize him over Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson at the moment. That could change if Khris Middleton gets moved by Thursday. Still, I like Bub’s counting stats: he’s scored at least 32 fantasy points in five of his last six games, with High Scores of 40 and 36 over the past two weeks.
There are a couple of paths to a bigger role by season’s end for the Pacers’ 2023 lottery pick. First, Indiana is fielding inquiries on Bennedict Mathurin. Secondly, Pascal Siakam could be load-managed as the season wears on, with the Pacers vying for the worst record in the league.
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Seeing what they have in Walker is important, since he becomes an extension-eligible player this summer. More minutes could be on the way and he’s been producing recently, averaging close to 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game over his last five contests.
Day’Ron Sharpe – C, Brooklyn Nets (12% rostered)
Add and hold Sharpe through Thursday’s deadline as he’s been a top-150 player over the past month and finished 91st in 9-cat leagues in Week 15. He’s actually good for both 9-cat or points leagues, as he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, efficient around the rim and a sneaky playmaker as a big man.
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With the Nets firmly in a rebuild, they could field offers for Nic Claxton, but either way, Sharpe is producing enough per minute to warrant adding across formats.
Ty Jerome – SG, Memphis Grizzlies (23% rostered)
Adding Jerome is less about Ja Morant getting traded (and he might be, considering the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade) and more about the Grizzlies being 18-29 and trending in the wrong direction. In Jerome’s season debut, he scored 20 points with 1 rebound and 6 assists in only 19 minutes.
He’s still on a minutes restriction, but given the Grizzlies will be without Morant for at least the next couple of weeks with an elbow injury, Jerome has some runway to be a viable fantasy asset.
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De’Anthony Melton – PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (10% rostered)
Who knows what swings the Warriors may really take -— trading away Jonathan Kuminga or even bigger, landing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Still, I’d roster Melton before his minutes cap is lifted. He’s averaging 14-3-3 with 2 steals per game over the past two weeks, and Golden State continues to rave about his impact and long-term fit with the team.
Melton could end up in the starting lineup at some point, but he’s still worth holding in fantasy while coming off the bench. In his last outing versus the Pistons, he played his most minutes (26) and delivered 18 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 3-pointer.
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Tre Jones – PG/SG, Chicago Bulls (19% rostered)
Like Vučević, the Bulls are unlikely to offer Coby White a new deal, thus making him an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. It’d be in Chicago’s best interest to get something for him, and if White gets traded, that would leave a void at the guard spot that Jones would take over. He’s been efficient all year, racks up steals and is top-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio while ranking 77th in 9-cat leagues. Jones is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, so you might be able to snag him and stash him from the wire.
Jonathan Kuminga – SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (20% rostered)
Kuminga’s stance on wanting a trade hasn’t wavered and despite being on the IL with a bone bruise, he could very well be dealt by Thursday. Depending on the destination, a change of scenery could unlock the usage and role he’s been seeking in the Golden State. He’s a speculative add in points leagues before Thursday’s deadline.
32 head coaches will be coaching new teams in 2026. Who among them will be the most successful? Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey breakdown who among the hires will be the most successful immediately. They discuss the youth movement in college football and how teams may be shifting priorities of what they look for in a head coach. Plus, there were not many coordinators hired in this most recent coaching cycle. Will that trend change in the future, and does that depend on the success of the coordinators who did land head coaching roles this year?
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Whether your team has a new head coach or not, hope springs eternal in the offseason for everyone. When Week 1 roles around, the sports world is excited and ready to roll. Unfortunately for Week 1 of the 2026 season, there are not many marquee matchups for fans to look forward to. Godfrey compares the Week 1 schedules of 2025 and 2026 and the guys explain why conference expansion has caused this upcoming season’s kick-off weekend to be so boring. They also throw out some ideas of how to fix this schedule in the future.
Later, Ross’ Congressional Minute returns as he gives us the latest college sports news coming from Congress. It appears the SCORE Act is being tweaked to try to drum up some more support. A couple of key pieces of the Act are being changed and the guys discuss the feasibility of the Act passing going forward. Plus, somehow the crew gets into a discussion about college football movies.
You won’t want to miss all of this and more on College Football Enquirer.
Penn State’s Matt Campbell, Kentucy’s Will Stein and Cal’s Tosh Lupoi Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images, Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images, Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
0:00:00 – Who will be the most successful new head coach in 2026?
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23:14 – How conference expansion is ruining Week 1
Pat Mahomes Sr., the father of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been taken into custody after violating his probation by consuming alcohol, according to CBS19.
Per TMZ, the Smith County District Attorney said that Mahomes Sr. had a high alcohol reading Jan. 1 on an alcohol ankle monitor he wears daily.
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Mahomes Sr., 55, has been on probation since pleading guilty to a DWI charge in August 2024. He was arrested days before Super Bowl LVIII when a police officer reported seeing an open can of beer in his car. The elder Mahomes would later fail field sobriety tests.
A jury trial had been scheduled in 2024, but Mahomes Sr. agreed to five years of probation with one year of “intense” supervision, 160 hours of community service, a life skills course, and taking part in a DWI repeat offender program, as well as Alcohol Anonymous classes.
According to Texas state law, the third-degree felony against Mahomes Sr. carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if he was convicted.
Mahomes Sr. addressed his 2024 arrest during an episode of ESPN’s “Chiefs Kingdom” series in August saying, “For him to have to answer questions about me was probably the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”
Patrick Mahomes said of his father’s issues, “I think just knowing that it hurt me woke him up to know that like, you can’t keep doing the same things.”
With less than 48 hours to go before the NBA trade deadline, teams are going WILD today, as the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves have connected on a three-way deal.
The details:
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Chicago receives: Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr.
Detroit receives: Kevin Huerter, Dario Šarić and a 2026 protected first-round pick swap courtesy of the Wolves.
Minnesota receives: Well, essentially nothing. And that’s the point.
Look, when I wrote about the Bulls recently, I basically called them incompetent. At the time that was both fair and indeed accurate.
Now? Not so much.
(Although, I have questions about the Nikola Vučević trade, but we’ll discuss that in another piece.)
Ivey is a good, young player who has routinely been underutilized in Detroit and he is just begging for a fresh start. He’s also a restricted free agent, meaning the Bulls have the right of first refusal if he pops for them.
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They get Mike Conley Jr., who I assume will get bought out. He is an expiring, so no harm done there, as the Bulls won’t have more money tied up in the future on his behalf.
All they gave up were two expirings in Huerter and Šarić (the latter of which was taken into a traded player exception, as he wasn’t allowed to get aggregated), only adding the yet unknown future salary compensation of Ivey.
This is just good business by the Bulls.
Detroit Pistons: B+
The Wolves’ pick swap is nice, and the Pistons add more shooting via the acquisition of Huerter, but I still think they sold low on Ivey.
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Perhaps it was just time for the sides to move on, which is fair enough, but the guard does have a level of potential that’s significant, and moving him for that package seems … well, not all that spectacular.
However, I shall judge the Pistons through the lens of how this helps them now, and Huerter, in theory, gives them a player who will help optimize the floor for Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, taking and making shots without utilizing a lot of touches.
That’s a win, especially for a team hoping to make a deep run in the postseason.
So while I would have liked to see the Pistons get more for Ivey, I get their approach.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Incomplete
Look, the Wolves just saved a ton of money on their tax bill, but unless they use that flexibility to make a big move, this was just that, a financially driven move in which they relinquished a point guard, a position that is currently their absolute weakest.
Surely, they have another move up their sleeve, otherwise this makes no sense. And so, before we know what that move is, it’d be irresponsible to grade them.
Every NBA team is looking for big men who can space the floor and protect the rim, and the Boston Celtics found someone who can at least do one of those things: Nikola Vučević.
The now-former Chicago Bulls center has shot 39.1% on 4.5 3-point attempts per game over the past two seasons. He is also, ugh, the anchor of the NBA’s 24th-rated defense.
How that helps the Celtics remains to be seen. They will add him to a big-man rotation that includes Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Amari Williams — hardly a powerhouse rotation. It was seen at season’s start as worse than it is has been. Vučević is, at the very least, an upgrade over Garza as a reserve center on the Eastern Conference’s third-place roster.
Whether Vučević should be taking minutes from Queta is another matter. Queta, who is averaging 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, has been the starter for the NBA’s 11th-rated defense, and there are few more valuable contracts than his minimum deal.
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Vučević makes more than $6 million fewer than Simons this season, which makes for considerable luxury-tax savings for the Celtics.
Whether it helps Boston on the basketball court, again, remains to be seen. Simons was a helpful player for the Celtics, averaging an efficient 14.2 points per game off the bench, and at 26 years old he is an intriguing investment for a Bulls team in need of youth.
Still, Vučević is a different kind of weapon for the league’s second-rated offense, providing depth to a frontcourt that needed it. He can score inside and out, averaging an efficient double-double (17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game) across a two-time All-Star career.
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The savings alone is probably worth the swap, and if Vučević gives the Celtics anything of value for the remainder of this season, when Jayson Tatum could return to the fold, forming a could-be contender in the Eastern Conference, Boston will be the better for it.
It probably does not come as a coincidence that Boston made its move for Vučević in the hours after the Memphis Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz. A 26-year-old Defensive Player of the Year, now that may have moved the needle toward more serious championship contention for the Celtics. But they have old friend Danny Ainge, now Utah’s top executive, to thank for missing out on a real difference-maker in their frontcourt.
Some of the NFL’s best players (who are not playing in Super Bowl LX) will still get a chance to play ball in San Francisco this week. That’s because the 2026 Pro Bowl Games will take place on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco as part of the festivities leading up to the Super Bowl. (You read that correctly — unlike in years past when the Pro Bowl was held the Sunday before the Super Bowl, the 2026 game is on a Tuesday.) Both the AFC and NFC are sending in a squad whose players were voted on by fans, fellow players, and coaches, to participate in this year’s event which now includes a skills competition and a 7-on-7 flag football game.
Here’s what you need to know about how to watch the 2026 Pro Bowl when it airs on Feb. 3 including who’s playing, where you can watch, and more.
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How to watch the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl Games
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026
Time: Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET
Coverage of the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Feb. 3, 2026. Kickoff for the 7-on-7 flag football game is at 8 p.m. ET.
2026 Pro Bowl game channel
The 2026 NFL Pro Bowl will air on ESPN, with Spanish-language coverage airing on ESPN Deportes.
2026 Pro Bowl format:
This year’s Pro Bowl will feature a skills challenge and an AFC versus NFC flag football game.
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2026 Pro Bowl teams and coaches:
The 2026 Pro Bowl consists of a skills challenge followed by a 7-on-7 flag football game between an AFC and an NFC team, with athletes chosen by a three-part voting process. Fan votes account for one-third of the total Pro Bowl vote; one-third comes from NFL players; and head coaches also submit a ballot, accounting for the final one-third of the tally. Any players on the Pro Bowl roster who ended up on one of this year’s Super Bowl teams will not participate. Some players have opted not to participate due to injury or other reasons; you’ll see who was selected and who their replacements are on the rosters below.
AFC 2026 Pro Bowl Roster:
Head Coach
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Quarterback
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (replaced by Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns)
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (not participating)
Drake Maye, New England Patriots (replaced by Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals)
Running back
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Fullback
Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens
Wide receiver
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (replaced by Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals)
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Tight end
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (replaced by Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts)
Offensive tackle
Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos
Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills
Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers (not participating)
Offensive guard
Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos (not participating)
Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts (not participating)
Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles (not participating)
Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks* (not participating)
Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Outside linebacker
Brian Burns, New York Giants
Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
Inside/middle linebacker
Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions
Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornerback
Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks (replaced by Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers)
Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles (replaced by Nahshon Wright, Chicago Bears)
Free safety
Kevin Byard, Chicago Bears
Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strong safety
Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
Long snapper
Jon Weeks, San Francisco 49ers
Punter
Tress Way, Washington Commanders
Place kicker
Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
Return specialist
Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks (replaced by KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys)
Special-teamer
Luke Gifford, San Francisco 49ers
How to watch the 2026 Pro Bowl without cable
You can stream ESPN on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV, and the game and events will stream on ESPN Unlimited and on NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you’re limited to watching the game on mobile devices.
It was never the headline item among Memphis Grizzlies trade chatter, not with the ongoing saga surrounding Ja Morant taking up the oxygen and airtime. But it was notable, if you were paying attention, that Jaren Jackson Jr.’s name would keep popping up here and there — that smart teams were “registering interest” in him; that smart analysts were noting that JJJ, rather than Ja, would be the Grizzly most likely to demand a haul that could kick-start a full-tilt rebuild on Beale Street; and that rival executives were curious whether Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman would find a package he liked enough to part ways with his longest-tenured player.
It’s notable that the list of first-round picks the Grizzlies will receive in exchange for their big man does not include Utah’s own 2026 first-rounder. The Jazz have already dealt the rights to that pick — all the way back in 2021, as part of a deal to dump the salary of Derrick Favors, to the Thunder. The defending NBA champs will get Utah’s first-round selection in this year’s draft … but only if it lands outside the top eight in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.
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The Jazz enter Tuesday’s action at 15-35, the NBA’s sixth-worst record. Adding Jackson — a two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year, a very good player averaging 19.2 points per game — would in theory put Utah in position to win a few more games down the stretch, potentially putting the fate of that draft pick in jeopardy.
Dating back to his partnerships with Jonas Valančiūnas, Steven Adams and Zach Edey, Jackson has tended to play his best ball alongside a proper big man, allowing him to kick out and wreak havoc as a weak-side rim protector. The Jazz have been terrible defensively for four years. With Kessler and JJJ roaming the back line, they immediately profile as something significantly better than that, even with young and poor point-of-attack defenders in front of them; the fit of JJJ operating as a stretch-4 attacking from the perimeter and Kessler working as a screen-and-dive lob finisher feels pretty clean, too.
Sliding down the positional spectrum shouldn’t be a problem for Markkanen, either. He has plenty of experience and comfort working as a big wing; there’s a world where this looks like the jumbo outfit that Markkanen briefly lined up with in Cleveland, only with more offensive firepower and shooting touch. (We know head coach Will Hardy digs his big-to-big passing.)
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s tenure in Memphis came to an end Tuesday. (Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Bradley Collyer – PA Images via Getty Images)
If Jackson returns to form after an occasionally sluggish 2025-26 season, if the bigs stay healthy, and you add in a dynamic downhill creator and pull-up shooter in Most Improved Player candidate Keyonte George alongside gifted offensive swingmen Ace Bailey — a 6-foot-9 starting two-guard seems to make perfect sense in this super-sized lineup structure — and Brice Sensabaugh, prospective growth from the likes of Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier, and a top-half-of-the-lottery pick in what’s profiling as one of the most talent-laden drafts in years … suddenly, the Jazz don’t look like a rebuilding also-ran anymore. They look like a team that could harbor realistic optimism — for the first time since detonating the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert era — about pushing for a return to postseason play … possibly as soon as next season.
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The Grizzlies, on the other hand, have opted to take the scenic route back to meaningful springtime basketball.
Kleiman told us exactly what he thought of his team last spring, after the eventual champion Thunder swept the Grizz in the first round: “There’s a level that I think everyone has to embrace and be willing to get to reach the ultimate goal here … I don’t think we can look back at this series and this season and say, ‘Oh, we’re close.’ No, we’re not. We’re not close. There’s a lot of work to be done. I need to be open-minded in multiple respects.”
On Tuesday, with the once-again-decimated Grizzlies — only Portland has lost more player games due to injury this season, according to Spotrac — sitting at 19-29, three games south of the final play-in spot in the West, that open-mindedness has brought about the end of an era. Just over nine months after that sweep at the hands of OKC, Kleiman has turned Jackson and Desmond Bane into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (who holds a $21.6 million player option for next season), rookies Cedric Coward and Walter Clayton Jr., third-year forward Taylor Hendricks, five future first-round draft picks (plus a top-two-protected 2029 pick swap with Orlando), about $17.4 million in expiring contracts in the form of old pal Kyle Anderson (who played in Memphis from 2018 through 2022) and Georges Niang — and, through some creative deal-structuring, what is evidently the largest trade exception in NBA history.
From a cold, sober, analytical perspective, this is what you do when you’ve decided you’re not holding a winning hand — especially if you’re a small-market team without much history of success in free agency. You fold it, shuffle up the deck and see what the next deal turns up.
You see what Coward, who’s averaging just under 19 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists per-36 minutes on league-average shooting efficiency as a rookie, can do with the ball in his hands more often. (Provided the finally healthy and instantly balling Ty Jerome gives it up.) You give a roster now heavily tilted toward 25-and-under players — newcomers Clayton and Hendricks, holdovers Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson and Cam Spencer, and, if and when they can get healthy, Zach Edey and Scotty Pippen Jr. — chances to earn a spot in whatever comes next in Memphis.
You head into the next 48 hours about $34 million under the luxury tax line, with a ton of flexibility to act as a facilitator in other teams’ trades, renting out that cap space in exchange for even more draft picks and/or young players to test drive. You give yourself as many bites at the apple as possible, and you hope that the next pack of picks and prospects proves at least as successful as the dudes you just jettisoned.
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It’s worth remembering that’s a really high bar. Morant, Jackson and Bane were the linchpins of teams that produced two of the six 50-win seasons in franchise history, and one of just five Grizzlies playoff series victories. They never reached the heights for which they seemed destined back in the spring of 2022, and they didn’t get as far as the Z-Bo/Gasol/Conley/Allen Grit ’n’ Grind-era teams whose mantle they took up. But they won a lot of regular-season games, and they were fan favorites with whom the city fell in love — reasons to show up at FedEx Forum and tune in night after night.
That, as much as on-court production, is what Kleiman will have to replace. Overflowing pick coffers don’t put asses in seats or wins on the board. Players do. After the last era’s best-laid plans turned to ash, Kleiman and his front office had better go find some damn good ones if they want to still be presiding over the next competitive iteration of the Grizzlies whenever it’s ready to roll.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cooper Kupp wanted his Hollywood ending in Los Angeles. It doesn’t happen that way very often in the NFL.
It has been quite a year for Kupp. On Feb. 3, 2025, he announced on social media that the Los Angeles Rams had informed him they’d be seeking to trade him, effectively ending his time there. Kupp was a franchise icon, the Super Bowl LVI MVP at the end of a historic season. He caught the game-winning touchdown to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and bring the Rams their second Super Bowl title. Then, suddenly, he was done there.
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“That was tough. There’s no doubt about it,” Kupp said Tuesday in the Seattle Seahawks’ pre-Super Bowl LX availability, one year to the day after he announced his time with the Rams was done. “You spend so much time together, so much time in one place building so much, and to have that taken away was difficult.
“That just didn’t come to a close how I’d have pictured that coming to a close. That was really tough.”
When the Rams finally cut Kupp after not finding a trade partner, he was 31 and hadn’t stayed healthy or gained more than 1,000 yards in the three seasons since his magical 2021. But he wasn’t ready to be done, even if the Rams were done with him.
Kupp signed with the Seahawks and in the NFC championship game he scored a touchdown to help beat the Rams. That win pushed Kupp and Seattle to Super Bowl LX, and offered a bit of redemption after the Rams had cut him.
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“I wasn’t going to allow someone else to say who I was,” Kupp said.
Ahead of Super Bowl LX, Cooper Kupp talked about his departure from the Rams one year to the day after the franchise announced it intended to trade him. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Cooper Kupp starts over
Kupp was a star with the Rams. His 2021 season, in which he led the NFL in catches, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and won NFL Offensive Player of the Year as well as Super Bowl MVP, is one of the greatest single seasons for a player ever. Not one of the best for a receiver. One of the best for anyone.
Then the Rams decided they didn’t need him anymore.
The NFL can be an unfeeling business. Kupp was practically replaced by Davante Adams, who had a good season for the Rams. Kupp wasn’t prolific with the Seahawks, with 593 yards and two touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, but Seattle is happy to have him.
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Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Kupp was a priority for the team, especially as he tried to establish a culture in his second season as head coach. On Tuesday, Macdonald talked about Kupp’s leadership and how that has impacted the entire locker room.
“Whenever the first time when we were allowed to reach out to Coop, I had him on the line,” Macdonald said. “I said, ‘Look, we don’t get opportunities to acquire a player like you,’ especially early in our program. What better player to bring in early than Cooper Kupp.”
A year ago, Kupp had a long injury history with the Rams and was at an age in which another productive season was far from promised. But the Rams moving on from him didn’t affect his perspective.
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“I don’t doubt who I am. I believed in myself all the way through that,” Kupp said.
“My belief was that I can still play this game at a high level, and just needed an opportunity to do so.”
Kupp returns to the Super Bowl
Over the 2021 season, counting playoffs, Kupp had 178 catches, 2,425 yards and 22 touchdowns. He capped the season by picking up a crucial fourth-and-1 on an end-around run late in the Super Bowl against the Bengals, and then catching the game-winning touchdown with 1:25 to go.
He might not be the superstar he was four years ago, but it’s still special to be back in a Super Bowl.
“You appreciate being in this place,” Kupp said. “Any chance to play in a Super Bowl, this is what you dream about as a kid. You never dreamed about making a catch and making plays in a preseason game, you always dreamed about the biggest moments. Being able to be at the pinnacle of it … it’s a pretty incredible thing.”
It has been a wild journey for Kupp. He said he grew up wanting to play running back at USC, but USC (and most big schools) didn’t want him so he ended up at Eastern Washington. The Rams made a Super Bowl in his second season, but he was out due to a torn ACL. He became one of the biggest stars in the NFL with an unbelievable season, was a Super Bowl hero, but has also had numerous injuries that kept him from reaching that pinnacle again. Then came the unceremonious end with the Rams and the new beginning with the Seahawks.
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And another Super Bowl.
“I believe fully I’m meant to play this game,” Kupp said. “God created me to be in this place, in this moment, to play this game. I have so much joy when I’m on the field. I’ve had the ball bounce my way a lot of times and I know it wasn’t anything I did, the ball just happened to find me. Coverage was perfect. Quarterbacks made throws that had nothing to do with anything I did, they just put it in the right spot. In those moments I’ve been thankful. Like, man, I’m glad I got to be there and be the benefactor of a lot of things going my way.
“Then, in the same place, I’ve been in places where I’ve had the unfortunate injury and it’s nothing I did, someone just got me the wrong way, I fell the wrong way. Or the ball didn’t bounce my way, the coverage was wrong, things that were out of my control did not go right. In that place I took that same approach. None of this is mine anyway. It’s not about me, it’s not about me and my own self worth being affected by it. It’s just how things go. This is how things go, this is life. Whether it’s the good or the bad, I know who I am. That’s been my biggest lesson through these last few years.”
Kupp already is a big part of Super Bowl history. The way the last year has gone makes his latest trip to the Super Bowl momentous as well.
“In my own story, in my own journey of this last year, being able to be able to be back here right now is really special,” Kupp said.
Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano and Jori Epstein react to the biggest headlines from Rodger Goodell’s Super Bowl press conference. Plus, it’s a RedZone reunion as Scott Hanson joins the show!
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(3:19) – Breaking down Roger Goodell’s Super Bowl remarks
