A Division II college basketball game between Tuskegee University and Morehouse College on Saturday ended with Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor being escorted off the court in handcuffs.
In a video obtained by HBCU Gameday, a security officer can be seen escorting the cuffed Taylor past the stands and into a hallway. Another video shows the circumstances that led to the bizarre scene, with Taylor confronting a security officer about the handshake lines and the officer responding by pulling out the handcuffs.
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While Taylor is clearly angry, at no point does he appear to present any physical threat to the officer.
“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me. I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team yelling obscenities! It was a very dangerous situation.”
Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin also provided more context to HBCU Gameday. After the game, a 77-69 Morehouse win over Tuskegee, a group of Morehouse football players reportedly intermingled with the teams, which Ruffin described as a “security breach.”
Taylor reportedly went to the security officer asking for the football players to be removed. Ruffin described his coach’s actions as reasonable, but the security officer apparently saw something else, via HBCU Gameday:
“He asked the security officer, ‘Can you please remove them from the line?’ That’s what he asked the security officer,” Ruffin said.
Ruffin added that the security officer’s account differed, claiming Taylor was “very aggressive” and “the aggressor,” which Ruffin said was not accurate. He said the officer cited that perception as the reason Taylor was placed in cuffs.
Taylor was reportedly released and traveled home with the team. He has been Tuskegee’s head coach since 2019, per the school’s site.
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On Sunday, Taylor has hired national civil rights attorney Harry Daniels to pursue a possible civil lawsuit. Daniels said in a release that Taylor had asked an officer to remove players from Morehouse’s football team who were “acting aggressively” toward Tuskegee players and their parents to remove them from the court.
They are now investigating “all legal avenues,” including a possible civil lawsuit.
“Such behavior from the Morehouse football players, particularly their intermingling with the basketball players on the court and during the postgame handshake is prohibited by conference-mandated security protocols,” the release said, via Alabama.com.
“When Coach Taylor asked two police officers to enforce those protocols attempting to diffuse an increasingly dangerous situation, however, one of the officers chose to place him in handcuffs and escort him from the court. Coach Taylor was never charged with a crime.”
LeBron James will walk away with a loss from what could be his final NBA game at Madison Square Garden.
Buoyed by an 18-point first half from Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers opened up a 56-52 halftime lead over the host New York Knicks on Sunday night. But a 13-5 Knicks run to close the third quarter turned a tie game into a 90-82 lead that New York never relinquished en route to a 112-100 win.
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Knicks bounce back from January swoon
The Knicks rode an 18-of-42 (43%) night from 3 and a balanced offensive effort in which six players scored in double figures and three players scored 20-plus to secure the win. The victory was New York’s sixth straight following a 2-9 stretch that raised alarms in New York and reportedly prompted a players-only meeting spearheaded by team captain Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks are now 31-18 and in a second-place tie in the East with the Boston Celtics, behind the first-place Detroit Pistons. And the noise surrounding their January swoon has dissipated.
The win for the Knicks spoiled what might have been James’ final game in one of basketball’s most iconic arenas. If so, James put up a strong effort with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. He posted one of the highlights of his season with an alley-oop dunk in traffic to extend a Lakers lead early in the third quarter.
But it wasn’t enough to fend off a Knicks team that’s returned to form from an 11-game slump.
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Will James play another game at MSG?
James, 41, hasn’t announced whether he’ll retire at the conclusion of this season. But there’s speculation that this might be his last. If so, he’s in the midst of an Eastern Conference swing that could represent his final game in opposing arenas.
He wiped away tears last week amidst a standing ovation and tribute video in Cleveland from a Cavaliers team with which he played 11 combined seasons and led to its first and only NBA championship in 2016.
There was no such tribute from the longtime rival Knicks on Sunday.
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But the sense that this could be James’ final moment on one of basketball’s biggest stages was unavoidable. The game was scheduled for one of the biggest time slots of the regular season as NBC reclaimed its longtime Sunday territory for the first time since returning to NBA coverage this season. And tickets were in high demand for James’ potential final game at MSG.
LeBron James may have played his final game at Madison Square Garden.
(Ishika Samant via Getty Images)
Balanced Knicks effort tops big games from Luka, LeBron
If so, Knicks fans got their money’s worth. They got a good show from James, but a better one from their Knicks in a victory. OG Anunoby (25 points, 8 rebounds), Josh Hart (20 points, 4 rebounds) and Landry Shamet (23 points, 6 of 10 from 3) each scored 20 points or more.
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All-Star Jalen Brunson made up for a cold shooting night (4 of 15) with one of his best nights of the season as a distributor while tallying 12 points and 13 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns, who learned before tip that he’s also an All-Star, likewise found other ways to contribute on an off scoring night with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Dončić led the Lakers with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists while shooting 5 of 14 from 3. But he was the only Laker to hit more than 2 3s on a night when they shot 12 of 42 (29%), failing to keep up with New York’s hot shooting.
The Knicks also controlled the boards with a 47-36 rebounding advantage. New York will visit the Washington Wizards on Tuesday before returning home for another high-profile Western Conference matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
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The Lakers will conclude an eight-game road swing with a Tuesday game against the Brooklyn Nets before returning home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
Sunday’s matchup between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning figured to be memorable for being played in the outdoor “Stadium Series” setting at Raymond James Stadium. However, the game will likely generate conversation for a different reason.
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Approximately midway through the second period, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman took issue with Lightning winger Brandon Hagel poking a puck between his pads after a power-play shot from Nikita Kucherov. After the whistle blew, Swayman went after Hagel, tackled him to the ice and began throwing punches at him.
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and winger Tanner Jeannot pulled Hagel away and covered him, presumably to protect their goaltender. But then Swayman noticed Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy leaving his crease and skating down the ice for a confrontation.
Swayman skated toward the center line to meet Vasilevskiy and they were ready to rumble for the NHL’s first-ever outdoor goalie fight.
The Bruins’ goaltender quickly ditched his gloves and helmet and gestured for Vasilevskiy to do the same. The two wrestled each other before the Lightning goalie landed the first punch and forced Swayman to the ice before referees stepped in to separate the combatants.
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Apparently thrilled by the clash, Vasilevskiy tapped Swayman on the head as they were pulled apart and smiled broadly. As could be expected, players on both benches stood and tapped their sticks on the boards to show respect for their teammates’ pugilistic tendencies. Each goalie was assessed a five-minute penalty for fighting.
Sunday’s face-off was the first fight for both goaltenders during their NHL careers. However, Swayman has previously attempted to throw hands, first with Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll during the 2023-24 campaign and Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper last season. In both instances, referees broke up those potential scuffles before a punch was thrown.
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The confrontation occurred nearly two weeks after the San Jose Sharks’ Alex Nedeljkovic and Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky left their creases and dropped the gloves in Sunrise, Florida. (Maybe it’s something about playing hockey in Florida that has goalies itching for a fight.)
Prior to these two scraps, no goalies had fought in an NHL game since 2020, according to SportsNet.
Following Tampa Bay’s 6-5 shootout victory, Vasilevskiy told reporters “it was reflex to run to the red line and challenge [Swayman].”
“He accepted, so big thanks to him,” he added, via The Hockey News’ Diandra Loux. “I thought he was great throughout the game in net — and in the fight, as well. So, again, big thanks to him for giving me my first one in the NHL.”
With the win, the Lightning hold the best record in the Eastern Conference at 35-14-4. The Bruins currently hold the fifth spot in the conference standings at 32-20-4.
Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
Fact or Fiction: LeBron James belongs in the All-Star Game
In what has become somewhatof an annualtradition, we are here to discuss The Biggest Snub of the NBA’s All-Star Game. Past winners include Jamal Murray, who finally received his call for the first time this season, as the league announced its 14 reserves on Sunday.
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The rosters in alphabetical order (starters in bold) …
EASTERN CONFERENCE:Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors; Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics; Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks; Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons; Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons; Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers; Norman Powell, Miami Heat; Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks.
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers; Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder; Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets; Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets; Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs.
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As always, Rule No. 1 about picking The Biggest Snub: We have to remove someone.
There are only 24 spots — at least until NBA commissioner Adam Silver selects a replacement for the injured Antetokounmpo and balances the U.S. and World rosters (do not even get me started) — so if we add someone, we have to remove another player.
One name sticks out to me on this list, and it might cause a bit of a stir: LeBron James.
LeBron James will make his 22nd All-Star appearance after being named as a reserve on Sunday. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
James is one of the few greatest players in the history of the game. He is unquestionably the greatest 41-year-old ever to play basketball. Maybe he deserves the spot just for that.
In fact, Silver once rewarded Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki with All-Star appearances in the final years of their careers, and I figured they would do the same for James this year. Not that I agreed with that, either. And maybe I am just a hater, but to me: You should want to earn your spot on the roster. Not have it given to you. (We’ll have more on that later.)
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But no: James made it on his own. Or, at least, he did according to the league’s coaches, whose votes selected seven reserves from each conference on the debut of Sunday Night Basketball on NBC. A blend of fan, player and media votes decided the 10 starters.
Listen, I would get it if the fans voted for James. (He finished eighth in fan voting.)
I would get it if the players voted for James. (He finished eighth in player voting.)
The man is a living legend.
But this was up to the coaches, and to them it should have been about who earned it on the basketball court, right? I could only imagine that James would want it that way, too.
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You always want to earn your spot.
And in no world has James been a better player this season than Kawhi Leonard. One of them is averaging a 22-6-7 on 50/33/75 shooting splits over 30 games. The other is posting a nightly 28-6-4 on 50/40/94 shooting splits over 34 games. I will give you one guess which.
It is Leonard who has the superior numbers. Not only is he on pace to join the 50-40-90 club, the 34-year-old is leading the NBA in free-throw percentage and steals per game (2.1).
James, meanwhile, is statistically one of the slowest and weakest defenders in the league.
Maybe you think Leonard does not deserve the spot because of the Aspiration scandal. Last time I checked the league had not made a ruling on whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, as alleged, circumvented the salary cap to sign Leonard. Even if the league had made that ruling, it is the Clippers who should be punished, not necessarily Leonard. (If Aspiration wants to pay me $50 million for a no-show job, I am not entirely against it.)
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Or maybe you think Leonard does not deserve his spot in the All-Star Game because his Los Angeles Clippers are 22-25, 10th place in the West, clinging to the conference’s final play-in tournament berth. Never mind the fact that they are 16-4 in their last 20 games and own the same net rating (-0.2) on the season as James’ sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers.
Leonard is The Biggest Snub. No question about it. He may be among the biggest All-Star snubs in NBA history, according to Player Efficiency Rating (27.2). He is among the league’s leaders in every major advanced statistical category, including Estimated Plus-Minus.
Even if I were to grant you that Leonard should be disqualified for the Aspiration stuff, or the Clippers’ record, there is at least one other player, if not several, who deserves the spot over James. One immediately springs to mind: The Houston Rockets’ Alperen Şengün.
Şengün is averaging a 21-9-6 on 50/30/68 shooting splits — comparable numbers to James, only he is doing it for an actual contender (who happens to be missing its starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, and a starting/reserve center, Steven Adams). When Şengün is on the floor, the Rockets outscore opponents by 5.5 points per 100 meaningful possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, operating like a top-three offense and a middling defense.
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When Leonard is on the floor, the Clippers are outscoring opponents by 3.9 points per 100 non-garbage possessions, likewise operating like a top-four offense and a middling defense.
Conversely, when James is on the floor, the Lakers have been outscored by 1.5 points per 100 meaningful possessions, operating like a top-10 offense and a bottom-five defense.
Point is …
Determination: Fiction. LeBron James does not belong in the All-Star Game. Not as a coaches’ pick. Maybe as a commissioner’s pick. Even then, he no-showed last year’s game. Make that his honorary appearance if we must give out participation All-Star nominations.
SAN FRANCISCO — As the Seattle Seahawks piled out of their charter jet and descended down flights of stairs to the tarmac at San Jose Mineta International Airport, there were few camera phones in the hands of players and even less pomp or vanity in their swagger. It was a little past 5:30 p.m. Standard issue gray sweats were the overwhelming choice of attire. And the mission appeared to be swift: Get off one plane. Get on four busses. Get this show on the road.
Among Super Bowl arrivals, it was a standard issue “business trip.”
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In the midst of the transit, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold went to one bus. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak went to another, joining the team’s coaching staff and traveling personnel. Soon enough, the parting of their company will become more permanent, with Kubiak expected to reach an agreement to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders shortly after the Super Bowl. For the Seattle faithful, this was the bittersweet note that hung in the air Sunday, whether you were milling about in San Francisco — where the NFL is prepping for a multitude of events surrounding the game — or 40 miles to the south in San Jose, trying to catch a glimpse of the Seahawks’ airport touch down.
This Seattle roster and staff is on the doorstep of the ultimate goal, and the band is already headed for a breakup of sorts. This happens, of course. Kubiak and Darnold are certainly not the first coordinator and quarterback tandem to head into a Super Bowl knowing that divergent paths are coming. We’ve seen it happen four times in the past eight Super Bowls — three times with the Philadelphia Eagles, with Frank Reich (LII), Shane Steichen (LVII) and Kellen Moore (LIX), and once with the Los Angeles Rams and Kevin O’Connell (LVI).
Kubiak is expected to make it five in nine after Sunday. And when he departs, it will leave Darnold entering the 2026 season with his eighth — eighth — different offensive coordinator in nine NFL seasons. If ever there were extra motivation to make this Super Bowl appearance count for a franchise, it’s the mystery of how Kubiak’s departure could ripple for the franchise and its quarterback.
Yes, Darnold has certainly done enough to earn the belief that he can maintain his current level of play through another coordinator transition. But it doesn’t change the risk that comes with it. The departures of Reich, Steichen and Moore all had an impact on the Eagles’ offenses in the ensuing season — and it wasn’t positive. And while the Rams’ post-Super Bowl offensive crash had as much to do with injuries as losing O’Connell, his departure took a short-term toll on head coach Sean McVay.
And lest we forget, it is Darnold who has pointed to Kubiak several times along this journey as being a factor in his decisions or success. Going all the way back to his signing in free agency, when he related that his level of comfort in signing with Seattle was due to having worked with Kubiak during Darnold’s 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold was a backup for that 49ers team and Kubiak was the passing game coordinator.
“[Working in a familiar scheme] was definitely one of the things that I factored into signing here,” Darnold said in March. “And again, just being able to work with Klint, and having talked a ton with Klint in San Francisco about kind of what we liked, disliked. We have so much in common when it comes to football.”
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That’s not a nothing sentiment. And you don’t instantly create it out of thin air with Kubiak’s replacement, even if it’s from an internal candidate being promoted on the staff. There’s still a rhythm that comes with continuity between a quarterback and whoever is calling plays. Darnold alluded to that in June during organized team activities, when he spoke to having to learn new systems along his career and find a fit with each new play-caller.
“I think at the end of the day a lot of teams do similar things but just call it different names,” Darnold said this past summer. “That’s the part that you’ve got to learn — learning kind of how Klint calls it and what we’re calling it in general, and learning just the terminology and all the things that come with that.”
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, center, said his time with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, left, helped steer him to Seattle this offseason. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
There’s adjustment and fine-tuning. Sometimes it works with an internal hire. Other times, the fit flops. The Eagles have been a stark example following their last two Super Bowl appearances. After Steichen left after the 2022 season, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson was elevated to the offensive coordinator spot. It proved to be a poor fit and Johnson was fired after one season that saw the Eagles’ offense regress. History repeated itself for the Eagles this season, when passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo took over as offensive coordinator following Moore’s departure to New Orleans, only to see the offense again sputter and lead to Patullo’s firing after one season.
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Along the way, the play of Jalen Hurts has suffered setbacks. The question for the Seahawk is whether they can avoid a similar fate with Darnold, whose last three offensive play-callers have been Kubiak, O’Connell with the Minnesota Vikings and then Kyle Shanahan during his stint as a 49ers backup. That’s a tough act to follow for whoever slides into Kubiak’s seat.
None of this is meant to say Kubiak was perfect. Seattle’s offense didn’t really hit its stride until late in the season, at least partially because of inconsistency in the run game early on. And Darnold has had to carry the load only intermittently along the way, thanks in large part to Seattle’s defense. But he’s also been resilient, bouncing back from two regular-season games against the Rams that saw him throw six interceptions, to engineer an NFC title game win last month that was inarguably the best high pressure game of his entire eight-year career.
It was also one of Kubiak’s most superbly called games. Balanced with the run early, then gradually opened up into higher risk downfield throws that resulted in pivotal chunk plays, then putting the ball into Darnold’s hands late in the fourth quarter — with a pair of must-have first downs off play-action passes — rather than trying to salt away clock by simply running the ball. It’s a groove and confidence between quarterback and play-caller that stretches back to the fourth quarter and overtime of Week 16 against the Rams. And it might carry into Sunday against the New England Patriots.
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Now all of that is expected to come to an end, with Kubiak departing and the Seahawks’ top priority suddenly being yet another offensive coordinator for Darnold. The bittersweet business trip began on Sunday. Where it takes the Seahawks in 2026 is anyone’s guess.
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🚨 Headlines
🏈 Coaching carousel complete: The Raiders (Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak) and Cardinals (Rams OC Mike LaFleur) are both finalizing deals to hire new head coaches, filling the NFL’s last two remaining vacancies.
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🏀 NBA All-Star reserves: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards headlined the 14 players selected as NBA All-Star reserves. They, along with the 10 starters, will be divided into three teams for this year’s new-look All-Star Game format.
🏈 Tisch named in Epstein files: Emails between Jeffrey Epstein and Giants co-owner Steve Tisch — in which Epstein discusses setting Tisch up with various women —were among the millions of new documentsreleased by the Justice Department on Friday. Tisch released a statement describing their relationship as brief and Epstein as “a terrible person.”
🏀 George suspended: Paul George has been suspended 25 games without pay for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. The 76ers forward admitted to taking “improper medication,” saying it was for a mental health issue.
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🎾 Alcaraz: The future GOAT of tennis?
Alcaraz hugs his latest trophy. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, on Sunday to win the Australian Open, dashing Djokovic’s hopes of a 25th major title and cementing his status as a tennis legend… at just 22 years of age.
Career Grand Slam: The win gave Alcaraz his seventh major and the career Grand Slam (a win at all four majors), making him by far the youngest to achieve that feat in the Open Era (1968-present).
Alcaraz: 22 years, 8 months
Rafael Nadal: 24 years, 3 months
Djokovic: 29 years, 0 months
Roger Federer: 27 years, 9 months
Andre Agassi: 29 years, 1 month
A changing of the guard: The Australian Open began with Federer headlining the inaugural opening ceremony and ended with Nadal in the stands, watching Djokovic face the next generation’s biggest star. A star who combines the best attributes of the Big Three — Federer’s creativity, Nadal’s fire, Djokovic’s mastery — and may ultimately surpass them all.
Djokovic embraces Alcaraz after the match. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
From Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken:
We are watching Michael Jordan in 1992, Tiger Woods in 2000, Secretariat in 1973. The job is not done, the résumé is still evolving, and the records are not yet theirs.
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But our eyes do not deceive us. This smiling Spanish prodigy, this whirling dervish of speed and power and mental genius, has crossed the threshold between what we thought he could be and what he really is: An absolute monster whose entire package of skills is unequaled by anyone who has ever played tennis.
As someone who grew up on Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who cherished how Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal changed the sport and who has grown to appreciate the way Djokovic maintained his body and evolved his game to stay relevant into his late 30s, I don’t think that’s hyperbole.
Alcaraz has everything. He is him. And he’s only going to get better.
Already, he is in a club with just nine names: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry are the only men who won all four Slams.
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What we don’t know yet is whether 24 majors — the most sacred of Djokovic’s many records — will eventually come into play. The gap is still huge, and so many things can happen, from injuries to major life changes to motivation to another all-time great coming along whose name we don’t yet know.
But at the rate he’s going, Alcaraz would need to average two majors per year until he’s 31 to break the record. It’s crazy to say, given how hard these tournaments are to win, but that feels firmly within the realm of possibility because there really are no more questions for Alcaraz to answer.
Could he win on all surfaces? Yes. Could he eliminate the dips in focus that made things more complicated than they needed to be earlier in his career? It was only a matter of time. Could he turn his serve from a decent shot into a weapon? It happened in one offseason.
So what’s next? What’s remaining? Just the history left to be made, and putting the numbers behind what our eyes tell us. While Djokovic, for now, is still the greatest of all time, Alcaraz is the best thing tennis has ever seen.
I think this is what the kids call “aura.” (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
East Lansing, Michigan — Michigan head coach Dusty May let the boos bounce off his back before Friday’s rivalry game against No. 7 Michigan State, which ended in an 83-71 victory for the third-ranked Wolverines.
Clean sweep: On Sunday, the ninth-ranked Michigan women completed the weekend sweep in East Lansing with a 94-91 (OT) victory over No. 13 Michigan State. Both games represented the highest-ranked matchup in the history of their rivalry.
(Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Tampa, Florida — The Lightning mounted a four-goal comeback to stun the Bruins in Sunday’s Stadium Series game, winning 6-5 (shootout) on an unseasonably cold night in front of 64,617 fans at Raymond James Stadium.
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Goalie fight! This game featured the first-ever outdoor goalie fight when Jeremy Swayman and Andrei Vasilevskiy dropped gloves in the second period. After going nearly six years between NHL goalie fights, we’ve now seen two in the span of two weeks.
(Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
New York, New York — Jarrell Miller provided the most entertaining moment of Saturday night’s Shakur Stevenson-Teofimo Lopez undercard when his toupee was knocked clean off his head during his victory over Kingsley Ibeh.
Bad hair day: Apparently Miller’s baldness was a recent development caused by an unfortunate chemical mishap. “I get to my momma’s house and she had some shampoo bottles under her table,” he said after the fight. “And I shampooed … that s*** was like ammonia and bleach.”
(Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
La Jolla, California — Justin Rose (-23) posted a historic victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, dominating the field by seven strokes and breaking the tournament record of 22-under set by Tiger Woods in 1999. At 45, he’s the PGA Tour’s oldest wire-to-wire winner since 2010.
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Meanwhile, on the LPGA Tour: Nelly Korda won the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Orlando — shortened to 54 holes due to freezing temperatures — for her first victory since 2024, when she won seven times.
💯 Big numbers
Beaver Stadium traded football for hockey on Saturday. (Penn State Athletics)
🏒 74,575 fans
It was 17 degrees in State College on Saturday, but 74,575 fans were in attendance for Penn State’s hockey game against Michigan State, making it the second-most attended college hockey game ever. Only Michigan vs. Michigan State at The Big House in 2010 had more fans (113,411).
Stramel’s big day: The Spartans came away with a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory thanks largely to Charlie Stramel, who scored the golden goal to complete his hat trick. Stramel, drafted 21st overall by the Wild in 2023, should enter the NHL this spring.
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⚾️ 0 active players
Longtime MLB reliever David Robertson — a 2009 World Series champion with the Yankees — announced his retirement on Friday, leaving a nearly unprecedented vacuum in the sport: For just the second time since New York’s inaugural title in 1923, there’s not a single active player who won a ring with the Bronx Bombers. The only other time that happened? 1995.
The drought continues: The Yankees’ current 16-year World Series drought is just one shy of their longest ever (1979-95), not including the 21 years it took to win their first championship. 10 teams have won a title since New York’s most recent in 2009: Dodgers (3x), Giants (3x), Astros (2x), Red Sox (2x), Rangers, Braves, Nationals, Royals, Cubs and Cardinals.
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
🏈 63% win percentage
The Patriots will wear white jerseys on Sunday, a color that has historically delivered success on the NFL’s biggest stage. 63% of all Super Bowls (37 of 59) have been won by the team wearing white. New England also went 5-0 this season with their all-white uniform combo.
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Yes, but: It should be noted that the past two Super Bowls were won by the team not wearing white. The Chiefs wore red in 2024, and the Eagles wore green last year.
🏀 8th trade
Dennis Schröder is heading from the Kings to the Cavaliers as part of Saturday’s three-team deal, marking the fifth time he’s been traded in the last two years and the eighth time in his career. That’s tied for the second-most ever behind only Trevor Ariza, who was dealt a remarkable 11 times.
Schröder’s journey: The Cavs will be the German point guard’s 11th NBA team, following stints with the Hawks (2013-18), Thunder (2018-20), Lakers (2020-21), Celtics (2021-22), Rockets (2022), Lakers (2022-23), Raptors (2023-24), Nets (2024), Warriors (2024-25), Pistons (2025) and Kings (2025-26).
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📺 Watchlist: Monday, Feb. 2
Texas Tech is undefeated at home. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
🏀 No. 14 Kansas at No. 11 Texas Tech
The Jayhawks and Red Raiders meet tonight in Lubbock (9pm ET, ESPN), where Texas Tech is a perfect 11-0. Can Kansas, which is just 3-3 on the road but has won five straight overall, hand them their first home loss?
Loaded conference: The Big 12 may be the best league in the nation, with six teams in the top 25, all in the top 14: No. 1 Arizona, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Houston, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 13 BYU, No. 14 Kansas. (Yes, I hear you, Big Ten fans, with five teams in the top 12.)
🏒 The Beanpot
The 73rd annual edition of the Boston area men’s hockey tournament begins tonight at TD Garden, with Boston College and Harvard kicking things off (5pm, ESPN+), followed by Boston University vs. Northeastern (8pm, ESPN+). The winners meet in the championship next Monday.
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All-time results: Defending champion Boston University has the most Beanpot titles (32), followed by Boston College (20), Harvard (11) and Northeastern (9).
Trivia answer: Aryna Sabalenka (3x), Iga Świątek (2x), Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Barbora Krejčíková
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Long-time college football coach Gus Malzahn is calling it a career. After 35 years in coaching, Malzahn announced his retirement from football Monday.
Malzahn, who served as Florida State’s offensive coordinator last season, said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.
To replace the 60-year-old Malzahn, Florida State promoted co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr. into the full-time offensive coordinator position.
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Malzahn leaves behind quite the legacy and résumé as a coach. He started out in high school, when he was named the offensive coordinator at Hughes High School in Arkansas in 1991. He eventually took over as the head coach, and was successful at multiple high schools from 1992 to 2005.
After an excellent run at the high school level, Malzahn jumped to college sports for the 2006 season, when he served as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. He then moved to Tulsa and Auburn in various coordinator roles.
Malzahn finally got his first head-coaching job ahead of the 2012 season, when he led Arkansas State to a 9-3 record. His stay at the school was short. Malzahn left after just one season and returned to Auburn, this time as the team’s head coach.
He was successful immediately, leading Auburn to a 12-2 record in 2013 and reaching the BCS Championship Game. Despite holding a 21-10 lead at halftime, Auburn fell to the Florida State Seminoles 34-31 in the contest.
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Malzahn won a number of awards for his excellence that season, taking home the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award, the SEC Coach of the Year award, the AP Coach of the Year award and the Paul “Bear” Bryant award, among many others.
Malzahn went 68-35 in eight seasons at Auburn. He struggled in bowl games, however, going 2-5 in seven appearances.
After being fired by Auburn, Malzahn coached at the University of Central Florida for four seasons, going 28-24. He resigned from that position in 2024 to join Florida State as its offensive coordinator. He was successful in the role, leading the Seminoles to 33 points per game last season, good for 22nd in the nation.
Well, it’s almost two weeks away — but the matchup is set and a plethora of betting opportunities are already live across the market. Before we dive into some early angles for the side, total and player props, I wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you.
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Whether you are a regular reader or a sporadic one, thank you for taking time to read my weekly early best bets article throughout the NFL season. There are an infinite number of ways to spend your time and energy, so devoting some of your week to take in my content truly means a lot to me.
The results were amazing this season: There was a five-week stretch where every single early best Bet hit (13-0 in that span), and personally this was the biggest NFL season I have had in my betting career spanning over a decade. I certainly think there is a correlation between the detailed work needed to produce long-form writing and the success achieved with the plays.
As always, the goal of attacking betting lines early in the week is to close ahead of the market by kickoff. By generating bets with closing line value, we can gain a positive expected value on our bets.
Let’s try to do it one more time in a clash between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 8.
The Super Bowl spread opened Seahawks -5 at BetMGM, while other books opened Seahawks -3.5 a little earlier. The traders at BetMGM noticed the early action favoring Seattle, and shaded their number a little further toward the seemingly sharp side. So, despite the line moving down from Seahawks -5 to -4.5 (-115), we should take a full market scope and say Seattle is the early side taking action.
This point can be solidified by mentioning the moneyline shows Seahawks -235 and has not moved once at BetMGM since the open. BetMGM is still pricing the most expensive Seahawks moneyline across the market. They are inviting early New England money, but that will not be coming from my wallet
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I definitely want to back Seattle in this game, but there is no rush to lock in -235 as an early-week best bet. I expect this line to remain around Seahawks -4.5, and inevitably BetMGM will show a higher handle on New England and reduce the price on Seattle. If the goal is to close ahead of the market and time the bet and number appropriately, it’s a pass for now on the side.
The total: 46
Evident by a full season’s worth of content, my breakdowns always start with a comparison between the current betting line and the most recent market moves relative to that bet. The Super Bowl LX total opened at 46.5 and has dropped to 46. The first move in the Super Bowl total was toward the under, and I think this makes a lot of sense.
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The Seahawks allowed the fewest opponent points per game this season at 17.1, but the Patriots weren’t far behind, allowing only 17.3 PPG. These are two stingy defensives led by defensive-minded head coaches. Whether we look at other broad categories like yards allowed, total sacks and turnovers forced — or advanced metrics like EPA, success rate, or DVOA — these defenses remain elite units.
The Super Bowl also provides the brightest spotlight, a neutral field creating a de facto away game for both teams, and a two-week prep window for the defensive game plan to be fortified. One direct translation between the spotlight of the game and the moment to the total is the average time until the ball is snapped. The Super Bowl pace slows down and the total number of plays regularly sees a dip.
I think this line will close at 45.5 or lower, so I am taking the under now. We have seen some patterns in betting these playoff games so far, and under action has been the norm. The lone spot I can point to for a game where sharp money came on the over was the AFC championship game, where the final score was 10-7.
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Lock it in now, the edge won’t be huge because these markets are sharp, so I suggest a half-unit play towards the under.
Bet: Under 46 (-110)
Player props
Kenneth Walker III over 20.5 receiving yards
During Seattle’s divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers, Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL and was lost for the season. The biggest on-field impact of this injury is a heavier reliance on Walker in passing downs.
Charbonnet was regarded as the better pass blocker and would consistently get snaps on clear passing downs. George Holani took over the RB2 role, and a backfield by committee changed to a backfield led by Walker being spelled by Holani.
Walker played 63% of snaps last week, his highest number this season. In fact, Walker only got 60% or more of the snaps once this entire regular season, but he has done it in back-to-back weeks in the playoffs. The injury to Charbonnet, combined with the decreased emphasis of keeping Walker upright for the most important games, has led to a full unleash of “KW3” on the big stage.
Beyond the increased snaps, the matchup against a Patriots defense that boasts a stout run defense means the Seahawks will rely on Walker in short passing downs. This was my first prop placed, and a no-brainer that I think closes about 3 yards higher.
Rhamondre Stevenson longest rush over 11.5 yards (-110)
The Patriots have made a concerted effort to lean on Stevenson the entire season. Despite fumbling issues in past seasons — and again to start the year — Mike Vrabel never wavered that Stevenson was going to be a focal point of the offense.
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Sticking with Stevenson has paid dividends for the Patriots, as he is averaging 4.6 yards per carry this year and profiles as a power back still capable of explosive playmaking. Stevenson got 94% of the snaps for the Patriots against the Broncos and touched the ball 25 times. While I am actively considering the over on his rush attempts at 14.5, the longest rush line offers more value and was an early bet I made.
Going beyond the usage stats that highlight Stevenson having a large role in the Super Bowl, this prop is also a market read. BetMGM offers the best price in market not only by a full yard but also less vig paid. This prop can be found 12.5 (-130) as the consensus price elsewhere, making that factor alone a reason to play it here.
If you want to know what Deni Avdija is really like — or, rather, how over the span of 19 months he was able to transform from a maybe, possibly good starter into an All-Star — then the following story, courtesy of Portland Trail Blazers head of player development Gilbert Abraham, is the best one you’ll hear. It’s an example of how a player’s wiring can sometimes matter more than his skills.
It was the second day of January, and the Blazers were in New Orleans trying to protect a double-digit lead over the Pelicans. With just under four minutes remaining, Avdija tossed a lazy ball to the top of the key that was nearly stolen. The next possession, facing some soft full-court pressure, Avdija threw an even weaker pass. This time it was picked off, with Zion Williamson blowing by Avdija for a layup. Avdija dropped his head. Furious, Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter called a timeout.
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Back on the Blazers’ bench, Abraham told Avdija — in what he describes as “colorful language” — that his effort wasn’t good enough. Avdija pushed back. To prove his point, Abraham took out an iPad and cued up the film. Avdija sat in silence, then walked back onto the court.
In the locker room after the game, a 122-109 Blazers win, Avdija pulled Abraham aside.
“He hugged me and said, ‘Thanks for coaching me,’” Abraham recalled. He added: “In my experience, most players don’t allow coaches to coach them as hard as we coach Deni. And he doesn’t just accept it. He wants it.”
(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Growing up in Israel, shooting on a bedroom mini hoop emblazoned with an NBA All-Star Weekend 2015 logo, Avdija dreamed of one day suiting up in that game himself. It took longer than expected, but on Sunday, Avdija was named a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team, finally fulfilling that dream, becoming the first Israeli ever to earn the honor and capping a breakout few saw coming.
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After all, it was less than two years ago that Avdija, despite being just 23 years old, was shipped off in a deal most experts considered a clear win for his former team. Yet here he is now, an All-Star putting up All-NBA-level numbers — 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game — and carrying a Blazers team that, according to the website Cleaning the Glass, without him would be languishing in the league’s cellar instead of hovering around .500 and chasing a Western Conference play-in spot.
The question, then, is what sparked this breakout? Was it a new system? A new role? A simple change of scenery?
Ask Avdija and he’ll tell you that all of that has played a part. But the true catalyst, he insists, is something deeper.
“I believe in myself more than ever before,” Avdija told Yahoo Sports recently, “and, because of that, I’m able to play more free.”
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You’d never know it now, watching him barrel his way to the rim and take over in crunch time, but there was a point not that long ago where Avdija was wrestling with feelings of doubt. He’d entered the NBA as a hyped lottery pick, someone whom the Washington Wizards were giddy to grab at No. 9 in the 2020 draft. Avdija was just 19 at the time and knew adjusting to life in the NBA would be hard. Still, he figured that within a few years he’d have things mostly figured out.
It was like, ‘Do I really belong here? Am I really going to be the basketball player I think I can become?’
Deni Avdija
Reality, though, proved to be more difficult. He’d landed on a Wizards team with playoff expectations. That meant a short leash. (It also meant adjusting to life alongside Russell Westbrook, a star known for demanding a lot from his rookies even when away from the court. “At, like, 10 p.m. before we’d go on a road trip, he’d text me a list of snacks he wanted, but they were crazy snacks that were impossible to find,” Avdija said with a laugh. “Like, Wavy Lay’s barbecue chips. No places carry Wavy, they just have flat ones.”) Avdija’s confidence waned. The looseness with which he had played in Israel — and the aggression which had allowed him to thrive — had disappeared. He’d miss a layup and stop attacking. He’d miss a 3 and stop shooting. Wizards personnel point to a December 2022 loss when the Los Angeles Lakers’ gameplan was to leave Avdija open from the perimeter and dare him to shoot. Avdija misfired on seven of his eight attempts and turned down numerous more.
“A lot of times you could see him become deflated,” said Wes Unseld Jr., Avdija’s head coach for three seasons in Washington. “He always held himself to such a high standard and, when he felt like he was falling short of that, he would let it affect him and compound.”
Three years into his NBA career, it looked like he had hit a wall. He couldn’t crack a double-digit scoring average. His shooting had regressed, with his 3-point percentage dropping below 30%. He was a good and eager defender, and a weapon in transition — especially when he could grab a rebound and go — but that wasn’t the future that scouts had envisioned years earlier during EuroLeague games when they saw Avdija, as a skinny teenager, running circles around grown men. It certainly wasn’t the future he had envisioned for himself.
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“It was like, ‘Do I really belong here? Am I really going to be the basketball player I think I can become?’” Avdija said. “The NBA is so hard and up and down, it’s very easy for a young guy to get sucked into those thoughts.”
In October 2023, the Wizards, under new management and looking to tear things down, offered Avdija a four-year, $55 million extension, the going rate for an average role player. The goal was to lock him into a team-friendly figure that could be easily slotted into a future trade. For Avdija, though, the contract did something else. “It made me feel like I had less worries,” he said. He also refined his shooting stroke — his 3-point percentage jumped to 37.4 — which provided room for the rest of his skills to flourish. He averaged career highs that season (14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game), making it the perfect time for the Wizards to flip him. On draft night in 2024, they traded Avdija to the Trail Blazers for a package that included two first-round picks.
Sitting with his parents in their apartment in Israel, where he was spending the summer, Avdija let the news of the trade wash over him. He was sad his time in Washington and with the Wizards was coming to an end. But what stood out most was how much the Blazers had given up.
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“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a lot,” Avdija said. “And seeing that, it was like, ‘They really believe in me, they really want me.’”
When Avdija reported to training camp a few months later, Blazers coaches and officials saw a different player than the one they had scouted in D.C. “It was clear right away that he was the best in the gym,” said Chris Fleming, a longtime NBA assistant who spent the 2024-25 season in Portland. But Avdija, still acclimating to his new surroundings, struggled once the games began. “I’m someone who gets very close to people, especially teammates and coaches,” Avdija said. “Having new ones and moving to a new city on the other side of America — it was tough.” Old habits resurfaced. “He’d make a mistake and be very hard on himself,” Fleming recalled.
As the year progressed, Portland began playing faster and adjusting rotations and offensive schemes. Little by little, Avdija grew more comfortable and confident with the ball in his hands. He played like an All-Star over the 2024-25 season’s final 20 games (23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists) and returned the following summer ready to make one more leap.
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When Jrue Holiday, Portland’s starting point guard, went down with a calf strain less than one month into the 2025-26 season — joining former No. 3 pick and fellow point guard Scoot Henderson, out since the summer with a hamstring injury — Splitter, who had taken over for the suspended Chauncey Billups in October, pulled Avdija aside. Since joining the staff in the summer, he and Avdija had talked about the first time Splitter had seen him play, around eight years earlier, when Splitter was a scout for the Brooklyn Nets watching EuroLeague games in Spain. Avdija at the time was a member of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, playing point guard, and now Splitter wanted to know if Avdija was comfortable doing so again.
Avdija, no longer harboring any doubts, didn’t hesitate.
Coach, he told Splitter, you know I can. You saw me do it when I was 18.
Deni Avdija’s mini hoop with an NBA All-Star logo on it. (Photo by Yaron Weitzman)
The confidence the Blazers have shown in Avdija has created a snowball effect. The more they believe in him, the more he believes in himself, the better he plays, which makes the Blazers believe in him even more, and round and round it goes.
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“My opinion matters now,” Avdija said.
Feeling empowered, Avdija’s become a battering ram. He leads the league in drives, attacking the paint like a halfback charging through the line of scrimmage. And yet, despite defenses knowing what’s coming — for example, 90% of Avdija’s drives are to his right — opponents have had no answers. Only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have taken more free throws than Avdija, and the 1.1 points per possession the Blazers generate on his drives rank in the 72nd percentile.
At 6-foot-8 and close to 230 pounds, Avdija is nearly as big as some of the league’s rim protectors. He’s stronger than many of them, too, with the Blazers’ medical staff marveling at the force he’s able to generate through his legs and core. Some opponents have accused Avdija of foul baiting, but Blazers coaches believe that what separates Avdija from other downhill specialists is his ability to marry brute force with a cerebral approach.
Take his James Harden-style rip-through that he’s perfected, a move that’s become one of the league’s most effective weapons. Avdija first began experimenting with it two years ago during practice. It felt good, and, like a scientist, he spent hours refining it. The footwork, the angles, how and when to extend the ball, how and when to pull it back.
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“I like to think about these things from the mental side,” he said. “So what’s hard for defenders? To ignore their instincts. And if you hold the ball out, your initial reaction is that you want to go grab the ball. It’s tempting.” Avdija said that, when driving, he’ll watch for the exact moment defenders reach out. “I know the patterns. And that’s when I extend my arms.” All the while, Avdija’s reading the floor and processing the positions of the other nine players on the floor.
“There’s a brilliance to him in his ability to process things,” Abraham said.
The proof is in the numbers. Avdija dishes out of his drives nearly 50% of the time, one of the league’s top marks, and a nearly seven-point jump from last season. He’s among the league leaders in points generated off assists. In other words, as defenses collapse on him, Avdija has turned that attention into opportunities for everyone else.
Avdija knows there’s still more room to improve. He turns the ball over too much. He can struggle scoring on those rare occasions when opponents are able to keep their hands off him or when officials swallow their whistles. “I just need to add a couple of counters,” he said. He’s become a knockdown 3-pointer shooter on spot-ups (40.7%) but puts up bricks when launching off the dribble (26.9%), meaning defenders can duck under screens and direct all their attention to walling off his drives. He’s also discovering how hard life can be as the No. 1 option.
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“Oh my God, when I have the ball at the top of the key now, they’re collapsing like crazy and throwing all sorts of traps at me,” he said. “It’s so different.” A recent focus among opponents has been forcing Avdija to his weaker side, though without much success. “You can try to stop me from going right, but it’s going to be very hard,” he said. “I use a lot of rejects (of the screens). Sometimes, you know, the big guys are screening and for me to go left, and I snake up to my right.”
But Avdija’s relishing the perks that come with stardom, too, and not just because it means future riches. He loves being in a position where he can shape his team’s culture, whether it’s by organizing dinners on the road, gifting all his teammates mini fridges for Christmas, or learning Mandarin so he can communicate with the Blazers’ Chinese rookie, Yang Hansen.
“I think that stuff’s really important,” Avdija said. “The NBA can be a brutal place, switching teammates every year, changing teams, things like that.”
The difference now is that, for the first time in his career, Avdija feels in control. The need to prove himself has dissipated. He’s at ease with who he is and comfortable with the player he’s become. Speaking a few weeks before the All-Star reserves were announced, you could hear it in his response when asked what it would mean to receive that honor.
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“It would obviously be a dream come true, but at the end of the day, there are a lot of great players that are not All-Stars,” Avdija said. “So, yeah, it would be nice to have that crown, but I’m not playing for that stuff. My goal is just to continue being me.”
The Bulls can’t extend White, due to the league’s 140% veteran extension limit, meaning he will go into 2026 free agency fully unrestricted.
This means the Bulls have a choice: They can either move White ahead of the deadline in order to get something for him as opposed to losing him for nothing, or they can hope to retain him this summer, without any insurance whatsoever.
Door No. 2 might be the most appealing, but door No. 1 is the safest.
The Bulls won’t get a ton for White, but that’s on them for not moving off the scoring guard earlier, so they’re unsurprisingly left dealing with the consequences of their own actions.
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What could they do to salvage some of that value? Well, they do have one bullet left in the chamber in regard to White.
His contract ($12.8 million) is immensely easy to match in any trade scenario, meaning even contenders could get into the bidding without much issue.
If the Bulls could create a small bidding war among the league’s elite teams for White’s scoring prowess, they might be fortunate enough to get a first-round selection, even if it’ll be heavily protected.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
We’ve all seen the reports that the Warriors are less likely to move Kuminga after the season-ending Jimmy Butler injury.
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But show of hands: How many believe general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Co.? Yeah, me neither.
This relationship is so over, both parties have re-installed Tinder. It’d be incredibly irresponsible for this relationship to linger any further, especially for Kuminga, who has never been given anything that resembles a steady role in order to develop.
While the league’s interest in the 6-foot-7 combo forward is seemingly lukewarm, surely there will be takers for a guy who has only one year left on his deal — a team option no less — and has proven he can put pressure on the rim virtually whenever he wants.
Kuminga has a ton of potential, and while it’s unclear as to whether he realizes it, NBA history suggests someone else will give him that chance.
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For the Warriors, it’s also a necessary step to get closure on a situation that has festered for at least two years, if not longer. No good will come from having Kuminga on the roster after the deadline, so let’s get this ship sailing, shall we?
Khris Middleton, Washington Wizards
Could the Washington Wizards have one more major move up their sleeve after acquiring Trae Young?
Most would argue they shouldn’t go all-in on a new timeline, and that’s certainly a reasonable take. But what if Middleton’s expiring contract can fetch something interesting that will help the young players develop at a more realistic pace?
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Middleton’s $33.3 million in expiring money is attractive, and the fact that Washington can add picks to any package only adds to the intrigue.
Will the Wizards go out swinging for Zion Williamson? Or possibly identify a long-term center now that they have their point guard in the fold?
This organization can go in so many different directions with Middleton that one eye has to be on them at all times before the deadline.
Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons
Harris’ $26.6 million in expiring money is not nothing, and as Kelly Iko and I recently discussed, the Pistons are too good to not make a big move before the deadline.
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That requires moving Harris’ contract, and possibly adding picks to the equation, to roll the dice on some big piece who can provide them with a legit chance of making a real push toward the Finals.
It’s necessary to note the Pistons need to do something now, as Jalen Duren — who is a restricted free agent this summer — is about to get paid. Handsomely.
Harris’ expiring deal represents a major part of the puzzle for what will ultimately be the final big piece for the Pistons and not using it would be a shame.
Whoever it is the Pistons bring in, whether it’s Lauri Markkanen or some other big fish, the Harris contract is utterly vital in getting something done.
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John Collins, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers made a good trade in the offseason, you’d think, for a scoring forward who can produce points inside and out, but their system has so far not catered to his skill set, meaning the 6-9 Collins might be more useful as an expiring trade chip (earning over $26.5 million) than as a player.
It should come as no surprise that the Clippers aren’t cheap, and with plenty of money locked up for next season, letting Collins just expire could be seen as a waste of an asset. He won’t fetch the Clippers some enormous return, but perhaps he could fetch them a contract that runs longer, allowing them to at least have a player (or two) to utilize Collins’ salary slot.
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If we know one thing about the Clippers, it’s that they don’t care about taking on players with off-court issues, and with that in mind, could Miles Bridges, whose deal runs a year longer, perhaps be interesting?
Collins would give the Hornets a more natural power forward who could return to them in the offseason on a cheaper deal, and the Clippers would add a player who has an additional year left on his deal who could give them an offensive bump.
