Category: Sports

Here is everything the Trail Blazers have received in return for Damian Lillard (so far)

This is MUCH better than what Miami reportedly offered.

After months of speculation, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard. In return, they have received a hefty package of players and picks.

The seven-time All-Star was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns. He was traded alongside former teammates Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

In return, the Trail Blazers received a package centered around Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday. Portland, however, then re-routed Holiday to the Boston Celtics and landed two helpful players (Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon) and additional draft assets.

RELATED: The fallout from the Damian Lillard trade might have the Trail Blazers in big trouble with the NBA

Portland sends:

  • Damian Lillard
  • Jusuf Nurkic (to PHX)
  • Nassir Little (to PHX)
  • Keon Johnson (to PHX)

 

Portland receives: 

  • Deandre Ayton (via Suns)
  • Robert Williams (via Celtics)
  • Malcolm Brogdon (via Celtics)
  • Toumani Camara (via Suns)
  • 2024 1st-round pick (via Warriors)
  • 2029 1st-round pick (via Bucks)
  • 2029 1st-round pick (via Celtics)
  • Two first-round pick swaps with Bucks (2028, 2030)

So that’s three first-round picks and two pick swaps as well as a former No. 1 pick (Ayton) and other valuable assets.

Meanwhile, the package could grow a bit more before it is all said and done. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers are expected to keep Williams to pair alongside Ayton in the frontcourt.

However, the trade package could continue to grow if Brogdon is traded to another team before the season begins at the end of the month.

All things considered, this return is obviously much better than anything the Miami Heat reportedly offered.

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Penn State is (rightfully) practicing without music to prepare for Northwestern road trip

It’s not weird if it works!

Evanston, Illinois is a wonderful place to spend a fall Saturday morning.

From strolls along Lake Michigan to the numerous small shops in town to the crave-worthy bites at Sarkis Cafe or Edzo’s Burger Shop, the suburban Chicago neighborhood offers a perfectly quaint and quiet start to the weekend.

An emphasis on the “quiet” part makes it very unlike almost every other Big Ten town and presents some bizarre challenges for teams coming to face Northwestern. Take the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions, who travel to Evanston this Saturday for an 11 a.m. local time kickoff at Ryan Field.

How on Earth is a team that just played its annual white-out game supposed to prepare for that kind of environment in an all-important conference game?

If you’re Penn State coach James Franklin, you try to match the intensity of the Northwestern crowd at practice — or rather lack of intensity.

This week that’s meant the unusual step of actually going through parts of practice without any music playing, The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder, something that’s almost antithetical to how college teams operate.

If you just let out the biggest of “oofs” you’re probably not alone. But that also doesn’t mean Franklin is wrong here. Northwestern averaged 28,697 fans at Ryan Field last year — a stadium that seats 47,130 — which was down 2,099 fans from 2021 per HailToPurple.com. Through two home games in 2023, Northwestern is averaging 17,500. Teams typically go off of tickets sold rather than how many people pass through gates to calculate attendance though it’s unclear if Northwestern operates this way.

Judging from the highlights the team posted from last week’s overtime win against Minnesota, there weren’t too many fans who stuck around for the end regardless.

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Northwestern has very recent and well-documented issues with both its football program and the stadium it calls home. Neither need to be rehashed here.

So in all seriousness: What else is Franklin supposed to do?

His team has an obvious lull in the schedule (the Nittany Lions play UMass next week before traveling to No. 4 Ohio State) and with playoff aspirations, and even a Heisman campaign, in the balance, the coach has to keep his team focused and prepared.

At the risk of giving the Wildcats bulletin board material, Franklin really had no other choice. A silent portion of practice is probably as close as he can get to recreating what it’ll be like to play in Evanston. Unless he wants to try forcing his players to run drills after eating a Sarkis’ bacon loretta, which speaking from personal experience, is possibly the worst idea of all.

ESPN did not include Bronny James in latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft

Bronny was previously projected as a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Bronny James was not included in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

James, whose father LeBron is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, suffered from cardiac arrest in July. James was a McDonald’s All-American and he is an incoming freshman at USC.

Back in February, Givony projected James as a top-10 pick in the first edition of his 2024 NBA mock draft. Then in Givony’s second edition, published in June, James was projected at No. 17 overall.

While we have received positive updates about James following his health scare, it makes sense why Givony would include the incoming freshman in this mock draft.

James is reportedly “doing very well” but did not participate with the team for USC’s first practice of the season. USC head coach Andy Enfield did not provide further comment about James’ medical status.

LeBron has previously stated that his intention is to play alongside Bronny in the NBA before retiring.

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Jon Rahm had a hilarious reaction to Sam Burns’ rough tee shot at the Ryder Cup

Rahm signaled the ball was going very much left.

Ah, the Ryder Cup: Where it’s perfectly acceptable to rip on a fellow golfer on the other team. Isn’t it the best?

While we may not get the crowd shushing we all know and love, we did get a somewhat subtle piece of trash talk on Thursday morning as the competition began at Marco Simone in Italy.

Sam Burns was on his way to losing 4&3 with partner Scottie Scheffler, when he stepped up to the tee on No. 14 and hit one left. You can see Jon Rahm walk behind Burns and signal where the ball was going.

Like I said, subtle! But very funny, and Rahm and partner Tyrrell Hatton could do that because they were dominant:

For more info on players, scoring, schedule and more, check out our Ryder Cup hub!

I ruined the recording of my interview with J.J. Watt, but here’s what I can remember

J.J. Watt is crushing retirement with beer giveaways, Burnley investments and fatherhood

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Such was the case when, after a really great interview with the legendary football player J.J. Watt, I realized that my recording only picked up half the conversation. Not only was it just half of the conversation, it was my half. The useless half.

Well, I didn’t want the really great interview — trust me, it was super good — to go to waste, so I’m trying to remember all the best parts.

Here we go.

This fall football season looks entirely different to Watt. For the first time in over two decades, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Pro player isn’t part of a football team.

Watt, a Wisconsin native, retired from the sport after the 2022 season. He spent 12 years in the NFL, with a decade of that with the Houston Texans before rounding things out with the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite being incredibly good at football, it seems as though Watt is not very good at retirement. On second thought, maybe he’s excellent at it. Since stepping away, Watt has hit up the popular Taylor Swift Eras Tour, golfed (a lot), thought about starting a podcast, tried wakeboarding, visited Europe, signed a deal with CBS to do some on-air work and invested in the English football club Burnley.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrtNuCLA8d0/

And that’s all since March.

Watt and his wife, NWSL star Kealia Watt, welcomed their first son, Koa, back in October of 2022. Things have been essentially non-stop since. Part of J.J.’s “new” life is just getting to enjoy his family and free time. In true Watt family tradition, brothers Derek and T.J. are in a dead-heat battle to win the title of “Best Uncle” for Koa, something that started between J.J. and T.J. with Derek’s children.

While the season may look a little different, it hasn’t dampened his love for the game. Instead of taking the field each week, Watt has attempted to hone his multitasking skills while also vocally supporting brother T.J.’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign with the Steelers.

The midwesterner has also started dabbling with partnerships, teaming up with Old El Paso and giving away Miller Lite to 99 lucky winners.

Watt thinks he and his brothers could easily crush the 99 beers together, and concedes that Americans don’t stack up with the English when it comes to drinking songs (sorry, 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall), It’s unclear what he might get into next, but it is clear that Watt is making the most of his retirement (and that Kealia should act in more things… she’s a star with limited screen time).