Jack Winter Articles - Page 72

LeSean McCoy touched the ball fewer times last season than any other in his standout 10-year career. But the factors associated with that reality – age, diminishing effectiveness, and his team’s multi-pronged approach in the backfield – didn’t stop the Buffalo Bills running back from appealing to another veteran runner to join him in Eastern […]

It was just a year ago that Julio Jones re-negotiated his existing contract with the Atlanta Falcons, increasing his 2018 salary by nearly $3 million to avoid a potential holdout. One problem: That raise came from his scheduled salary for this upcoming season, meaning he’s currently set to play at a number hardly indicative of […]

Only Kawhi Leonard knows for sure how much the Los Angeles Lakers’ penchant for dysfunction factored into his decision to sign with the cross-arena rival LA Clippers. As FOX Sports’ Cris Carter tells it, though, the Lakers “made a lot of mistakes” while courting the reigning Finals MVP, including leaking details of his meeting with […]

The Indiana Pacers have quietly undergone as significant an offseason roster shift as any incumbent playoff team. While there’s no consensus on how the Pacers’ collection of summer moves affects their ability to compete in the Eastern Conference both now and going forward, general manager Kevin Pritchard clearly believes his team’s biggest signing will continue […]

Jerry West and LeBron James aren’t just competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but also bragging rights in Staples Center and throughout the city of Los Angeles. As the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers gear up for championship contention both next season and going forward, though, West and James still managed to get […]

The Philadelphia 76ers lost Jimmy Butler, but aren’t necessary sweating his departure. Why? General manager Elton Brand re-made his team on the fly once it became apparent Butler wanted to play for the Miami Heat, using cap space that had been previously been reserved to sign Al Horford and refusing to let Butler walk away […]

Most franchises and fan bases are irked, at the very least, when incumbent players leave for big-market teams in free agency, but the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the Toronto Raptors is different. Not just because the pair helped lead the Raptors to their first title in franchise history, but because they […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, as frustrating and painful as it surely is to do admit, were going nowhere as formerly constructed. They bowed out of the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season in 2018-19, and absent a realistic means of gaining financial flexibility without making a major move, were even probably […]

Doc Rivers, to be clear, is not a supporter of Donald Trump. In fact, he’s gone out of his way in the past to decry the President’s policies and general worldview, which he believes sow unnecessary discord throughout the country. Forgive yourself for assuming otherwise on Saturday morning, though, when Trump retweeted an article about […]

The Philadelphia 76ers lost Jimmy Butler this offseason, but did well enough working through the parameters of his departure to arguably come out in a stronger position than they were before. By bringing in Josh Richardson in the sign-and-trade that sent Butler to the Miami Heat and using cap space that had been previously earmarked […]

Ivica Zubac has agreed to a four-year, $28 million to stay with the LA Clippers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Restricted free agent center Ivaca Zubac has agreed to a four-year, $28M deal to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers, Excel Sports agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July […]

DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, his agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Lakers, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports tells ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019 A four-time All-Star, Cousins […]

Russell Westbrook and his agent are in discussing his future with Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti in the wake of Paul George’s departure, a conversation that could lead the to 2017 MVP being traded prior to the start of next season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Oklahoma City’s All-Star guard Russell Westbrook and his […]

Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Toronto Raptors in free agency, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Free agent Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year, $7.5M deal with the Toronto Raptors, with a player option in the second season, agent Nima Namakian of BDA Sports tells @TheAthleticNBA […]

Kevin Durant’s mind was made up: He would team up with Kyrie Irving to join the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. Before his decision could officially be made public, though, the two-time Finals MVP apparently received a phone call that had him briefly reconsidering his plans. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Kawhi Leonard called Durant […]

The Toronto Raptors couldn’t have made a better case to Kawhi Leonard. They let him set the terms of “load management” during the regular season, shrugging off widespread criticism. They mortgaged the future by trading for Marc Gasol at the deadline, keeping pace in an Eastern Conference arms race. Nick Nurse pulled all the right […]

The forgettable nature of Mo Bamba’s debut campaign ensured his first official NBA offseason would take on an extra level of importance. Unfortunately, due to the injury that prematurely ended his rookie season, the former high-lottery pick will be somewhat limited this summer, too. Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford said before his team’s Summer League […]

Jarrett Allen is still the Brooklyn Nets’ center of the future. Whether or not the third-year big man is his team’s center of the present, though, is suddenly a question mark in the wake of Brooklyn’s drastic offseason overhaul. One thing for sure? Allen has no intention of giving up his starting spot in 2019-20 […]

Frank Kaminsky’s tenure with the Charlotte Hornets didn’t exactly go how he or the team envisioned. Now that he’s continuing his career with the Phoenix Suns, the former lottery pick is going to extra lengths to ensure he gets a fresh start – and ingratiating himself to his new team’s fanbase in the process. Kaminsky, […]

David Griffin has been the picture of poise since taking over as the New Orleans Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations in early May, but you wouldn’t have known it on Friday night – and understandably so. During the second half of Friday’s highly-anticipated game between the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks […]

The most highly-anticipated Summer League matchup in NBA history was interrupted Friday night by forces far outside Zion Williamson’s control. During the second half of the No. 1 pick’s professional debut between the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks, a massive earthquake that hit roughly 200 miles west of Las Vegas shook Thomas & […]

Before the 2018 NBA Draft, the major criticism of Luka Doncic as a prospect was the belief that he might already be near his ceiling. An above-average athlete at best with high-level skill and a keen basketball intellect as a teenager, skeptics assumed he’d be out-classed physically in the NBA, left with only so many […]

Ezekiel Elliott’s playing days are far from over. Just three years removed from being drafted, the Dallas Cowboys running back figures to be among the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL for at least the next half decade, health and availability provided. But after narrowly avoiding another suspension from the league office earlier this week, […]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement on Friday in support of former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who suffered a stroke on Thursday. “Since his full recovery from a stroke in 2005, Tedy Brucshi has provided inspiration to so many and positively impacted the lives of others by sharing his story and advocating […]

Tom Brady made abundantly clear last season that he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But even the most biased New England Patriots fans would have to admit that their quarterback, nearly two decades since he was drafted and firmly into his forties, is playing at a level decidedly below his peak. […]

The New York Knicks went a much different direction in free agency after missing out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Rather than spend their hordes of cap space on second-tier free agents, the Knicks signed a series of young veterans to short-term contracts that preserve their financial flexibility going forward. With that major shift […]

No one would argue that Giannis Antetokounmpo took the next step in 2018-19. Just because the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has already fulfilled his destiny as one of the best players in the world, though, hardly means he’s satisfied. In fact, if this recent Instagram post is any indication, Antetokounmpo seems to be training more diligently […]

Mark Cuban, it’s safe to say, is among the many NBA followers across the country frustrated with Kawhi Leonard. Not because his Fourth of July has been spent scrolling through Twitter for updates on the Finals MVP’s free agency destination, though, but because the Dallas Mavericks’ offseason plans are on hold until Danny Green makes […]

Jonas Valanciunas, it’s clearer now more than ever, is perfectly content to be playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. Just because his midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors turned out for the best, though, hardly means he didn’t feel complicated emotions after his longtime former team, after so many disappointing years of contention, finally took the […]

Dallas Cowboys superstar Ezekiel Elliott won’t be suspended after being briefly detained by police at a Las Vegas music festival in May, the league office announced on Wednesday. After the NFL conducted an investigation into the matter and Roger Goodell met with Elliott in New York earlier this week, the commissioner decided that the Cowboys’ […]

Another franchise legend may follow the lead of tight end Jason Witten by returning to the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, though, DeMarcus Ware’ potential reunion with the Cowboys would come on the sidelines rather than the playing field. The future Hall of Famer recently told the team’s website that he’d be […]

Kawhi Leonard may or may not be meeting with a contingent from the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Connecting the dots with the time-honored free agency tradition of flight-tracking, though, it certainly seems likely the reigning Finals MVP, at the very least, is in Toronto. As noted by Stephanie Smyth of Toronto’s CP24 News, the private […]

Kyrie Irving rocked the NBA world by joining the Brooklyn Nets at the outset of free agency, bringing Kevin Durant along with him. But with the two-time Finals MVP poised to miss most if not all of his debut season in Brooklyn, it will fall on Irving to set a tone for the Nets – […]

The Chicago Bears had arguably the best defense in all of football last season. As 2019 quickly approaches, Eddie Jackson believes his team’s defense is poised to take another step forward – and perhaps challenge one of the most hallowed units in NFL history for franchise bragging rights. During a Friday appearance on SiriusXM NFL […]

Corey Joseph is moving on to the Sacramento Kings. Before closing this latest chapter of his career, though, the veteran guard went out of his way to the thank the Indiana Pacers for “two great years.” “Thank you Pacers for 2 great years playing for your organization. Shout out to all of the amazing fans […]

On this week’s edition of “The Bur-Lesson” with NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson, the retired 11-year veteran explains why he believes Odell Beckham Jr. is poised for a “monster” debut campaign with the Cleveland Browns. Burleson highlights the many physical attributes that have propelled Beckham to stardom since he was selected with the No. 12 […]

The Portland Trail Blazers mostly sat on the sidelines of the opening day of free agency. Re-signing Rodney Hood, picking up Mario Hezonja on the cheap, and letting Al-Farouq Aminu walk to the Orlando Magic would indeed change the fabric of the Blazers next season and going forward, but were hardly the type of league-changing […]

J.J. Barea, to no one’s surprise, isn’t going anywhere. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the veteran backup guard has agreed to a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum to return to the Dallas Mavericks. Free agent guard JJ Barea has agreed to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, […]

Joe Haden has been one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most reliable players since the team picked off the scrap heap following his shocking release by the Cleveland Browns in August 2017. Now that the three-year, $27 million contract he subsequently signed with Pittsburgh is about to expire, both parties would prefer to work out a […]