Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 122

When a middling team gives up a first-round pick in a midseason trade for a player whose contract will be expiring in a few months’ time, re-signing them in free agency becomes a must. And that’s exactly what the Toronto Raptors did when they agreed with Jakob Poeltl on a four-year, $80 million deal that […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a rapid ascent. Not only are they well set up for the future due to their impressive war chest of future first-round picks, but they are also boasting arguably the most impressive young core in the NBA. First-team All-NBA selection Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is only 24 years old, while the […]

The Washington Wizards may be headed for a full-scale roster teardown, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll deliberately be putting as terrible of a product on the court as they could. Bringing back Kyle Kuzma on a four-year, $102 million contract certainly signifies that the Wizards, at the very least, would want to keep assets […]

It’s shaping up to be an offseason of goodbyes for the Philadelphia 76ers. Not only is James Harden likely to don another uniform to begin the 2023-24 season, the Sixers also bid farewell to Georges Niang, Shake Milton, and Jalen McDaniels, three players who were major parts of the rotation this past campaign. And it […]

The Indiana Pacers entered the 2023 NBA free agency as a team to watch out for given their abundance in cap space (they could have had even more room had they traded away certain players). Before free agency officially began, they dealt away Chris Duarte to the Sacramento Kings, clearing even more space as they […]

The USMNT is on an upward trajectory. That much is clear. Even without the presences of their biggest stars, such as Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Weston McKennie, the USMNT still made quick work of their opposition on the Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday night, thrashing Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 thanks to yet another marvelous […]

The Portland Trail Blazers traded for Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason with the intention of convincing Damian Lillard that the franchise is serious about competing for a championship. While the Blazers weren’t particularly close, missing out on the playoffs after punting on the end of the season yet again, they remained adamant about wanting […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are at a crossroads. With James Harden opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season with the intention of requesting a trade, there’s a possibility that Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, could soon ask out from the Sixers as well if he feels as if there’s a stronger chance of him […]

Klay Thompson has been an instrumental part of the Golden State Warriors dynasty, that much is certain. But as the Warriors know all too well, keeping a championship-level core together is an expensive endeavor. They even had to trade away Jordan Poole for Chris Paul with the intention of cutting future costs in mind. Soon […]

At first glance, the Golden State Warriors don’t look like the ideal on-court fit for Chris Paul, as much of a seasoned veteran as he may be. The Warriors’ offensive system doesn’t exactly rely on a single player commandeering the offense. They love to swing the ball, with players in constant motion maximizing the game-breaking […]

The Golden State Warriors appear intent to go all-in on winning another championship next season, if their Jordan Poole for Chris Paul trade was any indication. But will the Warriors decide to do the unthinkable and shop yet another player many thought would be a huge part of the post-Stephen Curry iteration of the Dubs […]

The New York Yankees are riding high at the moment. Not only did Domingo German toss a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night, they have now won five straight games, keeping them right in the thick of the tight American League playoff race at the halfway point of the season. However, given […]

The San Antonio Spurs have a bright future ahead of them. Not only did they draft Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, but they also have a young core boasting the likes of Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Malaki Branham to round out the roster. To top […]

Austin Reaves has emerged from a beloved rotation piece to one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ most important players. Reaves’ crafty ballhandling as well as his penchant for drawing fouls has made him such a valuable part of the Lakers’ offense — just in time for his foray into free agency. But keeping him may […]

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters of all time. That fact pretty much cannot be disputed. However, marksmanship on the basketball court does not exactly translate seamlessly to other sports. Thompson certainly had to learn that the hard (if funny) way during his and Stephen Curry’s The Match […]

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German made history by throwing just the 24th perfect game in MLB history, blanking the Oakland A’s, 11-0, on Wednesday night. While German’s baseball achievement is worth celebrating given how rare perfect games are, some fans are not able to separate the art from the artist — perhaps for […]

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German has done it, becoming just the 22nd player in the modern baseball era and the fourth in franchise history to throw a perfect game with an all-around evisceration of the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night. German, who entered the night coming off two consecutive rough starts, allowing 15 […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder blew past expectations during the 2022-23 season. For a team that was projected to win around 20 games, the Thunder almost made the playoffs due in large part to a major breakout campaign from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And now, it seems like the Thunder are ready to take the next step, especially […]

For much of the 2022-23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers roster was crying out for a game-changing defensive presence. And in February, they finally got their man, acquiring Jarred Vanderbilt (along with D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley) for Russell Westbrook’s huge expiring contract. Beyond Vanderbilt’s defensive versatility and presence on the glass, what made the […]

It was a sad day for the American football world on Tuesday night when Ryan Mallett, a quarterback who played for seven years in the NFL, passed away after a drowning incident in Florida. Mallett was only 35 years old, making this tragedy an even more excruciating heartbreak. The entire footballing world, as a result, […]

The Los Angeles Clippers know that building a contending team around Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is a race against time. In fact, there have been rumblings about a potential pivot from the Clippers, with George’s name even reportedly landing on the trade block. But it definitely seems like the Clippers will be riding out […]

The Sacramento Kings appeared to give a sneak peek of their free agency plans when they dealt away the 24th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft (Olivier-Maxence Prosper) to the Dallas Mavericks so they could dump the salary of Richaun Holmes. Ridding themselves of Holmes’ contract allows them to become major players in free agency. […]

The Los Angeles Clippers know that time is running out on their Kawhi Leonard-Paul George core. Leonard and George have been injury-prone over the past few seasons and they’re not getting any younger, making it of utmost importance for the Clippers front office to find the right championship formula sooner than later. The Clippers’ decisions […]

The Golden State Warriors’ roster for the 2023-24 season is beginning to take shape. After much speculation brought forth by the Warriors’ turbulent 2022-23 campaign, they finally traded away Jordan Poole, although it’s fair for fans to wonder whether getting a 38-year old Chris Paul in return was the best return they could have gotten […]

The Boston Celtics are not messing around. On the eve of NBA Draft night, they dealt away longtime point guard Marcus Smart, who’s been with the team since 2014, for Kristaps Porzingis and two first-round picks. The trade signifies that the Celtics are going all-in on their current core, as a hefty luxury tax bill […]

The Atlanta Hawks, despite already boasting the talents of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, drafted guard Kobe Bufkin with the 15th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. And it’s not hard to see why: Bufkin, as the kids say, has that dog in him, which bodes well for his ability to contribute for a […]

There is no clear-cut best team in the mediocre division that is the NL Central, but the Cincinnati Reds are making their case. After all, there is no hotter team in all of MLB than the Reds, winners of 12 games in a row after holding off the hard-charging Atlanta Braves, 11-10, on Friday night. […]

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani continue to dazzle for the Los Angeles Angels. On Friday night, this dynamic duo showed once more why they’re one of the most feared one-two punches in the MLB — perhaps even in its entire history. At the top of the fifth inning, with the game still tied at 2-2 […]

James Harden’s free agency remains one of, if not the most pressing matter in the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason. Harden, for all his faults, remains one of the best playmakers in the NBA today. Losing him for nothing — perhaps to the Houston Rockets — would make it difficult for the Sixers to continue building around […]

The Atlanta Hawks have been ever-so-present in trade talks for the past few months or so. John Collins, in particular, has been the subject of trade rumors aplenty for what has seemed like the duration of his career. However, rumor has it that the entire Hawks roster apart from Trae Young may be available in […]

At first glance, it seems like the Washington Wizards pulled a fast one over the Golden State Warriors, squeezing them dry in the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Bay in exchange for Jordan Poole. The Warriors ended up trading away, in addition to Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., the team’s first-round pick in 2022, […]

The Golden State Warriors sent shockwaves around the league hours before the 2023 NBA Draft when they sent Jordan Poole and a bunch of assets to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul. This trade signifies that the Warriors are going all-in on winning a championship next season, as they traded away a player many once […]

On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers were reportedly all in agreement on a three-team trade framework that would have sent Malcolm Brogdon to LA in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Amir Coffey, and a few draft picks. However, the Clippers backed out of the trade due to concerns regarding […]

The Chicago Bulls made one of the smartest moves of the 2022 offseason by plucking nascent floor general Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans for cheap. Ball was blossoming into one of the best 3 and D point guards in the association, and he quickly emerged as a strong fit alongside the more ball-dominant […]

The Chicago Bulls franchise is in a state of limbo at the moment. Not only does losing yet another lottery pick to the Orlando Magic courtesy of the Nikola Vucevic trade sting, but they have a few decisions to make this offseason on which direction to take, as riding it out with their current Zach […]

Not a single person in the world expected any other outcome, but seeing the San Antonio Spurs officially select Victor Wembanyama as the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft was still a sight to behold. Wembanyama is one of the most hyped-up prospects in NBA history, and it’s not hard to see why. […]

There has been plenty of trade talk surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers and the third overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. But in the end, the Blazers kept the pick and selected Scoot Henderson, whom many believe is the second-best player of the draft after Victor Wembanyama. The fit alongside Damian Lillard and Anfernee […]

The Atlanta Hawks made waves during the 2022 offseason when they traded away three first-round picks and a pick swap (along with Danilo Gallinari) for All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray. Murray was coming off the best season of his professional career, and the Hawks believed that despite playing in the same position as their best […]

In what is shaping up to be yet another crucial offseason, the Miami Heat cannot afford to whiff hard on moves that could upgrade the team on the margins. After all, the likes of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus will soon enter free agency, and they could very well command contracts that could be far […]