Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 107

The last couple of seasons have been rough for Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, as he played in just 16 games combined over 2017 and 2018 due to injuries. But with the 2019 campaign approaching, Olsen wants to prove he can still be one of the game’s best tight ends: “I’m gonna take this […]

New Orleans isn’t typically a city in which NBA players want to play, but Josh Hart might be an exception. Upon being acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans from the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that sent Anthony Davis to Hollywood last month, Hart apparently told New Orleans executive vice president David Griffin not […]

Lonzo Ball may have seen his opportunity with the Los Angeles Lakers come and go, but maybe that will actually be the best thing for him in the long run. Now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, Ball had this to say about his new fit: “I’m getting back to playing the style I’ve […]

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won nine games, snuck into the playoffs, upset the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round and then fell to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round. For the second straight year, Carson Wentz was not able to finish the season, […]

Kemba Walker ended up signing a four-year, $141 million contract with the Boston Celtics at the onset of NBA free agency, as the Charlotte Hornets were not willing to offer the point guard the full max. But did the Hornets even have to offer Walker a $221 million max deal to get him to stay? […]

The Oakland Raiders are coming off of yet another disastrous season in what has been a decade-and-a-half full of them, as they won just four games in 2018. However, the Raiders have had quite the makeover this offseason, adding the likes of Antonio Brown, Trent Brown, Tyrell Williams, and Lamarcus Joyner, among others, to their […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to part ways with franchise icon Russell Westbrook last week, trading him to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and some draft picks. Obviously, the draft choices are the primary part of the package for the Thunder, as Paul was merely included as a way of matching salaries. The problem […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a disappointing campaign in which they went 9-6-1 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, largely due to locker room issues. This offseason, the Steelers have undergone massive changes, trading away wide receiver Antonio Brown and seeing running back Le’Veon Bell officially walk. Because of […]

I’m not someone who is all that fond of the ever-increasing amount of NBA players who demand trades. I think it hurts the sport, and there is going to come a point where it starts driving certain fanbases away from the game. But if there is anyone in the NBA who should want out of […]

The Chicago Bulls won just 22 games this past season, marking their worst finish since 2002, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the Bulls moving forward. The much-maligned Chicago front office has actually done a solid job of assembling an impressive group of young talent, as the tandem of Wendell Carter Jr. and […]

The Detroit Pistons were the definition of an average team this past season, going 41-41 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pistons actually looked good at certain points of the year, and at other junctures, they looked terrible. Basically, they found their middle ground as a .500 […]

The Dallas Mavericks have missed the playoffs three years in a row, marking the first time that has happened since 2000. But with a young phenom in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on the mend, the Mavericks could be a tough team next season. The offseason has been a relatively quiet one in Dallas, as […]

The Charlotte Hornets are coming off yet another pedestrian season in which they won 39 games and missed the playoffs, marking their third straight year without a playoff appearance. The Hornets then went into the offseason with a huge decision to make on Kemba Walker, who was set to be a free agent. Charlotte ended […]

The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a 2018-19 campaign in which they won 54 games and were bounced out of the second round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers, and now, the future looks bright. The Nuggets are an incredibly young team led by do-it-all center Nikola Jokic and a couple of […]

The Houston Rockets were having an uncharacteristically quiet offseason until late last week, when they swung a blockbuster trade that sent Chris Paul and draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook. It was an odd trade, to say the least, but you just knew the Rockets couldn’t detached from the offseason festivities. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were the story of the summer until the Los Angeles Clippers swooped in and stole the show, landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the same night the weekend after Independence Day. The additions of Leonard and George instantly made the Clippers title contenders, and the fact that they also […]

The Miami Heat have had a busier offseason than expected. They came into the summer with zero cap space, but somehow, they were able to swing one major four-way deal. In the trade, the Heat sent Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers and Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers while receiving Meyers Leonard and […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which they won just 36 games and missed the playoffs, one year after it looked like things were finally turning around. Of course, the Jimmy Butler situation took center stage for the Timberwolves early in the season, with Butler demanding a trade and then going […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have had one of the busiest offseasons in the league, trading away superstar big man Anthony Davis and selecting Zion Williamson with the first overall pick of the draft. But while things looked like “doomsday” earlier this year when Davis requested a trade, the Pelicans have rebounded rather nicely. Of course, […]

Troy Daniels had received interest from the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder before ultimately signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. Daniels received a minimum deal from the Lakers, citing Anthony Davis and general manager Rob Pelinka as reasons why he chose Los Angeles. And as for […]

The Golden State Warriors still have an open roster spot, and general manager Bob Myers says the decision on who takes that slot will come within the next few days, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The last slot will be filled by a second two-way contract, with Myers mentioning 26-year-old wing Damion Lee […]

The Boston Celtics may not have the same types of high expectations they had a year ago at this time, but they are still ranked seventh in ESPN’s offseason NBA power rankings. The Celtics not only lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency, but they also traded Aron Baynes and saw both Marcus […]

The Orlando Magic are coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which they snuck into the playoffs as a 7-seed courtesy of an outstanding second half of the season, but ultimately fell to the Toronto Raptors in five games. The Magic have then gone on to quietly have a really nice offseason, re-signing Nikola Vucevic, Terrence […]

Kevin Durant departed the Golden State Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets at the start of free agency this summer, a decision that may have been inevitable for quite some time. Warriors general manager Bob Myers says that he spoke to Durant for an hour before he found out the decision, according to Logan Murdock of […]

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo may have been the talk of the town this season, and he may have just taken home his first MVP award, but now, things are about to get tougher. Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard feels there will be a ton of pressure on Antetokounmpo heading into next year: .@Chris_Broussard lists […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off of a 2018-19 campaign in which they won 60 games to finish with the best record in the league and then proceeded to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Going into the offseason, the Bucks knew they were […]

The New York Knicks entered the offseason with dreams of landing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Then, reality struck, and they ended up with Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton. To say that this summer was an unmitigated disaster for the Knicks would be putting it lightly, as they didn’t land a single max free […]

Dwight Howard just got traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, but he’s expected to hit the free-agent market soon. The big man seems open to playing for either of the two Los Angeles teams. His first stint in LA didn’t go very well, as he played for the Lakers during the 2012-13 campaign and contributed heavily […]

In a rather unexpected turn of events, the Oklahoma City Thunder have blown it up this offseason, trading away Paul George and beloved star Russell Westbrook for a massive haul of draft picks (and Chris Paul). It’s not like the Thunder could have improved if they didn’t decide to trade their two stars, so this […]

One of the biggest knocks against DK Metcalf in college—and one of the biggest reasons why he fell to the back end of the second round of the draft in April—was his questionable route-running ability. But now that Metcalf is a member of the Seattle Seahawks and may end up having a big role in […]

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee did not play at all in 2018 as a result of a torn ACL, and while he is expected to be ready to go for Week 1 in September, he is still taking his time in his recovery: ″I’m still taking my time,” said Lee, according to John Reid […]

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady turns 42 years old next month and is entering his 20th NFL season, but he remains pumped to play the game he loves. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Brady is “excited as ever” for the 2019 campaign and is getting closer and closer to being ready to report […]

The Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line was not good this past season. As a matter of fact, Pro Football Focus ranked it 27th in the NFL in 2018, which reflects the Bengals ranking 26th in the league in total offense overall. But to be fair, Cincinnati had some injuries along the line, and now that it […]

Former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin announced his retirement from the NFL last week, and he certainly doesn’t expect to be experiencing any financial issues now that the paychecks won’t be rolling in anymore. Why? Because Quin has been saving up for this moment: “That was all a part of the plan,” Quin said, per […]

Apparently, there is some hope that the Atlanta Falcons can reach a new deal with defensive lineman Grady Jarrett after all. Earlier on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that it seemed unlikely that the Falcons would be able to come to an agreement with Jarrett before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Monday afternoon, […]

Could future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning be on his way to landing a job in an NFL front office? We probably shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves just yet, but Manning has said that he has had discussions with a few teams about potentially becoming a general manager: “I’ve had talks with a few […]

Add former Tennessee Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan to the ever-growing list of NFL players who are retiring from the game at a young age. The 30-year-old has announced his retirement from football, citing his desire to affect the world outside of the sport: “My purpose in life is bigger than the game,” Morgan said, according […]

The Arizona Cardinals are entering the 2019 campaign with a new head coach at the helm in Kliff Kingsbury, meaning that the Cardinals have gone into the season with different coaches in each of the last three years. But unlike Bruce Arians and Steve Wilks before him, Kingsbury is expected to bring a different dimension […]

The Atlanta Falcons are not expected to reach a new deal with defensive lineman Grady Jarrett before the deadline on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Jarrett participated in Falcons minicamp, and there hasn’t been any indication that he will hold out of training camp. Atlanta placed a franchise tag on Jarrett earlier this […]