Preston Byers Articles - Page 3

Although he will soon be eligible to sign a lucrative contract extension, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is committed to representing his country at EuroBasket this summer. Doncic, whom the Lakers acquired in February from the Dallas Mavericks, may be in the United States over the next week or so, possibly even overlapping when […]

The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons are officially at odds, with the latter holding in while waiting for Jerry Jones and Co. to negotiate a contract extension. At times this offseason, it seemed as though the two sides might be able to reach a deal without protracted negotiations or hard feelings. However, that’s not really […]

The Los Angeles Clippers have had one of the best offseasons of any NBA team, but Bill Simmons has a James Harden-sized problem with the Clippers. Although the Clippers have been widely praised for their signings of Bradley Beal, Chris Paul and Brook Lopez, the acquisition of John Collins, and the re-signings of Nicolas Batum […]

Like his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams signed a gigantic contract extension this offseason. After cementing himself as Gilgeous-Alexander’s co-star en route to an NBA championship, Williams inked a five-year extension earlier this month that is currently worth about $240 million but can be worth as much as $287 […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have made some moves to shore up their depth this offseason, with Marcus Smart’s signing being the latest such transaction. Upon announcing Smart’s arrival, team president Rob Pelinka hyped up the impact of the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. “Adding a player like Marcus Smart to our roster allows us […]

The Denver Nuggets will not be signing superstar center Nikola Jokic to a contract extension this offseason. Although Denver extended an offer to extend Jokic’s contract for another three years and estimated $212 million, the three-time MVP declined, indicating he will enter the 2025-26 NBA season with three years and $177 million left on his […]

The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons still have not come to a deal on a contract extension, and that’s because there is no extension even officially on the table. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys, despite supposed discussions with the All-Pro edge rusher, have not offered Parsons a deal. “He may know how the […]

Despite back-to-back seasons with at least one team lagging far, far behind any other and reaching near-record levels of losing, Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred is defending the owners. Manfred, who represents the heads of the 30 MLB franchises, said some owners who are viewed as cheap are doing so because they know […]

Despite statements to the contrary, the Boston Celtics are reportedly eager to trade Anfernee Simons. The Celtics acquired Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a deal to offload Jrue Holiday, who, coincidentally, Boston initially acquired from Portland two years ago. And while Simons, a talented 26-year-old combo guard, would seem like a […]

UCF football coach Scott Frost recently spoke regretfully of his time with the Nebraska football program, which he served as the starting quarterback and, decades later, head coach. But Urban Meyer thinks Frost probably regrets doing that. During a Big 12 Conference media day, Frost, who spent parts of five long, unsuccessful seasons as the […]

Shaquille O’Neal’s affinity and admiration for Stephen Curry are well-documented, but his latest claim about the greatest shooter of all time is still quite bold. While on the ‘Off The Record’ podcast, Shaq discussed the idea of replacing Kobe Bryant on the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers and how that would have affected their championship […]

The Phoenix Suns are not in a complete rebuild, but they began a large renovation, so to speak, this summer with Devin Booker at the center of it. Booker, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2015, has been an integral piece to the team’s rise from bottom dweller to the NBA Finals. But following their […]

As it had done several times in the past, the United States’ men’s basketball team definitely did not dominate the 2024 Olympics, signaling that the rest of the world is catching up to the American powerhouse. And that could spell bad news for Team USA in 2028, when they try to defend their title on […]

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to come to a deal with Micah Parsons, but the All-Pro seemingly isn’t worried. Despite the Cowboys slowly working on another extension — it took months for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to finalize deals last year — Parsons appears confident that he’s not only going to get a good […]

If LeBron James is traded, the Dallas Mavericks are one of the favorites to acquire him from the Los Angeles Lakers, despite how unpopular the most recent Lakers-Mavericks blockbuster trade was. Unlike when the Mavericks stunningly dealt Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February for Anthony Davis and Max Christie, James will be hyper-aware of […]

Utah Jazz management has said recently that they are looking to compete, but in a notoriously deep and tough Western Conference, it is unclear how realistic that goal is in the short term. That, as well as some offseason moves, is why some believe Lauri Markkanen could be traded sooner rather than later. With the […]

The Denver Nuggets, as they have done for several years now, relied very heavily on Nikola Jokic this past season, and head coach David Adelman is fully aware of that. Jokic, who has won three of the last five NBA MVPs, has been the center of the Nuggets’ offense, in particular, for the better part […]

The Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason has been a bit wild, but the biggest move some had begun to expect — a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade — has not happened. After another first-round playoff loss, as well as the devastating Achilles injury to Damian Lillard, it appeared as if Antetokounmpo might ask out of Milwaukee to compete with […]

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers very well may be approaching a breakup, and it might have a lot to do with Luka Doncic. While James and Doncic have long admired each other, the Lakers’ treatment of Doncic has reportedly rubbed James, the NBA’s oldest player, the wrong way. And it could lead to […]

The Memphis Grizzlies will look a bit different next season following the trade of Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, which Ja Morant barely could believe. Bane, the last pick of the first round in the 2020 draft, had spent the first five seasons of his career in Memphis, playing alongside Morant as the Grizzlies’ […]

Recent New Orleans Pelicans first-round draft pick Jeremiah Fears doesn’t lack confidence, that’s for sure. Fears, who fittingly wears the number 0, was asked by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin during the NBA Summer League what his ideal career would look like 10 years from now. “Top 2 point guard of all time,” Fears said. “[I] bring […]

Newly acquired Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant isn’t taking back what some perceived as a slight to Michael Jordan. On LeBron James and Steve Nash’s ‘Mind the Game’ podcast, Durant said, in regards to the constant commitment of playing professional basketball at an elite level, “Some people say, ‘I wanna go play baseball. And then […]

After parts of three seasons with the Miami Heat, Kevin Love was traded as part of the deal that netted the Heat Norman Powell. And while no one would argue that Love, 36, is better than Powell at the current stages of their careers, one of Love’s former teammates expressed dissatisfaction at how the trade […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are almost certainly very eager to sign Luka Doncic long-term after acquiring him in February, but it might be a while until they can do that. Doncic, 26, was traded by the Dallas Mavericks in a shocking deal to the Lakers ahead of this year’s deadline, sending shockwaves throughout the NBA, […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are securing the long-term future of their franchise this offseason. Earlier today, OKC and Chet Holmgren agreed to a five-year maximum rookie contract extension, which could, if certain conditions are met, be worth up to nearly $250 million. But the Thunder, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania says, are turning their attention […]

Rumors have been swirling around LeBron James since Rich Paul hinted at the ‘King’ being traded more than a week ago, but Brian Windhorst, who has covered James for a long time, is effectively ruling out another Cleveland Cavaliers reunion. James, a native of Akron, Ohio, was drafted by the Cavs in 2003 and led […]

LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, have been making noise so far this offseason, leading some to believe James wants to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. One NBA insider, though, does not believe that to be the case. Almost immediately after James opted into his $52.6 million player option, signaling he would […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are in the process of reshaping their roster after an up-and-down 2024-25 season, and team president Lawrence Frank says there is more to come. During the moratorium period of NBA free agency, the Clippers mostly stood pat, re-signing James Harden and Nicolas Batum, in addition to replacing Drew Eubanks with free-agent […]

The Washington Commanders’ negotiations with Terry McLaurin don’t appear to be going very well. Following his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season and a year in which he nearly doubled his single-season touchdown total (13, previous high was 7), McLaurin has made it clear he wants a long-term extension. He and the Commanders, however, have not come […]

Brook Lopez is officially a part of the Los Angeles Clippers, which seemed to catch some by surprise. As The Athletic’s Fred Katz illustrated, it is not shocking Lopez signed with the Clippers — they reportedly agreed to a deal shortly after teams and players could officially begin negotiating with each other — but rather […]

Over the past years, the New York Knicks have been lauded for their turnaround from a perennial lottery team to an Eastern Conference contender. But this offseason is not being viewed as a success so far for New York. For many years, the Knicks were among the NBA’s most disappointing teams; despite one of the […]

The Cincinnati Bengals and star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson have had a rough time negotiating a contract extension with Hendrickson using the media to call out the Bengals for allegedly cutting off communication following the draft. Things may be improving, though, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “So it’s been a little sticky for sure, like […]

Josh Giddey is a restricted free agent, and there might be a gap in extension figures between Giddey and the Chicago Bulls. Drafted sixth overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey was acquired by the Bulls last June in exchange for Alex Caruso. In his first season in Chicago, Giddey proved to be a valuable […]

Since the introduction of the aprons in the NBA salary cap, the league has undergone somewhat of a transformation. But that’s not necessarily why some teams are signaling a degree of “caution” about signing long-term contracts. Although the aprons, particularly the second apron, have greatly affected how many teams do business, several have bitten or […]

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is under investigation by MLB and has been placed on paid leave as the investigation is conducted. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Zack Meisel, the investigation centers on gambling. “Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” through the end of the All-Star break as […]

To say front offices around the NBA do not think highly of the New Orleans Pelicans’ executives would be a massive understatement. In the aftermath of the Pelicans’ stunning and highly criticized draft-day trade with the Atlanta Hawks, insiders have begun to report how dysfunctional and incompetent the New Orleans front office is believed to […]

The Philadelphia 76ers’ first season with the trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey was nothing short of a disaster, with all three dealing with injuries as the Sixers immediately went from Eastern Conference contender to one of the worst teams in the conference. Now, after drafting VJ Edgecombe with the third pick, […]

The Milwaukee Bucks made an unprecedented move yesterday when they waived Damian Lillard’s massive contract in order to create space to sign Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner. While some have applauded the Bucks for being creative in upgrading their roster immediately, considering Lillard, 34, was expected to miss the entire next season due to […]

It would seem likely that Nikola Jokic sticks around with the Denver Nuggets for a while, and yet, it is by no means a guarantee that the three-time NBA MVP signs an extension anytime soon with the team. Jokic signed a five-year, $276.1 million ‘supermax’ contract extension with the Nuggets in July 2022. He has […]