I thought Texas and Oklahoma announcing their move from the Big 12 to the SEC was big last summer. This beats that day by a mile. Yesterday was crazy, from conference realignment news to NBA free agency to hirings, let’s recap and review some of the biggest headlines from yesterday:
Hornets forward Miles Bridges arrested in Los Angeles
It happened Wednesday afternoon, but Miles Bridges was arrested and booked on a felony domestic violence warrant. TMZ broke the news first. He was released later that day on a $130,000 bond. Through their Public Relations (PR) Twitter account, the Hornets released a statement on the matter:
Mychelle Johnson, the wife of Bridges, posted disturbing details on her Instagram account about the issue.
WARNING: NSFW as it includes details of abuse
On Tuesday, the Hornets extended a qualifying offer to Bridges, with general manager Mitch Kupchak saying, “As an organization, we love Miles. We are going to bring him back. He has been great for the franchise, and I believe, with his work ethic, he’s only going to get better.”
It’s a big blow to the Hornets, who definitely didn’t see this incident coming. It will be interesting how they handle the situation, as his actions should not be tolerated by any franchise.
USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024
This was the most unexpected news of the day, as two of some of the Pac-12’s longest-tenured schools are joining the Big Ten Conference in 2024. The only schools in the Pac-12 that have been in the conference longer are California, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, and Stanford. USC joined in 1922, while UCLA joined in 1928. The future of the Pac-12 is extremely uncertain right now, with more members reportedly reaching out to the Big Ten to also make the move. Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC (which will happen in 2025) now make more sense compared to this new move. The move to the Big Ten makes zero sense geographically, as the closest school, Nebraska, is over 1000 miles away from USC or UCLA. Not to mention how annoying it must be to travel from Los Angeles to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and vice versa. I have always been against major conference realignment, as this paves the way for potentially a Power 2 of the SEC and Big Ten. I don’t think this is good for college sports, as this is all driven by money, with college football the main factor. It’s another giant domino that has many of the Power 5 schools panicking about what to do. If you’re in the SEC or Big Ten, you’re set. I’m worried for the future of the Pac-12, Big 12, and ACC. The ACC has a grant of rights deal that goes into the mid-2030s, requiring a $50 million exit fee. There are so many questions about what’s next. What will happen with Notre Dame? What about the ACC? Big 12? Is college football just going to be SEC vs. Big Ten from here on out? If the ACC loses any members, I suspect Clemson, Miami, and Florida State would be the most likely to leave. There’s also the scenario of the Big 12 adding members from the Pac-12 in order to stay alive. It’s about the survival of the conferences now. Throw academics out the door. These conferences outside of the SEC and Big Ten need to act fast before it’s too late.
Nets forward Kevin Durant requests trade, prefers to be traded to the Suns or Heat
About 30 minutes or so after the news of the conference realignment of USC and UCLA, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced that Kevin Durant, one of the NBA’s best players, requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Guard Kyrie Irving opted in on his contract with the Nets, committed to staying with the Nets and being teammates with Durant. However, with the news that Durant requested a trade, it’s rumored that Irving should be on the market, and there’s potential for a package deal of Durant and Irving. Even though the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat are at the top of Durant’s wish list, the Nets are looking for what would be the best trade for them, where they can get strong assets for the two future Hall of Famers. This comes exactly two years since Irving and Durant joined the Nets, making it full circle for the Nets. The Nets have only won one playoff series with those two on the roster. So, where will Durant and Irving go? Who will teams offer to give up in order to make the trade happen?
Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson signs 4-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks
The first free agency news came just after it started at 6 PM ET yesterday, with the least shocking news of all. Jalen Brunson is headed to the Knicks. Brunson found stardom in Dallas, where he was the clear #2 guy for the Mavericks in this year’s playoffs, making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. The Knicks made a few transactions to clear the way for Brunson to come, including trading guard Kemba Walker to the Pistons, where he was bought out to become a free agent. It’s a gamble for the Knicks, who really showed out in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Will it pay off, or will the Knicks screw it up yet again? The deal includes a player option on the final season.
Wizards guard Bradley Beal agrees to 5-year, $251 million max contract to stay in Washington
Bradley Beal’s name has come up as potentially leaving the nation’s capital to seek better options. The Wizards have yet to find success after the prime years of John Wall resulted in multiple exits in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. There were rumors that Beal was looking to head to Boston, where he wanted to team up with fellow St. Louis native Jayson Tatum. With their lottery pick used on Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis, the backcourt could have great potential with those two. Is the deal an overpay? Or did Beal deserve the contract he agreed to? I think it’s a slight overpay for a team that needs to build their team back to the NBA Playoffs.
Boston Bruins reportedly hire Blues assistant Jim Montgomery as head coach
It won’t be official until today, but it seems the Boston Bruins have found their successor to Bruce Cassidy. Jim Montgomery’s contract as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues expires today, but reports came out yesterday that he’s the guy Don Sweeney wants. Montgomery was a head coach with the Dallas Stars from 2018 to 2019, where he was fired 31 games into his second season. He had a lot of success at the University of Denver, winning the 2017 NCAA Championship after making the Frozen Four the year before.
Nets trade 2023 first-round pick for Jazz’s Royce O’Neale
Easy trade for the Utah Jazz to make, as they get the Nets’ first-round pick next year, which could be a high pick if the Nets fail without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving next season. This trade went under the radar with all the news that came out yesterday, but I think the Nets got absolutely fleeced.
Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons agrees to 4-year, $100 million contract extension
Holy overpay. Simons had the best season of his young career, but giving him this extension is bad for the Trail Blazers, however. He took superstar Damian Lillard’s role as Lillard was rehabbing from abdominal surgery for most of the season. Like the Royce O’Neale trade, this was under the radar (I just heard of the news as I was researching for this post) with all the sports news.
Thunder guard Luguentz Dort agrees to 5-year, $87.5 million deal to stay in OKC
Lu Dort had a career-high average of 17.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with the Thunder last season. The Thunder declined the $1.9 million team option for Dort, making him a restricted free agent. They instantly sign him with a well-earned contract for a team with lots of youth and potential.
Free agent center Andre Drummond agrees to 2-year, $6.6 million deal with the Bulls
It went under the radar, mainly because he’s not in his prime years in Detroit anymore, but the Bulls add one of the best rebounders of the 2010s, who will come off the bench and, hopefully, produce.
I think that covers everything. Yesterday was one of the craziest days in sports in the last few offseasons, and free agency is just getting underway. I’ll have a recap on the 2022 NBA Draft soon, and wrap up the summer with free-agency recap, while getting you all ready for college football season, which kicks off in Dublin, Ireland, this year.
Calhoun's Corner 