The Boston Celtics handled the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of their first-round series, earning a 103–86 victory behind a strong performance from Jayson Tatum, who recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
However, concern quickly spread when Tatum took a hard fall after attempting a dunk. He braced himself with his wrist and remained on the floor in visible pain before eventually walking off. The contact came from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was assessed a flagrant foul for the play.
While X-rays came back negative—a promising sign for Tatum’s long-term outlook—ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Celtics have officially listed Tatum as doubtful for Game 2 on Wednesday night in Boston. As it stands, there's a strong possibility he could miss the game.
Celtics list Jayson Tatum as doubtful for Game 2 vs. Magic. https://t.co/ee3apqupgH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 22, 2025
Fortunately for Boston, they boast one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, a strength they’ve leaned on all season long. Whether it’s Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, or Kristaps Porzingis stepping up, or bench players like Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet seeing increased roles, the Celtics have repeatedly proven they can adapt.
Still, Tatum is the team’s biggest star, and his absence presents a prime opportunity for the Magic to steal a game on the road and bring the series back to Orlando tied at one apiece.
To make matters more concerning for Boston, Jaylen Brown is also battling through injury. He reportedly received pain management injections in his left knee to deal with lingering discomfort from an issue he suffered several weeks ago.
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The Golden State Warriors have had an underwhelming offseason thus far as they continue to deal with the situation surrounding restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga is still deciding on the next chapter of his NBA career after he fell out of Steve Kerr’s rotation last season. As of now, the only reported teams interested in Kuminga are the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns and it will be difficult for either of them to acquire him as they would have to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors. Golden State has already turned down trade offers from both teams and while the sides continue to talk, there could be another team that could enter the Kuminga sweepstakes. With this in mind, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would send Kuminga to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team deal that includes the Atlanta Hawks. In the trade, the Warriors would send Kuminga to the Clippers in exchange for Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Brown and three second-round picks while the Hawks would land Kris Dunn from Los Angeles. This would be an interesting trade for every team involved and one that is unlikely to happen due to the Warriors’ high asking price for Kuminga. The Clippers may also not be the best fit for Kuminga as he would likely come off the bench if they were able to acquire him where he would rather be in a starting lineup, which would likely be the case with either the Suns or Kings. Despite this, the Clippers lack young talent on their roster and they could elect to add Kuminga to build around him in the future whenever Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, James Harden and Bradley Beal are gone. While that may be the case, the Warriors would likely want more in return for their young forward.
First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been trying to instill civility at practice when tempers flare, but he has no choice but to stay idle as the Dallas Cowboys front office and Micah Parsons face off at training camp. On Friday, Parsons took to social media to announce he sent executive vice president Stephen Jones a request to be traded from the Cowboys. "Unfortunately I no longer want to be here," Parsons wrote, per a post on X. "I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. "I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me." Dallas didn't appear fazed by Parsons' request. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Cowboys have no plans to trade Parsons this summer, though multiple teams will plan to inquire about the three-time All-Pro pass-rusher. "The Dallas Cowboys have no intention of trading Micah Parsons, per sources," Russini posted on X. "Still, teams around the league are planning to reach out to check on his availability today." The Cowboys selected Parsons with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 draft. The four-time Pro Bowl nominee has recorded 256 tackles and 52.5 sacks during his four years in the league. The former Penn State standout has appeared and started in 63 games. Parsons missed four games last year due to an ankle injury. The Cowboys front office could have made the situation better by talking with Parsons' agent and keeping any issues with the star pass-rusher in-house. The Cowboys have another preseason distraction. This one is of their own making.
In the absence of progress at the negotiating table, Terry McLaurin went public with a trade request on Thursday. The chances of the Commanders dealing him away have long been viewed as low, and that remains the case at this point. A number of teams inquired with Washington about McLaurin prior to the news of his trade request. As Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report, though, the Commanders informed suitors they have no plans of moving on from the two-time Pro Bowler. The sides remain at an impasse regarding extension talks, so interest on the trade front will no doubt continue until and unless an agreement is reached. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes a number of issues (including overall value and guarantees) are yet to be resolved in McLaurin’s case. That differs from, for instance, the case of Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals. The AAV of a new Cincinnati agreement appears to have been hammered out, but the sides are at an impasse with respect to guaranteeing more than the first year of any new pact. It remains to be seen general manager Adam Peters and the Commanders will be willing to reach or surpass $30M per year on a long-term contract. While remarking on the situation, one general manager told Russini they liken this case to that of Haason Reddick from last year. Reddick engaged in lengthy holdout with the Jets while seeking an extension following his trade from the Eagles. In the end, a short-term compromise was made but Reddick’s debut was delayed until Week 8 and he departed in free agency after an underwhelming campaign. Any similar absence through the regular season — something which, to be clear, McLaurin has not yet threatened — would of course be highly detrimental to a Commanders team aiming to duplicate last year’s run to the NFC title game. During a Friday appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" (video link), NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said a trade cannot completely be ruled out at this point. The Patriots are known to be a potential suitor in the event Peters’ approach changes and consideration is given to a swap. Such a move would leave Washington with trade acquisition (and pending 2026 free agent) Deebo Samuel atop the WR depth chart. However, the Commanders have a star quarterback on a rookie contract, opening up a clear competitive window for them to build around Jayden Daniels before he commands a market-level salary. That would seem to include investing in a perennial thousand-yard threat like McLaurin — who already has an impressive rapport with his young QB. Coming to an agreement with the soon-to-be 30-year-old feels like an inevitability, whether it be before Week 1 or partway into the regular season.
As of the first day of August, there remained no indication that the Dallas Cowboys and star pass-rusher Micah Parsons were close to coming to terms on a contract extension. Parsons is in the final year of his rookie deal, so some understandably have wondered if he could follow in the footsteps of Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and use a trade request as a negotiating tactic. During Friday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Dan Graziano reported that he still believes "Parsons will be a Cowboy for a long time." That doesn't necessarily mean the two sides will come to terms on an agreement anytime soon. "I don't know, for a fact, that this contract gets done before [the] opening week of this season," Graziano continued. "[The Cowboys] do have the franchise tag available to them for 2026 and 2027 if need be." Graziano mentioned that the Cowboys have a history of getting deals done later than fans would like. Last summer, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb didn't receive his four-year, $136M deal until after Dallas finished its final game of the preseason. The following month, the news that quarterback Dak Prescott had agreed to a four-year extension broke just hours before Dallas' regular-season opener. T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers reset the market for edge-rushers when he agreed to a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed ahead of training camp. While it's expected that Parsons would become the new highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL if he signs a deal this summer, it's possible the two sides are waiting to see if Trey Hendrickson accepts an offer from the Cincinnati Bengals before September. It's unclear how, if at all, a Hendrickson deal would impact how much money Parsons hopes to make via his extension. "There's a chance that we could get into this season with Micah Parsons actually playing out the final year of his contract and confronting the possibility of a franchise tag next March," Graziano continued. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith recently attracted attention when he said Parsons should make it known he's "willing to sit out the year" if he doesn't receive his desired extension. Graziano noted that such a move isn't "feasible" because Parsons' current contract would toll, meaning he'd still have one season left on his deal in 2026. Dallas opens the 2025 campaign with a prime-time matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4. It sounds like Parsons will be in the lineup for that contest even if he doesn't sign an extension before that Thursday evening arrives.
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