The Toronto Raptors have officially entered their offseason. The team will have their sights set on a busy draft and then free agency. When it comes to this Raptors roster there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick seem like the only untouchables going into next season. The Raptors will have many important decisions to make this summer. One of them is will the team bring back Gary Trent Jr. who is an unrestricted free agent? Trent Jr. is free to sign with any team. He is coming off a season with the Raptors that first saw him as the team’s sixth-man. Then he became a starter after Toronto decided to enter a rebuild. Trent Jr. played 70 games with the Raptors this season. He averaged 13.7 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from deep in 28 minutes per contest. He saw his scoring average decline from the 2022-23 season where he averaged 17.4 points per game in 32 minutes per contest. Trent Jr. recently spoke about his upcoming unrestricted free agency via Sportsnet’s Michael Grange:
“To be honest it’s really not my choice. They gotta want me, so it’s like I could say I want to come here, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t want me here. So again, at the end of the day, I would love to be anywhere I’m wanted, anywhere I can help contribute towards winning, anywhere that can see me as part of their future or sees me as part of something they got going on that would be great to be a part of.”
Grange believes Trent Jr. will have plenty of interest at the full mid-level this offseason, which would start at $12.4 million.
Trent Jr. is 25-years-old so he definitely still fits the Raptors rebuilding timeline. However, the Raptors main priority this offseason is to lock up Immanuel Quickley who is in line for a big contract.
For the Raptors to bring back Trent Jr. it will come down to if they can get him on a reasonable deal and if they see him part of the long-term plan in Toronto.
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Jalen Williams does not appreciate the suggestion that he is a cornball. The Oklahoma City star Williams fired back at his critics in an Instagram comment this week. Williams was asked by a user about what he would say to those labeling him as “corny.” “tbh the same people calling me corny couldn’t hold my water in real life,” said Williams. “prolly would ask for a selfie if we was face to face.” For context, the 24-year-old Williams made headlines this week by recreating an iconic photograph of Kobe Bryant. Williams recently underwent surgery on his right wrist and posed in the style of the famous 1999 photo of Bryant at the free throw line wearing pajama bottoms and a large cast on his wrist. The “corny” label is usually given to NBA players who are seen as acting in an inauthentic way, especially to gain respect on social media. That becomes particularly so whenever they involve the late Bryant (with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum also drawing “corny” criticisms in the past for invoking Bryant in his antics). Williams can probably do without the clout-chasing at this point since he has already very much arrived as an NBA player in his own regard. The ex-lottery pick was an All-Star, an All-NBA selection and an All-Defensive selection this past season. He then went on to win the NBA championship with the Thunder and was among several core OKC players who got rewarded with rich extensions as a result. That said, Williams is sometimes seen as a third fiddle with the Thunder behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. As a result, he tends to gravitate toward attention-grabbing stunts, and he does not care if he is labeled “corny” because of them.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
Being the backup quarterback isn't necessarily the most exciting role for anyone, but for a team like the Miami Dolphins, where starter Tua Tagovailoa has suffered four concussions since entering the NFL in 2020, it could be vital. As of now, a clear battle for that spot has formed between rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers and veteran former first-round selection Zach Wilson as they go head-to-head. Of course, training camp is where these kinds of questions can be solved, and so far, it appears that Ewers has done a good job in putting his best foot forward. On Friday, David Furones of the Sun Sentinel gave a very positive update on the young quarterback, stating, "Dolphins rookie QB Quinn Ewers had a strong third practice of training camp. Made several impressive, big-time throws." The update sparked conversations among many fans, both supporting Ewers and a serious showing that there's interest in seeing who comes out on top. "Show ‘em, Quinn," said one comment. "He just does a lot of things (anticipatory throws, timing throws, MOTF accuracy, etc.) that fit this system much better than what Wilson does. I think with refinement and development we could have a backup in Miami that can operate the offense efficiently…finally," said another. "Love to hear it!" a third added. A fourth stated, "I'd be surprised if he's not the backup.." "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Quinn Ewers has the physical tools to stick at the next level. It’s just a matter of shaping the rest," a fifth continued. "That’s QB2 potential QB1 in the future Glad we drafted Ewers," said another. Another big test for both Ewers and Wilson will be during the Dolphins' three preseason games, as the coaching staff will get a much better look at how these two perform during live matchups. Luckily for both, though, being the backup is all they're truly fighting for, as Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports predicts that each will make the final 53-man roster, with cuts needing to be made by Aug. 27.
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
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