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The injury-ridden Los Angeles Lakers will look to get back to their winning ways against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
The Lakers have lost five of their last eight games since March 8, when LeBron James suffered a groin injury that has kept him out since. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been dealing with nagging ankle injuries that held the duo out of Thursday's 118-89 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Los Angeles has also been without starting forward Rui Hachimura for the last 12 games due to left patellar tendinopathy in his knee.
The lone bright spot for the Lakers (43-26) on Thursday was the performance of rookie Bronny James. The younger James scored a career-high 17 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, matching Dalton Knecht's team high. Besides Knecht and James, journeyman center Alex Len (10 points) was the only other Laker to reach double figures.
Reaves and Doncic are listed as probable for Saturday's game. The elder James' return is imminent, as the 40-year-old has begun ramping up his on-the-court work in recent days. While James' status remains in question, a return Saturday hasn't been ruled out. The same is true for Hachimura.
"I think everybody is day-to-day, including LeBron and Rui," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "We knew post-All-Star break that this first three, four weeks was going to be tough. It's not getting any easier. This has been a very difficult stretch just in terms of the schedule and our guys have competed and played through a lot of stuff. That's just the reality of where we're at today. We've gotta continue to manage this stretch."
Chicago (30-40) doesn't have the same championship aspirations as this current iteration of the Lakers, but the Bulls have been the better team across their last eight games. Coach Billy Donovan's group has gone 6-2 in that stretch to fight firmly back into the Eastern Conference play-in picture.
The Bulls are coming off a 128-116 win over the host Kings on Thursday, led by 35 points from Coby White on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Kevin Huerter added 25 points for the Bulls in his first game back in Sacramento after the Kings dealt him to Chicago as part of the three-team deal that sent DeAaron Fox to San Antonio. The matchup also marked Zach LaVine's first game against the Bulls since the deal.
"I'm happy for (Huerter)," Donovan said. "He's a very good player. I think emotionally it's always tough, going back to a place. I'm sure it was tough for Zach tonight. Demar (DeRozan) did it coming to Chicago one time. Those guys put their feet into a place and they give you everything they have. When you move to the next place, it's always a little bit emotional. Obviously (Huerter) came up big tonight and made some big threes when they were gaining momentum."
White is the leading scorer remaining with Chicago following that trade, which saw the Bulls send LaVine to Sacramento in return for Huerter, Zach Collins, Tre Jones and the 2025 first-round pick that Chicago still owed the Spurs from the DeRozan deal four years prior. White, a sixth-year point guard, is averaging a career-high 19.8 points per game this season. Nikola Vucevic is the team's most valuable player, averaging 18.7 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game.
-Field Level Media
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Celtics Called Out for Trading Away Former First-Round Draft Pick
The Boston Celtics recently traded away a first-round draft pick, who ultimately became one of the best players in the league. The Celtics held the No. 30 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but instead of taking a player, the team opted to trade the pick, along with forward Enes Freedom's salary, to the Memphis Grizzlies in a contract dump situation. The Grizzlies chose shooting guard Desmond Bane with the pick, who established himself as one of the best players at his position in the league. More news:Former Celtics Forward Says His Injuries Are the Reason Jayson Tatum Became Superstar in Boston Although he's a bit undersized for a two guard, Bane provides rare two-way value on both ends of the court. On the Celtics, he could have flourished, but it never materialized. According to ESPN's Zach Kram, the trade has aged poorly, to the point where it could be one of the worst moves that the team has made since 2020. "This was a reasonable move at the time: The Celtics didn't have room on their roster for another young player, and trading Bane's draft rights allowed them to shed Enes Freedom's salary," Kram wrote. "Nobody expected the No. 30 pick to develop into the sort of player who'd one day command four first-round picks in a trade," Kram added. This summer, Bane was flipped to the Orlando Magic, where he figures to provide a massive upgrade to the team's backcourt shooting and scoring. "But Bane did, and Boston certainly could have used him over the past half-decade," Kram noted. "A solid defender for his position and career 41% 3-point shooter, Bane would have been a perfect fit in the Celtics' system." More news: Celtics Urged to Sign Former All-Star in Major Free Agent Move While Bane would have ended up on a big contract down the line, he fits the mold of the ideal Celtics player, providing consistent shooting at a high volume with impressive perimeter defense. He offers similar value as Derrick White, though he is younger and has much more basketball left in his career. While the Celtics could use Bane, the team still ended up winning the 2024 NBA championship and looks poised to challenge for a title for the next decade. More news: Celtics Could Trade $45 Million Guard in Major Roster Shakeup: Report For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Why as many as 100 NFL players are facing fines and potential suspension
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
Important Trade Stalls as Maple Leafs Dangle Bottom-Six Forward
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for a solution to their bottom-six surplus, and veteran forward Calle Järnkrok remains at the center of trade discussions. Unfortunately, according to The Fourth Period, trade talks surrounding the 33-year-old winger have failed to gain momentum. They write: “He has a $2.1M cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. The market hasn’t been vibrant, to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him.” Why Can’t the Maple Leafs Find a Taker For Jarnkrok? Järnkrok has quietly been on the trade block for much of the offseason, but general manager Brad Treliving has yet to find a taker. After adding several depth forwards this summer, the Leafs now face a crowded bottom six—and Järnkrok’s age, injury history, and $2.1 million cap hit through 2025–26 aren’t helping his value. Since joining Toronto, Järnkrok has appeared in only 71 games over two seasons, scoring a modest 28 points. While his defensive versatility and penalty-killing ability are assets, his declining offensive production and durability concerns have made teams wary. With training camp approaching, the Maple Leafs may be forced to keep Järnkrok on the roster—or retain salary in a deal—if they want to create space and flexibility. Dropping his cap hit down to just over $1 million would open up the market a little. Until then, the Swedish forward remains a trade candidate in limbo. This isn’t great news as moving Jarnkrok from the roster is an important item on the team’s to-do list. Treliving would like more cap space, and with Jarnkrok and David Kampf both still on the roster, it hampers the GM’s ability to do other things.
Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart
The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.
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