The Milwaukee Bucks always add a veteran point guard late in the season. This year, it's Goran Dragic's turn.
ESPN Sources: The Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as frontrunners to sign guard Goran Dragic. He has connected with a few contenders since Bulls waived him, but the East-leading Bucks have moved to forefront of reaching a deal with Dragic.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 2, 2023
The Bulls waived Dragic after they added Patrick Beverley, who pushed incumbent starter Ayo Dosunmu to the bench and Dragic out of the rotation entirely. Now, the Bucks are poised to add the 36-year-old guard. They have an open roster spot, and it's become an annual tradition.
Milwaukee and Coach Mike Budenholzer love adding veteran point guards around the trade deadline. It happens nearly every year.
Last year, they signed Jevon Carter in February. In 2021, they added Jeff Teague, who played 16 playoff games in their run to the title. In 2019, it was Tim Frazier. Even in 2018, before Coach Bud was hired, they signed Brandon Jennings.
The only exception was 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic may have wrecked their usual point guard addition plans. Is it a coincidence that they got blown out in the second round that season?
With Jrue Holiday and Carter on board, the Bucks seem set at point guard, especially with a player who couldn't get on the court for the 11th-place Bulls. But why mess with tradition?
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It has been roughly six months since the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most stunning blockbuster trades in NBA history, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis appear to still be missing one another. Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February as part of the deal that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. The 10-time All-Star has since spoken about how he remains close with LeBron, and some strange social media activity on Tuesday seemed to illustrate that. LeBron and Davis both shared the exact same cryptic quote on their Instagram stories on Tuesday. They each posted the quote at around the same time of the day, too. The quote said, “Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.” Fans were left a bit confused. The move looked like one a high school couple might pull after a breakup, but a lot of time has passed since Davis was traded. Some people speculated that LeBron might be sending some sort of message to the Lakers, as there have been rumblings that the 40-year-old is unhappy with his current situation. James and Davis were teammates on the Lakers for five-plus seasons and won an NBA title together. One report claimed LeBron had grown frustrated with Davis prior to the trade, and James had a very enthusiastic response to that. For whatever reason, the two pals felt the need to share the same cryptic quote.
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore, who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of, but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been named in a lawsuit that was filed in Hawaii on Friday. Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, are being sued by a real estate investor and a broker in Hawaii who have accused Ohtani and Balelo of sabotaging a $240M real estate deal for a development on the Big Island. According to court documents that were obtained by Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press, real estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto say Ohtani and Balelo deliberately had them removed from the project “for no reason other than their own financial self-interest.” The lawsuit claims Ohtani was brought into the deal for his promotional value and that he and his agent pushed the founders of the project out using “threats and baseless legal claims.” “Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all — celebrity or not.” Hayes and Matsumoto have also accused Ohtani and Balelo of trying to push them out of a similar neighboring development project. The $240M Big Island development is located along Hapuna Beach, which is rated one of the top beaches in the world. Matsumoto was supposed to be the listing agent for the properties, which average more than $17.3M each. A brochure for the project stated that Ohtani, who was called “Japan’s Babe Ruth” has committed to buying one of the 14 properties and acting as a “celebrity spokesperson” for the development. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The two-way star is having another monster year with a .284 average, 42 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.013 OPS entering Tuesday. Ohtani has also returned to pitching this season and has a 2.37 ERA across 19 innings. Ohtani was also connected to a massive gambling scandal last year, though Major League Baseball determined that the 31-year-old was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has faced questions about some alleged screenshots from his Venmo account, and the school is reportedly investigating the situation. Screenshots and videos that were widely circulated on social media Monday claimed to show multiple Venmo transactions linked to Mateer that contained the phrase “sports gambling.” The two main transactions in question were on Nov. 20, 2022, which was when Mateer was a freshman at Washington State. The alleged transactions that referenced “sports gambling” were between Mateer and a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, who is believed to be one of Mateer’s former Washington State teammates. While some have questioned whether the screenshots could have been altered, there were also videos that appeared to show people actively scrolling through the account that is believed to belong to Mateer. According to a Tuesday report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mateer has denied to Oklahoma officials that he has ever been involved with gambling. The school is still planning to investigate further, however. Mateer issued a statement on his X account denying being involved in sports gambling, explaining that the descriptions seen on his Venmo account are "inside jokes" with his friends. "The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false," Mateer wrote. "My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. "I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling." Oklahoma also issued a statement saying it has “no reason to believe” there is going to be an NCAA investigation. Rules prohibit student athletes or team staff from betting on any sports that have NCAA championships. One of the alleged screenshots connected to Mateer had a reference to “UCLA vs. USC” in addition to “sports gambling.” Penalties for an athlete who has been found to have gambled on prohibited sports can include a loss of eligibility. Mateer had his first full season as a starter last year at Washington State. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mateer entered the transfer portal after last season as one of the top players available, and he had a disrespectful gesture when announcing his commitment to the Sooners.
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