With nearly 24 hours before the 2025 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets have made their first move of the offseason.
ESPN's Shams Charania announced Tuesday that Brooklyn, the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics had agreed to a three-team trade including:
Mann, 29, is set to make $15.5 million next season and is under contract through the 2027-28 season. He's coming off a resurgant 30 games with Atlanta after being acquired in February's Bogdan Bogdanovic trade. After landing with the Hawks, Mann turned in 9.8 points on 54.1% shooting on a nightly basis.
Along with Mann, Brooklyn adds another first-round pick to its 2025 portfolio. No. 22 joins numbers eight, 19, 26 and 27—giving the Nets five total selections in the first round. For context, no NBA franchise has ever made as many as four first-round selections,
Immediate reaction: Mann is a premier role player and should be a seamless fit in Jordi Fernandez's system, and this is certainly not the only move Brooklyn will make before tomorrow night. It would be. a shock to see GM Sean Marks utilize all five first-rounders, limiting his flexibility in terms of roster construction for the remainder of the offseason. Consolodation is coming, it just depends on how high the front office aims.
The Nets' search for a second lottery pick is well documented, with most projecting it would cost two later firsts plus Cam Johnson to get a deal done. After Tuesday's trade, Johnson may no longer need to be included to achieve this goal.
This type of trade is exactly what all indications pointed to the Nets attempting to do before Kevin Durant was traded from Phoenix to Houston, but after those two sides managed to work things out on their own, Brooklyn pivoted to Porzingis.
While it is the first transaction for what likely will be a busy offseason in Kings County, it certainly won't be the last—especially since the draft is mere hours away.
Expect more buzz to emerge throughout the night and well into tomorrow.
More must-reads:
The Boston Celtics have been very busy this offseason with the moves that they have made. They have already traded two starters to other teams in an effort to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Brad Stevens made it clear that it was his number-one goal this offseason. It's not a goal he has achieved yet, as they are still around $20 million over the second apron. Because of that, it seems they have been trying to reroute Anfernee Simons after getting him back in the trade for Jrue Holiday. It doesn't look like that is imminent, though. More news: Former Celtics Forward Claps Back at NBA All-Star on Social Media After Random Troll Boston is still trying to find a new home for him, but they aren't in any rush to do so. According to Heavy Sports, the Celtics are keeping their eyes open for a trade partner, but aren't going to accept a bad deal just to part ways with him. “You never know, but the team they have now is probably the team they’ll start the year with,” one GM said. “They could get themselves involved in some blockbuster. But they’re not in a hurry to make that move (on Simons).” Simons is a good player and a good fit for the Celtics when it comes to on-court production. He is a great 3-point shooter who can get hot any night from beyond the arc. For a team that launches more 3-pointers than any other team in the NBA, Simons would be a perfect fit. He is someone who doesn't need the ball in his hands to score. More news: Celtics Front Office Slammed for ‘Gap Year’ Planning Boston is hoping to shed Simons' salary, even though it is an expiring deal. If they can't, they'll have to find some other players to part ways with in order to get under the second apron. Simons would certainly help the Celtics stay as contenders in the 2026-27 season, if he's still on the roster. Stevens will make that decision within the next couple of weeks. This past season with the Trail Blazers, Simons averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line. More news: Former Celtics Champ Laps Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh in Latest NBA Top 100 List For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
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