The Pelicans are receiving “healthy” trade interest in veteran wing Javonte Green, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Green, 31, remained available on the free agent market for most of the summer before signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans in late August to help fill out their standard roster.
While he wasn’t necessarily projected to play a significant role, Green has seen the floor early and often this season for the Pelicans, who have dealt with a series of injuries to starters and top reserves and have yet to have a fully healthy roster.
In 38 games (14 starts) for New Orleans, Green has averaged 6.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 21.7 minutes per night, registering a solid shooting line of .469/.385/.776. The 6-foot-4 swingman is considered a solid, versatile defender who can match up with bigger wings and forwards.
Green also has trade appeal due to his contract, which can be acquired using the minimum salary exception without requiring a matching salary in return. All 29 other teams – outside of a small group who are operating less than $2.09M away from their hard cap for the season – would have the ability to trade for Green, including first- and second-apron clubs.
Trading Green and replacing him after the trade deadline with a player on a prorated minimum-salary contract would help the Pelicans slightly reduce their payroll. That’s an important factor to consider, given that New Orleans has never paid the luxury tax and certainly won’t want to do so for the first time this season for a roster that’s currently 11-32. The Pelicans are currently operating about $1.4M above the tax line.
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Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic spent about a year together as Dallas Mavericks teammates, and that was more than enough time for Irving to collect some incredible practice stories about his former teammate. During a recent Twitch stream, Irving opened up about some of the things he saw Doncic do during Mavericks practices. He revealed that Doncic would put up absurd stat lines against his teammates, and once scored 24 points against someone in a three-minute span. “He’s giving you probably 60, 18, and 18,” Irving said. “I witnessed him give somebody 24 points in three minutes.” Based on Irving’s description, the big numbers feel like a fairly common occurrence. That might not quite be Caitlin Clark-levels of dominance, but it is pretty impressive all the same. There are some indications that Doncic is also starting to get his fitness in order. That might spell very bad news for opposing teams, and even opposing players in Los Angeles Lakers practices.
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
The Indiana Fever’s starters turned in a strong all-around effort in Thursday’s 80-70 win over the Las Vegas Aces. The starting unit scored at least 13 points each, save for Aari McDonald, who registered nine points in 22 minutes of action. Indiana’s starters combined for 76 out of the team’s 80 points on the evening, which only means that the four other players who came off the bench accounted for just four points in the game. All that came from Sydney Colson, who went 2-of-5 in 18 minutes of playing time. Lexie Hull, Makayla Timpson and Damiris Dantas all failed to score in the win. Stephanie White Calls Out Fever's Bench Be that as it may, offense wasn’t even the biggest concern for head coach Stephanie White. In her postgame press conference, the veteran shot-caller called out Indiana’s bench for their lack of intensity on the defensive end, particularly in the first half. “Our bench has to be ready,” she said. “I felt like our bench in the second half was really good defensively. In the first half, I didn't feel that way. You got to be ready to come in and you got to be ready to guard your matchup and execute the game plan. "We have depth for a reason. We've got quality depth and we've got to be able to use it. So if fatigue is a factor in execution, then they just need to ask for a sub and I'll get them out and get them back in." It has been a bit of a busy stretch for the Fever at the midway point of the season. Thursday’s matchup against the Aces was their second game in three nights, and they will be back in action again on Sunday in a rivalry showdown against the Chicago Sky. White, however, isn’t accepting fatigue as an excuse. This is regardless of the fact that Caitlin Clark remains out with a re-aggravated groin injury. White is adamant that this roster has been built for adversity, and she didn’t hesitate to put her bench on notice after Thursday’s showing.
Ichiro Suzuki delivered an amazing speech as he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and it even included a surprising swipe at one of his own former teams. During the iconic speech, Ichiro took the time to thank each of of the three MLB teams that he played for across his 19 MLB seasons. When he arrived at the Miami Marlins, he made a hilarious wisecrack about how he had never heard of the team before they offered him a contract in 2015. “And to the Miami Marlins: I appreciate David Samson and Mike Hill for coming today. Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015, I had never heard of your team,” Ichiro joked. Many were surprised to hear Ichiro deliver his speech in English, as he almost always used an interpreter in interviews during and after his playing career. The fact that the 51-year-old was able to entertain the crowd while not speaking in his native language made the speech even more iconic. While thanking the New York Yankees, Ichiro had a funny comment about how his former teammates were only there to support CC Sabathia, who was also being inducted into Cooperstown. Ichiro is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, and fans have enjoyed seeing the less serious side of him in recent months. Earlier this year, he also took a hilarious shot at the lone Hall of Fame voter who snubbed him. Ichiro called out the voter again during his speech on Sunday.
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