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The Thunder and forward Davis Bertans agreed to revise part of the sharpshooter’s contract, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
According to Scotto, if Bertans had appeared in 75% of Oklahoma City’s games this season, his partially guaranteed deal for 2024-25 would have become fully guaranteed at $16M. That clause has been removed. Instead, Bertans will receive a slight increase to his partial guarantee for next season, going from $5M to $5.25M.
Bertans has only played in five of the Thunder’s 17 games this fall, so it seems unlikely he would have hit the 75% trigger threshold. By agreeing to remove that clause, he’ll earn $250K.
The move won’t have an impact on Bertans or the Thunder in ’23-24, as his salary for this season is fully guaranteed at $17M.
Bertans, who turns 32 in a couple weeks, is averaging career lows of 3.4 points and 9.2 minutes per night. Nicknamed the “Latvian Laser” for his shooting prowess, Bertans holds a career mark of 39.7% from three-point range. He has converted three of his 12 looks from beyond the arc in ’23-24.
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Warriors have a head-scratching reason to keep Jonathan Kuminga
At this point, it's become painfully evident that Jonathan Kuminga doesn't want to play for the Golden State Warriors. He's lost trust in the organization, and he feels he deserves a bigger role, even though he has repeatedly failed to make the most of his opportunities in the Bay Area. Warriors owner Joe Lacob has always been protective of him, which is perhaps the only reason they never traded him. However, even though Steve Kerr doesn't seem to be fond of him as a player, the Warriors still hold hopes that he might become a star. Why have Golden State Warriors held onto Jonathan Kuminga? Ironically, that's the reason they don't want to send him to a divisional rival. According to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic, they just don't want him to blossom with the Sacramento Kings. "There is a sense from some people involved that there's a real reluctance not only to finally 'quit him,' if you will, but also to see him go up the road to another Northern California NBA team," Amick said. "It’s run by a guy in Vivek Ranadive, who used to be with the Warriors. And what if Kuminga blows up and becomes a total star?" Again, Amick reports that Lacob believes Kuminga can still turn out to be the two-way superstar the Warriors hoped he'd be. "From a personal ownership dynamic level, there are some folks that feel like that could be playing a small part. Again, that's not really relevant, because these other things are the real obstacles. But I mean, Joe—like a lot of owners—is very involved, too," he added. Essentially, the Warriors don't trust him enough to give him a long leash and let him grow through his mistakes there. However, they don't want him to do well somewhere else, either. Golden State Warriors need to cut Jonathan Kuminga loose Kuminga has been very difficult to deal with since he arrived in the Bay Area. But, to be fair, it's hard to feel differently about this organization when it seems to be actively trying to sabotage his development somewhere else. The Warriors and Kuminga are at a stalemate, and someone will have to blink first to reach an amicable solution to this saga. He doesn't want to be there, and the Warriors could use the cap space to find players they'd actually want to play.
Raiders' Pete Carroll admits disappointing truth about Ashton Jeanty
The Las Vegas Raiders had high hopes and expectations when they took Boise State phenom Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in this year's draft. It's becoming increasingly rare to see running backs drafted so high, but after watching him post one of the single greatest seasons in college football history, he looked more than worthy of that honor. So far, however, the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist has looked quite mortal in his first two games in the pros. Ashton Jeanty hasn't gotten off to a fast start in the NFL He logged 38 yards and one score in his NFL debut, and then logged just 43 yards on 11 carries in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. That's why Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had to admit that they needed to take things slowly with Jeanty. While he acknowledged that they hadn't done much to put Jeanty in a position to succeed, he remains optimistic about the RB's prospects. "We're just getting started (with Jeanty)," Carroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "He's breaking into the NFL. He's figuring it out. He'll get more carries. We have to run the ball more effectively. We only got (68 yards), and that's not enough. We need more than that. We're bringing (Jeanty) along. More will come." Ashton Jeanty knows he has to do better Jeanty is averaging 2.7 yards per attempt, which is a far cry from his 6.4 yards per carry in college. At least he knows he has to be better, and he believes it's just a matter of time before he gets used to the speed of the pros. "Last week it was on me, I didn't do a good job of reading the plays. I'll put it on myself again this week," Jeanty said. "Just getting used to the speed, honestly. Last week kind of felt like I was moving a little slower, this week felt better. Still not there yet, but once it happens, it will be good." Jeanty continued commenting on the situation on Wednesday. He didn't mince words. Jeanty has posted the fewest rushing yards (81) among players with at least 30 carries, and his next chance to turn the page will come in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders' beatable run defense.
Kyle Shanahan has surprising Brock Purdy update — 49ers are confident in QB situation regardless
Brock Purdy missed the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints with a toe and left shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1. At the time, there was a chance that the injury could keep the quarterback out multiple weeks, but now head coach Kyle Shanahan has provided what seems to be a positive update for this weekend's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Kyle Shanahan provides key update on Brock Purdy "He wasn't limited last week," Shanahan said. "He does have a chance [to play]," Shanahan said on Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. According to Wagoner's reporting, of the two injuries, the toe issue seems to be more significant, and it was considered the main reason Purdy didn't play in Week 2. It's similar to turf toe. He was in the 49ers' locker room after that game, though, and he told reporters that his status for the Week 3 game was, "we'll see." Connect those dots and it sounds like, at the very least, Purdy feels hopeful about his chances. If he's not fully back and able to go, he could also at least suit up and act as a backup for Mac Jones. San Francisco 49ers confident in Brock Purdy's backup If Purdy is out for the second straight week, Jones proved against the Saints that he can lead this team to a victory. The former first-round pick of the New England Patriots completed 26 of 39 passes against New Orleans for 279 yards and three touchdowns. On Monday, running back Christian McCaffrey was among the players in the locker room who expressed confidence in Jones. "In this league, whether or not you're a starter or a backup, you got to be ready to go at any point," McCaffrey said, per Wagoner. "In the NFL, you just never know. It's such a talented league and so many great players on the field. And Mac obviously is somebody who's proven himself already, but to have him as our backup is huge." Out of Alabama, Jones was selected with pick No. 15 in the 2021 NFL Draft as the "heir apparent" to Tom Brady in the final years of the Bill Belichick era in New England. He flashed talent but was never able to be consistent. He also had incredibly big shoes to fill, so a case could be made that he was doomed to fail from the very start of his NFL career. Jones started 42 games for the Patriots over three seasons, and he threw for 8,918 yards and 46 touchdowns compared to 36 interceptions. He's on a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the 49ers after spending the 2024 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
'You kept your mouth shut': College Football Hall of Famer praises Georgia star
Count College Football Hall of Famer and CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor among the fans of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who led the Bulldogs to a thrilling 44-41 overtime win against Tennessee on the road on Saturday. The SEC matchup was touted as Stockton's first true test as Georgia's QB this season. "I'm going to give the game ball this week to Gunner Stockton," Taylor said Tuesday. Added the analyst: "Gunner, you represent everything that's great about football and this sport. You kept your mouth shut and you delivered when it mattered most. You pushed all the chips in on yourself, you bet on yourself and you dropped a dime and rose to the moment when your best is needed." Gunner Stockton sat behind Carson Beck, Stetson Bennett Stockton is in his first season as a full-time starter for the No. 5 Bulldogs (3-0). He enrolled at Georgia in 2022 and sat behind Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck. However, the 21-year-old redshirt junior got considerable playing time in Georgia's postseason run last season. Stockton helped lead the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship Game win over Texas after Beck suffered an injury and also started in Georgia's College Football Playoff loss against Notre Dame. The matchup against Tennessee was Stockton's first career start against an SEC opponent. Against the Volunteers, he threw for 304 yards, two touchdowns and completed 74 percent of his passes. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound QB displayed poise despite playing in a hostile environment in a rivalry the Bulldogs have won nine consecutive times. Gunner Stockton threw key TD pass late against Tennessee In a 4th-and-7 situation with Georgia trailing 38-30 late in the fourth quarter, Stockton threw a 28-yard TD pass to wideout London Humphreys to give the Bulldogs a chance to tie. Stockton then converted a two-point conversion pass to Zachariah Branch to tie the score at 38. Stockton also contributed 38 yards rushing and a TD. Georgia HC Kirby Smart's offense is predicated on the power game, and Stockton executed the game plan perfectly. Taylor, who starred at Notre Dame from 1990-93, knows football, and he likes what he sees in the Georgia QB. "It was the way he blocked out all of the noise," Taylor said about Stockton. "Somehow he had humility but confidence."
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