Anthony Edwards on LeBron James dropping 38 in Game 3 of Lakers-Timberwolves #nba #anthonyedwards #lebronjames
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The NBA season just ended a few weeks ago and hype around the next season is already building up. This mainly happened after Lakers star Luka Dončić went through a drastic physical change and appeared on the front page of Men's Health. Seeing his dedication, many believe that Dončić is going to dominate the upcoming season and Colin Cowherd agrees. He feels that the Lakers forward is going to be the best "Luca was not in good shape. He was puffy. He was injured in camp to begin with, with Dallas pre-trade. I think Luca is going to have his best year as a pro. I think Luca is going to average about 31 a game." Cowherd boldly predicted. "I think he's in impeccable shape," he continued. "And I think you're going to see a real separation on most nights with Luca and LeBron. I think Luca is going to play like the best player in the league next year." Colin Cowherd Believes that LeBron James Comes Second to Luka Dončić It's no surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to make Dončić the new face of the team. They are moving away from LeBron James and rightfully so, because he doesn't have many years left in his career. "The Lakers, more than any organization in the history of North American sports, the Lakers always have a great face of the franchise," Cowherd said. "Luka's clearly the number one. LeBron's clearly the number two, and he knows it."
The New York Jets opted to cut Aaron Rodgers and sign Justin Fields to replace him during the offseason. This kind of commitment to Fields should bolster his confidence, but it could also place a lot of pressure on his shoulders. To this point, Fields has looked solid in training camp, aside from a scary toe injury that was quickly resolved in July. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently reported that Fields' training camp may have reached a new low over the weekend as the young signal caller struggled. "Justin Fields put together his best practice of the summer to this point on Friday, completing his first 12 passes en route to an excellent all-around performance. The same can't be said about his showing on Saturday, however," Fried wrote. "Fields finished the day an abysmal 2-of-10 in the air, including a drop from rookie tight end Mason Taylor. "Some of his incompletions were catchable balls, but the Jets' passing game struggles on Saturday can largely be blamed on No. 7. Fields did flash his running ability with a 25-yard rushing score on the first play of red-zone drills, but the Jets would like to see more consistency in the air from the starting quarterback. Saturday's scrimmage was far from his best showing of the summer." Fields is a runner first at the NFL level, but his arm is nothing to scoff at. For most of training camp, his arm talent has been better than advertised, but during Saturday's scrimmage, it just wasn't there. A 2 for 10 performance is unacceptable for a $40 million quarterback who was signed to take over the team. The running game should open up the passing game for the Jets, which is going to need to be the case if Fields is going to struggle like this. However, it's just one day of camp. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Just because Fields lost this specific practice doesn't mean he's heading in the wrong direction as a whole.
The Washington Commanders have Super Bowl intentions for the 2025 NFL season, and OC Kliff Kingsbury believes fans will see even more from certain players in the year ahead. Kliff Kingsbury, who has head coaching experience in the NFL, returned as an offensive coordinator in 2024. He was hired as the offensive coordinator entrusted with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the results were sensational. With Daniels’ help, Kingsbury built one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and the Commanders may have even more depth than many are anticipating. Kingsbury praises Luke McCaffrey for development ahead of 2025 season The Washington Commanders were electric in 2024. Jayden Daniels threw for 3,568 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, while rushing for another 891 yards and six TDs on the ground. Terry McLaurin led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, totaling 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 scores. Beyond that, the team had a lot of contributing pass catchers, including veteran tight end Zach Ertz, and receivers Olamide Zaccheus, Noah Brown, and Dyami Brown. Zaccheus and Dyami Brown both took deals to play elsewhere in free agency, so the Commanders replenished the room with the trade for Deebo Samuel, and the additions of both veteran Michael Gallup and fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane. However, one name that has flown under the radar as he enters his second season in the league is 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey, who is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers running back and NFL star Christian McCaffrey, is hoping to make a bigger impression in 2025. Kliff Kingsbury talked about his development this week, saying: “Luke’s come a long way from last year this time to now. Just the confidence, we’re playing him outside a lot for necessity … he’s definitely night and day difference from what he was last year this time.” Kingsbury also talked about the ‘worst case scenario’ with Terry McLaurin, if he did get hurt or wasn’t with the team for any reason in 2025. He said they were navigating who would play on the outside, and that’s one of the reasons they’ve been getting McCaffrey reps out there during training camp. Terry McLaurin’s trade request is allowing younger receivers reps with starting offense Terry McLaurin is a true professional, and when his contract situation finally gets resolved there is very little doubt that he’ll return to form immediately. That said, in his absence there are players like Luke McCaffrey who are seeing a lot more reps. Kingsbury talked through the potential personnel groups without McLaurin on the field, and it sounds like McCaffrey is proving he can be trusted as an X receiver, as well as playing out of the slot. In 2024, the third-round pick ran 76% of his reps out of the slot, but if the team knows they can also count on him at the X, he may see more playing time in 2025. McCaffrey finished his rookie season with 18 catches for 168 yards and will now be competing for reps this season with rookie Jaylin Lane and other depth pieces within the Commanders’ offense.
Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons has officially requested a trade. Heading into the second week of training camp, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Parsons are far apart on contract talks, with the All-Pro in the final year of his deal. With Parsons requesting a trade, there are plenty of teams lining up to acquire the services of one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Amongst speculation, the Seattle Seahawks could very well make a play for Parsons. Seahawks general manager John Schneider has been known to make splashes in the trade market, including trading for Pro Bowl defenders like safety Jamal Adams in 2020 and defensive end Leonard Williams in 2023. The Seahawks have $34M in cap space this year, and Parsons' cap hit is $24M this season. The trade would work regardless of who is included in the package, but the real question is: Will Parsons sign an extension? It looks promising for Seattle because Williams signed a three-year deal at the beginning of the 2024 season, and linebacker Ernest Jones IV also signed a three-year deal this offseason after he was traded to Seattle from the Tennessee Titans during the 2024 season. Package 1: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick and 2026 second-round pick for Micah Parsons and a 2026 fifth-round pick Schneider has made aggressive trades in the past. Take the Adams trade for example. In 2020, Seattle gave up their 2021 and 2022 first-round picks, a 2021 third-round pick and safety Bradley McDougald, to the New York Jets for Adams and a fourth-round selection. Schneider isn’t shy about paying a premium, and this would be a hard deal for Jones to pass up, especially since Dallas has shown no intent to pay Parsons $40M per season, a number similar to what linebacker T.J. Watt received from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. Package 2: 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick and edge-rusher Uchenna Nwosu for Micah Parsons and a 2027 fourth-round pick If Parsons were to sign an extension with the Seahawks, Seattle may be more inclined to give up more if it believes it's getting long-term value. Nwosu's deal expires at the end of the 2026 season; his cap hit is $11M this year and $20M the next. However, Dallas can save more than $11M if it cuts him, per OverTheCap.com, giving it flexibility if the 28-year-old underperforms. Nwosu was solid in his first two seasons with Seattle, totaling 9.5 sacks in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, he dealt with injuries and only played 12 games combined. For Seattle, this trade works as it moves on from an older, more expensive player, and Dallas adds two top-65 picks to its 2026 draft class. Package 3: 2026 second-round pick, 2026 third-round pick and edge-rusher Derick Hall for Micah Parsons There is no guarantee that Parsons signs an extension with Seattle, and with him in a contract year, it may be able to hold on to next year's first-round pick. Dallas gets Hall, who has been a productive player in spurts but has dealt with injuries early to start his career. The 2023 second-rounder has eight sacks in 14 starts over 34 total games. Hall shows promise, and Dallas also gets some decent draft capital for what could very well be a temporary addition for Seattle. If any trade were to be done, it would be one of the biggest player movements of the offseason, not just because Parsons is a big name but also because of the haul.
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