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LA Lakers have inside track to sign 2x All-Star in new buyout deal, it would complete their roster
Celtics Could Have Unexpected Player Join Starting Lineup This Season, Says Insider
The Boston Celtics have made a flurry of moves this offseason. It's undoubtedly been the summer of change for the C's, and not in a way that makes them contenders this upcoming season. More news: Former Celtics Forward Arrested for Fraud The Celtics had to gut some key members from their roster to get under the second apron. Boston is still over it, and one more move is likely to be on the way if they want to get under that threshold. Boston is still trying to figure out a way to do just that. In the meantime, the Celtics have a season to worry about. They currently have 14 players under contract and have three players on two-way contracts. While they figure out who they will add with the 15th spot, it appears that they know how their starting lineup will look by the time the season tips off in mid-October. According to Brian Robb of MassLive, the Celtics may look to center Neemias Queta to be their starting center for their fifth and final spot. "Neemias Queta feels like the frontrunner at center given the continuity and the fact someone needs to rebound on this team. Elsewhere, pencil in Sam Hauser or Georges Niang in the fifth spot with Josh Minott being a potential wildcard. Will be an interesting battle in training camp to see how exactly Joe Mazzulla wants to play with this group." More news: Former Celtics Standout Guard Signs 3-Year Deal With Greek Club The Celtics could be without their superstar forward, Jayson Tatum, for the entire upcoming season due to an Achilles injury. That leaves a massive void for the C's next season. As things stand, the Celtics' 2025-26 season lineup could consist of: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser to go alongside Queta. The 26-year-old big man will enter his fifth season in the league and his third in Beantown. As a Celtic, he has played a limited role, averaging 13/.3 minutes of action. However, he has been quite productive in his time in Boston, averaging 5.2 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 blocks while shooting 64.8 percent from the field in 90 games along with six starts. If the Celtics decide to rely on Queta for the entire season, he could provide strong rim protection and rebounding, which will be crucial for a team lacking depth at the center position. More news: Celtics Summer League Star Appears Close to Signing With Next Team For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss most of training camp due to a leg injury, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Johnson was placed on the non-football injury list when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the injury during offseason training, according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is headed into the second year of a four-year, $76M deal. He has dealt with a number of injuries over his career, playing no more than 15 games in a season over the first four years of his career. In 2024, he played a full season for the first time, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,032 snaps. An extended absence into the regular season would force Chicago to find another starting cornerback among their veteran depth, but Poles said that the team is not “overly concerned” about a long-term injury. “We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,” said Poles on Tuesday. 2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will likely step into a first-team role in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon last year; Smith is the only remaining defensive back on the roster who played at least 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may also see a bump in reps over the coming weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener against the Vikings.
Raiders rookie WR showing he could be steal of 2025 draft
Las Vegas Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. is opening eyes at training camp, including QB Geno Smith, who appears to be trusting the rookie. Maybe that is the reason why general manager John Spytek has not looked for outside help at the position. And just maybe he got a steal from the 2025 NFL Draft. That looked evident on the first day of pads in Henderson, Nevada, where Thornton badly beat fellow rookie cornerback Darien Porter for a long touchdown, as described by The Athletic's Tashan Reed. In a piece, Reed said Thornton has been the first-string "X" receiver since OTAs and "could make an immediate impact." Thornton shared what Smith told him during training camp: "He tells me every single day, 'if you've got a one-on-one matchup, I'm coming to you,'" Smith said, as shared by Reed. "It means a lot to me. Being a rookie and just getting here ... just knowing that he believes in me a lot. It gives me a lot of motivation to keep getting better." While the headlines are more on rookie RB Ashton Jeanty for his potential big season, Thornton is making sure he is not forgotten after getting selected in the fourth round (108th overall) after leading the University of Tennessee with 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Thornton is getting all the opportunities he can get, given the Raiders didn't bother to add a veteran WR. One could see why Thornton is raising eyebrows in training camp. That is a good thing because Smith is trusting Thornton's potential playmaking abilities. Thornton is one of the tallest Raiders WRs besides Collin Johnson, and that could be a big deal given the Raiders need a big target minus TEs Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas. Yet, ESPN's Mike Clay is projecting Thornton to have a quiet year with 317 receiving yards and a TD. With such low numbers, maybe that is how the Raiders would prefer it to be, anyway. Only the Raiders know what they have in Thornton. It is up to Thornton to keep the momentum going into preseason games and beyond.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
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