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WWE icon Hulk Hogan died at age 71 after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday, according to the WWE and the Associated Press. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Clearwater, Florida, after local police responded to a call earlier. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s,” the WWE posted on its X account. “WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends and fans.” Former Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman mourned Hogan’s passing in a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. “N.W.O 4 Life Brother,” he wrote in the caption. Rodman, 64, had a close relationship with Hogan because they fought alongside one another during a tag team match at the WCW Bash at the Beach pay-per-view. The former NBA player joined Hogan’s faction known as the New World Order (nWo) where they fought Lex Luger and The Giant (Paul Wight) while on an episode of WCW Nitro they took on Diamond Dallas Page and NBA All-Star Karl Malone. Hogan is considered an all-time great wrestler because he captured 12 world titles, split between his time in WWE, formerly known as WWF and WCW. He faced off against the likes of the Undertaker, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Yokozuna, Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton. Hogan was a member of the 2005 WWE Hall of Fame class, while Rodman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Damion Baugh spent his rookie season in the NBA playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old had averages of 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 32.3% from the field in 15 games. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hornets will now waive Baugh. Via Scotto: "The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype . Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract." ESPN's Shams Charania had first reported that the Hornets were signing Reeves. Via Charania: "The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season."
The New York Knicks have had a busy summer thus far as they have made multiple additions to their roster to try and improve off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks also made a head coaching change to begin the summer as they fried Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown. During free agency, New York added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to upgrade their bench at a cheap cost, which is an area that they struggled with last season. The Knicks do have one more roster spot open which they will likely use to add another veteran player to their bench. While the Knicks have focused on upgrading their depth this summer, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would see New York send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Dallas Mavericks for one of their star players along with depth. In the trade, the Knicks would acquire Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington from the Mavericks while Dallas would land Towns and Vit Krejci. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team involved in the trade and they would receive Caleb Martin and two second-round picks from the Mavericks. For the Knicks, it would be a tough decision to move on from Towns but they would be able to fill some glaring holes in their roster with their return in this deal. Thompson would give them a much-needed three-point sharpshooter in their starting lineup while both Washington and Gafford would be major additions to their frontcourt, especially on the defensive end. Despite this, the Mavericks may not want to move on from three of their key players to acquire Towns, who struggled in the playoffs last season, primarily on defense. While that may be the case, making this trade would be a massive upgrade to the Knicks’ lineup and depth that could make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference next season.
The Los Angeles Lakers had been looking around for a center for most of the offseason before they were able to sign Deandre Ayton after the Trail Blazers waived him. One of the teams they were rumored to be talking with in a trade was the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers were interested in Nic Richards after the Suns added multiple other centers. Now that the Lakers have signed Ayton, and re-signed Jaxson Hayes as the backup, an NBA insider has given an update on where things stand on a possible trade between the two teams. More news: LeBron James Reportedly Wanted to Join Mavericks, Team Up With Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, there are no longer any discussions between the two teams now that Ayton is in LA. If the Lakers are looking to make a trade to further improve the roster before the season starts, it won't be with the Suns. At this point, they would likely only be looking to add a forward. Wing players are what they need now that they have signed Marcus Smart to help with their perimeter defense. A wing who can switch multiple positions is the next thing on their list. Whether or not they are willing to give up the assets to land that kind of player before the season starts remains to be seen. They have to figure out what the roster looks like as it is currently put together before they decide to make any more moves. More news: Lakers Targeting $66 Million NBA Champion Wing in Potential Blockbuster Trade Los Angeles is hoping that they are closer to winning a championship than things look like right now. While they were the third seed in the Western Conference, the Thunder look like they are so far ahead of everyone else. The Lakers are certainly good enough to compete offensively for a championship, but they have to improve defensively before they are ready to go deep in the playoffs, after losing in the first round of the playoffs. Los Angeles is hoping to add a wing, whether it's before the season starts or at the trade deadline. That could end up being the last piece that they need in order to win a championship. More news: Lakers Linked to $134.4 Million All-Star, NBA Champ in Blockbuster Trade For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
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