Latest news with #MiamiHeat
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Kevin Durant trade talks framed as 'game of chicken' amid interest from Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves
Durant trade rumors involve Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves The Phoenix Suns are reportedly nearing trade scenarios involving Kevin Durant, with the Houston Rockets , Miami Heat , and Minnesota Timberwolves emerging as key players. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, trade negotiations are ongoing and being viewed as a "game of chicken" by involved teams. "The Suns know, if they are going to trade Durant, they clearly have a price threshold they want met," Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I had one team tell me today it's kinda a game of chicken at this point. From the Houston Rockets to the Miami Heat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it's literally one or two pieces away, either which way, that can get a deal done." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Also read: NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley doesn't buy into Victor Wembanyama's hype, feels he can't be the league' Durant reportedly favors a trade to the Rockets, Heat, or Spurs. However, the San Antonio Spurs appear unlikely to meet the Suns' trade demands. Live Events Heat face difficulties meeting Durant trade value Although the Miami Heat are on Durant's list of preferred destinations, the franchise may struggle to make a deal work without including either Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro. This could limit their ability to close a transaction unless other assets or third-party teams become involved. The Suns retain full control over any trade decision and will seek the most favorable return package. Phoenix has been clear about valuing Durant at a high level, which complicates matters for teams hesitant to part with major contributors or future capital. Minnesota interest persisting despite Durant's lack of enthusiasm While Minnesota has shown consistent interest in acquiring Durant, he has reportedly expressed no desire to join the Timberwolves. Despite this, some within the organization see a possible opportunity to pair the veteran with rising star Anthony Edwards. Also read: Wemby at The Garden. LeBron vs. Steph. The NBA's Christmas Day lineup, as always, has star power ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported: 'Talked to some people close to Anthony Edwards. This is a non-story. He's in Atlanta working out. He loves his former teammate. He loves his current teammates. Some people close to me said he's focused on what's next with this team. And he's not flying to L.A. to try to convince K.D. anything different.' Brian Windhorst confirmed Spears' comments, stating: 'That's legitimately an important piece of information. Ant is not recruiting Durant. Durant says he doesn't want to be in Minnesota. The deal is not done. This is not heading towards Minnesota.' Houston Rockets positioned as strongest candidate for Kevin Durant Among the current suitors, the Houston Rockets may offer the most appealing mix of young talent and draft assets to facilitate a Kevin Durant trade. The franchise has been carefully building its roster and could now be positioned to make a competitive offer. Also read: Golden Steph: Curry's late barrage seals another Olympic men's basketball title, as US beats France Kevin Durant trade talks framed as 'game of chicken' amid interest from Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves Kevin Durant's trade prospects are intensifying, with reports indicating the Phoenix Suns are in advanced talks with multiple teams. While the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves are all contenders, each faces hurdles. Durant's preferences, team valuations, and trade assets are shaping this high-stakes NBA offseason negotiation The Rockets' front office has taken a deliberate, development-focused approach and may hesitate to sacrifice too much of its young core. Nonetheless, the possibility of adding Durant, even as he approaches his 37th birthday, introduces a compelling option for accelerating the team's growth curve.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Colin Cowherd Slams LeBron James for 'Ring Culture' Comments
Colin Cowherd Slams LeBron James for 'Ring Culture' Comments originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Twenty-one time All-Star Los Angeles Lakers superstar power forward LeBron James, who has appeared in 10 NBA Finals and won four of them, apparently no longer thinks championships matter when appraising a successful NBA run. Advertisement The 6-foot-9 superstar, a four-time Finals MVP, abandoned the Cleveland Cavaliers to make a bid for championship glory with the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, apparently very much wanting to cement his legacy and win a title. With Dwyane Wade aging and Miami shipping out Mike Miller to save money, James jetted back to Cleveland in 2014 as a free agent. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron JamesJesse Johnson-Imagn Images The four-time league MVP won two titles with the Heat (next to future Hall of Famers Wade and Chris Bosh), in 2012 and '13, and one with Cleveland (alongside fellow future Hall of Famers Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love), in 2016, while appearing in eight straight NBA Finals. He next signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2018, winning it all with Hall of Fame teammate Anthony Davis in 2020. During a recent episode of his "Mind The Game" podcast with new co-host Steve Nash (replacing JJ Redick, who's now his head coach), James bemoaned the notion of "ring culture" that has popped up around his historic career. 'A ring is a team accomplishment," James claimed. "I don't know where [ring culture] started, especially when it comes to me individually.' Advertisement Understandably, the guy that has hopped around to different teams three different times in free agency to pursue more championship was chastised by media pundits for these comments. On his show "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," longtime sports personality Colin Cowherd rightly called out James' hypocrisy. "Nobody says, 'Charles Barkley's not amazing.' Nobody says, 'Allen Iverson's not amazing.' Nobody says, 'Dan Marino's not amazing.' But Barkley isn't MJ [Michael Jordan], and Marino's not [Tom] Brady," Cowherd noted. "And the reason is the trophies, and LeBron knows that." Jordan won six championships in an eight-year span with the Chicago Bulls (and was retired during one of those seasons), while Brady took his New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 10 Super Bowls, winning seven. Barkley, Iverson and Marino never claimed a championship in their respective sports. Advertisement "LeBron has no chance to win a trophy with the current Lakers roster, so now they don't matter. He's spent his entire career pursuing titles," Cowherd observed. "You think he went to Miami to lay on the beach? He went there for [Pat] Riley and [Erik] Spoelstra and a better owner and a better roster. He didn't go West, he stayed in the weak East, to keep getting to Finals. LeBron pursued Finals and Michael's six-for-six for years." "So back when... he knew he had a chance to win several more, the ring mattered," Cowherd said. "Now he can't, now rings don't matter." Related: Stephen A. Smith Calls Out LeBron James Following 'Ring Culture' Comments This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conor McGregor punches a man in a club — again — and is anyone even surprised anymore?
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Conor McGregor was just caught on camera punching a man in a club. Twice, in fact. Because apparently the lesson he learned from punching an older fellow in a Dublin pub all those years ago was that it only makes you look worse when the other guy shrugs off your once-feared left hand and goes back to his pint, so you might as well clock him again. This latest incident happened early Tuesday morning in a club on the Spanish island of Ibiza, according to The Sun. If you want to know just how far McGregor has fallen, note that the story identifies him as an 'ex-UFC star.' Advertisement There's also a quote in the story from an unnamed witness who said that there did not appear to be any 'consequences for Conor, but the guy he punched was taken away and I didn't see him again.' Which, yeah, don't that just say it all? At this point it would almost be more newsworthy if McGregor went on vacation and didn't hurt anybody. Then again, can you even call it vacation when the guy doesn't really do anything? McGregor made millions from becoming a star in the UFC and then slapping his name on a whiskey brand that he later sold, which now wants nothing to do with him. Ever since, he's been a professional problem child the world over, with accusations often followed by legal charges trailing behind wherever he goes. Advertisement At this point it takes longer to scroll through the 'charges and controversies' section of his Wikipedia page than the 'professional mixed martial arts career' portion. That discrepancy is likely to continue, since there's only one of those sections that he still seems interested in adding on to. McGregor hasn't done the kind of fighting he gets paid for since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg and a TKO loss at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was supposed to return against Michael Chandler last summer, but a devastating injury to his pinky toe forced him to pull out. Since then, he's been found liable for sexual assault in his home country of Ireland, a nation he has also insisted he will soon lead as president. He also had a lawsuit filed against him earlier this year for an alleged sexual assault at a Miami Heat game in 2023. You might remember his appearance at that game since he also punched a mascot, who then had to be treated for his injuries at the hospital later that night. All of this is in addition to his many other crimes and misdemeanors, like that time he threw a hand truck through the window of a bus filled with fellow fighters in New York. That, like this most recent club incident, was caught on video. So was that sucker-punch on a pub patron in Dublin. So was the incident where he snatched a man's phone and stomped on it outside a Florida nightclub in 2019. Advertisement The other thing they have in common is that McGregor has suffered no meaningful consequences for any of it. He's paid out fines and settlements, sure. But the fact that he keeps doing this — and doesn't even seem to care that he's doing it on video — shows how much he fears being caught at it again. The Dublin sexual assault case was the closest he's come to feeling any real pain as a result of his own actions. Everyone from video game makers to the whiskey brand owners to the people who put up a likeness of him in their wax museum all cut ties with him after that. Not the UFC, though. Those doors still seem open to him, if he ever rediscovers a willingness to punch someone who's ready and willing to punch back. McGregor is a colossal embarrassment to this sport, but that's nothing new. That's been our reality for several years now. He's the worst of all worlds. He's a fighter who doesn't fight, except when he's not supposed to. He was the biggest star in UFC history, and the association is still strong enough that he can continue to heap shame onto MMA while offering it nothing in return. Maybe the best we can hope for is that as these incidents become more common and even the hint of a UFC return becomes less plausible, eventually he'll become an embarrassment only to himself. It could be that we're almost there. They are calling him an 'ex-UFC star' now, after all. That's a label that's hard to argue with, since he's certainly not a future one.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
2025 NBA Free Agents: Robinson Can Revamp Your Offense At A Bargain
With the 2024-25 season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start looking ahead to the offseason. In this article series, we will take a look at under-the-radar options in the 2025 Free Agency Pool. For the sake of simplicity, we are going to focus primarily on unrestricted free agents. At a glance, Duncan Robinson still has one more deal left on the five-year, 90-million dollar contract that he signed back in 2021. However, the final year of his deal is only partially guaranteed (9.9 million). So, if the Miami Heat (or whatever team they trade him to) waives him for before July 8, they will save roughly 10 million dollars. If that's the case, Robinson would become an unrestricted free agent, making him available for the rest of the league to try and sign this offseason. Now, a 31-year-old coming off an 11 PPG season may not seem like a game-changer, but don't let the numbers fool you. Robinson can add a whole new wrinkle to any offense. Robinson has always been one of the best shooters on the planet. It's the reason he was able to pull off the storybook odyssey from Williams College (a Division III school) to the University of Michigan to the NBA. For his career, Robinson is shooting 39.7% on 7.2 3-point attempts per game – a mountain of volume and efficiency that few others in NBA history have ever climbed. All-Time Shooters Chart. Stathead. In today's spaced out world, shooting is one of the best skills you can have. But shooting alone isn't enough to be a productive player. NBA defenses are too sophisticated, and over the years, they have concocted tactics to neutralize shooting specialists (i.e., the fly-by closeout). This, along with Robinson's limitations as a defender, threatened to put the marksmen into extinction. During the 2022 Playoffs, Robinson played just 12.2 MPG for the Heat despite being the team's fourth-highest-paid player. The season after, Robinson played just 16.5 MPG in the regular season before flashing his personal growth that postseason. The development we're referencing is Robinson's improvement playing off-the-dribble. Robinson didn't magically transform into Allen Iverson, but aggressive closeouts no longer phased him. He has become comfortable attacking those fly-bys with one or two dribbles and a midrange pull-up or shot at the rim. Robinson's growth in this area is apparent when you look at his increase in frequency of shots taken after at least one dribble over his career. Look at the steady uptick over the last couple of years: As a general rule, the better a player gets at ball handling, the better they are as a passer. When you are more comfortable with the ball in your hands, your brain exerts less energy dribbling, which gives it more latitude to focus on reading the floor and dissecting the defense. According to Ben Taylor's Passer Rating metric, this past season was the best passing year of Robinson's career – grading as a respectable 5.3 out of 10 (53rd percentile). When you pair Robinson's growth as a passer/ball handler with his all-time shooting abilities, you get a dynamic complimentary offensive option – one that pairs with practically any type of offensive engine. Do you need a floor spacer and closeout attacker to pair with a ball-dominant guard/wing? Robinson is your man. What about a movement shooter who can operate in the two-man game with your passing big? Robinson can do that, too. A release valve for isolationists to skip the ball to when defenses are playing hard in the gaps? You already know the answer: Robinson is your guy. The best part is, since Robinson would still be earning half his salary for next year if he gets waived, he'll be more likely to sign for the veteran minimum this summer (which is estimated to be 3.1 million dollars next season). Robinson still has his flaws. His defensive shortcomings will make it hard to play him big minutes in the playoffs. But the chance at getting a dynamic offensive player for a couple of million dollars is an opportunity that few playoff teams can afford to pass up. Did you enjoy this article? If so, be sure to check out the other installments in this series of Amir Coffey, Landry Shamet, and Jae'Sean Tate.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conor McGregor punches a man in a club — again — and is anyone even surprised anymore?
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Conor McGregor was just caught on camera punching a man in a club. Twice, in fact. Because apparently the lesson he learned from punching an older fellow in a Dublin pub all those years ago was that it only makes you look worse when the other guy shrugs off your once-feared left hand and goes back to his pint, so you might as well clock him again. This latest incident happened early Tuesday morning in a club on the Spanish island of Ibiza, according to The Sun. If you want to know just how far McGregor has fallen, note that the story identifies him as an 'ex-UFC star.' Advertisement There's also a quote in the story from an unnamed witness who said that there did not appear to be any 'consequences for Conor, but the guy he punched was taken away and I didn't see him again.' Which, yeah, don't that just say it all? At this point it would almost be more newsworthy if McGregor went on vacation and didn't hurt anybody. Then again, can you even call it vacation when the guy doesn't really do anything? McGregor made millions from becoming a star in the UFC and then slapping his name on a whiskey brand that he later sold, which now wants nothing to do with him. Ever since, he's been a professional problem child the world over, with accusations often followed by legal charges trailing behind wherever he goes. Advertisement At this point it takes longer to scroll through the 'charges and controversies' section of his Wikipedia page than the 'professional mixed martial arts career' portion. That discrepancy is likely to continue, since there's only one of those sections that he still seems interested in adding on to. McGregor hasn't done the kind of fighting he gets paid for since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg and a TKO loss at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was supposed to return against Michael Chandler last summer, but a devastating injury to his pinky toe forced him to pull out. Since then, he's been found liable for sexual assault in his home country of Ireland, a nation he has also insisted he will soon lead as president. He also had a lawsuit filed against him earlier this year for an alleged sexual assault at a Miami Heat game in 2023. You might remember his appearance at that game since he also punched a mascot, who then had to be treated for his injuries at the hospital later that night. All of this is in addition to his many other crimes and misdemeanors, like that time he threw a hand truck through the window of a bus filled with fellow fighters in New York. That, like this most recent club incident, was caught on video. So was that sucker-punch on a pub patron in Dublin. So was the incident where he snatched a man's phone and stomped on it outside a Florida nightclub in 2019. Advertisement The other thing they have in common is that McGregor has suffered no meaningful consequences for any of it. He's paid out fines and settlements, sure. But the fact that he keeps doing this — and doesn't even seem to care that he's doing it on video — shows how much he fears being caught at it again. The Dublin sexual assault case was the closest he's come to feeling any real pain as a result of his own actions. Everyone from video game makers to the whiskey brand owners to the people who put up a likeness of him in their wax museum all cut ties with him after that. Not the UFC, though. Those doors still seem open to him, if he ever rediscovers a willingness to punch someone who's ready and willing to punch back. McGregor is a colossal embarrassment to this sport, but that's nothing new. That's been our reality for several years now. He's the worst of all worlds. He's a fighter who doesn't fight, except when he's not supposed to. He was the biggest star in UFC history, and the association is still strong enough that he can continue to heap shame onto MMA while offering it nothing in return. Maybe the best we can hope for is that as these incidents become more common and even the hint of a UFC return becomes less plausible, eventually he'll become an embarrassment only to himself. It could be that we're almost there. They are calling him an 'ex-UFC star' now, after all. That's a label that's hard to argue with, since he's certainly not a future one.
