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Are the Clippers one piece away from being title contenders?
The Los Angeles Clippers have consistently fallen short during the Steve Ballmer era. Injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both derailed Ty Lue's chances of adding another championship ring to his collection.
However, the Clippers finally appear to be back on track. James Harden spent the 2024-25 season proving that he's still among the elite guards in the NBA. Leonard reminded the world that when he's healthy, very few can make the impact he does. The supporting cast, led by Norman Powell, grew in prominence as the season wore on.
Nevertheless, the Clippers fell short in the postseason, losing to the Denver Nuggets in a tightly-contested, seven-game opening series. According to NBA insider Matt Moore, the Clippers are expected to search for a veteran addition this summer.
“The Clippers are hunting for a name. Some superstars (older ones), some veteran guys with championship experience,” Moore wrote in his Hardwood Paroxysm newsletter. “They really think they can make another run at it, which is very much looking at the gift horse of this season in the mouth.”
If the Clippers can locate (and acquire) another aging star, they could find themselves in the perfect position to contend in the Western Conference. Lue is one of the best coaches in the league and Leonard and Harden clearly have miles left on the clock. All that's missing is a third star to absorb some of the pressure that comes with facing postseason defenses.
Of course, the Clippers must ensure they choose the right star. They can't afford to add another injury risk to the rotation. That's a lesson they should have learned during George's tenure with the franchise.
Still, if another veteran makes his way to the Intuit Dome this summer, the Western Conference will have another contender to worry about. More importantly, Ballmer will have a team that could potentially bring deep playoff basketball to a multi-billion-dollar arena that is waiting for its first taste of the big time.
More must-reads:
- Report: Clippers Interested In Trading For Celtics’ Jrue Holiday
- 2025 NBA first round mock draft: Intrigue starts at pick No. 3
- The 'Most 30-point games in NBA playoff history' quiz
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Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant Had Surgery Recently
The Houston Rockets acquired NBA legend Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns on July 6. It was a seven-team trade involving the Rockets, Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Durant will wear No. 7 with the Rockets. He wore that number during his stint with the Nets. According to Chris Baldwin of PaperCity, Durant had thumb surgery recently. However, the surgery is considered minor. “New Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant underwent thumb surgery recently, NBA sources tell PaperCity,” Baldwin wrote. “The very quiet surgery — which no outlet has reported on till now — is considered minor and a source tells PaperCity that Rockets leadership ‘did not give it a second thought’ after the team’s doctors looked at x-rays of the thumb. “The thumb injury and quiet offseason surgery raised no concerns to the Rockets’ decision makers, according to a source with knowledge of their thinking.” Durant appeared in 62 games for the Suns last season. The NBA icon averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7% from the floor, 43.0% from 3 and 83.9% from the free-throw line. A 15-time All-Star, Durant has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Warriors, Nets and Suns. He has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 1,123 NBA games. Durant won back-to-back championships and Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018 with the Warriors. He won the 2014 MVP Award and four scoring titles with the Thunder. A top 75 player of all time, Durant can extend with Houston for up to two years, $122.1 million. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was an assistant coach on the Nets in 2020-21 when Durant was there. Udoka played a strong role in the Rockets trading for Durant. The eighth leading scorer in NBA history, Durant hasn’t had his introductory press conference with the Rockets yet, but he’s “incredibly excited” about playing for Houston, according to NBA insiders Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Latest NBA News Rumors
Former NFL QB turned Florida high school coach suspended amid investigation
Teddy Bridgewater was one heck of a college football quarterback, and despite never living up to his billing as a first-round pick in 2014, he made a decent career for himself in the NFL as a backup. Bridgewater left the NFL to coach his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School in Miami, Florida, in February of 2024. In his first season at Miami Northwestern, he led the school to a state championship, helping secure a 41-0 victory in the Florida Class 3A state championship game. He then promptly unretired and re-joined the Detroit Lions, his last team, as a backup in December of 2024. He's back on the high school sidelines heading into this season, but Bridgewater's next campaign with the Bulls has hit a roadblock. The former NFL quarterback acknowledged in a Facebook post that the high school has suspended him. This comes in the wake of the news that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) started an impermissible benefits investigation into Bridgewater and his program last week after allegations were received. The root of the allegations was a Facebook post made by Bridgewater that was asking for donations to the football program because he had spent a significant amount of his own money in 2024 on things like Uber rides for players ($700 per week), a preseason training camp, team swag, recovery trucks ($1,300 a week) and pregame meals ($2,200 a week). Notably, The First Academy of Orlando was found guilty of similar violations in November of 2024 by the FHSAA. It was forced to forfeit eight wins, pay a fine of $36,000 and accept a two-year postseason ban. While Bridgewater did acknowledge the suspension, his post made it seem as if he feels it's illegitimate. "The suspension came from MNW and it’s impossible to suspend someone who doesn’t work for you," he wrote on Facebook. "So if im suspended from MNW im free to go to another school of my choice but IM NOT GOING ANYWHERE." He went on to say that if it comes down to it, he will "volunteer from the bleachers like I used to in 2018 and 2019 when no one had a problem."
Packers predicted to trade player who skipped practices to AFC South team
The Green Bay Packers shored up their wide receiver room in the offseason when they took a wideout in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft in the form of Matthew Golden. He was the first wide receiver selected by the Packers in the first round since the early 2000s. Also, the Packers signed free agent Mecole Hardman, who has good experience operating in a high-powered offense, having played several seasons with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, some of the interesting holdovers at the position for the Packers are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, who both don’t have contracts beyond the 2025 NFL season. As such, the upcoming campaign can be considered pivotal for these wide receivers, with Doubs also being mentioned in some trade rumors. Doubs is coming off a decent 2024 season, recording 601 receiving yards and four touchdowns through 13 games (12 starts). He missed a game after getting suspended by the team for missing a practice and a meeting. Green Bay Packers’ Doubs to be traded soon? In a piece by Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, in which he listed eight bold predictions in the NFL ahead of the 2025 training camp, Doubs was floated as a trade candidate for the Packers, with the Tennessee Titans as a possible landing spot for the wideout. Among the five wideouts, Doubs and Watson are on track to become free agents in 2026. Green Bay should look to deal one of them for draft capital, which would reduce the logjam at receiver. Because of Watson’s injury, he probably wouldn’t fetch as much as Doubs, who had a decent 2024 campaign with 46 receptions for 601 yards and four touchdowns.
Derek Carr Reveals Plans to Return to Raiders Sideline in 2025
The Las Vegas Raiders brought in head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler ahead of the 2022 NFL season to finally fix the team's instability. Coming off a miraculous playoff run, the team also traded for star wide receiver Davante Adams. This was a reunion for Adams and his college quarterback, Derek Carr, who was the franchise player for the Raiders at the time. Unfortunately, after a brutal six-win campaign, McDaniels and Ziegler benched Carr at the end of the season and eventually released him. Carr went to the Saints for a short stint, but retired at the beginning of this offseason as he dealt with lingering injuries from the 2024 campaign. While Raider Nation is wildly split on him as a quarterback, there was never any doubt that his heart resided with the Silver and Black. He recently spoke about his conversations with owner Mark Davis and a potential return to the Raiders' sideline this season. "I've already talked to Mr. Davis, we've already talked, Mark's already called me," Carr said. "We're gonna talk and figure out what that looks like and when that looks like. But I can't wait to get back to a Raiders game and get down there on the sideline and see the fans again, that's my place." Carr spent nine seasons with the Raiders after being drafted by them in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He led the team to the playoffs twice in his tenure and broke numerous franchise passing records during his near-decade with the Silver and Black. All told, he threw for 35,222 yards and 257 touchdowns with the team and made four Pro Bowls as a Raider. Though he never got the team over the hump in the postseason, he far exceeded his expectations as a second-rounder. The question now is whether Raider Nation will embrace him if he returns to the sideline. His playing career was certainly rocky at times, but most of the fan base abides by the franchise's saying, "Once a Raider, always a Raider."
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