Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

Knicks Notes: 2025 NBA Draft prospects to know, update on coaching search

The Knicks are on the clock

They have the 50th pick in Thursday night's second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Who do they like?

As we noted earlier on The Putback, New York hosted former Alabama and Rutgers big man Clifford Omoruyi as part of a group workout this week.

In talking to opposing teams this week, the name that kept coming up was Florida State's Jamir Watkins. Watkins has several fans in the Knicks' organization. Several opposing teams don't think that the Knicks would let Watkins slip past No. 50.

Will Watkins be there at No. 50? ESPN's most recent mock draft has Watkins going at No. 38.

Watkins, a 6-foot-6 guard, averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a senior.

He can defend multiple positions and is seen as a solid on-ball defender. The Trenton Catholic product averaged 1.9 steals as a junior at Florida State.

Nov 14, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans acting head coach James Borrego talks with forward Zion Williamson (1) against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans acting head coach James Borrego talks with forward Zion Williamson (1) against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / © Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

BORREGO UP NEXT

James Borrego will get an interview with the Knicks for their head-coaching vacancy, league sources confirm. Borrego is an assistant with New Orleans. He has head coaching experience but is the second current assistant coach to interview with the Knicks. New York brought in veteran assistant Micah Nori earlier this week for an interview.

The Knicks' other known interviews are Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown. Coaches have talked about the opportunity that the Knicks have ahead of them -- given the devastating injuries to Eastern Conference stars Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard --in the interviews. The importance of player health has also been discussed in the interviews.

Also on the coaching search, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison issued the strongest statement to date on the future of Jason Kidd.

"Are there rumors out there about J-Kidd? I thought I shut them down," Harrison told reporters in Dallas. "Yes, he will be the head coach next year."

Kidd has been seen as a possibility for the Knicks, so Harrison's forceful statement is noteworthy. The Mavericks had previously denied the Knicks' request to speak to Kidd but hadn't publicly addressed the rumors.

If you look at the landscape, logic says Kidd will be getting an extension from the Mavs. Houston's Ime Udoka and Chicago's Billy Donovan both received extensions after the Knicks requested -- and were denied -- permission to speak to them about the head-coaching vacancy. (Udoka's extension, according to ESPN, was in the works well ahead of the Knicks' request.)

Still, Kidd has veteran representation at the Excel Sports agency. So you would think that all of the rumors around Kidd and the Knicks would result in some added compensation for the head coach.

Posted on

Mets' Ronny Mauricio impresses with three-hit performance vs. Braves as potential option looms

The Mets continue to shuffle their lineup and roster as they look for stability during this recent rough stretch.

Entering Wednesday's game against the Braves, the Mets were 1-9 in their last 10 games, and their offense has been inconsistent to say the least. That has led to the team optioning Francisco Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña back down to Triple-A, and with the imminent return of Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio may be next. But the young infielder had himself a day against Atlanta in the Mets' 7-3 win. Mauricio, starting at second base, went 3-for-4 and smashed his third home run of the season.

Among those hits was a single from the right side, something the switch-hitter hasn't done all year. It was an encouraging day for the 24-year-old, who had his best offensive day this season, and for Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza.

"You saw balance there with the way he was finishing," Mendoza said of Mauricio after the win. "He laid off some pitches low, down in the zone. And then when he got pitches, he got himself in really good hitter's count. He was short to the ball, used the whole field, good to see him from the right side. Overall, better swing decisions and I think he was more under control with balance."

Across 17 games since he was called up back on June 3, Mauricio has yet to find consistency at the plate. He entered Wednesday slashing .185/.241/.320 as he split time with the other young Mets infielders. Mauricio's first three-hit performance this year saw his slashline jump to .224/.274/.414, but is it enough to prevent him from being optioned?

It's unlikely, as Vientos, who shined in his potentially final rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, and with Brett Baty's defense and relatively more consistent bat, it likely means Mauricio will be returning to Syracuse, at least for the time being.

But Mendoza was asked about what he's seen from Mauricio this season as he re-acclimates to the majors after missing the entire 2024 season with a knee injury.

"Just watching with how he’s dealing with some adversity at the big league level, especially after what he went through last year, it’s not easy to do," Mendoza said. "He’s a young player who is going through it not just individually but as a group having a hard putting a rally together and we’re not winning games. And for him to continue to come in every day, ask for extra work, extra hitting, that’s what you want to see from everyone, but especially from your younger players." 

Posted on

Utah Mammoth Acquire And Sign JJ Peterka From Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres moved on from right winger JJ Peterka in a three-player trade with the Utah Mammoth.

Buffalo traded Peterka, 23, to the Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Michael Kesselring and right winger Josh Doan. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman were among those who reported the trade before the teams announced it Wednesday night.

Peterka also signed a five-year contract with an average annual value of $7.7 million, Utah announced.

“J.J. is a highly skilled, creative, young forward with extremely high upside,” Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong said in a press release. “He will help solidify our scoring and add to what is already a great young core of forwards on the roster. Signing J.J. to a long-term extension is another positive step towards building a sustainable contender here in Utah, and today is an exciting day for our entire organization.”

Before the trade, Peterka was a pending RFA for the Sabres, coming off his third full NHL season. He had a career-high 68 points this past season, recording 27 goals and 41 assists. He was also among the first six players added to Germany’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

With this new contract, Peterka is signed through the 2029-30 season, after which he’ll be 29 years old and a UFA.

JJ Peterka (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)

Acquiring Peterka adds to the Mammoth’s group of young forwards. Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Matias Maccelli and Jack McBain are 25 or younger. Even captain Clayton Keller is only 26.

As for the Sabres, they received another 23-year-old in Doan and a 25-year-old D-man in Kesselring. 

This past campaign was Doan’s first full season in the NHL. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native scored seven goals and 19 points in 51 games for Utah. He carries a $925,000 cap hit and is entering the final year of his entry-level contract.

Kesselring is entering the final year of a two-year contract worth $1.4 million per season. In his first 82-game NHL season, he scored seven goals and added 22 assists for 29 points in 82 contests. Kesselring also averaged 17:41 of ice time per game and ended the campaign with a plus-four rating.

“In general, you're always going to say that you'd love to have a good depth on the D,” Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said earlier on Wednesday in a press conference before the trade. “Especially, right-shot D are hard to come by.”

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

Flyers Miss Out On Egregious J.J. Peterka Trade

The Flyers were rumored to be interested in J.J. Peterka. (Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)

Yeah, the Philadelphia Flyers can't simply go out and trade for everyone they want, but the J.J. Peterka trade between the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth will leave many fans scratching their heads.

On Wednesday night, multiple reports indicated that the Mammoth and Sabres had agreed to a swap of players, with Peterka heading to Utah and forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring heading to Buffalo.

Immediately after, it was reported that Peterka agreed to a five-year contract with the Mammoth worth $7.7 million annually.

Peterka, 23, scored a career-high 68 points this season in addition to 27 goals. The young German isn't much of a power play producer and is equal parts defensive liability and speed demon.

All in all, Peterka is a buccaneering player with some warts, but also dynamite offensive potential that allows him to turn games on their heads in a flash - literally.

Peterka had previously been linked to Philadelphia in some very recent Flyers trade rumors, though the price was said to be too great.

Flyers Have New Trade-Up Possibility in NHL DraftFlyers Have New Trade-Up Possibility in NHL DraftIf the Philadelphia Flyers wish to move up in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Los Angeles Kings have presented them a golden opportunity to do so.

Well, unless the Flyers were adamant about not giving up a specific player, the price really wasn't that great.

Doan will become a good middle-six winger at his peak, though his true ceiling in terms of production remains questionable. Kesselring is who he is: a big, 6-foot-5 right-shot defender, which the Sabres need, and a player with good underlying analytics at that.

After the Trevor Zegras trade, the Flyers didn't get greedy with Peterka, though the price, at least on the surface, appeared to be more than reasonable.

Hypothetically, if the Flyers traded for and signed Peterka in addition to Zegras, they'd still have roughly $7.3 million in remaining cap space to sign Cam York and Jakob Pelletier.

And that's with Ivan Fedotov still on the NHL roster and Ryan Ellis not on LTIR.

Given Peterka's player profile, it's likely the Flyers see Owen Tippett as their own version of him, and they've already invested in Tippett with an eight-year, $49.6 million deal.

The big difference is that Tippett, who is, in fairness, much more physical, has yet to flirt with 60 points, while the younger Peterka nearly reached 70 points playing on the disaster that was the Buffalo Sabres this season.

Regardless of if it's Tippett or Peterka, the Flyers, now led by a new voice in Rick Tocchet, still need to find ways to coax more consistency out of their rush-dependent forwards.

If they can't, it doesn't matter which players they trade for and how cheap they came on the NHL trade market.

Posted on

Suns pick up two centers, draft Duke's Khaman Maluach, then trade for Hornets Mark Williams

The Phoenix Suns essentially traded for two centers in the first round of the NBA Draft, and it all came together fast.

First came the surprise news that they were trading for Charlotte's Mark Williams, a talented center with health and injury concerns (he was the player the Lakers agreed to trade for at February's deadline, but backed out after his physical). Phoenix sent Charlotte the No. 29 pick in this draft (originally Cleveland's) as well as a 2029 first-round pick, a trade broken by Shams Charania.

Then came the No. 10 pick, which is Phoenix's, but it just re-acquired it in the Kevin Durant trade (because that trade can't be made official until July 6, the Rockets made the pick for the Suns). Phoenix used it on Kahman Maluach, the 7'2" center from Duke.

Maluach was born in South Sudan — something he is very proud of — but has been a challenge for him after the U.S. Government, under President Trump's orders, revoked visas for South Sudanese living in the United States. The NBA league office has worked with Maluach to keep him in the United States.

This is part of the Suns' retooling their roster around Devin Booker, giving him a couple of big centers in the paint who can be big screeners and lob threats on offense, as well as rim protectors on defense. It was a good night's work for Phoenix.

Posted on

Nets 2025 NBA Draft: Every pick from Brooklyn

Here are all of the Nets' picks from both rounds of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn...

Round 2

No. 36 pick: Traded to the Phoenix Suns

Brooklyn is dealing its only pick in the second round of the draft on Thursday to the Suns in exchange for two future second-round picks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Round 1

No. 27 pick: F/C Danny Wolf, Michigan

The 6-foot-11, 252-pound big man is more of a point-forward than he is a center with his versatile skillset. He was named to the All-Ivy First Team and was the Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player during his sophomore year at Yale before transferring to Michigan for the 2024-2025 season.

Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game over 37 games for the Wolverines. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors while helping Michigan reach the Sweet Sixteen before losing to top-ranked Auburn.

NBA.com: Wolf has interesting versatility with his 7-foot frame, able to dribble and pass in the halfcourt and in transition. He also makes up in footwork and physicality what he lacks in athleticism. His jumpshot can come and go, but his touch is good enough to be a strong baseline for further development. Wolf has shown enough in most aspects of the game to play both on and off the ball.

No. 26 pick: G Ben Saraf, Israel

Saraf, 19, began his professional career at 16 years old in the second-division Israeli Basketball National League before joining Elitzur Kiryat Ata of the Israeli Basketball Premier League ahead of the 2023-2024 season. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds and was named Israeli League Premier Rising Star.

Playing for Israel, Saraf led the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket tournament in scoring with 28.1 points per game and was named tournament MVP. The guard joined Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga for the 2024-2025 season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

NBA.com: Passing is his best skill and the lefty Saraf is an excellent playmaker. He has above-average height, can make almost every type of pass and makes reads with ease. Saraf drives often, focusing on downhill moves and change of direction rather than shifting left to right on the perimeter. He pulls up with confidence from the mid-range and has a solid form that could lead to improved 3-point shooting as he develops.

No. 22 pick: G/F Drake Powell, UNC

Acquired on Tuesday along with Terance Mann in a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, the Nets used their third first-rounder on the freshman from UNC. Powell became the first player from North Carolina drafted in the first round since, coincidentally, the Nets took Day'Ron Sharpe with the No. 29 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-6 and 190-pound wing was a top-15 ranked, five-star recruit and 2024 McDonald's All-American and stayed in his home state of North Carolina to play for the Tar Heels. He was a bit inconsistent during his freshman season, averaging only 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists across 25.6 minutes in 37 games, but still showed off his athleticism and potential. He came on stronger toward the end of the season, including a 16-point performance against Miami. Overall, Powell shot 48.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three.

NBA.com: Powell’s offensive game is still developing. He has a knack for finishing through contact and plays with an aggressive motor, which combines well with his elite athleticism. He’s also a connective playmaker. Powell can also get the job on defense due to his instincts and his athleticism, and his reads should improve as he gets more experience under his belt. As raw as he is, the potential is there.

No. 19 pick: G Nolan Traoré, France

Traoré, listed at 6-foot-5 and 175 pounds, is an athletic guard from France. He averaged 11.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 22.8 minutes per game in 29 contests with Saint-Quentin of the LNB Élite.

In 2024, the then-18-year-old set an Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) Finals single-game record with 45 points in U18 PFBB INSEP Paris’s 101-96 victory over U18 FC Barcelona.

NBA.com: Scouts will rave about Traoré’s potential and athleticism, as he’s a player who looks more than ready to play at the NBA level from a physical perspective. He has excellent vision for his age, above-average speed and an elite acceleration that makes him not only the fastest player in this class, but one of the fastest players in the NBA if he ends up being drafted. Plus, he also has an outstanding bounce and physical abilities that should get most scouts excited. He also understands how to create his own shot, and his playmaking ability is above-average as well. There are areas in which he needs to improve, though, most notably his defense.

No. 8 pick: G Egor Demin, BYU

While many thought GM Sean Marks would make a splash and trade up, the team kept the eighth overall pick and used it on guard Egor Demin from BYU. The 19-year-old from Russia played for Real Madrid before his lone season of college basketball, in which he averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game over 33 contests.

Demin showed why he was a five-star prospect and took home Big 12 All-Freshman Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. He totaled 180 assists to set a BYU single-season record by a freshman and will get plenty of opportunities to run the show in Brooklyn.

NBA.com: Demin is a 6-foot-9 point forward with some of the best passing skills in the draft. He has the vision, size and creativity to make almost every type of pass with accuracy and seems to prefer setting up his teammates rather than scoring. While Demin isn’t a great jump shooter, he is crafty around the basket and in the mid-range area with fakes and a soft touch. Defensively, he’s at his best anticipating the offense, jumping into passing lanes and using active hands to generate steals and blocks.