Happy Friday, everyone. It's Wajih AlBaroudi here, filling in for Zach Pereles. We'll be back with you on Tuesday, but before that we've got a truckload of news for you ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. Buckle up.
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Good morning to everyone but especially to...
NBA FANS WHO LOVE CHAOS
The start of NBA free agency is circled in fans' calendars every year. It has arguably become as compelling as the league's on-court product. Nets superstar Kevin Durant made this year's opening day of free agency even juicier than usual with a trade request that broke the internet.
Hours before free agency officially began, Durant requested out of Brooklyn, according to his business manager Rich Kleiman.Durant is reportedly working to find a trade partner with Kleiman and Nets general manager Sean Marks, and his preferred destinations are the Suns and Heat.The timing of Durant's request is curious, as his supremely talented teammate Kyrie Irving opted into his $36.5 million player option earlier this week.As if the Durant news didn't provide enough chaos on Day 1 of free agency, rumors of Irving joining the Lakers in a swap for Russell Westbrook began swirling on social media. The Nets reportedly will try to move Irving if Durant skips town, and Irving has already expressed interest in a West Coast reunion with LeBron James.
CBS Sports' Brad Botkin explained why James' advanced age and contract situation -- he turned 38 in December and will hit free agency next summer -- could complicate the negotiations:
Botkin: "The Nets don't want anything to with Westbrook. What they might consider is taking Westbrook in a deal that also provides them with multiple future first-round picks, which the Lakers have been unwilling to include to this point. The Lakers are trying to retain their draft equity for life after LeBron James, which could be coming sooner than later."The fate of Durant and Irving will certainly be on our radar over the coming days and weeks.
And not such a good morning for...
USATSITHE PAC-12
Another year, another seismic conference realignment announcement in college sports. USC and UCLA will move to the Big Ten by the 2024 athletic season, sending a potential death blow to the once mighty Pac-12.
USC and UCLA will leave the Pac-12 after joining the conference in the early 20th century -- 1922 and 1928, respectivelyThe move mirrors the one Texas and Oklahoma, two Big 12 powerhouses, made last year by announcing their plans to join the SEC by 2025With USC and UCLA's conference jump, the SEC and Big Ten -- college sports' preeminent conferences -- will each have 16 teamsThis couldn't come at a worse time for the Pac-12, as the conference's media rights deal is set to expire in 2024. So much for the strategic alliance the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC made last year in response to Texas and Oklahoma's move to the SEC.
The Pac-12's dire situation could, somehow, get even bleaker, though. Our Barrett Sallee explained why:
Sallee: "The era of super conferences is clearly upon us. The Big Ten and SEC could certainly add more programs to further fracture the sport, and the 14-team ACC is essentially stable through 2036 due to its grant of rights deal and roughly $52 million exit fee. That will put the higher-profile Pac-12 teams in a massive pool of programs -- including current and future Big 12 schools -- scrambling to stay relevant in the future landscape of college athletics."In college sports, the rich continue to get richer.
