Month: July 2022

Calvin Harris is back with the second offering from his upcoming album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, tapping 21 Savage for his new single “New Money.” It is an arena the “A Lot” rapper has never found himself in, but much like his feature run over the last year and some change, he floats with ease over the angelic piano keys and soothing drums.

“New Money” follows the lead single “Potion” featuring Dua Lipa and Young Thug. This past week, the Scottish DJ shared the list of features for his long-awaited Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 through an oceanic album trailer. The album will include contributions from 6lack, Chloe, Tinashe, Snoop Dogg, Charlie Puth, Halsey, Justin Timberlake, Latto, Pusha T, Offset, and more. Vol. 2, set to release on August 5, comes five years after Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, headlined by the major singles “Slide” featuring Frank Ocean, Quavo, and Offset and “Feels” with Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean. If the first album is any indication, Vol. 2 will be placing many people’s favorite artists in soundscapes they’ve likely never been in before, but Calvin Harris knows what he’s doing.

In a summer where listeners will have already received Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind and Beyonce’s Renaissance Part 1, led by “Break My Soul,” the “This Is What You Came For” artist may very well be providing the sounds aligning with that song’s title.

Check out Calvin Harris and 21 Savage on “New Money” above.

The 2021-22 season was kind to the Memphis Grizzlies, with the club tying a franchise record with 56 victories. Memphis boasts a loaded roster with quality depth, but the Grizzlies also have a legitimate superstar in point guard Ja Morant. Though Morant is under contract for one more season as part of his rookie deal as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old also entered July with eligibility for a max extension with Memphis. The Grizzlies wasted no time in securing an agreement with Morant, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the two sides came together on a five-year deal worth $193 million.

Unsurprisingly, Ja was excited about his new deal.

Morant earned All-NBA honors this season, as he was voted to the second team, but needs to replicate that performance to unlock the 30 percent max, which takes his deal to $230 million. Morant, who also was selected as the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year, averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in 57 games for the Grizzlies this season. He also posted career-best marks in effective field goal percentage (53.0 percent) and true shooting percentage (57.5 percent), with Morant maintaining impressive efficiency despite a 33.7 percent usage rate.

With Morant in the center of the frame as one of the most exciting players in the league, the future is exceedingly bright for the Grizzlies, and the organization can build confidently with the franchise player secured on a long-term deal. In addition, Memphis locked in quality depth with a two-year deal for backup Tyus Jones, and the Grizzlies will enter the 2022-23 campaign with one of the best point guard situations in the NBA, headlined by Morant.

The Chicago Bulls entered this offseason with two main goals. The first was re-signing Zach LaVine to a max deal, which as of Thursday night was still widely expected to happen but had yet to become official. The second was upgrading their frontcourt rotation, as they reportedly coveted a defensive upgrade at center if possible, but at the very least needed to add size and depth at the five spot.

While rumors surrounding Rudy Gobert had gone quiet by the start of free agency, the Bulls moved forward with finding quality depth at a low price, agreeing to a two-year deal with Andre Drummond for $6.6 million.

Drummond averaged 7.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on 57 percent shooting (52.4 percent from the free throw line) last season, splitting time between Philadelphia and Brooklyn. While he’s not the force he once was in Detroit, Drummond still provides value on the glass and as a capable play-finisher, and at this price there’s certainly some value for Chicago in adding him to the rotation. We’ll find out in the coming weeks if Chicago still has designs on a bigger trade for Gobert or someone else, but in the meantime the Drummond addition is solid. The next piece of the puzzle for the Bulls will be finding out if Danilo Gallinari will be joining them or Boston on the mid-level, as they look to further solidify their forward rotation.

NBA free agency is only a few hours old in 2022, even if it feels as if deals have been happening for a month. Of course, a lot of the big dominoes in the league are not free agency related, headlined by Kevin Durant’s trade request, the general mania with the Brooklyn Nets, and lucrative extensions for stars like Nikola Jokic and Devin Booker. Either way, there are still plenty of deals to sift through in the wee hours of June 30.

In this space, we’ll take a glance at seven deals (and kind of an eighth) that provide strong value, even in a world in which free agency doesn’t usually return sparkling value early in the process. Let’s take a look.

Kyle Anderson

It isn’t as if Kyle Anderson earning a two-year deal for slightly less than mid-level money was going to make anyone go crazy, but that’s a great buy for Minnesota. The Wolves add another competent, two-way veteran at a very appropriate cost, and “appropriate cost” is not often a phrase uttered on the first night of free agency. Anderson famously plays at his own pace and that might be a little bit odd in Minnesota for a while, but he’ll figure it out and help the Wolves.

Nic Batum

Batum will reportedly stick around L.A. for two years and $22 million, and that is a perfectly solid value for a player of Batum’s stature. For one, he is a versatile defensive piece that can dribble, shoot, and pass. Those players are in sky-high demand and, beyond that, the Clippers just continue to throw money around in admirable fashion. L.A’s depth is preposterous, and the Clippers have done a great job with Batum.

Joe Ingles

Milwaukee won’t be able to deploy Ingles for a while, as the veteran forward suffered a torn ACL in late January that will keep him sidelined into the 2022-23 season. However, that’s the reason he was actually available for a one-year deal on the taxpayer mid-level, and the Bucks can afford to be patient. Ingles has slipped defensively as he ages, but he is a wily defender that can really shoot, and unlike most of Milwaukee’s supporting pieces, Ingles can also run an effective pick-and-roll. This is a good move for a contender.

Tyus Jones

The best backup point guard in the NBA remains the best backup point guard in the NBA. Jones certainly could start in some places, but Memphis rightly understands the valuable of stability behind Ja Morant. Jones can play with Morant effectively and, with his aggressive style, Morant might be a player that misses time now and then. It’s a big price tag for his role at $15 million annually, but Jones is worth it and this deal won’t make anything else difficult for the Grizzlies.

Patty Mills and Nic Claxton

Listen, the Nets are in complete chaos. We get it. Kevin Durant wants out. Kyrie Irving is Kyrie Irving. Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons. No one knows how this is going to go. With that said, Brooklyn made good deals with both Mills and Claxton. Mills remains a highly valuable rotational guard on a cheap contract, and he fits anywhere with his shooting and experience. Claxton is now making real money at $10 million annually, but he is a starting-quality center who just turned 23 years old. Both players also offer potential value as matching salary in future trades, and in a vacuum, both moves make sense.

Jae’Sean Tate

The Rockets didn’t have to find a new deal for Jae’Sean Tate, but it was a good idea to do so. Houston declined a team option in order to set up a three-year deal with Tate, and they picked up a strong value at a total of $22.1 million. Tate isn’t a star by any means, but he is a rugged defender that is productive and worth more than this in a vacuum. He might also be an interesting future trade piece when the Rockets want to kick things into high gear in a year or two.

Delon Wright

Two years and $16 million is totally reasonable for Delon Wright. Why, then, is he on this list? Well, Delon Wright makes every team better. He makes winning plays. He does the little things. He can guard three positions. He doesn’t need the ball. He’s also a nice complement to new Wizards point guard Monte Morris, and Wright’s performance in Atlanta’s playoff loss to Miami this year was perhaps a national reminder of his effectiveness.

Amy Poehler‘s animated show about a bland teenage boy with a huge imagination is over after three seasons at Fox. Yet the wildest thing about Duncanville news isn’t the cancelation; it’s that it survived as long as it did. That’s not a knock on the quality of the show, which looks perfectly anodyne and boasts not only Poehler but also Simpsons alums Mike Scully and Julie Scully in the writer’s room, but rather a signal that a show that no one has ever heard of could score three full seasons in the current landscape of endless entertainment options. Despite averaging less than a million viewers during its lifetime, it managed to survive until now.

According to Deadline, Fox won’t air six already-produced episodes meant for a fourth season. Instead, they’ll move to Hulu, a natural fit since full seasons are already on the TV streamer.

Poehler, who voiced several characters including a fictional version of herself and her Parks and Rec character Leslie Knope, also produces Three Busy Debras on Adult Swim and directed the 2022 Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz documentary Lucy and Desi.

Meanwhile, with Duncanville cleared from the animation slate, Fox will soon launch Dan Harmon’s Krapopolis (about monsters and Gods trying to run the first human city) and Grimsburg (about a detective voiced by Jon Hamm trying to get his family life together).

(via Deadline)

The Atlanta Hawks made a big splash before free agency even began, landing Dejounte Murray in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs. While many pieces of analysis were filed on whether Atlanta may have overpaid in draft capital to land Murray, one potentially overlooked factor was the future of Delon Wright.

The veteran guard served an important role for the 2021-22 Hawks as a versatile player with defensive appeal but, in a world in which Murray might serve as Atlanta’s primary backup to Trae Young in addition to starting duties off the ball, Wright’s role might have diminished with the Hawks. On Thursday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Wright, who has played for six NBA teams, will be landing with a seventh different franchise, joining the Washington Wizards on a two-year deal.

Later, David Aldridge of The Athletic confirmed that both seasons are fully guaranteed.

Wright has never been an overly productive player in the box score, as evidenced by his per-game averages of 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 2021-22. However, he posted strong efficiency numbers for the Hawks last season, and Wright is a strongly above-average defensive guard who can scale up to provide real resistance against wings. In addition, he doesn’t need the ball to be successful, adding versatility and Wright is well-regarded as a player who does the little things to help teams win.

For the Hawks, Young and Murray project to play the majority of minutes at point guard, with 2021 second-round pick Sharife Cooper perhaps slated for a chance at a backup role. On the Washington side, the Wizards recently made a bit of a splash with the acquisition of Monte Morris, presumably bringing in the former Denver Nuggets guard to be the team’s starting at the point. Wright should slot in nicely behind Morris as a caretaker while also bringing the ability to play alongside Morris in certain lineup constructions.

Ralph “Sonny” Barger co-founded the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club on April Fool’s Day 1957, helping make them a national counter-culture phenomenon throughout a torrent of illegal activity and stints in jail. He died Wednesday from cancer. In a true act of self-reliance, Barger announced his own demise.

“If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone,” begins the message posted to his Facebook account. “I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing. I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I’ve had a public persona for decades, I’ve mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends. Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end, I was surrounded by what really matters: My wife, Zorana, as well as my loved ones. Keep your head up high, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor. – Sonny”

“Adventure” is putting it mildly, considering the reputation of the biker club, his involvement with the 1969 Altamont concert security where another Hells Angels member stabbed someone, and convictions on conspiracy charges. While Barger was known to Sons of Anarchy fans for his supporting role as the jail-bound Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz, he made an even larger impact behind the scenes as an advisor adding legitimacy and accuracy for late-60s pulp films like Hells Angels on Wheels and Angels From Hell. These movies elevated biker gangs, specifically Hells Angels, in the collective consciousness of Americans hungry to celebrate Easy Rider-style freedom and acted as vehicles to romanticize the rough lifestyle. His club now has chapters in 59 countries.

Barger was 83.

(via Deadline)

Isaiah Hartenstein wasn’t exactly the biggest name on the free agent market this year, but after a solid season for the Los Angeles Clippers, he was expected to pique the interest of teams that had a hole in their frontcourt. That ended up being the case, and shortly after players could agree to deals with teams, Hartenstein found himself a landing spot.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Hartenstein is going from one coast to the other and joining the New York Knicks. Hartenstein will receive a 2-year deal that will pay him $16 million.

It’s an interesting move for the Knicks, as their starting center, Mitchell Robinson, is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and there is no word on how this signing might impact Robinson’s future with the franchise. Hartenstein has traveled a rather unique path to the league, as he spent the start of his professional career abroad before spending time with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Last offseason, Hartenstein joined the Clippers and turned into a reliable member of their frontcourt rotation. He appeared in 68 games, coming off the bench in all of them, and averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game, all of which were career highs. He connected on 62.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 46.7 percent of his threes.

The Miami Heat entered this offseason without much ability to make a splash in free agency like they did a year ago in a sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry, as their main avenues towards improving the roster would come via trade.

That meant the impetus was on bringing back as much of their rotation as possible from a team that came up one game shy of another trip to the NBA Finals. After seeing one key member walk in PJ Tucker, Miami was able to lock down their backup center for two more years, bringing veteran Dewayne Dedmon back shortly after free agency opened, as first reported by Shams Charania.

A career journeyman big, Dedmon carved out a role off the Heat’s bench last year, appearing in 67 games with 15 starts. Dedmon averaged 6.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three. His combination of rim protection and shooting ability makes him a very useful reserve big, capable of spot starting when Bam Adebayo is out. Miami clearly valued what he brought to the team, locking him down quickly before turning their attention elsewhere in both free agency and the potential trade market, as they were a top rumored destination for Kevin Durant.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a substantial step forward in 2021-22, zooming to a 46-win season and threatening to knock off the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2022 NBA postseason. With Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns under contract, the future is very bright for Minnesota and, on the first evening of free agency, the Wolves reportedly added a veteran piece that should help to raise the team’s defensive profile. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Wolves have agreed on a two-year, $18 million deal with 28-year-old forward Kyle Anderson.

Anderson averaged 7.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game for Memphis last season, posting 44.6 percent shooting from the floor and 33.0 percent from three-point distance. While he took a step back from the perimeter after shooting 36.0 percent from three-point range in the previous season, Anderson is an intelligent and versatile offensive player who is above-average on the defensive end.

The Wolves will use most of the mid-level exception in order to secure a commitment from Anderson, and he should bring two-way ability at either forward spot. Anderson’s modest salary, at least by rotation player standards, could also be useful in future trade discussions for a Wolves team with multiple players in the $8 million to $16 million range, and Anderson was also one of the better remaining free agents after the first wave of high-profile names.