Category: News

Things didn’t quite go as planned for the Los Angeles Clippers this season. Despite boasting an embarrassment of talent on their roster, they fell short in the second round in Orlando to a scrappy and talented Nuggets squad that managed to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and topple a team that had their sights set on a title.

It was a brutal series that pointed to what could be a larger overarching issue about team chemistry or the lack thereof. That’s something Montrezl Harrell was already aware of long beforehand. Back in January, Harrell criticized his teammates for lack of cohesion after an ugly loss and called the locker room “problematic,” which drew an angry reaction from Doc Rivers.

Now, it appears Harrell has decided to cut his ties with Clippers altogether, opting instead to join forces with their locker-room rivals. It’s an outcome that left at least one teammate in disbelief, as fiery point guard Patrick Beverley reacted with an angry emoji on Twitter.

whathttps://t.co/44m24c60Ux

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) November 21, 2020

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a teammate has left to join a rival in free agency, and if the Boston Celtics are any indication, it could ignite a feud that could last for the next decade or longer, although probably to a lesser degree than the Rondo-Ray-Allen-Garnett debacle. But Pat Bev has never been one to take things in stride, so every Lakers-Clippers game next season will surely be must-see television.

Beverley, for his part, did his best to downplay it later, in a response to one of the many memes that has already surfaced in the wake of Harrell’s decision.

Frfr happy for him tho https://t.co/8JnvRHJGVd

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) November 21, 2020

So, who knows. Maybe he’s already cycled through the five stages of grief and has arrived at acceptance. I probably wouldn’t hold my breath, though.

The first day of free agency saw a number of major deals as, despite very few teams holding significant cap space, teams around the league found ways to lock in free agents on the opening day of action.

Among the teams with significant cap space are the Detroit Pistons and they were very active on Friday, signing Josh Jackson, Jahlil Okafor, and Mason Plumlee to deals, but they weren’t done there — and weren’t done signing former Nuggets. Late on Friday, word emerged that they had managed to swipe Jerami Grant away from Denver on a pretty massive three-year, $60 million deal.

The Nuggets were expected to be pushing to keep Grant after he played a significant role for them in their run to the Western Conference Finals, as their leading defensive wing, taking on the top assignments on both the Lakers and Clippers in LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Denver will now have to replace that production, particularly on the defensive end, while Detroit will be banking on him being able to take on an expanded role on the offensive end, both spacing the floor as a shooter around their lottery pick Killian Hayes but, for $20 million a year, they will clearly want him to be more of an on-ball threat as well.

That’s a role Grant likewise wants, as he reportedly turned down the same amount of money from Denver for a larger role in Detroit.

Christian Wood was a revelation for the Detroit Pistons last season. After suiting up for a number of NBA and G League squads to start his professional career, Wood settled into a role off the Pistons’ bench nicely, setting himself up to become one of the most highly-sought-after frontcourt players in the 2020 free agent class.

Wood ended up finding a home on Friday evening, several hours after the window opened for players and teams to come to terms on deals. According to Frank Isola, Wood is headed to the Houston Rockets on a three-year deal that will pay him $27 million.

There was a little bit of confusion in the ensuing hour or so following Isola’s tweet, as multiple reports indicated that no deal had been reached between the two sides, although there was interest. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, though, the deal ultimately came to fruition, with Wood getting even more money than originally believed.

Further reporting by Wojnarowski indicated the deal will happen via a sign-and-trade.

For a Rockets team that jettisoned all of its big men last year and traded 6’9 forward Robert Covington earlier this week, Wood brings some much-needed frontcourt reinforcements. The hope will be that he can build off of a career year last season as the 25-year-old power forward averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

Joe Harris is one of the best examples of the Brooklyn Nets’ ability to identify and develop talent. Once a scarcely-used member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harris joined Brooklyn in 2016 and has quickly developed into one of the NBA’s most consistently dangerous options from behind the arc. He hit free agency this offseason, and in response, the Nets made it a point to compensate him handsomely for his services.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Brooklyn and Harris came to terms on a deal to keep the former University of Virginia standout in the borough.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN chimed in with contract details soon after. Harris will remain with the Nets on a four-year deal worth an eyebrow-raising $75 million.

One season after leading the NBA by connecting on 47.4 percent of his triples, Harris posted a career-high in scoring during the 2019-20 campaign. He averaged 14.5 points in 30.8 minutes per game, starting in all 69 games in which he appeared. The shooting was still his calling card, as he connected on 42.4 percent of his 5.9 threes a night.

Expectations are high in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both returning from injuries this season. It’s unclear what the remainder of the roster will look like as they’ve linked to a potential James Harden move, but if things remain the way they are, they can take solace in knowing that one of the league’s most dangerous options from behind the arc will be ready and waiting for them to kick the ball out to him.

Davis Bertans’ decision to sit out during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble has paid off in a big way. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the sharpshooting Latvian forward has agreed to a five-year deal to return to the Washington Wizards, the franchise for whom he turned into one of the most dangerous marksmen in the league last season.

The price tag on Bertans’ deal will certainly raise eyebrows, as he’s slated to make $80 million, although the contract does apparently include an early termination option.

Bertans’ ability to hit shots has never been in question, but he took a major step forward as a member of the Wizards last season. Bertans averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game while connecting on 42.4 percent of his triples. He did this on impressive volume, too, shooting 8.7 threes a night for the high-scoring Wizards. Additionally, he posted a career-best mark by pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game.

There wasn’t much that went right in Washington last season, and outside of Bradley Beal, there were not all that many bright spots in the nation’s capital. Bertans was one of them, though, and while there are 29 other teams that could use someone with his aptitude from downtown, he decided to stick in D.C.

Montrezl Harrell has turned into a revelation with the Los Angeles Clippers, as his energy and offense off the bench turned him into the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. A free agent this offseason, there was plenty of attention on where Harrell would go, and reports indicate that he’s going to stick in Los Angeles.

The catch: Harrell is going leave the Clippers and sign a two-year deal with the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The report was eventually confirmed by Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst laid out the particulars of the deal. It’s a two-year contract worth $19 million with a player option for the 2021-22 campaign.

While Harrell struggled during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble after his late arrival due to the passing of his grandmother, the former Louisville standout has turned into one of the league’s most ruthless interior players. Last season, he averaged career-best marks in scoring (18.6 per game) and rebounding (7.1 a night) and was one of the lynchpins of the Clippers’ devastating second units alongside Lou Williams. There are concerns about his game, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, but his ability to get buckets made him one of the biggest free agent names on the market.

Dwight Howard enjoyed something of a renaissance this season in Los Angeles. After several years of bouncing around to different teams and mostly failing to find a niche as a reliable productive contributor, he took one of the more circuitous routes anyone could’ve imagined and ended up at the sight of one of his most infamous flame-outs.

But Lakers fans proved they could forgive and forget, and under LeBron James’ veteran leadership, Howard settled into the type of role that fits him best at this point of his career and proved to be solid rotation player in a championship team. His future with the team was uncertain heading into free agency, so when the moratorium opened on Friday night, Howard appeared to settle that lingering question when he tweeted that he was re-signing with the Lakers.

That turned out to be premature, however, and Howard was quickly forced to delete the tweet when a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that he and the Lakers had not reached a deal and that Howard was still exploring his options. A couple hours later, it appears Howard won’t be staying in L.A. after all, as he’s reportedly agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

Free agent Dwight Howard has agreed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent Charles Briscoe tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2020

The Dwight Howard contract in Philadelphia is for the veteran minimum exception of $2.6M, per league sources.

The cap hit is $1.6M

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 21, 2020

He’ll likely fill a similar role as he did in Los Angeles as a reserve center to come off the bench and play defense and catch lobs. The deal reunites Dwight with Daryl Morey, the former Rockets exec who joined Philadelphia’s front office last month after parting ways with Houston.

Back in March, Car Seat Headrest vocalist Will Toledo appeared in an apocalyptic gas mask attached with two floppy ears and debuted new music. The band had just announced their latest LP Making A Door Less Open, which arrived back in May. Though the album has been out for several months, Car Seat Headrest has yet to do any late-night TV performances of their new songs — until now.

Car Seat Headrest brought their driving track “Can’t Cool Me Down” to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! with an at-home performance. With a haphazard setup, the full band managed to squeeze themselves into one tiny room, gear and all, will Toledo singing from a cramped closet.

Ahead of their Tonight Show appearance, Toledo told the New York Times that his gas mask persona was actually envisioned well before the pandemic. “It was supposed to be sort of an exotic alternative to reality — like a challenge, I guess, to normal life,” Toledo said. “And now it just feels a lot more pointed in a way that I wasn’t planning on and don’t really take any pleasure in.”

Watch Car Seat Headrest perform “Can’t Cool Me Down” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! above.

Making A Door Less Open is out now via Matador. Get it here.

Like many things about the Donald Trump presidency, the way the White House press secretary has handled the media is unprecedented over the last four years. Especially when it comes to the most recent person in that position, Kayleigh McEnany.

McEaney ended a press conference early on Friday and with a fairly dismissive comment about “good and substantive questions,” but saved special ire for CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

“I don’t call on activists,” she said after Collins attempted to ask a question.

It’s unclear what activism the press secretary is talking about, as it seems the only thing Collins truly advocates for outside of her work is her love of the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturdays, but the remark got her attention and she fired back at McEnany as she walked away.

“I’m not an activist and you haven’t taken questions since October 1,” Collins said. “That’s not doing your job. Your taxpayer-funded job.”

Collins later appeared on CNN to discuss the meeting Trump had with Republican Michigan lawmakers in an apparent attempt to overturn election results that showed Joe Biden winning the state in the presidential election. But the segment was ended by Tapper complimenting Collins for her work and defending her as one of the best correspondents the network has ever had.

“I just wanted to note that you’re one of the best White House correspondents ever, in the history of this country,” Tapper said. “You do a fantastic job, and we’re very lucky to have you. We are all 100 percent behind you. So thanks for the report, and thank you for all you do.

Collins later tweeted video of the segment as well, sharing her appreciation for Tapper’s words and his support throughout her career.

Collins may have been “attacked from the podium” on Friday, but she got high praise on CNN as a result.

The Atlanta Hawks have made moves to bolster their frontcourt over the last few months. From trading for Clint Capela to taking Onyeka Okongwu in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, it’s evident that Atlanta wants to bolster its big men with Trae Young manning the point. The latest example of this is the biggest addition they’ve made yet.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Oklahoma City marksman Danilo Gallinari will head to the Atlanta Hawks on a three-year deal worth $61.5 million.

Gallinari has moved around plenty in his decade-plus in the NBA, and there have always been concerns about his ability to stay on the floor. But when he’s been able to play — and he has stayed pretty healthy over the last two years — no one has ever doubted his ability to score. Last season, Gallinari was excellent for the Thunder, averaging 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per game. He connected on 43.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 40.5 percent of his threes.

Atlanta is building a pretty interesting team around Young, and one thing they don’t really have is someone who can get buckets when he’s not on the floor. Gallinari fixes that, and while we’ll have to wait and see if the Hawks can make the playoffs, at the very least, their offense is going to be a blast.