The GameStop stock surge earlier this year made plenty of retail traders a lot of money, causing chaos across the stock market and drawing the attention of basically everyone online. That story is still playing out today, and those who still have the stock have followed along intently through those stock surges.
As it turns out, though, the Mormon Church has also found itself with diamond hands as it bought millions of dollars of tech stocks through its investment arm. As Business Insider outlined, the church’s $100 billion investment firm, Ensign Peak Advisors, bought big into some tech stocks in recent months according to SEC filings. And that includes millions of dollars in GameStop stock, which it bought for cheap and currently made a huge profit on.
The fund snapped up 46,000 GameStop shares for less than $19 each last quarter as well. That stake was worth $22 million at the height of the short squeeze in January, when GameStop’s stock price briefly hit $483. It’s still valued at about $7 million at the current share price, compared to less than $900,000 at the end of December.
Ensign, which is more than 50 years old, grew its total holdings from 1,740 to more than 1,850 during the period. The overall value of its US stock portfolio rose by 11% to $44 billion.
The SEC filing said that Ensign bought into companies like Tesla (quadrupling its holdings) and GameStop while cutting its positions on more traditional companies like Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft. Interestingly, as Business Insider points out the church doesn’t invest in companies it finds “objectionable,” or that sell products that go against their religious beliefs. Tobacco, coffee companies and gambling aren’t in the portfolio, even companies like Coca-Cola aren’t in there. But apparently, video games and Funko Pops are good in their book. And making them lots of money.
If you’ve ever wondered what pilots talk about while they’re queuing up in the taxi phase of your flight… maybe it’s better that you don’t know. According to travel site One Mile At A Time, two weeks ago a hot mic incident was recorded over the Mineta San Jose International Airport’s air traffic control scanner that caught a pilot ranting about San Jose in what we can only describe as very, extremely a lot.
The hard-to-decipher audio, which can be found at LiveATC, captures the pilot saying things like “F*ck this place, goddamn liberal fucks.” “Eight guns out here somewhere as it is” which, okay, not sure what that means. “F*cking weirdos, probably driving around in fucking Hyundais, f*cking roads and sh*t that go slow as f*ck.” And this gem, “You don’t have balls unless you’re f*cking rolling coal man, g*ddamnit.”
Coal. That famous fuel source that powers jet engines.
SF Gate reveals that the pilot in question is an employee at Southwest Airlines, with a spokesperson for the company confirming to the publication that they are “fully addressing the situation internally.” Aside from this being disturbing, it’s also a matter that the FAA — which officially operates the control towers — takes incredibly seriously. They’ve indicated that they reported the incident to the airline that employs the pilot and is further investigating the situation.
“FAA regulations prohibit airline pilots from talking about subjects that are unrelated to safely conducting their flight while taxing and while flying below 10,000 feet altitude,” wrote FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor in a statement regarding the incident.
We can all agree the last thing we want from our pilots is for them to openly express how they hate us all while dropping us off at home. If we could rate them like Uber drivers (not a terrible idea), this guy would be in trouble.
The Houston Rockets, fresh off a 20-game losing streak, spent the trade deadline frantically trying to salvage something in the way of value for Victor Oladipo. In the end, all they could manage for the former All-Star was Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and a 2022 pick swap with Miami — which seems like it will almost assuredly not convey since Miami is significantly better than Houston — thus wrapping up what will go down as one of the worst superstar trades in recent memory.
When James Harden made his request to be moved, Houston found itself in the unenviable position of having to find something approaching value for a perennial MVP candidate. That is almost impossible, but recent superstar deals have provided at least a blueprint for what success looks like.
Oladipo himself was part of such a deal in being sent to Indiana along with Domantas Sabonis for Paul George, as Indy landed a pair of young, talented players who became All-Stars in a bigger role. George was again dealt for a king’s ransom to the Clippers from Oklahoma City, which netted a number of future picks but, arguably more importantly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who looks like a future All-Star in his own right. The Pelicans shipped Anthony Davis to the Lakers for a stable of young talent, one of whom became an All-Star in Brandon Ingram, and some picks. In totality, the formula was simple: Find the best possible young talent, add the picks, and hope they become something.
Brooklyn had the young talent to pique the Rockets interest, leading with Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. The Sixers were reportedly willing to part ways with a current All-Star in Ben Simmons, but Houston went with the Nets offer, which built itself into a four-team deal. In the trade, Houston got four first round picks, with the Bucks 2022 pick, the Nets’ first rounders in 2022, 2024, and 2026, along with three pick-swap rights in the odd years from 2021-2027. What those picks turn into will be important in possibly taking the sting out of what comes next, but the immediate return for Harden saw the other teams that joined the deal to help facilitate it all end up with the better players. Rather than bring LeVert and Allen to Houston, the Nets diverted Allen (and Taurean Prince) to Cleveland and LeVert to Indiana so they could nab Victor Oladipo, along with Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs who are, effectively, non-factors.
That choice very well may end up haunting this Rockets franchise for years, as Oladipo, who was still yet to establish himself as the All-Star he once was pre-quad injury, turned down their extension offer and then failed to produce at a level to create any sort of market that would allow them to sell high at the trade deadline. The result was the aforementioned Olynyk and Bradley package that offers nothing in the way of future assets or quality young players, and simply was a deal to avoid the ignominy of seeing the centerpiece of the Harden deal walk for nothing. Still, when you put the entire package together, it’s clear that of the three teams involved, one got the absolute least out the Harden trade in terms of current players.
Rockets: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, Dante Exum, and Rodions Kurucs Pacers: Caris LeVert Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince Nets: James Harden Heat: Victor Oladipo
Yikes. The picks, of course, matter, but only one of those even seems to have a chance of being a lottery pick. It’s possible the 2026 Nets pick becomes valuable, if that coincides with a rebuild in Brooklyn, but considering the talent they gave up, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Rockets did worse. The pick swaps with Brooklyn aren’t going to convey in 2021 or 2023, the 2022 Nets and Bucks picks will almost assuredly be at the very end of the first round, and the 2024 pick very likely will as well. Even if all they do is make the deal happen without the Bucks pick, keep the Cavs and Pacers totally out of it, and just bring LeVert, Oladipo, and Prince back to Houston, all of this looks significantly better.
There is naturally hindsight involved here, but even in the moment choosing Oladipo over LeVert and Allen was a gigantic gamble. Questions about his health weren’t new and after an offseason of trade rumors produced nothing, it should come as little surprise that a strong market didn’t form for him at the deadline. His strong desire to make lots of money in free agency was well known, and as such, an extension was never going to materialize. LeVert, meanwhile, was in the first year of a team friendly deal, and even with the time missed after finding the cancerous mass on his kidney, he has returned for Indiana and brought them some much needed scoring and helped stabilize them after a bit of a freefall. Allen will be a restricted free agent next year and has been terrific both in Brooklyn and Cleveland this year, meaning he at minimum would’ve been a great trade asset at the deadline if not a piece to add to their core for the future.
And then there is the objective fact that Simmons, if he was indeed on the table, is better than every other player mentioned in this deal other than Harden. Not only that, Simmons is under contract until the 2025 offseason, giving the Rockets time to build around him — this is where opting for Oladipo or the Nets players over him is particularly curious, because the team would have the security that comes from someone being under a long-term contract. The team would have something tangible in the short-term, medium-term, and long-term if it opted to bring Simmons on board, along with whatever combination of picks and players Philadelphia would have offered. Perhaps the Sixers ended up reneging on any sort of offer and took Simmons off the table, but even if we did not have the benefit of hindsight, it is fair to question the Rockets’ thought process here. If reporting that the Sixers offer was rebuffed out of the hubris of ownership not wanting to make a deal with the recently departed Daryl Morey, then it makes their situation even worse. If ownership isn’t willing to make the best decisions in the interest of the team, but instead out of personal feelings and contempt, then the situation in Houston won’t ever get better.
There was brief hope in Houston that this could all work, as they ran out to 11-10 behind Oladipo, John Wall, and Christian Wood, but injuries and a decline in efficiency and effectiveness from Oladipo quickly stripped away all of that optimism. It’s all highly unfortunate, but it wasn’t as though this outcome couldn’t be foreseen in the moment. Of all the superstar trades we’ve seen in recent years, somehow, the Rockets ended up with what looks like the worst return for arguably the best player of the bunch — and the player under contract for the longest, meaning the price couldn’t even get driven down from fears of him leaving after a year.
For a Rockets fan in search of something positive, it’s possible this all works out by winning the lottery after bottoming out this year, allowing them to draft Cade Cunningham, who becomes the generational talent he appears to be and lifts the Rockets from the morass. But if they don’t land that top pick — especially if they fall out of the top-4 and the pick conveys to Oklahoma City — it’s quite possible that the Harden trade will have set this franchise back for years. Even in a Draft with tremendous talent at the top, they won’t have added players or assets to assist in building around them for the future. They failed to get a quality draft pick for the first four-plus years of the trade, failed to get a young player that provides any promise, and failed to get a veteran that could be a core piece of a swift reload rather than rebuild.
The Indiana Pacers entered the 2020-21 season hoping to continue building off of a solid, even if unspectacular 2019-20 campaign. With Domantas Sabonis coming off his best season and the emergence of T.J. Warren in the Bubble, there was plenty to be optimistic about, but Warren suffered a foot fracture in late December after a solid start to the season and has been out ever since.
Warren had surgery in January and there had been hope he might return for the Pacers’ playoff push, but on Thursday the team announced that he was officially done for the season.
Injury Update: T.J. Warren will be out for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
It’s a major blow to Indiana’s hopes of making much of a run in the postseason this year. After trading Victor Oladipo, they struggled mightily with finding enough perimeter scoring punch to keep up in games until Caris LeVert’s was finally able to play. With LeVert, they’ve once again looked like a solid playoff team, but without Warren it’s hard to imagine them as being dynamic enough to keep pace with the East’s best. Warren will hopefully be back next year in a contract year for him, as he hits free agency in 2022, and the Pacers will have to proceed the rest of this season without him and determine their best course of action for building this summer, with him back in the picture for next year.
Prairie dresses have never really gone away. The long, flowing, frilly gowns reemerged in the early ’70s as a way for women to assert themselves after a decade of miniskirts designed for the male gaze.
In the ’80s the frills popped up again with the giant puffed-up sleeves and ruffled collars that were common in women’s fashion. In the ’90s, prairie dresses became chic grunge style and were often paired with chokers and Dr. Marten’s boots.
Now, the prairie dress has suddenly reemerged at your local Target. Their appearance was rather jarring to Facebook user Lorca Damon who thought they were some type of comment on life during the pandemic.
“Target has decided if we’re gonna suffer a pandemic, we might as well look like we just lost the farm after locusts ate our crops,” she wrote. Adding: “I swear, if I run into a woman wearing this and she’s not in a stage revival of Oklahoma!, I’m going to help hide her from the other sister wives until we can get her a safe house and a divorce.”
Rachel Weingarten, brand strategist, and trend analyst doesn’t believe that target intended on making such a loathsome piece of clothing, rather it was a bungled attempt at mimicking the style of Kate Middleton.
“I don’t think Target meant to create a hideous dress,” Weingarten told Forbes. “I think they meant to piggyback off the Duchess of Cambridge’s ladylike dresses, only an affordable version. It was just bad timing.”
Damon’s post quickly went viral and became the catalyst for the #TargetDressChallenge where people have been posing for old-timey pictures, many of them with livestock, while wearing the gowns.
Whereas bourbon is close to maxing out at this price point (before expressions hit the aftermarket), we’re only just now entering the elite-range when it comes to Scotch whisky. Yes, it’s all “damn good stuff,” but the top tier is yet to come. We still haven’t hit the 20-year-old expressions yet (one of the most coveted sweet spots in all of scotch production), much less the one-offs.
What we are talking about are bottles that can help you expand your scotch knowledge, gain awareness of various regions, and educate your palate about interesting barrelling techniques. We tried to cast a wide net to include a solid selection from the smoky and sweet side of scotch production, but beyond that, these are just our favorite drams between $125 and $150. Click the prices to order the expressions that look best to you!
Released late last year, this expression aims to bring a dessert vibe to Glenmorangie’s deep line of expressions. The juice is first aged in ex-bourbon casks. Then it’s vatted and transferred to ex-Tokaji wine casks (a Hungarian dessert wine) for final maturation. The idea is to imbue the whisky with a pineapple cake feel that accentuates the whisky in the glass.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with classic Glenmorangie notes of fresh honey and nuts with a touch of chocolate that leads towards a rush of tropical and stone fruits — almost like a hazy NEIPA. The taste holds onto those base Glenmorangie notes while adding in ripe pear next to vanilla cream, a touch of sweet orange cake, and a whisper of mint. The end circles back to the honey, nuts, and chocolate notes as it (fairly quickly) fades away.
Bottom Line:
This really does feel like a great dessert sipper. There’s a nice sweetness that’s never cloying but very fruity, edging towards buttery. Pour a dram after a big meal and let it work its magic.
This release from late last year is a masterclass in finishing a whisky. The juice is first aged for 18 years in refill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the whisky is transferred to first-fill red wine casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux. The whisky is then proofed with the soft water from a local, gold-flecked river to a very accessible 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
That beautiful creamy honey and vanilla of Aberfeldy greets you with notes of blackberries, soft cedar, and a hint of marzipan and rose water. The palate creates this bowl of vanilla sauce over ripe red berries (blackberry and raspberry especially) that’s drizzled with fresh honey next to soft and dry cedar leading to dry grass. The end embraces the fruit and takes on a fermented apricot (not quite a schnapps) vibe, as the honeyed sweetness and nuttiness slowly fade out.
Bottom Line:
Full disclosure, this is my favorite expression from Aberfeldy, so maybe I’m biased. But I’m telling you — this is phenomenal with a single rock in a Glencairn. The berries, honey, almond, cedar all hit just the right balance to be something that’s impossible not to enjoy.
This Island whisky from Jura is a fairly new expression from the old-school distillery. The juice is matured for 18 long years in ex-bourbon. It’s then vatted and finished in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux barrels for a finishing touch. As a final touch, it’s proofed down with spring water to a very sippable 88 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mix of cinnamon, clove, pineapple, and citrus on the nose that reminds you of a tropical cocktail you can’t quite put your finger on. The bourbon comes through with a rich vanilla underbelly, supporting very distant sprays from the sea next to dried red berries covered in bitter dark chocolate. The end holds onto the bitter, edging towards coffee beans while the fruit gets drier with a final briny note arriving late.
Bottom Line:
This is a really interesting whisky. It’s squarely in the sweet scotch category but carries a lovely and light note of the seaside — bringing something new to the mix. A rock in the Glencairn might even bring about a light smoky cedar note, while amping up the chocolate and dried berries.
This tiny and iconic Dufftown distillery is the whisky aficionado’s distillery. The whisky in this bottle is distilled almost three times (2.81 times to be exact) through various types of pot stills. The juice is then aged for 16 years in sherry casks before it’s, vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
You’re met with a bowl full of stewed plums with anise, clove, and cinnamon in the mix, next to a slight sense of dry moss. The taste has a faint vanilla edge next to velvety honey, sharp spice, old leather-bound books, and a touch of bruised apricot. The end is very long, holds onto the spice and fruit, and leaves you with a sense of creamy vanilla honey.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those scotches that you either know about and love or have probably never heard of. I’ve yet to have a dram from this shingle that’s not been superb-to-straight-up-stunning. This expression isn’t their very best, but it’s definitely special.
Last year’s Distiller’s Edition is all about a unique finishing. The small seaside distillery vats their iconic whisky and then transfers that into Montilla Fino sherry casks for a final maturation by the sea. The end results are batched, proofed, and bottled at a very crushable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
The nose pulls you in with an orange-flavored saltwater taffy wrapped in wax paper next to a whisper of sea brine-filled smoke. The palate mixes a soft malty grain beside a mild orange zest, salted peanut shells, and oyster liquor with a hint of the shell. The end is very subtle, with hints of salted dark chocolate leading towards a mild bitter coffee bean vibe on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect seafood pairing whisky. Grab a plate of fresh oysters, a bucket of steamed clams, or a hearty seafood chowder and enjoy the nuance of this seafoam-whipped whisky.
This whisky switches up the aging process a bit. The juice is first aged for 18 years in old sherry hogshead casks. Then the whisky is finished in first-fill bourbon casks for the final maturation. Finally, the whisky is proofed with water from just outside the distillery’s walls and bottled without any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
The nose isn’t that bourbon forward. Instead, you’re greeted with a mix of dried florals, malts, straw, and honey that leads towards a bourbon vanilla pod note. The palate bursts with orange oils, peppery spice, and honeyed sweetness with a touch of ginger juice and oak. The end embraces the honey and spice as it slowly fades out, leaving you with a final (mild) touch of vanilla and oak.
Bottom Line:
There’s an interesting base to this dram that’s rooted in a sweet scotch through and through. The bourbon notes feel like a final flourish instead of a part of the dram’s core — it’s very dialed back and easy to miss.
Still, it’s interesting to try a whisky that treats bourbon the way that other expressions use sherry in the finishing process.
This is the culmination of all of Laphroaig’s 200-year history in a single expression. The juice is a mix of whiskies aged in first-fill sherry, first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon, and sherry hogshead casks. The ages range from seven to 21 years. The whisky is then vatted and proofed down to 96 proof with soft Islay water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of black smoke and ash on the nose next to a cut of bitter dark chocolate and slight hints of sea brine. The palate embraces the heavier notes of peaty ash with a dry edge next to dark chocolate touched with chili spice and a hint of nuttiness. The end is surprisingly short and leaves you with a sense of sea salt, cold ash, and a dose of honey-roasted almond.
Bottom Line:
Personally speaking, this isn’t for me. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the craft. There’s a clear complexity that unabashedly embraces the beauty of peaty Islay whisky heritage in every sip.
If you’re a true peat-lover, this is going to be your jam.
This Viking whisky from high up in the Orkneys takes barreling one step further. Their 18-year expression is matured in casks made from American and European oak specifically for Highland. Those bespoke vessels are sent to Jerez, Spain to age sherry for three years. The same barrels are then sent back to Orkney to age this whisky for all 18 of its years.
Tasting Notes:
This really feels like a classic scotch at every step. You’re greeted with notes of marzipan, dark berries, honey, and light lines of smoke on the nose. Those notes hold on as buttery toffee arrives with a dark chocolate counterpoint, leading towards ripe red cherries and floral honey. The end embraces distant billows of sweet smoke with a dry and earthy undertow on the slow, sweet, and berry-filled fade.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the best of all worlds when it comes to scotch. It’s mildly smoky without being a peat-monster. At the same time, it really holds onto the berry and honey sweetness of a sweet scotch without overpowering the peat.
This is a whisky with a gimmick. The game that’s afoot with this dram is that it was released with no information about what it is: No age statement, maturation notes, or even tasting notes. It was kind of like the perfect blind tasting exercise from a major brand and we’re here for it!
Tasting Notes:
The dram opens with warm notes of stewed apple with a lot of cinnamon in a buttery and crumbly pie crust with a touch of orange zest in the mix. The palate adds in notes of dried fruits, ripe cherry, and more of a tart apple than a stewed one while holding onto the dark spices. The end is very long and holds onto the spice and fruit the longest, with a hint of dried grapes (sultanas really) and wet oak.
Bottom Line:
SPOILER ALERT:
Turns out this was aged in American oak and finished in Cognac casks. That aside, this is a fun dram for any tasting. No one can glean anything from the bottle and you really are going in blind (as long as you don’t spoil the ending).
This is classic, old-school whisky making. The juice is aged in a mix of sherry casks for 18 years before it’s vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtration or any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice mix of maple syrup with blueberries that almost feels like blueberry pancakes with a mug of cinnamon-spiked apple cider to wash it down. The palate holds onto that warmth with spicy grilled peaches dripping in more syrup with notes of orange zest brightening things up. That’s paired with a touch of wet oak. The end really holds onto the cooked peaches, spice, and orange as it fades out fairly slowly towards a mild yet dry tobacco chewiness.
Bottom Line:
This whisky might be a little harder to find, but it’s worth it. It’s a fine, fruity whisky that goes deeper the more you nose and taste it. Take your time and let all the bright fruit flavors develop.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (Netflix series) — A renowned Dragon Knight (Davion) ends up over his head in this sweeping fantasy series about how he strives to wipe the world of scourge. He ends up running into both a dragon and a princess (who’s doing duty on her own mission) while also finding himself unable to extricate himself from situations that he never would have thought possible.
John Wayne Gacy: Devil In Disguise (Peacock miniseries) — The NBCU streaming service is stepping into the true crime game with a six-part series about one of the most terrifying and notorious serial killers. The docuseries will contain a full-on interview with the subject from prison while presenting accounts from an ex-wife, a confidant, and other exclusive interviews. Prepare to be horrified and riveted and afraid to turn out the damn lights at night.
Baketopia (HBO Max series) — A reality-baking competition goes extreme with larger-than-life creations in a flour-filled wonderland in a fully-stacked kitchen. Throughout 12 episodes, competitors will aim to create gorgeous and tasty desserts to win $10,000 from the “cake council.” (I think I’ve gained weight simply reading about this series.)
The Runaway Bunny (HBO Max film) — The beloved 1942 childhood book from Margaret Wise Brown gets the animated treatment with voice work from Mariah Carey, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, Rosanne Cash, Ziggy Marley, Kimya Dawson, and Rufus Wainwright. The story follows a restless bunny who wishes to explore the world and takes magical adventures before returning back home to his mom’s embrace and love.
Secret Magic Control Agency (Netflix film) –Hansel and Gretel are secret agents in this film with magic, clever thinking, and team work to guide them on a quest to find a king.
Station 19 (ABC, 8:00pm EST) — Maya’s jealous of one of Carina’s old flames, Vi’s shocked about soething, and Andy is very frustrated with Sullivan.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9:00pm EST) — Teddy’s struggling to cope after a difficult loss while Owen’s attempting to help her recover and withstand long-standing truths.
Cake (FX, 10:00pm EST) — Season 4 begins for this assortment of bite-sized shorts, and this year, the diverse array of narratives is anchored by Nine Films About Technology from Peter Huang. Expect a loosely connected set of stories that get darkly comedic and explore human relationships in an era of (arguable) over-connectivity.
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Maya Rudolph, Christopher Meloni, 24Goldn
The Late Late Show With James Corden — Chrissy Teigen
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Sacha Baron Cohen, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ash Soan
In case you missed these recent picks:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO Max) — Fans hoped this day would come, and finally, “we live in a society” where the fabled “Snyder Cut” is fabled no more. This four-hour installment is a vast improvement on Joss Whedon’s much maligned theatrical cut, and there’s a smidge of Jared Leto’s Joker to add some “WTF” flavor. Finally, there’s loads of character development, which the hard-core nerds will appreciate, so even though Joss’ version remains canon, the Snyder Cut is here to satisfy the hearts and minds of DC Comics fans.
Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (Netflix stand-up special) — The Tennessee-born funnyman launches his second Netflix special, which is chock full of Oregon Trail throwbacks and talking about all the ways he’s relatable as a father and husband.
Coming off the successful release of Spillage Village’s Spilligion and working on his follow-up to 2018’s DiCaprio 2, Atlanta rapper JID took time out to help a local fan who was going through some recent hardships and put out a call for more members of the community to assist.
Rosalee Thomas lost her job and health insurance during the pandemic but then, to make matters worse, her car was also totaled. JID partnered with Seattle-based pizza chain MOD Pizza to drop off a new car to Thomas as the opening act of their “Random Acts of MODness” campaign. After the video of the gift went live, JID himself went on Twitter to offer “three wishes” to more fans in need.
One responder was a first-generation student who needed help paying for school, while another was an ICU nurse at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas. Finally, JID selected a second-grade teacher to receive school supplies and library books for her students. In a press release promoting the campaign, JID explained, “It’s been a tough year and we know folks are struggling. So, I’m excited to partner with MOD to spread some love in our local communities.”
In addition to recording his long-awaited third album, JID also released a handful of new songs and freestyles this year, including “Cludder Freestyle,” “JIDtranada Freestyle,” and “Skegee.”
What was expected to be a quiet NBA trade deadline brought fireworks, as All-Star Nikola Vucevic was sent to Chicago first thing in the morning to set things off, and a number of rumored players changed teams before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
The landscape of the league changed once again, as tends to happen on deadline day. One West contender improved its fortunes greatly, while Orlando’s wheeling and dealing created another tanking team down the stretch.
Here are your winners and losers of deadline day 2021:
Loser: Western Conference wings who face Denver
By trading for Aaron Gordon (at the cost of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, and a future first-round pick), the Nuggets plugged their biggest hole, one that has plagued them for multiple years. In Gordon, Denver finally has an answer for the question every NBA contender has to ask itself: “Who guards LeBron?”
There are very few players in the league who can credibly be given that task, and Gordon is one. His strength, athleticism, and IQ make him a nice fit in Denver on both ends, as their aggressive defense and Nikola Jokic-centric offense are relatively unique. Gordon should slide in smoothly, provided he is OK having the ball even less than he did in central Florida.
During the 2019-20 season, when Orlando at least had DJ Augustin to run the offense, Gordon was in the 92nd percentile as a cutter, per Synergy Sports, scoring 1.5 points per possession. If even a fraction of that efficiency and willingness to score off the ball gets on the plane with him to Colorado, Gordon will be a brilliant addition for the Nuggets.
Sure, skepticism is warranted when it comes to his overall defensive impact, as even on an underrated Orlando defense under Steve Clifford, Gordon rarely graded out as an enormous positive on that end. Orlando has been better defensively with Gordon on the bench this season and two of the past three, according to Cleaning the Glass.
However, the Nuggets went from losing Grant, not really replacing him, and having no chance against LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, or Luka Doncic to now having one of the players best-suited to defending those guys in the whole NBA when engaged on that end of the floor.
Winner: The 2024 Orlando Magic
When one of the most reticent tanking teams in the NBA finally tears down its roster, it’s a big deal. The Magic finally looked at their team honestly and realized that not only was it the right time to do so, with a playoff berth unlikely, but also an opportunity to sell relatively high on their best players. Vucevic has been one of the most productive centers in the NBA this season, Gordon is on a hot streak, and even Evan Fournier fetched two second-round picks from Boston.
This not only helps the Magic commit to playing through young players like Chuma Okeke, Cole Anthony, and deadline acquisitions RJ Hampton and Wendell Carter Jr. the rest of the season, but should shore up their lottery odds and allow them to basically start from scratch. The only players Orlando has locked up long-term now are Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, giving them a strong defensive foundation with two well-regarded young players.
In a strong 2021 Draft, the Magic should be able to add another promising piece and get to work building another winner. Orlando fans may be dreaming of Cade Cunningham already, but if an offensive creator is the bounty, even Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs would be a nice get and a strong fit next to Fultz. If you believe Orlando would have been wrong to tread water forever, this is a nice starting point for their rebuild.
Winner: Portland’s bench
Something has gotten into Neil Olshey and the Trail Blazers’ front office. Perhaps it was the electrifying run Portland went on in the Bubble that opened their eyes to the potential of the team, but the Trail Blazers have been remarkably aggressive over the past few months, and have nailed just about every move. With effectively no first-round picks to trade, Portland still got one of the crown jewels of the deadline in Norman Powell, giving up Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood in the process.
There is some risk in giving up two rotation players to get just one back, but not if a deep playoff run is the goal. Hood just has not been the same player this season since returning from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, and while Trent looks like a good 3-and-D player, he is mostly just a shooter at this point in his career and enters restricted free agency this summer. Portland flipped those two for Powell, who has been among the best sixth men in the NBA and best wing scorers overall in the league for two years running.
With 50/44/87 shooting lines this year and a ton of playoff experience, Powell joins a completely overhauled wing group in Portland, with the potential for some exciting small lineups with Robert Covington at center that the Trail Blazers have never had before. Their team is now far more playoff-ready than it was coming out of the Bubble, and perhaps the best of the post-LaMarcus Aldridge era.
Loser: Danny Ainge and the Celtics
Another NBA deadline, another letdown from Boston’s general manager. The Celtics entered the week as the reported front-runners for Aaron Gordon, then got wrapped up in a potential bigger deal for Evan Fournier before ending up with just Fournier at the cost of two second-round picks.
Then, as the deadline passed, they made a deal with the Bulls to duck the luxury tax, sending Daniel Theis to Chicago for Mo Wagner. In the end, both trades were purely financial, with the Fournier deal using up Boston’s massive traded player exception and the Theis deal saving the team money.
When dust settles, the cost of acquiring impending free agent Evan Fournier will essentially be 4 second-round picks, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Jeff Teague.
Celtic take on Wagner, duck the tax (for now), and maybe have slot for buyout guy. And TPEs. Always TPEs.
For a team that has been in three of the past four Eastern Conference finals, this is disappointing. They are clearly banking on Kemba Walker gtting healthy or a young player like Robert Williams III braking out to spur them along in 2021. In the coming days, we will probably hear about more deals that Boston almost made, but don’t get it twisted: The Celtics hardly got better here.
Winner: Luka Doncic
In large part because they lost Seth Curry, the Mavs are a middling shooting team this season. That was maybe the only real hole in their roster, and they helped to plug it with JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli in a deal with New Orleans. On a hot streak, Dallas could join Denver and Portland as the West teams most likely to make a run during the second half of the year.
The conference is suddenly up for grabs, and Dallas found two cost-effective pieces to help them stabilize the offense for the postseason.
Winner: Victor Oladipo
After declining an extension in Indiana and another in Houston, Oladipo ends up in a winning situation in Miami, where he will not have to handle too much on offense or defense. Ideally, his energy and work ethic make him a good fit in the Heat locker room, and potentially set him up for a new contract in south Florida this offseason.
What’s hard to know is how much Oladipo provides at this point in his career, as he is still seemingly recovering from an injury and wasn’t exactly in the best situation in Houston. Still, he got what he wanted and set himself up for the future.
Loser: The Houston Rockets
Please read this.
For the record, the final return Houston ended up getting for Harden was Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four late firsts, five pick swaps that are never gonna happen, and a future 2nd from Indiana.
And Harden is getting MVP buzz in Brooklyn. Not quite what you want if you’re the Rockets.
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