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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks plan to get ace starter Zac Gallen pitching on every fifth day until the All-Star break, moving his next start up one game to Thursday — the Fourth of July — at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Gallen returned from the 15-day injured list (hamstring) Saturday and threw six scoreless innings in a win over the Oakland Athletics.
Going through the rotation with Monday’s off day, his next start would have lined up for Friday at the San Diego Padres. Instead, Slade Cecconi will be moved back.
“(Gallen) was really pounding the table to get as many starts as he possibly could prior to the break,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “So we’re going to full throttle him. We’re going to go every fifth day with Zac, so you can plan that out.”
Every fifth day would give Gallen three more starts before the break instead of two, including a pair of outings at home against the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays.
Arizona’s rotation for Los Angeles will consist of Ryne Nelson on Tuesday, Jordan Montgomery on Wednesday and then Gallen.
The Dodgers will run out second-year starter Bobby Miller, rookie Gavin Stone and prospect Landon Knack in order.
Gallen made it a point of emphasis to stay mentally ready to pitch during his month on the IL, comparing it to the preparation before Opening Day. He allowed one hit and struck out seven Athletics on Saturday, feeling sharp with his delivery and arsenal.
“He had the right mentality for those 30 days where he was going to make progress and continue learning and growing,” Lovullo said.
“The slider showed up yesterday, the curveball was spot on and there was a little bit of extra velocity, so we know that’s in there. It just tells me that the delivery is synced up and he’s super strong. I’m grateful that he’s here but super proud of what he did, that’s all him.”
Gallen’s ERA dropped to 2.83 on the season. The D-backs will need him to stay sharp as they battle to remain in the wild card race at the midway point of the season with a banged up rotation. Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez remain a ways away. They are throwing out to 120 feet, and Rodriguez has an MRI on July 6 to determine when he can begin to throw off a mound.
The Big 12 just got bigger in 2024. Within the last two years, the conference added Houston, UCF, Cincinnati, BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado in response to the departures of Texas and Oklahoma. Now with 16 teams battling across the Southwest and parts of West Virginia and Ohio, the Big 12 may be the most diverse conference in college football.
Expanding as far west as Phoenix and as east as Morgantown, the Big 12 and their recruiting grounds cover some of the best spots for high school and JUCO talent. Now that talent has been cultivated and plugged into high-scoring offenses and innovative defenses, the conference is producing NFL-ready players. Here are 5 players from the Big 12 for the Rams to keep an eye on.
Every fantasy baseball manager should regularly look to get a leg up on the competition. Planning ahead and playing the waiver wire well are two of the most effective ways. With the “Two-Start Pitcher Lookahead,” the goal is to peer into the future to point out some lesser-rostered (under 60%) starting pitchers who should be taking the mound twice for their clubs in a couple of weeks.
If there is room on your fantasy roster, it often pays off to stash one of these starters, particularly the first few in the rankings below. Why wait for the bidding war to start immediately before their two-start week? Get out in front of things now.
Keep in mind that situations can change quickly with MLB rotations. Given the way things stand at the time of writing, the collection of hurlers below should be in line to get that coveted two-start week down the road.
***Rostered Percentage based on Yahoo! Leagues as of June 29***
| Rank | SP | Start 1 | Start 2 | Likelihood of Making Two Starts | Rostered Percentage |
| 1 | Ben Lively (CLE) | at DET | at TB | High | 54% |
| 2 | Frankie Montas (CIN) | vs. COL | vs. MIA | High | 18% |
| 3 | Jameson Taillon (CHC) | at BAL | at STL | High | 41% |
| 4 | Andrew Abbott (CIN) | vs. COL | vs. MIA | High | 51% |
| 5 | Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) | at SF | at ARI | High | 52% |
| 6 | Colin Rea (MIL) | vs. PIT | vs. WSH | High | 26% |
| 7 | Jordan Hicks (SF) | vs. TOR | vs. MIN | Medium | 56% |
| 8 | Tylor Megill (NYM) | vs. WSH | vs. COL | High | 14% |
| 9 | Trevor Rogers (MIA) | at HOU | at CIN | High | 5% |
| 10 | Jon Gray (TEX) | at LAA | at HOU | High | 41% |
| 11 | Cal Quantrill (COL) | at CIN | at NYM | High | 28% |
| 12 | Brayan Bello (BOS) | vs. OAK | vs. KC | High | 44% |
| 13 | Davis Daniel (LAA) | vs. TEX | vs. SEA | Medium | 3% |
| 14 | Andre Pallante (STL) | vs. KC | vs. CHC | High | 3% |
| 15 | Triston McKenzie (CLE) | at DET | at TB | Medium | 47% |
| 16 | Miles Mikolas (STL) | at WSH | vs. CHC | High | 28% |
| 17 | Joey Estes (OAK) | at BOS | at PHI | High | 3% |
| 18 | Kenta Maeda (DET) | vs. CLE | vs. LAD | High | 15% |
| 19 | Slade Cecconi (ARI) | vs. ATL | vs. TOR | High | 5% |
| 20 | Chris Flexen (CWS) | vs. MIN | vs. PIT | High | 2% |
| 21 | Martin Perez (PIT) | at MIL | at CWS | High | 7% |
| 22 | Dakota Hudson (COL) | at CIN | at NYM | High | 2% |
| 23 | Zach Plesac (LAA) | vs. TEX | vs. SEA | Medium | 1% |
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros. He has been an analyst in the fantasy sports industry for the past decade, covering the NFL and MLB. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.
The post Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitcher Lookahead: Week 16 (July 8 – 14) appeared first on FantasyPros.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, didn’t wait until it was on the clock to make a big splash on the second day of the NHL draft.
Utah used its immense draft capital to swing two trades to build its blue line.
First, Utah got Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in the first major deal from the new NHL franchise. Utah sent J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie, pick No. 199 in the 2024 draft, and a 2025 second-round pick to Tampa Bay to acquire Sergachev.
Utah then traded the No. 49 pick and 2025 second-round pick for New Jersey defenseman John Marino and a fifth-round pick. Utah only had one blue liner under contract heading into the draft; they’ve suddenly added two young veterans who will contribute immediately.
“I woke up this morning after I slept for two minutes and said, ‘Let’s shock the world!'” general manager Bill Armstrong said on the NHL Network.
Sergachev, 26, has been a mainstay in the NHL since he was 19 and is widely seen as a top-20 defenseman. He was limited to 34 games last season after fracturing the tibia and fibula in his lower left leg.
In 2022-23, his last full season, he finished with 54 assists for the Lightning. Sergachev is under contract through the 2030-31 season after signing a massive eight-year extension in 2022. The Lightning retained none of Sergachev’s contract, which carries an $8.5 million cap hit for the next seven years.
“Mikhail Sergachev is a proven winner and point producer and has been one of the best shutdown defenseman in the NHL for a sustained period of time,” said Armstrong.
“Mikhail is a top two-way NHL defenseman, and you cannot win in this league without a star, elite defenseman. We are thrilled to welcome Mikhail to our organization and look forward to many years ahead with him leading our blue line.”
Armstrong said he started to “plant some seeds” with Tampa Bay about such a deal a few months ago. With the Lightning needing to clear cap space, the timing became right for both teams.
Marino has played five seasons in the NHL and has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in each one. Last season, he had four goals and 21 assists. Marino has three years left on his current deal.
“We’re really psyched to get both guys. They’re going to stabilize the backside,” Armstrong said. “We can score, but somebody’s got to defend. So we got two good guys today.”
Free agent wing Royce O’Neale intends to sign a contract worth $44 million over four years to stay with the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Saturday.
The extension will keep the Suns’ trade deadline acquisition in the fold going forward, which will be helpful as the Suns deal with roster construction roadblocks in place due to the second apron of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
The Suns — in a three-way trade with the Nets and Memphis Grizzlies — shipped out a trio of second-round picks, as well as Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, Chimezie Metu and Yuta Watanabe. Phoenix also acquired David Roddy in the trade.
Retaining O’Neale and eating significant tax dollars — like the Suns did with the Grayson Allen extension — appeared part of the plan since making the February deal to acquire him.
It gives Phoenix another rotation-caliber player to make another playoff run with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the roster. Beyond that, O’Neale’s deal is a tradeable contract down the road for a team that has little flexibility.
Under second apron rules for the 2024-25 season, the Suns cannot aggregate outgoing contracts in a trade, nor can they take back more than they send out.
O’Neale averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 37.6% three-point shooting over 30 regular season games.
In the playoffs, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds on 32% shooting and 33% from three. O’Neale started two games for an injured Allen in a four-game first-round sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 31-year-old was extension eligible at $20.5 million over two years, but he indicated to reporters ahead of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves that he was content waiting for when he hits unrestricted free agency in the summer.
“It’s a great place, team, organization. I mean it’s been great since I’ve been here since day one,” O’Neale said. “I’m trying not to focus on (the contract situation). That’s summertime.”
When you lose one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, there’s expected to be at least some drop-off on that side of the ball. The Los Angeles Rams will soon experience life without Aaron Donald for the first time since 2013 and it’s understandable to think the defense won’t be as dominant as it was in recent years.
Rams legend Torry Holt doesn’t expect the Rams defense to suddenly fall off a cliff, though. He believes they have the players in place to maintain a high level of play, assuming their young defenders step up and continue to get better.
“I think the expectations are the same,” Holt said on “The Herd” Friday. “I think that’s Sean McVay’s message. Yes, they have a new coordinator in (Chris) Shula, but Sean McVay has to manage so many things, players being plucked but also coaches being plucked year in and year out, but they continue to do a really good job of drafting and developing players. Kobie Turner’s gotta be good – gotta be better. He had a heck of a rookie season. He’s gotta be better. (Bobby) Brown’s gotta be better. They got two rookies from Florida State, (Braden) Fiske, as well as Jared Verse, who has to step up.”
Holt is well aware that Donald is irreplaceable. The Rams can’t simply sign one player or draft someone to take his place seamlessly. However, he believes as a group, the Rams have the pieces to overcome his departure.
“Now, no one replaces Aaron Donald,” Holt said. “Collectively, though, these guys have to play at a very high level. What I love about this Rams young front: They drafted these guys that they’re playing. Again, showing confidence that they have in their players and then their players deliver.”
If Turner continues to improve, Byron Young steps up and gets better as a pass rusher and the two rookies, Fiske and Verse, both become Day 1 starters, the Rams will be in good shape. There will probably be some early growing pains in the post-Donald era, but they sunk a lot of assets into the defensive front in the last two years and the hope is that it pays off in 2024.
In less than a month, the Los Angeles Rams will reconvene at Loyola Marymount University for 2024 training camp – the first time they’ll hold camp at LMU. There will be eight practices open to the public, though every session is already sold out on the Rams’ site.
In addition to eight camp practices, the Rams will also hold joint practices with the Chargers, Cowboys and Texans. Three of their four joint practices are already scheduled, with an additional scrimmage with the Chargers still to be determined.
Here’s the Rams’ full training camp schedule, beginning on July 25.
Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.’s shoe game took a step forward on Friday, with the wide receiver and New Balance unveiling new football cleats for the upcoming season.
According to New Balance, the “NB Prodigy” and “NB Fortress” kicks are the first-ever football cleats produced by the sports apparel company. They’re running for $184.99 on New Balance’s website.
The low top prodigy cleats, which Harrison will don this season, are designed for skill players and feature a gold and white colorway.
The fortress look includes a black and gold high top and is tailored for those “waging in the game’s most intense battles.”
“Here’s to the start of a new legacy. We won’t settle for anything less than setting a new standard in football performance,” New Balance said on its website. “That’s why some of the best players in the world … have chosen to wear New Balance on the gridiron.”
In addition to Harrison, New Orleans’ Chase Young and Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. will also sport the new kicks. Young and Anderson helped wear-test prototype designs for the cleats ahead of the release.
Harrison enters his first NFL season after going No. 4 overall to the Cardinals in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He’s slated to take over as Arizona’s No. 1 receiving option in a room that includes Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Zay Jones.
“He’s pretty much everything I expected,” Wilson said during mandatory minicamp earlier this month. “He was bigger than I thought when I saw him and he’s just a really, really good dude.
“And for someone to have accomplished the things that he’s accomplished, you wouldn’t know that in a regular conversation. I think that’s always special when someone’s grounded and very humble despite having accomplished so much. That’s pretty rare to be around.”
The Phoenix Suns now know their schedule for the NBA Summer League taking place in Las Vegas next month.
The Summer Suns are back in action July 13, tipping off against the Golden State Warriors at the Thomas & Mack Center. This could be the first look at Suns rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro as well as two-way signing Jalen Bridges.
Three days later, the Suns will face off against the Indiana Pacers before taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 17.
The Summer Suns then match up with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 19.
If the Suns are among the top four teams after those four games are played, they’ll move onto the playoffs, which begin on July 21. The championship game will be held the following day.
But if the Suns don’t qualify for the playoffs, they’ll be one of 26 teams playing a consolation game from July 20-21.
A full look at the schedule with dates, times and broadcast information included:
*Subject to change*
|
Date |
Opponent |
Venue |
Time (MST) |
TV |
|
Saturday, July 13 |
Golden State |
Thomas & Mack Center |
8:00 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
|
Tuesday, July 16 |
Indiana |
Cox Pavillion |
1:00 p.m. |
ESPNU |
|
Wednesday, July 17 |
Oklahoma City |
Cox Pavilion |
5:00 p.m. |
NBA TV |
|
Friday, July 19 |
Milwaukee |
Thomas & Mack Center |
1:00 p.m. |
NBA TV |
|
July 20 or July 21 |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith doubled down on his reporting about the Phoenix Suns’ willingness to trade Kevin Durant. Or was it that Durant isn’t so pleased with being a Sun?
Smith on Wednesday before the NBA Draft reported that the Suns’ “want out of Kevin Durant right now.” On Thursday, he was asked by his First Take co-hosts whether he believed Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s attempt to squash that report with a post on X.
“Hell, no. Of course not,” Smith said. “First of all, let’s understand something. From what I’m being told, Kevin Durant ain’t too keen on staying in Phoenix. He ain’t demanded no trades or anything but he wouldn’t mind being up out of there.”
So to be clear: Smith veered the other way, suggesting Durant was unhappy. To some degree, he backpedaled on his reporting that the Suns want to trade their star forward, merely assuming that Ishbia and the Suns would of course have a price to consider any Durant deal.
“Number two, don’t tell me Mat Ishbia is all sold on this after he got bounced out via a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the (dadgum) playoffs,” Smith said. “You think about the assets you could potentially get for a superstar the likes of Kevin Durant, you can’t tell me that’s something that Mat Ishbia is not going to entertain, just because he’s committed to him being in Phoenix. It all depends on the assets that you can get. I know they don’t want to let go of Devin Booker. I know Devin Booker doesn’t want to leave Phoenix — if he wants to leave Phoenix he wouldn’t mind being a Knick — but he doesn’t want to leave Phoenix. He’s the face of that franchise, he’s homegrown, we get all of that.”
That, by the way, is the second time Smith has linked Booker to the Knicks, which adds to the ESPN analyst’s low-hit-rate history of linking stars to New York.
“Kevin Durant, even at the age of 35, is still a superstar in this game,” Smith continued. “But he’s not there for the long haul, and unless you’re talking about winning a title in the immediate future, which I don’t think the Phoenix Suns should be thinking about … I think the bottom line is you have to entertain all options.”
Ishbia, for the record, has stated multiple times he is thinking about chasing a championship next year.
Back in May, he and James Jones, the Suns president of basketball operations and general manager, tried to pour cold water on the thought of dissolving Phoenix’s Big Three of Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal.
The Suns owner had to do so again via X Wednesday after Smith said to “pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying. They want out of Kevin Durant right now.”
“NBA Draft night is the best” Ishbia responded on X. “Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong,
“My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta love draft night! Go Suns.”
It should also be mentioned Durant is eligible to earn a contract extension starting in July. He has two years left on his current deal but could be extended through 2026-27, his age 38 season.
Tonight’s MLB DFS main slate at DraftKings has four games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET, and FanDuel has six games starting at 6:20 p.m. ET. The top player props from PrizePicks and Underdog are also from the night’s games.
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet >>
The post MLB DFS Picks, PrizePicks & Underdog Player Props: Thursday (6/27) appeared first on FantasyPros.
Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese Haliburton and Joel Embiid are all good to go for the start of USA Basketball’s men’s national team training camp in Las Vegas next week, the first step toward what the Americans hope is a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Leonard missed 12 of the Los Angeles Clippers’ final 14 games this past season with right knee inflammation. Haliburton was hampered at the end of the Indiana Pacers’ playoff run by issues with his left hamstring. And Embiid was dealing with left knee issues throughout his season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“We expect everybody to be good to go,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. “We’ve been in touch with everyone, not just those three guys. … We’ve been in communication constantly, so we expect all 12 guys to be ready to roll.”
Leonard may have been the biggest question mark. Haliburton said when the Pacers’ season ended that he thought he’d have enough time to get ready for the Olympic run, and Embiid was at the NBA Finals about two weeks ago and proclaimed himself ready for what will be his first Olympic experience.
But Leonard’s status was a mystery. USA Basketball has been checking on Leonard, who has been working out for the past couple weeks and likes where he’s currently at.
“We will continue to stay in touch with the whole group as we head into Vegas next week,” Kerr said.
It’s a major sigh of relief for the Americans, who will go to the Paris Games as the favorite and the top-ranked men’s team in the world — though nobody expects these Olympics will be a cakewalk. France, featuring Victor Wembanyama, has the edge of being at home. Germany won the World Cup last year and has basically the same team this summer. Canada has its best shot at an Olympic medal since winning silver in 1936.
“We’re well aware of the challenge we’re facing,” Kerr said. “The world of basketball has gotten so much better, so much stronger. We know how good these teams are, and we know we’re going to have to be at our best. So, couldn’t be more excited.”
The U.S. still hasn’t had to make any changes to the roster since it was originally announced in April, though there are contingency plans in place at every position.
The original 12 names remain unchanged:
– Kawhi Leonard
– Tyrese Haliburton
– Joel Embiid
– Kevin Durant
– LeBron James
– Stephen Curry
– Anthony Edwards
– Jrue Holiday
– Jayson Tatum
– Devin Booker
– Bam Adebayo
– Anthony Davis.
“Winning is the peak of the sport,” Haliburton said. “And winning a gold medal is right at the top of it. … How could you not want to do this?”
The group has seven players with Olympic gold medals; Durant has three, James has two, while Adebayo, Booker, Holiday, Tatum and Booker each have one. There is a still a chance the roster could change, if necessary. The roster was in flux before the Tokyo Games three years ago until just before the start of competition.
“Every roster spot is important,” Kerr said. “You just never know how these things are going to play out.”
The Americans play their first exhibition against Canada on July 10, then have games at Abu Dhabi and London before the Paris Games start.
The U.S. opens Olympic play July 28 against Serbia and will also face South Sudan and the winner of next month’s qualifier in Puerto Rico — either Mexico, Lithuania, Ivory Coast, Italy, Bahrain or Puerto Rico — in its other group games.
The 2024 season is still a couple of months away but sportsbooks have odds available for various markets – everything from over/under win totals to a team’s playoff chances to Rookie of the Year odds.
Looking at the Los Angeles Rams, in particular, there are a few bets that stand out leading up to the season. On paper, they look like a playoff team and with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp all healthy, the offense should be humming in 2024.
Here are our six favorite bets for the Rams this season, with all odds courtesy of BetMGM.
The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic is set to tee off from Detroit Golf Club on Thursday. It’s produced extremely low scores since being added as an event to the PGA Tour circuit in 2019. Four of the past five outright winners have recorded final scorecards of 23-under-par or lower, including 2023 champion, Rickie Fowler, who won at 24-under-par in a playoff against Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin.
Without Scottie Scheffler and most of the other top-ranked golfers on the PGA Tour in the field this week, it’s a great event to deploy lower-tier golfers in one-and-done and survivor league contests. In this article, I’ll recommend several golfers that warrant consideration at a course with wide fairways and small tiered greens that can yield low scores with strong putting ability.
Make sure to follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more free PGA betting insights and advice throughout the week.
Check out PoolGenius One-and-Done Golf Pool Tools »
Tom Kim
Tom Kim missed the cut at the 2023 RMC but he’s coming off of a hard-fought playoff loss to Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship. Ranked 13th in driving accuracy and 20th in birdie average, the South Korean native did turn in a solo seventh-place finish at Detroit Golf Club in 2022.
He’s best off the tee and can get red-hot, just like we saw at TPC River Highlands, so he’s a viable option this week.
Cameron Young
After going on an insane run in Round 3, Cameron Young’s 59 on Saturday held up early on Sunday. Then, regression hit, keeping Young from contending outright.
His only appearance at Detroit Golf Club came in 2022, when he carded a runner-up finish behind Tony Finau. His off-the-tee game is his strength, so don’t hesitate to deploy Young in one-and-done formats.
Stephan Jaeger
Stephan Jaeger is set to make his return to an event he’s carded two consecutive top-ten finishes at since 2022. The German golfer beat Scheffler at the Houston Open in late March and hasn’t performed well lately, but he’s ranked 27th strokes gained: off-the-tee and 33rd strokes gained: around-the-green.
Putting and irons need some fine-tuning, but Jaeger’s historic success at this course is enough to justify using him in survivor contests this week.
Akshay Bhatia
Akshay Bhatia’s ascension into a top performer makes him one of the most intriguing prospects on the PGA Tour. His win at Valero during a playoff against Denny McCarthy showcased his talent, while his 10th top-25 finish and second top-ten finish of the season just came at TPC River Highlands this past weekend.
Ranked highly in all strokes gained metrics, excluding around the green, Bhatia is the third betting favorite in the outright winner market this week. He’s a strong secondary option.
Taylor Pendrith
Canadian golfer Taylor Pendrith just broke through with his first career win at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this season. Pendrith has a runner-up finish and another T14 finish since 2022 at Detroit Golf Club.
Ranked fourth strokes gained: putting and 15th driving distance, Pendrith should be a high performer at a course rewarding good play on the Poa annua greens this week.
Aaron Rai
Despite searching for his first PGA Tour win, Aaron Rai is an elite ball-striker who got off to a 7-under-par start at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Ranked seventh strokes gained: approaching the green and 26th strokes gained: off-the-tee, Rai is a premium iron player whose only weakness is with the flat stick, ranked 118th strokes gained: putting.
Still, oddsmakers like his ability to contend at 35-1 odds this week, where he’ll look to record a second consecutive top-ten finish.
Without a doubt, Taylor Pendrith is my favorite golfer to deploy in one-and-done leagues this week. Pendrith will make his third appearance at Detroit Golf Club, never falling outside of the top-15, plus he’s a phenomenal putter on the PGA Tour in 2024.
Entering this event with four top-ten finishes, including his first career win a couple of months ago, his powerful driver and talented putting ability make him a contender for the outright win this week. While his approach shots and game around the green need to be refined, this isn’t the type of course that punishes weaknesses in those areas.
Pendrith has four top-25 finishes in the past six events he’s played, not including his outright win, so he’s a prime candidate to deploy in survivor and one-and-done leagues at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros & FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
The post Rocket Mortgage Classic: One-and-Done Picks & Predictions appeared first on FantasyPros.
Despite the 2024 NBA Draft tipping off Wednesday night, the talk isn’t centered around the Phoenix Suns’ No. 22 overall pick. Instead, it’s on Suns forward Kevin Durant. According to ESPN First Take’s Stephen A. Smith, Phoenix wants to move on from Durant “right now.”
“Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying,” Smith said Wednesday. “They want out of Kevin Durant right now. … Houston doesn’t want Kevin Durant, (Rockets head coach) Ime Udoka may want him, but organizationally they know that they are not there yet.
“Their plans are more long range and they would prefer a Devin Booker, who they know is a slim chance they get, but that would be their preference.”
.@stephenasmith reports that the Suns "want out of Kevin Durant right now."
"Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying. They want out of Kevin Durant right now. … Houston doesn't want Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka may want him. … Their plans are more long-range." pic.twitter.com/JpuJDdNWPj
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 26, 2024
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro has since refuted Smith’s reporting.
The recent reports are the latest surrounding Durant and the franchise with the first round of the NBA Draft tipping off Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Houston’s trade with the Brooklyn Nets centering around Phoenix’s future first-round picks make a Durant deal between the two sides “far easier.”
Wojnarowski added that the Suns have said they’re keeping Durant for now, though “that could change next season.”
He also said that while the Rockets are intrigued with adding Durant, Houston “is determined to use the Suns picks to be aggressive on deals elsewhere now.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, however, reported Wednesday morning that the Rockets would rather have Durant now as opposed to down the road.
Windhorst added that if Houston takes a center at No. 3 overall in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, “that would potentially enable them to make Alperen Sengun, their very talented young Turkish center, available in that type of trade to dangle in front of the Suns.”
The latest Durant back-and-forth comes after the Nets reportedly traded away former Suns forward Mikal Bridges to the Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Milwaukee, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder.
The Nets then turned around and worked out a trade with the Rockets centered around draft capital. After the deal, Houston now owns a 2025 pick swap with the Suns, plus Phoenix’s 2027 unprotected first-round pick. The Rockets could also land Phoenix’s 2029 first-rounder in certain outcomes.
Across two seasons (83 games) with the Suns, Durant averaged 27 points on 52.7% shooting and 42.4% from three-point land. He added 6.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.2 blocks in 37.2 minutes per game.
Durant has two more years left on his contract before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2026.
The ideal use of the Phoenix Suns’ 22nd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft would be on a wing.
Phoenix has capable supplementary pieces on the perimeter surrounding Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale (assuming he is back). The problem is O’Neale is 6-foot-6 and Allen is 6-foot-4, on the small side of wings. But with neither guy possesses the high-end quickness to be a major deterrent on the ball defensively, either.
The Suns getting someone who is either on the large end or very speedy end of the wing designation — and someone who can play right away — would finish off the wing rotation. In a high-end outcome for the prospect, maybe that person could even give the Suns their long-term fifth starter.
Is that guy in this class? Maybe! We already went in-depth on Colorado’s Tristan da Silva, who should get swooped up by the playoff hopefuls just ahead of the Suns in this draft: the Philadelphia 76ers (No. 16), Los Angeles Lakers (No. 17), Orlando Magic (No. 18), Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 20) or New Orleans Pelicans (No. 21). If da Silva slips, though, he’s the best option.
Beyond him, there’s a bit of a drop when it comes to the expert consensus. There is no agreement on another wing who belongs in the high teens or low 20s. Some other names to keep an eye on are Miami’s Kyshawn George, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, Virginia’s Ryan Dunn, Sweden’s Bobi Klintman and G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith.
Two prospects, however, separate themselves from that grouping based on what the Suns desire and where they stack up against their peers.
The first is Kansas’ Johnny Furphy.
The overwhelming majority of perimeter players entering a draft are the man on their team until they get into the league. Not the case for the freshman Furphy, who was fifth for the Jayhawks in shots per game and took over half of his total attempts (206) from 3 (125). He made 35.2% of ’em and a 76.5% conversion rate on free throws bodes even better for a pretty optimistic outlook on a 6-foot-8 shooter as it is.
The rest of Furphy’s offense is filling in gaps. The Mikal Bridges special. Cuts. Loose balls. Transition. Offensive rebounds. And so forth. Furphy had a ridiculous 75% of his rim makes assisted, per Hoop-Math, and took just 21 shots that weren’t at the basket or behind the 3-point line.
The gap-filling makes him impactful enough beyond the 3s. Like Bridges, he will have games when it feels like he’s everywhere.
Johnny Furphy vs Cinci (23pts 11reb 2stl 7/8FG 3/4 3pt)
good off-ball scorer, spot up shooter w/ quick release, good finisher at the rim (44/55 at the rim this season). constantly moving
off-ball/team D was impressive. tags cutters, good rotations, good activity, ok on ball too pic.twitter.com/xEW1VorgvZ
— Chip Williams (@chipwilliamsjr) June 5, 2024
What’s difficult to get away from with Furphy is asking, “What else?” The goal on defense is to avoid being enough of a liability to get targeted so his smart off-ball stuff can pop more. In the clips above on the ball, you can still see he’s getting beat. He’s clearly a high-IQ guy so perhaps with NBA space and playing in more 0.5 spots he would generate more as a playmaker. It was 33 assists to 28 turnovers, which you’ll take in college given how little he got the ball.
The shooting is not at an elite level. This was not a guy coming around movement for Kansas. He was staying in the corners and drilling his catch-and-shoot looks when he got them.
To be clear, this is not too worrying for NBA teams. Furphy’s got a ton of buzz in the pre-draft process from teams that are up once the lottery ends, and he could be gone by No. 22.
A selection of Furphy would be a bet on his potential at 19 years old, that more is on the way skill-wise and that his energy wing traits can be significant enough in the meantime. It wouldn’t be that bad of a pick, but there are more rewarding ways to attack the pick.
In my opinion, the top wing on the board (and overall fit for Phoenix) will be Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr.
Shannon was found not guilty of felony rape and aggravated assault earlier this month. He was initially suspended six games in late December for the incident before getting granted a temporary restraining order to finish out the season. It is obviously a concerning top of the report on a prospect and it is encouraged for you to read up on the details of the trial to know more.
The summary is it was argued by the defense to be a case of mistaken identity. Shannon said he never saw the woman in question at the bar both were at in September, multiple witnesses said they didn’t see any wrongdoing from Shannon and the woman later identified Shannon while looking up the Illinois men’s basketball team.
The trial affected Shannon’s draft stock, leaving him on the edge of the first round, while the recent conclusion will see him more of a threat to go in the 20s.
Shannon spent three seasons as an energetic role player for Texas Tech before exploding two seasons ago with Illinois, quickly establishing himself as one of the best players in the country. After dominating the Big Ten Tournament to set the scoring record for the top conference in college basketball, he racked up 85 points in his first 98 minutes of the NCAA Tournament before Connecticut’s interior defense led by lottery pick Donovan Clingan put a stop to his tremendous postseason run.
At nearly 6-foot-7 with a strong 220-pound frame, Shannon is the most explosive slasher in this draft. He absolutely flies in transition, to the point where you think he’s out of control, but he’s not. It’s a lightning-quick first step and he grew as a driver to stop being dependent on his left hand, with a handle that has some shake to it so it’s not just line-drive stuff. He took nearly nine free throws per game, knocking down 80.1% of ’em, and was a legitimate pull-up weapon on 3s.
He was unstoppable. Here’s the Big Ten Tournament montage.
Shannon shot 36.2% on 6.7 triples a game, with only 60.5% of those being assisted, per Hoop-Math. He actually shot it better off the bounce statistically, giving him an easy path to becoming a good NBA shooter by improving on catch-and-shoot looks.
The momentum really picks up when Shannon’s defensive tape gets on the screen. He showed a desire to stay attached off the ball, mind you all while finishing third in scoring for the NCAA. There were lulls for sure that will get highlighted, but again, this came with him having to defend top options at times while being the top option too.
Terrence Shannon Jr. racks up pick-sixes at a disruptive rate. So quick, rangy, and explosive. Reads the ball like a free safety, displaying impressive instincts and timing. pic.twitter.com/5lMaxLQgBS
— League Him (@League_Him) June 17, 2024
His offensive role will shrink in comparison, so the potential for Shannon once fully dedicating himself defensively points toward someone who will be a positive on that end rather quickly.
Three high degree of difficulty blocks from Terrence Shannon Jr. in one game pic.twitter.com/flIOx5NdJa
— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) June 18, 2024
Shannon turns 24 years old in late July and the lack of a midrange game caps his scoring upside. But that’s really all there is to dislike here within his game. He is not a playmaker, possessing poor assist numbers for a high-usage guard, but there was enough of making the “right pass” in rotation situations where his 0.5 decision-making as a role player should be tolerable.
Shannon’s shooting allows him to succeed off the ball, and his rim pressure will thrive in NBA space through a more supplementary role. His energy, frame and speed on defense has him equipped to be an impact guy if he can pick up the ins and outs.
There are not five guys in this class more ready for effective NBA minutes right now than him. Yes, including the guys at the top. That makes him a no-brainer fit-wise for Phoenix alone, and when considering the Suns’ severe lack of athleticism, Shannon’s surely high up on their board.
It sounds like that is the case for other teams in Phoenix’s range. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported Shannon’s catchup game in the workout space included four organizations drafting in the teens.
If Shannon can really apply himself this summer to grow as a catch-and-shoot threat and lock in early on the defensive nuances, he could get serious minutes right away, to the point where starting by the end of the year isn’t out of the question for a best-case scenario.
