標籤: doesnt

chelseaThe apparent interest in Jonathan Rowe remains a cause for concern at Bologna, who do not want to lose the winger this summer.

gazzetta dello sport report The Italian side will face a real battle to keep Rowe this summer, amid interest from Chelsea and others.

Chelsea rumors won’t go away

The newspaper reports that Galatasaray are currently frontrunners for Jonathan Rowe.

They are ready to send Noah Lang back to Napoli and want a replacement. Rowe is on their list thanks to a season which has served as a ‘powerful springboard’ for him. The 23-year-old has seven goals and four assists in 41 games.

But Galatasaray are not the only ones interested. There could also be an English offensive ‘especially Chelsea’. They scouted the winger with Manchester United last month.

Bologna are very much aware of the growing rumors which ‘persistently suggest’ that Chelsea are preparing a €38m offer. The only thing stopping them at the moment is that they might not be in the Champions League next season.

It seems that’s what Rowe would want from a move. Gazzetta say that ‘the player’s wishes remain important’ when it comes to Bologna’s hopes of keeping him. That desire could be European football.

The Italian side certainly do not want to lose him after one year. But they know that ‘the danger exists’ and Chelsea is one of those clubs who fall into the dangerous category.

Do Chelsea need Jonathan Rowe?

The question is whether they will be able to move, especially at €38m. To say the least, the Blues are in a tight financial situation.

The current team is also bloated. It already has Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens on the left wing, while Pedro Neto is also comfortable playing on that side. At least one of them will surely have to go before a move for Jonathan Rowe is made this summer.

Yet, at least in Italy, they see Chelsea as a threat. Bologna are convinced that they could lose their star player and Chelsea are one of those curious.

Boxing icon Roy Jones Jr believes David Benavidez may have missed a golden career opportunity if he did not make heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk his next opponent.

Last week, “The Mexican Monster” took his record to 32-0 with a sixth-round knockout of WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez. This victory was a very successful debut for Benavidez in a new weight class. This also means that he is now a three-division world champion.

The 29-year-old’s status in the game has never been higher, and he can now make his own decisions. Because he’s no longer a hunter, he’s a big-money star that other fighters are hunting. That’s why former four-division titlist Jones Jr. believes Benavidez should change divisions again, this time making the move to heavyweight.

Roy Jones: Benavidez vs. Usyk ‘one of the biggest fights of this decade’

in a new version of sports hall Podcast with fellow boxing great Andre Ward, Jones Jr. claimed that a super fight between Benavidez and Usyk would be “one of the biggest fights of this decade.” He believes Benavidez should take advantage of the opportunity and not get caught up in other fights.

“It wouldn’t be wise for David Benavidez to give Jay Opetia a chance right now because he’s hot,” Jones Jr. said.

The boxing legend explained that with the value of his name as strong as ever, Benavidez will have to seize the biggest money-making opportunities. Especially since a long-expected clash with Canelo Alvarez has eluded him.

“You can always come back and fight Opetaiya if you want. If you lost to Usyk, the Opetaiya fight is still there. If you lost to Opetaiya, the Usyk fight is over. So be smart about this thing,” he said.

There has been speculation about a Benavidez vs. Usyk bout in 2026. However, as boxing fans know, it is always difficult to get a matchup of that magnitude. Luckily, both men are very game fighters and are ready for big challenges. Which gives it a better chance of becoming a reality.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

It seems like Arvel Reese has no idea about the roster he will be joining after becoming the New York Giants’ first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Thursday night was a wild night for Ohio State linebacker Arvel Reese. Heading into the first round of the event, many draft pundits had him going to either the New York Jets at No. 2 overall or the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. However, he did not join any team. He was not even selected by the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall.

Instead, a player who many football evaluators believed had genuine superstar potential fell to the Giants at fifth overall. Although few expected Reese to fall this far, it was still a possibility. Because he could go somewhere in the top five, one would hope the First-Team All-American would have done some homework on which rosters he could work on.

Well, it seems that in the case of the Giants, they abandoned that research because they may have thought there was no chance he would end up as the newest member of Big Blue on Thursday night.

Arvel Reese only knows one New York Giants player?

During the press conference following his selection, Reese was asked which new teammate he was most looking forward to meeting. The 20-year-old spent 10 seconds trying to find the answer. When he finally figured it out, the answer was that one player wasn’t even on his side of the ball. “Jackson Dart,” Reese said.

While the Giants didn’t have a great defense last year, they still have some very good players on defense. An obvious choice would have been three-time Pro Bowler – including in 2025 – Brian Burns. Or 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter. A player who dominated Ohio State’s conference, the Big Ten, in 2024. Even three-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence, because of his popular sack dance, would have made sense, even if he was traded last week.

It’s not a good thing for Reese that he knows so little about the team he’s going to. Giants fans will have to hope he was still filled with excitement about being drafted, that his mind suddenly went blank, or he was so focused on OSU getting back to the national title last season that he watched few NFL games.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Celta Vigo are stepping up their plans for next season, which include bringing back forward Fer López from Wolves at the end of his loan transfer spell.

Faro de Vigo’s report on the Wolves midfielder today And how the Spanish club are working to ensure they don’t lose him at the end of the season.

According to the newspaper, everyone wants the 21-year-old player to remain at the club next season and Celta is exploring all possible formulas to retain him.

This includes loans with a mandatory purchase condition. But the reality is that any deal will be complex.

Wolves won’t let €23m signing go cheap

Wolves paid €23m to sign Fer López last summer and he is under contract until 2030.

Despite his struggles at Molineux, they are unwilling to let him go without recouping a significant amount of that investment.

He rejected a long-term loan deal in January before eventually agreeing to a six-month deal.

Lopez has little desire to play in the Championship, however, a factor Celta are hoping to take advantage of. They are also hoping for help from Lopez’s agent, Jorge Mendes. He still holds some power over Wolves to influence such a deal.

options on the table

The Spanish club is working on several scenarios for the transfer:

1. Direct loan extension – The simplest route is a season-long loan in which Celta covers the salaries and pays the fees. Fer Lopez will have to take a pay cut.
2. A loan with an option to buy – essentially a softer version of a permanent deal, giving Celta flexibility while keeping Wolves safe.
3. Loan with mandatory purchase condition – the most realistic route to a deal. Celta will commit to the purchase of Fer López next summer, while Wolves will retain a higher percentage of any future sale.
4. Direct transfer – Celta bought him outright. This option is considered unlikely unless Wolves dramatically reduce their demands for the midfielder.

Why are wolves ready to negotiate?

Wolves are ready to be in talks over Fer Lopez after disappointing performances in England earlier this year. He played only 330 minutes in nine matches with three different managers and failed to find his place under any of them.

His loan to Celta was seen as an opportunity to rebuild value, and the player has done so. He is a key player in Celta’s plans and is impressing week in and week out.

The Spanish side want him permanently and Lopez also wants the move. But Wolves want their money back, or at least a good chunk of it. At this time, Celta would not commit to it.

Thus, all three parties need to find a middle ground that suits everyone, so various options are now being considered to make the agreement successful.

Fer López started for Spain U21 in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Kosovo

🇭🇳Derek Moncada | Wolves official pictured with rising star’s family on scouting triphttps://t.co/2K6pYHG08Z #wwfc #wolvesfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) April 1, 2026

Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia will not be part of the Belgium U21 squad for the current international break.

The midfielder has repeatedly struggled with injuries since joining Chelsea from Southampton for £53m in August 2023.

Since then, he has been off the field for just over 600 days and missed 98 matches. The 22-year-old has made seven regular appearances since the start of the month.

At the weekend, Liam Rosenior made his debut in the Blues’ 3–0 league defeat to Everton, replacing Andre Santos in the 57th minute.

Physio David Bombayke worked closely with him for a year and in 2025, He asked question Fitness status of the midfielder.

Despite featuring regularly in recent weeks, he will not represent his country during this international break. It appears that Belgium U21 manager Gil Swarts has approached him about a place in the team.

on sunday, chelsea Confirmed Before later removing it, Lavia received a call from Swarts on their official website. This caused confusion in Belgium as to whether the player would represent Jong Duivels.

Blues official website causes confusion

newspaper Cover it and mention that a Chelsea player will be part of Swarts’ squad this month.

However, they emphasize that there has so far been no official communication from the Belgian FA on the subject.

last hour Decided to investigate further and insisted on turning the gun on the west London club, it is surprising that Swarts did not phone Romeo Lavia.

The newspaper learned that Lavia will not represent Belgium U21 in the coming days after he rejected the call up. So, it was confusing when Chelsea initially reported this on their website.

Lavia does not want to leave the Premier League team and wants to use this break to further improve his fitness.

He has played one match each for Belgium U21, against Scotland in June 2022, and for the senior team so far. His only appearance for Belgium was in a friendly against Germany three years earlier.

international break fixtures

belgium

• Friendly vs USA on 28 March
• Friendly vs Mexico on 1 April [UK time]

Belgium U21

• European Qualifier vs Austria U21 on 27 March
• Friendly vs Netherlands U21 on 30 March

The biggest advantage of being the son of an NBA legend is that you already know how to build a career. Duke star Cameron Boozer is keeping that in mind as he prepares for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Unlike most top prospects, Boozer claims he doesn’t care when he hears his name called in the draft. The 18-year-old said he only cares about fitting in with the right team to give himself the best chance of building a meaningful career.

“For me, whether I move up one spot or move up to 15th, it’s more about getting fit,” Boozer said, via ‘The Athletic.’ “I just want a long career. Where I start doesn’t really determine where I end up or where I end up. So obviously, I look at what people say, I look at anything, but 10 years from now it won’t matter. For me it’s just about stacking up the days. Being the best version of me. And yes, everything will be okay.”

Boozer’s father, Carlos Boozer, enjoyed a 13-year NBA career after spending three years at Duke. Carlos Boozer began his career as a second-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers before spending most of his time with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls.

Although he hasn’t made it official yet, Cameron Boozer is apparently preparing to enter the 2026 NBA Draft. In addition to a national championship, Boozer will accomplish almost everything possible in one season at Duke after officially receiving the 2026 Wooden Award.

Boozer, a consensus top-three recruit in the class of 2025, held a similar stance ahead of the draft. Some projections have him as high as third overall, with everyone expecting his name to be among the first five announced in June.

In only his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cason Wallace has never played for a team that has not won at least 57 regular season games. It is extremely rare for most NBA players to win a championship between sophomore seasons. This season has undoubtedly been his best. Wallace recorded a career-high 27 points in a 121–111 win against the Denver Nuggets in February.

However, Wallace’s contributions go far beyond his career-high seven threes made in that win against the Nuggets. Wallace has emerged as a triple threat for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, giving him a unique on-ball defender who can stretch and stretch the floor with his outside touch.

Wallace’s career average is the best in several statistical categories, including points per game (8.6), assists (2.7), and steals (2.1), in which he leads the NBA. Still, returning as the defending champions and having faced every team’s best effort, Wallace doesn’t see any major changes in the Thunder’s approach this season.

Wallace said, “I don’t see any big difference between last season’s performance and this year’s. The goal will always be to win.” “As defending champions, we still look forward to working hard and competing every day.”

While some were expecting a championship hangover, which is the norm for most returning champions, the Thunder had the best start to the regular season – 24–1 – in NBA history. Without All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, who missed the first 19 games due to wrist surgery, the Thunder rose to the top of the Western Conference standings, where it remained stable through the 2025–26 season.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of such a great team and I’m excited to keep the energy flowing until the end of the season,” Wallace said.

Wallace will be a key part of the Thunder’s postseason campaign as the defending champions. With teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets threatening to dethrone OKC from its throne, Wallace is one of several interesting depth pieces that light up the Thunder’s backcourt.

Oklahoma City embraces Thunder’s Cason Wallace

As Wallace continues to grow as a player, his community of die-hard Thunder fans in Oklahoma City has embraced him. So much so that Wallace partnered with a local food chain in town, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, to create “Cason’s Queso”, his own cheese sauce inspired by his nickname “Queso”.

Wallace said, “We have great people on this team and we always have a lot of fun together. I’ve always had him at Fuzzy’s, and I told him my queso is a must-try because it’s loaded just the way I like it.” “Every bite is a little different depending on what toppings you bring out, so it’s perfect for sharing on game day.”

While Wallace hopes the fans enjoy the collaboration, he is eager to finish the regular season and enter the playoffs for another run at the championship.

Amid a 10-game winning streak, the Thunder earned their 55th win on Wednesday. With only 12 games remaining, Oklahoma City is in position to make another deep playoff run with hopes of winning back-to-back titles.

Mark Daigneault praises ‘committed’ Cason Wallace

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised Wallace’s adaptability to different lineups this season, which he has been successful in, as the third-year guard continues to improve. Although the Thunder traded for Wallace, who was selected 10th overall on draft night in 2023, it’s no coincidence that Casson has one of the highest winning percentages in NBA history.

Wallace’s career winning percentage is 75.6%. And while some fans will joke that he’s a lucky charm, given that the Thunder have finished with the best record in the Western Conference every season since Wallace joined, Daigneault looks at the work Cason has done behind the scenes.

“He’s one of many guys on our team who obviously plays his role well on a very good team,” Daigneault said. “When you look at Cason Wallace’s win percentage as a professional, his win percentage is insane. But one of the things that comes with playing on a team at this level as a young player is that your role can sometimes feel narrow compared to your teammates.

“If he wasn’t on such a good team, he’d probably be able to do a lot more, and his role would be a little broader. So, when you have a guy that’s committed to that kind of role, is committed to winning and the team’s success, having a night like tonight, everybody’s happy for him.”

While Wallace’s role has changed sporadically throughout the regular season due to the Thunder’s long list of injuries, he makes the most of his opportunities.

“He shows up – he takes whatever minutes he gets. Sometimes he starts, sometimes he doesn’t. Some nights he gets some shots, and he doesn’t get his breakthrough,” Daigneault said. “So, on a night when he does that, and he delivers, everyone is thrilled for him.”

For Wallace, it’s sometimes hard to believe how far he’s come. It all happened very quickly for the top-10 draft pick, who became an NBA champion, led the association in steals, and emerged as a key member for a team with the potential to win back-to-back titles.

If Wallace could talk to that younger version of himself, he would only give that kid one strong piece of advice for the future.

“I would tell the younger version of me to keep working hard,” Wallace said. “Results come from being disciplined, having confidence in yourself and your teammates, and being prepared for every opportunity.”

Wallace is living proof of what the other side of that hard work is.

Recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their winning ways with an easy home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a tough afternoon for star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he still found a way to extend his streak of 20-plus point games with late scores and free throws.

One topic of conversation around the Thunder revolves around SGA’s ability to “foul bite”, a term that Reggie Miller recently took issue with during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.

“I don’t understand what ‘fallbaiting’ is. We didn’t say that about [Michael Jordan]And MJ went to the line 10+ times… learn and adapt,” Miller said, according to X, formerly of The Dan Patrick Show on Twitter.

In fact, many historically great players like Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and others made a living at the free throw line and constantly found ways to manipulate the rule book to draw fouls.

While fans may take issue with rules overly punishing defensive players, Gilgeous-Alexander and other master foul drawers should not receive criticism for taking advantage of the rule book and using their skills to draw fouls. It’s fair to say that the reason Gilgeous-Alexander shoots more free throws than most other players is not because he is a more “ethical” player than them.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have resumed their dominance on the NBA scene after a brief hiatus in SGA’s absence, but they will need to continue winning to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, who have won 18 of their last 20 games.

The Thunder will next take the field against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday evening.

Houston Rockets All-Star forward Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, but he has never recorded a 60-point game. His career-high score is 55, but his pace and legacy are far more important for the 19-year-old veteran. Only Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James can match Durant’s longevity and dominance as Kevin approaches his second decade in the association.

According to Michael Lee of The Ringer, Durant explained why he was never interested in scoring 60 points in a game.

“I’m in this for the long term, man,” Durant said. “I just want to win the game and go home. I know it’s been a talking point for me: ‘You don’t have 60, 70.’ You can’t just look at a 60-point game and say, ‘That’s what KD is all about.’ You have to look at my entire career and analyze what I actually did to understand the type of player I am. I like it that way.

“It’s like a story that way. I didn’t want to be a flash in the pan. I just wanted to be consistently great. I don’t have a 60, but that’s a lot of stats I’ve made up on my own.”

Durant is the only player in NBA history to finish a season with 56.0/40.4/91.9 percent shooting splits, a feat he accomplished in 2022-23. Kevin says it’s a testament to the sacrifices he’s made to pursue his career, abandoning friends, partying and having fun. However, in order to persist, he realized that he had left nothing behind.

Kevin Durant on his NBA scoring legacy

Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant was double-teamed by the Lakers in Monday’s 100-92 loss. That’s the kind of treatment you get when you’re one of the game’s elite scorers. Durant finished with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting.

Aside from Lakers All-Star LeBron James, Durant is the only NBA player to average 25+ points for such a long period of time, which is indicative of his consistent approach.

As Lee said, “He and LeBron are the only players to average at least 25 points for more than 12 seasons.” “Durant has never played a game in which he made more than 19 field goals and averaged fewer than 19 shots per game in his career. On the night he scored a career-high 55 points, he took only 28 shots. On the night he scored a career-high 55 points, he took only 28 shots.

He reached 32,000 points in fewer games than any player other than Jordan. To which Durant asked, “What’s more important to some people – that or 60 points?” Durant remains the youngest NBA scoring champion and the youngest player to win three consecutive scoring titles.

Durant has always played the long game.

With playmaking guard Dejounte Murray sidelined for most of the season recovering from an Achilles injury and role players cycling in and out of the lineup, it has been nearly impossible to establish a clear offensive chain of command. Fortunately, the now fully healthy New Orleans Pelicans are making progress playing without the pressure of finishing the season. Zion Williamson, Saddiq Bey and Trey Murphy III are taking turns seeing what works while James Borrego largely stays out of the way.

This may not sound like very good coaching at first, but drawing on his years of experience as an assistant with Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs, Borrego knows exactly what a functional hierarchy looks like. The 23-year NBA coaching veteran with two championship rings also knows it doesn’t happen overnight. Williamson, Bey and Murphy III need reps with Murray to sort everything out themselves.

“I think the best teams in the league, the teams that are chasing titles, winning titles, advancing in the playoffs, they have a clear pecking order in general,” Borrego insisted. “The teams I’ve been a part of, it was obviously Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Now, that order may vary at some point throughout the season or in different games. Through different seasons or different playoff series, it may vary there.”

Those Spurs teams became the gold standard for consistency and offensive clarity. Duncan often served as the foundational piece inside, while Ginobili and Parker served as dynamic perimeter creators who could take over extensions when the matchup demanded it.

However, unlike those famous Spurs, these Pelicans are still in development years after drafting Williamson and Murphy III.

“Our group, we’re not quite there yet,” Borrego confessed. “We’re trying to figure it out. I think the luxury right now is that we don’t really know, and our competitors don’t know.”

That uncertainty can be a double-edged sword. While that lack of clarity can sometimes lead to confusing turnover, Borrego is choosing to see it as a competitive advantage. This work-in-progress roster is learning the ropes with a fluid system that lets the hot hand direct the offense rather than a rigid star system.

It’s working wonders for Murphy III, Bey and Williamson, judging solely on individual hooping stats. Murray has settled into the starting lineup like an All-Star. The next step is to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. He’s on Borrego.

Borrego stressed, “We’re going to find the right matchups; it’s my job to help them get that advantage. But people are recognizing it, they’re counting on it.” “You know, assuming it’s not my time, so let’s play through Saddiq here. Let’s play through Murph here. Let’s play through Zion here. Because I think great players, when they find a rhythm, they want to stay in that rhythm. And it’s the same thing as a team. When you get some rhythm, you want to stay in that rhythm. I think we’ll get there at some point. I think That luxury right now is that we can play through multiple guys.”

It’s a bit silly to talk about the unknown as a luxury this season. Yet, despite a 21-45 record that has left them well out of the playoff picture, the Pelicans have shown signs of life, going 6-4 after the All-Star break. However, fans should take that news with a grain of salt. Borrego has defeated one of the top six in 2026 and just three since taking office. So, whether that luxury becomes a long-term asset or another sign of a team that is still searching for an identity will depend on how quickly these Pelicans find their version of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.

Despite the veteran guard’s recent apology, Denver Nuggets head coach David Edelman is not discounting the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Lou Dort for his flagrant 2 fouls on All-Star Nikola Jokic. After the Nuggets’ 127-121 loss in overtime on Friday, Jokic called Dort’s dirty play an unnecessary move. Dortch spoke about the incident for the first time Tuesday.

The Thunder guard said he shouldn’t have made such a dangerous play on Jokic. However, Edelman did not care about Dort’s recent comments when a reporter asked the Nuggets head coach if Lu Apology means nothing to himhe said, according to Troy Renk of the Denver Post.

“No,” Edelman replied. “No,” as he repeated his terse response.

Dort acknowledged that his foul on Jokic was out of bounds. #nuggets‘ feedback? don’t care.

Coach Edelman:

As a footnote, there is going to be a playoff-physical cage match on Monday night in OKC pic.twitter.com/o3OwGWQ1DR

– Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) 4 March 2026

Speaking to the media in the visitors’ locker room after Tuesday’s 116-108 win against the Chicago Bulls, Dort reflected on the play that caused him to miss Friday’s game, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.

“It was a physical game the whole game,” Dortch said. “Obviously, there was unnecessary contact that I shouldn’t have made. Getting kicked out of the game hurt me the worst. But yes, it was a high-level game. I’m a competitor, so I compete.”

David Edelman and the Nuggets will face the Thunder in a rematch next Monday at Paycom Center.

Nikola Jokic speaks out after altercation with Thunder’s Lu Dort

Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic slammed Lou Dort for his flagrant-2 foul in Friday’s overtime loss to the Thunder. Ready to leave the loss behind, Jokic believes adversity will make the Nuggets better in the long run. Perhaps there is a plan to avenge the defeat from the current champion.

According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, he said, by no means, that Jokic did not hold back from criticizing Dort’s actions.

“Unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said. “There’s no such thing – I think things like that shouldn’t happen on a basketball floor. So it was just an unnecessary step and a necessary reaction by me.”

The Nuggets returned to the win column with a 128-125 win against the Jazz on Monday.

When Anthony Edwards gets going, the Minnesota Timberwolves are nearly impossible to stop. That’s exactly what happened in their 117-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. Edwards scored 13 points in the final frame, including 10 straight in one stretch, creating a comfortable cushion for the Timberwolves en route to their 39th win of the season in 62 games.

The Timberwolves are playing at a very fast pace, and Edwards has no choice but to adapt. Even though he admits it is not his favorite style of play, he acknowledges how dangerous he can be when the team gets out and runs – a playing style that has become more common For the team ever since they acquired Ayo Dosunmu via trade.

“Yeah, we added Bones and Ayo. … I’m not a fan of playing fast. But when I’m with them, I don’t have a choice because I always want the ball, and they’re gone. The only way to get the ball is if I’m next to them. I enjoy playing with Bones and Ayo. They’re super fast. They’re super fast with the rock,” Edwards told reporters after the game, via Dan Moore of Blue Wire.

Wolves are clearly playing fast since acquiring Ayo Dosunmu.

Anthony Edwards was asked what impact Dosunmu has had on the pace at which Wolves have been playing recently.

“I’m not a fan of playing fast. But when I’m with them, I have no choice because I want the ball,… pic.twitter.com/C3Qn1PfzJs

– Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 4 March 2026

The Timberwolves become even more versatile with Ayo Dosunmu

All things considered, the Timberwolves’ pace numbers haven’t increased much since adding Dosunmu. Dosunmu has played faster since they were acquired, but compared to the rest of the NBA players, the change isn’t as noticeable.

Minnesota’s default is still to play a little slower, with Edwards and Julius Randle preferring to be more methodical with their approach. But with Dosunmu partnering with Bones Hyland off the bench, the Timberwolves’ second unit looks to outscore the opposition at track meets.

This at least gives the team another dimension they can rely on when things get tough.

Most recently, Kansas basketball guard Darrin Peterson raised eyebrows by ruling himself out of the team’s road win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday evening. The move comes just days after Peterson was removed from the second game during warmups due to illness, raising big questions about what his availability might look like at the NBA level.

Peterson is widely considered one of the most talented players in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft class, but recently, sports media personality Stephen A. Smith took to the ESPN airwaves to share why he wouldn’t draft Peterson if he had the number one overall pick.

“There’s no team that can take Darrin Peterson No. 1. You can’t do that. The number one ability is availability…and these games he’s missing, cramps? Flu…I can’t trust him. You can’t be trusted,” Smith said on X, formerly of First Take on Twitter, per Awful Announcing.

In fact, availability concerns are starting to become a bigger concern for Peterson, who is widely viewed as the best point guard prospect in the upcoming draft. There’s no denying Peterson’s ability to produce when he’s on the floor, as the Kansas guard boasts an elite combination of outside shooting, explosive athleticism and defensive instincts that make him an ideal floor general for the modern NBA.

However, he has plenty of competition for the number one spot in the upcoming draft, primarily in the form of Duke forward Cameron Boozer, the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, as well as BYU wing AJ DiBuntsa.

In a league where load management is increasingly becoming an issue, it’s certainly possible that any team that would have selected Peterson at No. 1 overall might view his availability issues as too big a problem to ignore.

In any case, the NBA Draft is scheduled for the end of June.

Former San Antonio Spurs power forward Jeremy Sochan has yet to make his debut for the New York Knicks. However, he has a lot to say about his former home, recently revealing that he would not have seen eye to eye with Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson over some issues.

The 22-year-old revealed that he wanted a bigger role in the team, something that might be due to the Spurs’ deep roster.

Reflecting on what happened in San Antonio: “There’s no real opportunity in my opinion. It is what it is. It’s a deep team. Maybe I didn’t get one-on-one with the coach. I’m just fortunate to have somewhere to grow.”

– James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) 18 February 2026

“There’s no real opportunity in my opinion. It is what it is. It’s a deep team. Maybe I didn’t get one-on-one with the coach. I’m just fortunate to have somewhere to grow,” he said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

While his desire for more minutes was acknowledged even by Johnson himself, this move appears to be the best solution for all parties involved.

“We were all well aware of his desire to be in the rotation and given more opportunities, especially recently. We wanted to do the right thing for him and make sure he has that opportunity before the year is out,” Johnson said, per Yahoo Sports.

The Spurs’ rotation tightened amid roster changes and internal development priorities, causing Sochan’s minutes to drop to just 12.8 per game during the 2025–26 campaign. His exit also depletes San Antonio’s 2022 first-round class, as none of the three selections from that draft remain with the franchise (Blake Wesley and Malachi Branham).

While Sochan averaged only 4.1 points and 2.6 assists during the 12.8 minutes per game he spent on the court, his defensive versatility and effort were never questioned. Sochan was simply on a team that needed more from him in terms of floor spacing and offensive ability, and last season he didn’t get the minutes he needed to prove his worth alongside Victor Wembanyama.

He, the 22-year-old, will be hoping to change the Knicks for the better.

The future of LeBron James has been a topic that has dominated the NBA season. James is in his 23rd year with the NBA and is still performing at a pace that makes him one of the best players in the league. So, what will the Lakers do in the offseason after his contract expires? According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in his latest report about the Lakers’ potential offseason plans and James’ future, he will be.

“If James wants to play a 24th season, he would be welcome in L.A. Pelinka announced before the start of this season that he would be fine if James retired with Laker, and sources told ESPN, that sentiment was meant to reflect a 2026 retirement or 2027 retirement if James intends to extend his career,” McMenamin said in his statement. Said in the report.

He further added, “If James returns, his salary will be a major factor in determining what kind of team L.A. can build.”

James currently makes $52.6 million, which will come off the books for the Lakers in the summer. That leaves the Lakers with $51 million in cap space to spend building around Luka Doncic. Should he consider returning to Lex, a significant pay cut would be on the horizon.

McMenamin said, “Although he took the maximum $2.7 million salary cut on the last deal he signed with L.A. to help the franchise avoid second-apron penalties, if he were to take a dramatic pay cut to re-sign with the Lakers this summer, it would be a significant deviation from the way he has negotiated his entire career.”

In his record-setting 23rd season, James is averaging 22 points, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds.

The 2025-26 Los Angeles Lakers are an elite company right now, and history tells us that this elite company isn’t that great.

Entering the All-Star break, despite having a 33-21 record, the Lakers trailed by one point, which is not normal at all. In fact, LA is just the third team in NBA history with a 60% or better winning percentage and a negative point differential at the All-Star break.

The Athletic’s Law Murray wrote, “The other two aren’t exactly the teams the Lakers want to emulate.” “The 2021 Portland Trail Blazers went 21-14 at the All-Star break while being outscored by 15 points and were eliminated from the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Denver Nuggets in six games. The 1997 Charlotte Hornets went with a 29-19 record (.604) while being outscored by 15 points and then lost to New York in the 1997 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Lost to the Knicks.”

As a result of their record, the best of the three on the club, and a stellar, league-best 15–3 record in clutch time, Murray has labeled the Lakers’ season “somewhat extraordinary”.

This could bode well for LeBron James, Luka Doncic and company, although last season, the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs despite having a solid record in the regular season following the acquisition of Doncic. Still, the Lakers are almost certainly a better team, in general, than the 2024-25 team, which had a better injury situation and still wasn’t as stable as this year’s Lakers.

Only one LA player has played every game this year: Jake Laravia. Additionally, he is the only player on the team to have played more than 46 games. The Lakers’ star players – James, Doncic and Austin Reaves – have all missed at least a dozen games. Reeves was out more than a month until recently, James missed almost the entire first month of the season, and Doncic was sidelined for the final four games before the All-Star break with a hamstring injury.

The Lakers return to action on Friday against crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers at home before hosting the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

The NBA All-Star Game took place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California on Sunday evening. Also attending the festivities was Lakers star LeBron James, who has long been known as one of the game’s most entertaining players.

While the celebration is taking place in Southern California, James recently explained why he doesn’t see it as a celebration for the Lakers.

“LeBron James said it doesn’t make sense for him to play the All-Star Game in LA because ‘It’s not our building. It’s a road game,'” Athlon Sports’ Joshua Valdez, formerly of the Ax, reported on Twitter.

In fact, the Lakers’ home Crypto.com Arena is a few miles away in Downtown Los Angeles, while the Intuit Dome is to the south in Inglewood.

This is the second year the Clippers have played in the arena, having previously shared a home at Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center.

Meanwhile, James was recently declared ineligible for an All-NBA nomination this year after sitting out more than the maximum allowed 17 games due to injury. However, he is still clearly playing at an All-Star level when healthy, guiding the Lakers to a solid record so far, and a potential chance at a top-four seed in the coveted Western Conference playoff picture.

There has been much speculation that this could be the final year of James’ career, as well as questions about what he might do if Los Angeles misses its star in the playoffs once again this year, as they did against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2025.

Some have noted that the signings of both James and Luka Doncic to large contracts have made it difficult for the Lakers to field a balanced roster.

In any case, the Lakers will next take the field against the Clippers on Friday evening, coincidentally.