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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE NO. 2 DUKE BLUE DEVILS … AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL FANS
He’s back, baby! Dick Vitale will return to college basketball broadcasting Saturday for No. 2 Duke at Clemson. It’s Vitale’s first broadcast since 2023. He has battled four different cancers in the last four years. He announced he was cancer-free Jan. 8, but his originally scheduled return last month was delayed by an accident at home.
I get that Vitale isn’t everyone’s favorite announcer. But everyone should appreciate his verve, his love for the game and his determination to return to it. It’s early February. Maybe the season feels like a drag as March Madness is still several weeks and a half away. But Vitale is an Energizer Bunny. He exemplifies the joy the sport can bring.
And what a team he’ll return to. Duke has won 15 straight, its latest a runaway victory over North Carolina. Trey Scott writes that the Blue Devils are much more than Cooper Flagg.
- Scott: “Up 47-25 to start the second half, Kon Knueppel did a vibes check with the Cameron Crazies at half court. ‘Ready, let’s go,’ he said to them. Knueppel’s ensuing barrage — a dunk, a 3-pointer, free throws, a jumper and a layup, all within the next four-ish minutes — stretched the lead to 62-34. … Jon Scheyer clearly accomplished what he set out to do last spring in stripping Duke of any and every part that might not fit perfectly around Flagg, prioritizing size, length and defensive aptitude.”
😊 Honorable mentions
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
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THE CLEVELAND BROWNS
Last week, Browns GM Andrew Berry said he wouldn’t trade Myles Garrett no matter what. Garrett, apparently, is willing to test that. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year and four-time first-team All-Pro requested a trade Monday. The Browns have no plans to acquiesce.
Garrett, 29, is phenomenal. The accolades speak for themselves, and he’s on a Hall of Fame path. This season, he became the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to hit 100 career sacks. He plays a premier position, and all 31 other teams should be interested. Tyler Sullivan has potential landing spots if a trade were to occur.
But trading him will not be easy.
- Trading him before June 1 would leave Cleveland with a $36 million dead cap charge.
- Trading him after June 1 would leave a $14.8 million dead cap charge and save nearly $5 million. But that, obviously, would be after the NFL Draft, meaning Cleveland couldn’t get picks until the 2026 draft.
- Cleveland is about $60 million over the 2025 cap, largely a product of the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade/contract. Watson re-tore his Achilles last month, putting his 2025 season in doubt.
This could be a push for a new contract — he’s the seventh-highest paid defender in the league on an annual basis — but regardless, Cleveland is somehow in an even tougher spot than before.
😔 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 Rams to trade Cooper Kupp: Where could he land?
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The Rams plan to trade Cooper Kupp, the wide receiver announced on X on Monday night. It’s a move he does not agree with, he said, but he understands “there are so many things that are out of your control.”
- Kupp, 31, won the receiving triple crown in 2021 with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LVI MVP.
- In three seasons since, though, he has averaged 67 catches for 753 yards and under six touchdowns.He has also only played in 33 of 51 potential regular-season games over the past three seasons, with significant knee and ankle injuries.
- Kupp said he is currently “highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come.”
Even putting aside the performance drop off and the injuries, money is an issue. Kupp is due $20 million next year — a $7.5 million roster bonus and a $12.5 million base salary — and former player agent Joel Corry believes a trade might have to wait until after the fifth day of the 2025 league year, when that $7.5 million is due.
Bryan DeArdo broke down potential landing spots.
🏀 NBA trade deadline: Should Warriors be in on Kevin Durant?
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We’ve already seen several All-Stars on the move over the last few days, and now, a new big name is on the market. The Suns — expected to be a buyer at the trade deadline, potentially a Jimmy Butler buyer — are actually listening to calls regarding Kevin Durant. That includes ones from the Warriors, who are reportedly in on every star.
Brad says it’s a desperate move coming shortly after Stephen Curry said the team shouldn’t make a “desperate” trade.
But there is a way a Durant-Curry reunion would be in the offing. Sam has mock trades for Durant, including …
- Suns receive: Andrew Wiggins, Jonas Valanciunas, Jonathan Kuminga, 2026 first-round pick (via Warriors), 2028 first-round pick (via Warriors)
- Warriors receive: Kevin Durant, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
- Wizards receive: Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, amended protections on the existing 2030 first-round pick the Warriors owe them (from top-20 to top-6).
“Phoenix turns one star into three useful players here. Wiggins can immediately slide in as the sort of versatile wing they’ve lacked. Valanciunas is at least a usable center in small doses. The Suns reportedly have some level of interest in Kuminga. He’s the upside play for them here.”
Meanwhile, the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade reverberations are still being felt around the league.
🏈 Ranking every Super Bowl starter, plus Opening Night highlights
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The Super Bowl produces unlikely heroes. Last year, Mecole Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown. The year before, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney played huge roles. Who could it be this year? Pete Prisco ranked all 44 starters, and here are two underrated guys I think could outperform their ranking:
- “28. Milton Williams — This pending free agent is one of the under-the-radar guys on the Philadelphia defense. He is smallish for a down lineman, but he has big-time quickness that makes him a pass-rush threat.”
- “39. Marquise Brown — Since he’s come back from a shoulder injury in late December that limited him to two regular-season games, Brown has added some speed to an offense that needed it.”
Only Chris Jones had a higher pressure rate at defensive tackle than Williams did this season. He’s gonna get PAID this offseason.
Here’s more preview content:
Meanwhile, festivities kicked off in New Orleans with “Opening Night” Monday. Here are some highlights:
📺 What we’re watching Tuesday
🏀 No. 11 Marquette at No. 12 St. John’s (M), 6:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Vanderbilt at No. 6 Florida (M), 7 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 14 Kentucky at No. 25 Ole Miss (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Celtics at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Oklahoma at No. 1 Auburn (M), 9 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Baylor at No. 13 Texas Tech (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Lakers at Clippers, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV
