Sports
Three NBA Trade Deadline Flops That Changed Nothing
The flurry of activity leading up to the NBA trade deadline was so dizzying at times, it was hard to catch your breath.
But now that the dust has settled on this year’s roster shuffling, there’s really only one conclusion to draw:
Man, we’re out of shape.
The Thunder went into the future-rescripting week as a prohibited favorite to win the NBA title, and that remains the same.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant watched their teams play Wednesday night as the final hours ticked down on moving day. And Friday, they’ll do the same thing — still stuck where they don’t want to be.
The Wizards and Jazz won the day. When’s the last time we were able to say that?
And will it really matter?
Make no mistake: In terms of landscape-changing impact, the NBA trade deadline fizzled again. Losers outnumbered winners in a landslide.
Here are my three biggest flops …
There’s No Defense for Celtics Blunder
Amid talk of tanking the season, the Celtics have a really nice thing going this year. And just when you thought the only thing that could mess it up was the premature return of Jayson Tatum …
THEY DID WHAT?
Despite having lost key stoppers, the Celtics have become the best defensive team in the NBA. Led by Jaylen Brown, they bring it on the effort side of the court every night.
Neemias Queta has been a big part of that. He protects the rim and rebounds on one end, and pretty much stays out of the way on the other. You know, kinda like Robert Williams III did in the Celtics’ most recent run to the Finals.
Heck, even Luka Garza has proven useful, and now Amari Williams is playing an effective role.
Shockingly, without Tatum, this team might have played itself into the favorite’s role in the East.
But not anymore. Not with Nikola Vucevic anchoring the middle. And I do mean anchoring.
Yeah, he’s big, strong and puts up good numbers. Well, SOME good numbers.
Others are just big. As in his team’s perennial propensity to stockpile losses. And then there’s the scariest number of all: 1,607.
Care to guess what that is? Maybe if it were written as minus-1,607, you’d have a better clue.
That’s Vucevic’s career plus/minus in 15 seasons with the 76ers, Magic and Bulls.
Yeah, I know, those haven’t been great teams the past decade and a half. But they weren’t THAT bad.
In his 31,983 minutes, Vucevic’s teams have been 1,607 points worse off. Simply stated: When he plays, the opponent prospers.
It says here: He’s the worst defensive big man in the league. And now he’s going to be asked to chase Cade Cunningham on the perimeter when Brown gets screened time and time again?
You’ve got to be kidding.
The Twin Bridges To Nowhere
Talk about a trade that really should have happened …
When New York acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets at a heavy price in July of 2024, it seemed like a brilliant move. Tom Thibodeau was desperate for defensive athleticism on the wing, and few have more of that than the slender Bridges.
But things have changed in Gotham City. OG Anunoby now fills that role just fine, and the Knicks find themselves more in need of a heavyweight to be a bodyguard for Karl Anthony-Towns.
And “brother” Miles is much better suited for that.
Meanwhile, the Hornets have an entertaining thing going down in North Carolina. They’ve turned into a virtual track team seeking more sprinters and one fewer shot putter.
Mikal is that guy.
No, the Bridges boys are not related. But they really deserved to be interconnected this week.
Adding Miles would have made the Knicks a more serious contender. And bringing aboard Mikal would made the Hornets one of those teams to avoid in the playoffs — this year and moving forward.
It would have been a win-win that someone would have labeled the best brother trade in NBA history since the Gasols.
They’d be wrong. But no matter. It was the Bridges, both seeking happiness, who got wronged.
The Dukie of Hazzard Sequel
Even with a dynasty between the end of his playing career and today, many Warriors fans still consider Mike Dunleavy Jr. the franchise’s worst draft pick of all-time. And that includes Chris Washburn.
When he was brought back as GM, doomsayers predicted another decade of darkness. It appears they might be right.
Dunleavy was given a rather simple task about a year ago: Maximize the bring-back on a 22-year-old gazelle who already had demonstrated 20 points-per-game ability.
The 2025 deadline passed and no deal.
The 2025–26 off-season passed and no deal.
And now the 2026 deadline has passed and … Shockingly, the best Dunleavy could get for Jonathan Kuminga was a salary dump.
The goal for the Warriors at this deadline was two-fold:
Do something to enable to team to sneak into the 2026 playoffs and give Stephen Curry a chance to put on another of his must-see shows; and
Most importantly, turn Kuminga into someone who could, with Jimmy Butler III returning, help give Golden State a shot at one more title run next season.
Kristaps Porzingis does neither.
The human stiff is always hurt and has done more damage to franchises than help raise banners. Just ask the Knicks, Mavericks, Wizards, Celtics and now Hawks. All are counting their lucky stars that someone was dumb enough to take him off their hands.
And next year? The $30.7 million saved in Zinger’s expiring contract does nothing to help produce a championship, unless you consider it an addition by subtraction. The club will still be seriously capped.
The Warriors needed Morant, but Dunleavy jumped the gun a day early when the price was still coming down.
So instead of just a headache, they got the full-body torture.
Sports
Habs outlast Devils in shootout to earn eighth straight victory
Apr 4, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) swipes at the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images Oliver Kapanen scored in the fifth round of the shootout to extend the Montreal Canadiens’ win streak to eight games after Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.
Cole Caufield failed to find his 50th goal of the season, but tallied a pair of assists in the win, while Ivan Demidov, Jayden Struble, and Cole Hutson all scored for the Canadiens (45-21-10, 100 points).
Both goaltenders impressed as Jakub Dobes made 35 saves en route to his fifth consecutive win, while Jake Allen stopped 26 shots in the loss.
Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer all scored for the Devils (39-34-3, 81 points).
Struble broke the deadlock with 4:02 remaining in the first as he sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner for just his second goal of the season.
Caufield picked up his second assist of the night just over eight minutes into the second period as he slid a sneaky pass across to Demidov, who made no mistake to bury the power-play goal and extend his point streak to five games (two goals, four assists).
Hutson stretched it to a 3-0 lead 9:28 into the middle frame as the puck bounced out to him with Allen sprawled out and an empty net in front of him.
Mercer finally solved Dobes as he sent a short-side snipe over the netminder’s shoulder with 6:52 left in the second.
Just moments after Bratt was denied on a short-handed odd-man break, Hughes made the most of the second consecutive 2-on-1 chance, cutting the deficit to one with 2:20 left in the second.
Caufield had his best chance at finding his 50th goal with 7:44 left in the contest as he fired off a high shot from the slot, but Allen got it with the blocker.
Meier knotted things up at three with just 2:15 remaining in regulation as he took a pass from Hughes and sent his shot off the post and in.
Dobes robbed Bratt at one end, before Allen stoned Kapanen at the other during an exciting overtime frame.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Clayton Keller's hatty surges Mammoth past lowly Canucks
Apr 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) looks to pass while defended by Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images Clayton Keller collected his third career hat trick in a four-point game to lead the visiting Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 victory over the cellar-dwelling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse both scored once and added an assist for the Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points), who pulled closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien also tallied, while Logan Cooley collected a pair of assists and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.
Utah, which has won six straight versus Vancouver, is firmly in control of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.
Linus Karlsson scored twice while Jake DeBrusk and Marco Rossi added singles for Vancouver (22-46-8, 52 points), which has lost eight of nine games.
Goalie Nikita Tolopilo stopped 17 shots.
Keller broke open a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 7:04 of the second period by deflecting Guenther’s high point shot. It was originally waived off but video review showed Keller’s stick was even with the crossbar at impact.
The Mammoth have scored on the power play in five consecutive outings, converting nine times in that span.
After a string of near misses, Utah extended the lead when Guenther buried a sharp-angled chance into a yawning net at 11:55.
To their credit, the Canucks kept fighting but could not draw even.
DeBrusk’s power-play goal 20 seconds into the third period, a nifty deflection of Filip Hronek’s point shot, made it a one-goal game. But Crouse restored Utah’s two-goal bulge with a top-shelf shot at 1:32 of the final frame.
Rossi again pulled the hosts within one with another power-play goal at 4:40, only to see O’Brien tally seven minutes later with a deke on a partial breakaway in his first game since Feb. 4.
Keller’s empty-net goal rounded out the scoring, and gives him 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a four-game streak.
Both clubs staked and squandered a lead.
Karlsson opened the scoring at the 2:28 mark, but Yamamoto drew Utah even 11 minutes later and Keller potted his first of the game with 90 seconds remaining in the opening period to give the Mammoth a 2-1 edge.
Karlsson tied the clash at 2-2 by deflecting the point shot 125 seconds into the second period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Miami rallies twice to earn draw in new stadium opener vs. Austin
Apr 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks the ball against Austin FC during the first half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Substitute Luis Suarez scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute after Lionel Messi scored his fifth and Inter Miami salvaged a 2-2 draw against visiting Austin FC to officially open their new permanent stadium on Saturday night.
Both goals pulled Miami (3-1-2, 11 points) back from a goal down at the 26,700-seat Nu Stadium just west of downtown Miami, which replaces the Herons’ temporary home of Chase Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
Austin’s Guiherme Biro scored the first goal in the venue early in the first half, and Jayden Nelson temporarily restored the visitors’ lead early in the second.
It was the first time the Verde (1-2-3, 6 points) have scored multiple goals since a 2-2 home draw against Minnesota in their season opener.
But Austin were forced to settle for a share of the points when Suarez leveled nine minutes after his entrance on a well-worked corner.
Mateo Silvetti struck the inswinging service to the near post, and German Berterame met it with a flick-on header to the far post. That’s where Suarez showed up for a first-time volley from close range.
Once level late, Miami looked far more likely to get the winner. Suarez briefly thought he’d dispatched a rebound into the net for a winner, only to be ruled offside. Then Austin’s Brad Stuver sprawled to deny Messi’s low effort in second-half stoppage time.
A rare turnover from Messi led to Austin’s second goal in the 53rd minute.
Joseph Rosales took the ball off the Argentine, took several touches forward to begin a break and then sprayed a pass further up the left flank to Myrto Uzuni.
From there, Uzuni played a very clever first-time diagonal ball — benefiting from a fortunate deflection off Miami’s Noah Allen — into the path of Nelson sprinting up the center channel. Nelson finished the sequence off the inside of the left post and into the net.
Austin first went in front on a sixth-minute corner. Facundo Torres provided the outswinging service, and Miami’s Tadeo Allende slightly misjudged his clearing header attempt.
That allowed the ball to drop for Biro, who powered a low header off the turf and past Dayne St. Clair.
Messi pulled the Herons level four minutes later after Telasco Segovia orchestrated a flowing left-to-right move, eventually playing the ball to Ian Fray on the right flank.
Fray looped a cross back toward the penalty spot, where Messi connected with a relatively rare headed goal into the top-right corner.
–Field Level Media
