LOCKED UP: PELICANS SET "VERY HIGH" PRICE FOR LAKERS' DREAM DEFENDERS
The Lakers' trade hunt for a 3-and-D wing is hitting a wall. The Pelicans have set a "very high asking price" for Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, making a deal nearly impossible with limited draft picks.
One thing that keeps hurting the Lakers in losses this season is their trouble guarding quicker backcourts. It shows that they need better perimeter defenders.
With the trade deadline coming up, the Lakers really want to get a good 3-and-D wing. This is a player who can stop drives, defend top scorers, and space the floor on offence. They have been talking to people around the league about players who fit this description.
The Lakers have looked at guys like Andrew Wiggins from Miami and Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones from New Orleans, who are both good defensive players. But it might be hard to get any of them.
NBA insider Marc Stein said that a lot of teams are wondering if the Pelicans would listen to trade offers for Jones or Murphy.
Stein said that New Orleans has set a very high asking price to scare teams away. Both players are good wings who are on reasonable contracts, which is why the Pelicans don't want to trade them.
Dan Woike of The Athletic agreed, saying that the Pelicans don't want to trade Jones. He added that the Lakers don't have many draft picks to offer, which makes a deal almost impossible. They only have one first-round pick they can trade (in 2030 or 2031).
Woike wrote that the Pelicans probably wouldn’t be interested in what the Lakers can offer, which is expiring contracts and one first-round pick.
He said that New Orleans could change their mind by the Feb. 5 deadline, but it would take a lot to convince it to trade a good defensive wing to a team in the same conference.
After losing to the Spurs 132–119, head coach JJ Redick didn't hold back when talking about the Lakers' defence.
There are very few teams that don’t have something that you can take advantage of, Redick said. And we usually get exposed to the same things.
The Lakers have one of the worst defensive ratings among teams with at least 15 wins. They allow 116.7 points per 100 possessions, which is 21st in the league. That's not good for a team that wants to win a championship.
"I think the hardest thing for our team right now is containing the ball," Redick added.
That was obvious against San Antonio, where Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and De'Aaron Fox scored a combined 24-for-43. Castle had 30 points, drove to the basket easily, and shot nine free throws. He and Fox also made seven three-pointers together.
Lakers star Austin Reaves, who has had trouble against quicker guards, agreed with Redick about the team's defence.
That’s a weakness we have to fix, Reaves said. The spirit is still good here. We know we can do it. But we have to defend as a team of five.
Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, also talked about the Lakers' defensive problems on The Ringer’s Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.
I personally don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders right now, Paul said. He said they don't have enough athleticism to compete with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
When asked to explain, Paul said that it would be hard to reach the Western Conference Finals with the current team.
The Lakers don't have many draft picks, so they are realising that it's hard to make trades.
The price for good two-way wings has gone up, so the Lakers will have a tough time improving their team before the deadline. Some of the players they want might just be too expensive.
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
