Fantasy Basketball post-trade deadline check in: Trade value for players in new roles - CBSSports.com

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There are plenty of new faces in new places following Thursday's trade deadline. With most teams having played two or three games since then, we are getting a feel for how they're adjusting to their new teams and how their new teams are adjusting to them.

It's essential to keep in mind we're still in small sample territory, so don't make any rash moves based on such little data. But the next waiver period will be an important one. Hopefully, roles are clear by then.

Through his first two games with Chicago, Vucevic's counting stats have looked good. He's averaged 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. However, fantasy managers should have some concern about his volume of shots. The center has averaged 14.5 shots in his first two games with the Bulls compared to 20.7 shots with the Magic. Vucevic's 24.2 percent usage rate with the Bulls compares to his 2016-17 season with the Magic, where he averaged 14.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.8 minutes per game. We need a bigger sample to see whether or not he's really in line for that much of a downturn in stats, but a decrease in his role isn't surprising given team context. Vucevic is no longer a definitive No. 1 option. He's option 1B at best next to Zach LaVine.

Gordon's numbers with Denver have been underwhelming. In two games, he's totaled 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 46 minutes. His playing time in the first game was limited due to a blowout, with only two players seeing more than 30 minutes. However, the Nuggets played Tuesday's game against the 76ers closer, and he was tied for the fifth-most minutes on the team with Facundo Campazzo. Unless Paul Millsap and/or JaMychal Green get bumped from the rotation, it might be tough for Gordon to see 30 minutes consistently. He's also gone from a No. 3 option on the Magic to a No. 5 option on the Nuggets. Gordon was already a fringe 12-team fantasy asset, and he may be a drop candidate by the upcoming waiver period.

Fournier had a nightmare debut for the Celtics, going 0-for-10 from the field. He at least put up two rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes. The 30-plus minutes are a good sign for fantasy managers, and the hope certainly has to be that he'll let more shots fly when he's knocking them down. However, he's gone from a No. 2 option on the Magic to likely a No. 4 option on the Celtics. It will be tough for him to reach the 19.7 points per game he was averaging with Orlando.

The Magic

Orlando deserves its own section because management traded away the three best players to embrace a deep rebuild. The Magic have played three games since the deadline. The state of the team is as follows: Chuma Okeke leads in points per game (18.0); Khem Birch leads in rebounds (7.3); Michael Carter-Williams leads in assists (6.0). The elephant in the room is that Terrence Ross hasn't played yet, and he could end up being the team's driving offensive force.

Aside from Ross, there may not be a true waiver wire pickup from this team. Okeke's shooting is unsustainable. Birch is fine but is essentially in a three-way minutes split with Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter, who are also both seeing too few minutes to be worth rostering in most leagues. Carter-Williams and Bacon are putting up O.K. numbers now but could take a hit when Ross is back. Keep an eye on the situation, but don't expect anything to pan out.

Trent's role on the Raptors has remained nearly identical to the one he held on the Trail Blazers. He struggled in his first two games but popped off Monday against the Pistons for 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes. In three games with Toronto, Trent has averaged 12.0 shot attempts, 5.7 of which have been threes. With Portland, he averaged 12.8 shots with 7.4 threes.

Powell was outstanding in his debut with Damian Lillard sidelined, as the former posted 22 points, two rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist in 36 minutes. However, with Lillard back the next game, Powell's role decreased significantly. He saw only 27 minutes and lifted just six shots -- his fewest since Jan. 4. With Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic already controlling such a significant share of the offense, it's not clear if Powell will have room to take the 13.5 shots per game he was with the Raptors.

Wright's trade to the Kings may have killed all his fantasy value. He saw 23 minutes in each of his first two games and totaled just six points on six shots, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Compared to Wright's time on the Pistons, there are just too many other capable playmakers on the Kings for Wright to be impactful on a game-to-game basis. Fantasy managers should certainly consider dropping him.

With Christian Wood sidelined for both of Olynyk's first two games, the new addition drew starts in his first games with the Rockets. Across 29.5 minutes, Olynyk has averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks. Once Wood returns, Olynyk will likely come off the bench. From there on out, his numbers will probably look similar to his time in Miami, where he averaged 10.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.9 minutes.

Griffin has played four games for the Nets since getting bought out by the Pistons. Across 18.3 minutes per game, he's averaged 8.0 points on 61.1 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. By all accounts, Brooklyn has been cautious with his workload. However, it doesn't seem like he'll be seeing significantly more minutes, especially once LaMarcus Aldridge debuts.

Horford and the Thunder agreed that the veteran would stay around the organization and practice facility but would no longer participate in games. This vaults Moses Brown into must-roster territory. Across the past nine games, Brown has averaged 12.2 points on 60.6 percent shooting, 12.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in 28.9 minutes per game.

And the players yet to debut...

Drummond will start in his Lakers debut Wednesday against the Bucks after not playing since Feb. 12. The Lakers have seemed less than satisfied with Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell's play, so Drummond has an opportunity to potentially snatch 30 minutes per game. If that's the case, he should be just as valuable in Fantasy with the Lakers as he was with the Cavaliers. Once LeBron James and Anthony Davis return, Drummond's value could decline, but he could still see real starter's minutes and remain a nightly 15-and-15 threat.

Oladipo has yet to make his debut with the Heat. Once he does, he should be in the starting five and see 30 minutes per game. It seems reasonable to expect Oladipo to put up his career averages of 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Nets

It's possible Aldridge completely takes away Nicolas Claxton's role and essentially splits time with DeAndre Jordan at center. Once Kevin Durant returns, things will become more complicated while trying to find minutes for him, Aldridge, Griffin and Jordan. But it seems reasonable to expect Durant to play some small forward.

The newest piece of buyout news, Cousins will be joining the Clippers sometime next week on a 10-day contract. He had moments in Houston, but his overall numbers suggest he's closer to washed-up than a starter. It seems likely he'll be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency third center behind Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac if he sticks.

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Directionless Trade As Q1 Comes To A Close, With Infrastructure Plan, Jobs Data Awaited - Forbes

UPDATE 1-WTO hikes 2021 trade growth forecast, but COVID-19 risks linger - Yahoo Finance

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(Updates with details from news conference)

* 2021 trade growth forecast raised to 8.0% from 7.2%

* Risks "firmly on downside"

* WTO chief sees wider vaccine distribution as key

GENEVA, March 31 (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization slightly raised its growth forecast for global goods trade this year, but said the outlook was clouded by risks from the roll-out of coronavirus vaccines and the possible emergence of vaccine-resistant strains.

WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told a news conference on Wednesday that vaccines had given the world a chance of stopping the disease and jump-starting the economy.

"But this opportunity could be squandered if large numbers of countries and people do not have equal access to vaccines," she told a news conference.

The WTO is forecasting merchandise trade will grow this year by 8.0% after a fall of 5.3% in 2020. That compares with October figures of respectively 7.2% growth and a 9.2% decline. It forecast 4.0% growth in 2022.

The WTO said short-term risks were "firmly on the downside" and centred on pandemic-related factors.

The Geneva-based trade body said accelerated vaccine distribution and faster lockdown easing could add 2.5 percentage points to trade, which would then return to its pre-pandemic trend in the fourth quarter.

However, poor vaccine roll-outs and new variants could lower trade growth by nearly 2 percentage points.

Okonjo-Iweala plans to meet vaccine manufacturers and civil groups in mid-April to understand how vaccine production could be expanded, particularly in emerging markets, and how investment could be spread wider in future.

"I think that for the next pandemic we must not go through this again. No longer can we expect poor countries to stand in a queue waiting to get vaccines," she said.

The WTO chief said there were already signs of regional divergence, with Asian exports in 2021 potentially up 10% from 2019 levels, while shipments from Africa and the Middle East could be down.

Over the medium-to-long term, public debt and deficits could also weigh on economic growth and trade, particularly in highly indebted developing countries.

Last year's decline of trade growth was far less gloomier than previously foreseen. The improvement towards the end of 2020 was partly driven by the announcement of new vaccines at the end of November, boosting confidence. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Marine Strauss, William Maclean)

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Gold prices see muted trade after ADP's private sector jobs report - MarketWatch

Sharply Fewer in US View Foreign Trade as Opportunity - Gallup Poll

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Story Highlights

• Fewer Americans now view foreign trade as opportunity for growth
• Decline mostly driven by Republicans and some independents
• One in three Americans view foreign trade as a threat to U.S. economy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are far less likely now than they were a year ago to view foreign trade as an opportunity for U.S. economic growth rather than a threat to the economy. Sixty-three percent of Americans have positive views of trade, down from 79% in 2020. The current figure is the lowest since 2016, but majorities of Americans have viewed trade as an opportunity for growth since 2013.

Alternatively, nearly a third of Americans (32%) now view foreign trade as a threat to the U.S. economy. While almost twice as high as last year, negative views of trade are still well below the trend high of 52% in 2008, during the Great Recession.

Line graph. Americans views on foreign trade as either an opportunity for economic growth or a threat to the economy. Currently, 63% view it as an opportunity for growth, 32% as a threat to the economy.

These results are from Gallup's 2021 World Affairs survey, conducted Feb. 3-18. Gallup first asked this question in 1992 when Americans were more divided on the impact of foreign trade on the U.S. economy.

A Third of Republicans Sour on Trade

Republicans' views on trade shifted notably this year, with half (51%) now seeing trade as more of a threat than an opportunity for economic growth. The 44% of Republicans who view trade as an opportunity for growth represents a 34-percentage-point drop and brings Republicans' views closer in line with where they were before the beginning of the Trump administration. Thus, it appears that Republicans' positive views of trade in recent years were tied to Trump's position on the issue and his handling of it.

Line graph. The percentage of Americans who view foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth, by their political affiliation. Currently, 79% of Democrats and 44% of Republicans view foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth.

While there was little change in views on trade among Democrats, independents also cooled on the benefits of trade, although much less so than Republicans. While 76% of independents viewed it as an opportunity for economic growth in 2020, 65% hold this view today. Thirty percent of independents now view foreign trade as a threat to the U.S. economy; last year, 18% held that view.

Notably, the parties' opinions of trade have shifted over time, with Democrats having been consistently more positive than Republicans toward trade for the past decade. Before 2009, however, the opposite was true. The fact that this shift persisted through presidential administrations of both parties suggests a more fundamental change in the parties' orientation to trade rather than a partisan reaction to which party occupies the White House.

Attitudes toward the benefits of trade for the U.S. vary across age groups in 2021. While younger adults (aged 18-34) show little change this year in their views of foreign trade as an economic opportunity, middle-aged Americans (aged 35-54) show an 18-point decline. Adults aged 55 and older show a 20-point decline from 2020 in the percentage viewing foreign trade as an opportunity for the U.S. economy.

There is also noticeable variance in Americans' views of trade based on educational attainment. Those with a postgraduate education are the most likely to see it as an opportunity (73%), while those with a high school degree or less are the least likely (56%), although a majority of them still view foreign trade as an opportunity for growth.

Bottom Line

Perceptions of foreign trade as either a threat to or opportunity for the U.S. economy have fluctuated over the past few decades. While many Americans began the 1990s with more skepticism of its impact, most have viewed it as a net positive for the U.S. since 2013. With a massive economic recession and heightened unemployment resulting from the pandemic's impact on everyday life, more Americans this year view trade as a threat -- yet a majority still see it as an opportunity for the U.S. economy.

With Republicans bidding farewell to a Republican administration that championed the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and with the economy taking a serious downturn in 2020, perhaps it is more surprising that so few Americans have turned on foreign trade and that a majority still see it as a net positive for the economy.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

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N.B.A. Trade Deadline Fallout for the Lakers - The New York Times

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After more than a dozen trades at the deadline, there are still many moves to be made, with lingering free agents, buyouts and executive contracts in the balance.

All the trades have been made. This season’s roster shuffling, barring a free-agent signing or three coming soon, is complete.

It’s time, then, to take a tour around the league for some post-trade deadline fallout, rumbles, analysis and storytelling:

Don’t be surprised that the Los Angeles Lakers were prepared to trade Dennis Schröder.

One of the Lakers’ prime off-season acquisitions, Schröder featured in trade talks with the Toronto Raptors for Kyle Lowry. The discussions broke down over the Lakers’ unwillingness to include the blossoming Talen Horton-Tucker in a deal for Lowry, 35, who will become a free agent at season’s end.

Schröder, 27, was available because of the gulf between player and team in contract extension talks. He has rebuffed extension offers from the Lakers in the range of $80 million over four years, according to two people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. Schröder’s efficiency has slumped since his productive 2019-20 season in Oklahoma City, but he is said to be seeking more robust compensation in free agency this off-season. His previous biggest deal was a four-year, $70 million contract extension signed with Atlanta in October 2016.

More surprising than Schröder’s availability was the Lakers’ willingness to package him with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after Caldwell-Pope was such a key contributor to last season’s championship — and when Caldwell-Pope, like Anthony Davis and LeBron James, is represented by the influential agent Rich Paul.

Lowry’s future isn’t the only free-agent drama looming for the Raptors.

Masai Ujiri, Toronto’s president of basketball operations, is also in the final year of his contract. There were strong rumbles last summer that Ujiri, General Manager Bobby Webster and Coach Nick Nurse were all poised to receive new five-year deals from the Raptors. Nurse and Webster have since signed long-term contracts, but Ujiri has repeatedly deflected questions about his future.

Like Lowry, Ujiri has been regarded by fans and the organization as Raptors royalty since the team’s championship run in 2018-19. It is widely presumed in league circles that only an overwhelming offer in a highly desirable market could lure him away from the influence and affection he has amassed in Toronto. Yet these many months without a deal and Webster’s rising profile as a natural successor have raised the question: How much longer will Ujiri be running the Raptors?

Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster appears poised to take over should Masai Ujiri move on from his role as Toronto’s team president.Chris Young/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

For a Canadian public edgy about the prospect of Lowry and Ujiri potentially hitting free agency at the same time, this counter question should provide some measure of comfort: Where would Ujiri go?

He was known to have interest in the Knicks’ job before James L. Dolan, the Knicks’ owner, abruptly decided last spring to abandon the pursuit of Ujiri to instead hire Leon Rose, a prominent former player agent. A worthy post-Toronto landing spot is difficult to pinpoint unless the Washington Wizards, who vehemently denied being interested after the Raptors’ championship, amend that stance.

Some around the league, though, have wondered about a potential down-the-road option that does not yet exist. The group heading expansion efforts in Seattle features the longtime sports executive Tim Leiweke, who brought Ujiri to Toronto for the 2013-14 season.

It only seems like the Nets make every roster upgrade they want.

The recent bargain signings of Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, after the January acquisition of James Harden, have further entrenched the Nets as villains. Coach Steve Nash leaned in to the criticism with some humor when he spoke to reporters on Monday, letting out an Uncle Scar-like roar.

“It’s kind of funny to me, because for the last couple years, all I’ve heard is how bad I am,” Griffin said. “You sign with this team and everybody’s like, ‘That’s not fair.’”

The volume on complaints surely would have been higher had the Nets been successful in their attempts to trade the injured Spencer Dinwiddie for a wing player. Among the options they explored, I’m told, was sending Dinwiddie to Golden State for Kelly Oubre. Golden State rejected those overtures because it is still desperate to make the playoffs. While numerous Oubre trade scenarios came up, Golden State was not going to trade him for someone who couldn’t help the team in the short term.

“I think a lot of people thought he might be available, but we value him, too, as evidenced by not trading him,” Bob Myers, Golden State’s president of basketball operations, said of Oubre on Friday.

I liked seeing these three franchises take the biggest swings: Chicago, Denver and Orlando.

The Bulls, Nuggets and Magic are known (and sometimes criticized) for not pursuing trades as aggressively as fans would like. So you applaud Denver for making the most ambitious move in the West by trading for the Magic’s Aaron Gordon, which not only enhances the Nuggets’ ability to win the conference but also shouldn’t hinder them in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes if (when?) Washington reaches the point of making Beal available.

Nikola Vucevic, right, became the second All-Star on the Bulls after Orlando traded him to Chicago last week.Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

The Nikola Vucevic trade, furthermore, was bold for both Orlando and Chicago. The Bulls, who had no All-Stars when Chicago hosted last season’s All-Star Game, packaged two future first-round picks and Wendell Carter Jr. to get Vucevic, who played in his second All-Star Game this season — as did a first-timer: Chicago’s Zach LaVine.

The Magic turned heads, too, by initiating a total tear down and trading Vucevic, Gordon and Evan Fournier after they had been pretty convincing in the weeks leading up to the deadline that Vucevic was staying put. With Vucevic, at age 30, in the midst of his most productive season and seemingly getting better offensively, I thought he was the one Magic pillar they were bound to keep to lead younger players like Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz when they return from injury. Several teams were convinced Orlando wouldn’t part with Vucevic unless it received a substantial offer; Chicago duly put more on the table than anticipated.

You never know who you’ll meet in Miami.

Trevor Ariza and Andre Drummond, two of the league’s most prized veterans as title contenders fortify their rosters for the playoffs, worked out in the same Miami gym in recent months.

Ariza and Drummond are among the prominent players who have been practicing at The Miami Perimeter with Stanley Remy, who trains Miami’s Jimmy Butler. Ariza made it his base while on leave awaiting a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who dealt him to the Heat on March 17. Drummond trained in the same gym after he and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed in February to seek a trade. When the Cavaliers couldn’t find a desirable deal, they negotiated a buyout with Drummond, who signed on Sunday with the Lakers.

Other veterans who have been spotted in Remy’s gym include the veteran center Greg Monroe and, in a surprise, Amar’e Stoudemire. As a player development assistant for the Nets this season, Stoudemire, 38, works with the team at home. Yet he does not travel with the Nets and has made occasional trips to Miami to see family when the team is on the road. Stoudemire has also been pursuing an M.B.A. through online classes at the University of Miami.

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The Scoop @TheSteinLine

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Corner Three

Dion Waiters is just one of several recognizable free agents vying for another chance in the N.B.A.Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

You ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing in from, and make sure “Corner Three” is in the subject line.

(Questions may be condensed or lightly edited for clarity.)

Q: Remember when people were complaining that the Nets traded away all their depth for James Harden? They’ve filled that depth out with LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin, rising young studs in Bruce Brown and Nicolas Claxton and an emerging Landry Shamet — plus Jeff Green has been excellent. — @MoneyDre123 from Twitter

Every time someone says that they expect the trade deadline to be super active, it never is. The one deadline that all of you said there wouldn’t be much movement, we get trades for guys like Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic. — @MoneyDre123 from Twitter

Stein: You sent me multiple tweets in the past few days that hit on two newsy topics, so let’s address both.

• The Nets were always expected to be active in the buyout market to address their depth issues.

Surprising as it was to see Aldridge choose to join the Nets over Miami, it is no surprise that the Nets have made multiple signings. A free-spending title contender will always hold appeal to former All-Stars like Aldridge and Griffin, who not only covet the chance to compete for a championship but are also trying to rebuild their value as they head to free agency in the off-season.

The surprise here is the development of Brown and Claxton. I don’t remember many touting them to both become dependable rotation players so quickly — whether that’s because of faster-than-anticipated development or the natural benefit of the extra space created by offensive threats like Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Or both.

• I am pretty sure you were promised a frantic deadline day in last Tuesday’s newsletter. I never bought suggestions to the contrary.

This was the fourth consecutive season in which deadline day delivered a double-digit number of trades, and I expect the trend to continue. I can still vividly remember deadline day in 2000, when Atlanta’s dealing Anthony Johnson to Orlando was the only sad little trade to go down, but this is a different N.B.A.

You have to go back to 2009 for the last deadline day that featured fewer than eight trades. Although that certainly doesn’t mean we’re going to see landscape-changers every year, I will concede that last week’s activity exceeded even optimistic expectations like mine — even with Toronto’s Kyle Lowry staying put.

Q: As a lifelong Dion Waiters stan, I spend every waking moment wondering when our lord and savior of Philly Cheese will eventually make his return to the N.B.A. — Johnny Tse (Hong Kong)

Stein: Last seen in the league playing a minor role off the Lakers’ bench during their championship run last summer, Waiters is another one of the free agents who has been working out at the Miami Perimeter gym discussed in this week’s lead item.

Though that doesn’t mean that Waiters, 29, will get another N.B.A. shot, Brandon Knight has also been working out there and, according to a report from my longtime colleague Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, recently earned an audition with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Among the factors working against Waiters: There are a lot of proven N.B.A. players competing for roster spots. I asked a noted salary-cap guru and transaction tracker, @KeithSmithNBA, to help me compile a list of well-known free agents without regard to position. A partial list from what he came up with: DeMarcus Cousins, Jamal Crawford, Yogi Ferrell, John Henson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Damian Jones, Mfiondu Kabengele, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeremy Lin, Kyle O’Quinn, James Nunnally, Jabari Parker, Andre Roberson, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Isaiah Thomas.

Q: I love your newsletter and always read every word. But isn’t it possible to say that the baseball-style series you wrote about have contributed to the diminished state of home-court advantage in the league this season? — Bruce Klutchko (New York)

Stein: I love hearing how much you enjoy it, and we are very much on the same page on this, but perhaps that didn’t come through as clearly as I hoped in last week’s Numbers Game.

Various coaches and players have said that the advent of baseball-style series this season, in which teams play host to the same opponent in consecutive games to reduce travel, has been a factor in lessening home-court advantage in today’s N.B.A. Pinpointing exactly how much is not possible, but there are presumed sleep and rest benefits for players on visiting teams when they get to stay in one city longer. Put it on the list as a factor in the road teams’ favor along with the more inviting arena atmospheres for visiting teams given the reduced crowds (or empty buildings).

We will keep tracking the numbers all season, but I don’t see how anyone can dispute that playing the same opponent twice in a row, especially with a night off in between, results in more favorable conditions for the visiting team.

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Numbers Game

Knicks forward Julius RandleNell Redmond/Associated Press

Hornets guard Terry RozierNell Redmond/Associated Press

31

The worst might be behind the N.B.A. in terms of dealing with the coronavirus — at least during the regular season. If the league can get through two more days, it will have made it through the entire month of March without postponing a single game in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols. The league postponed 31 games in December, January and February because at least one team could not field the minimum required eight players in uniform because of either positive coronavirus tests or contact tracing.

3

The Nets and the two Los Angeles teams (Lakers and Clippers) are the only teams to avoid a game postponement according to the league’s health and safety protocols.

27

Twenty-seven of the league’s 30 teams made at least one trade during the season, including 23 last Thursday on deadline day. The only teams that did not make an in-season deal: Memphis, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers.

21.5

The Knicks were the first team to surpass their projected over/under win total, according to the preseason odds compiled by Basketball Reference. The Knicks’ over/under was a league-low 21.5 victories; they entered Tuesday’s play tied with the Charlotte Hornets for fourth in the Eastern Conference at 24-23.

19.1

Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, both represented by Excel Sports, surrendered an estimated $19.1 million in combined salary to become unrestricted free agents and sign veteran minimum contracts to join the Nets. Griffin (who gave back $13.3 million to Detroit) and Aldridge ($5.8 million to San Antonio) have joined DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green and Nicolas Claxton in a suddenly crowded Nets frontcourt. With Joe Harris no less a fixture in the Nets’ closing lineup than their big-name stars, five big men are vying for limited minutes.

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Hit me up anytime on Twitter (@TheSteinLine) or Facebook (@MarcSteinNBA) or Instagram (@thesteinline). Send any other feedback to marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com.

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US whiskey makers face hangover from trade dispute - North State Journal

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A bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon sits on a bard. The Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Kentucky, and is owned by the Sazerac Company. The distillery produces some of the most popular bourbons in the world. (File)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tariff disputes could become even more painful for American whiskey distillers unless their entanglement in a trans-Atlantic trade fight is resolved soon.

Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey were left out of recent changes in U.S. trade relations with the European Union and the United Kingdom. Tariffs were suspended on some spirits, but the 25% tariffs on American whiskey by the EU and UK remain in place. And the EU’s tariff rate is set to double to 50% in June in the key export market for U.S. whiskey makers.

A leading spirits advocate is imploring top U.S. trade envoy Katherine Tai to not leave whiskey producers behind. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States urged her to press for an immediate suspension of the European tariffs and to secure agreements removing them.

“Swift removal of these tariffs will help support U.S. workers and consumers as the economy and hospitality industry continue to recover from the pandemic,” the council said in a recent statement after Tai was confirmed by the Senate.

American whiskey makers have been caught up in the trans-Atlantic trade dispute since mid-2018, when the EU imposed tariffs on American whiskey and other U.S. products in response to the Trump administration imposing tariffs on European steel and aluminum.

Since then, American whiskey exports to the EU are down by 37%, costing whiskey distillers hundreds of millions in revenue between 2018 and 2020, the council said. American whiskey exports to the UK, the industry’s fourth-largest market, have fallen by 53% since 2018, it said.

But, the tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum have been “effective,” said President Joe Biden’s commerce secretary Gina Raimondo. U.S. steel industry leaders and the United Steelworkers union have urged Biden to preserve the steel tariffs, calling them “essential” to the domestic industry’s viability.

Whiskey producers can either absorb the tax in reduced profits or pass along to customers through higher prices.

Amir Peay, owner of the Lexington, Kentucky-based James E. Pepper Distillery, said American whiskey has become “collateral damage” in the trade disputes. It’s cost him about three-fourths of his European business.

“That could possibly end our business in Europe as we’ve known it over the years,” Peay said in a phone interview Thursday.

He’s already curtailed some whiskey shipments to Europe as a hedge against the potential doubling of the EU tariff. His distillery’s signature bourbon and rye brand is James E. Pepper 1776.

Peay spent years and significant money cultivating European markets, especially in Germany, France and the UK. He was planning to double his European business before the trade disputes hit.

“The way things are going, everything that we invested to date looks like it could be destroyed,” he said.

The tariffs have hurt spirits industry giants as well.

“We estimate that our company … has borne roughly 15% of the entire tariff bill levied against the U.S. in response to steel and aluminum tariffs,” Lawson Whiting, president and CEO of Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman Corp., said recently. “They have become a big problem for us and it’s imperative that we get it resolved as soon as possible.”

Brown-Forman’s leading product is Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, a global brand.

For Kentucky bourbon producers, tariffs slashed their exports by 35% in 2020, with shipments to the EU plummeting by nearly 50%, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association said.

The EU had traditionally been the largest global market for Kentucky distilleries, accounting for 56% of all exports in 2017. It’s now about 40%, the association said.

“Our signature bourbon industry has sustained significant damage for more than two years because of a trade war that has nothing to do with whiskey,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “And it will get much worse if we can’t deescalate this dispute.”

Kentucky distilleries craft 95% of the world’s bourbon supply, the association estimates.

The thaw in the U.S. disputes with the EU and UK were part of an effort to resolve a longstanding Airbus-Boeing dispute. The tariff suspensions applied to duties that had been imposed on some spirits producers on both sides of the Atlantic. But the breakthroughs left plenty unresolved, including disputes that led to the retaliatory tariffs still hitting American whiskey.

The suspended tariffs mean some European spirits producers can ship their products into the U.S. duty free, while American whiskey makers are still subject to tariffs, Whiting said.

“We just want a level playing field for American whiskey,” he said.

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Short lane closure to occur Wednesday on Interstate 74 - week.com

MCLEAN COUNTY, Ill. (WEEK) -- There will be an approximate 10 minute closure of Interstate 74 east of Bloomington Wednesday.

In a post on their Facebook page, the Illinois State Police say 74 in all directions near the 137.5 mile marker will be closed at 10 AM. That is between the Route 51/Main Street Exit in Bloomington and Downs.

The closure is necessary for power lines to be ran across the Interstate.

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Lou Williams seriously considered retirement after trade to Hawks - NBA.com

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Lou Williams arrives prior to the Hawks game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Stunned at being traded, Lou Williams seriously considered retiring.

In the end, the 16-year NBA veteran decided he did want to play for his hometown team.

Williams joined the Atlanta Hawks ahead of their game Tuesday night in Phoenix against the Suns, nearly a week after he was dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline for guard Rajon Rondo.

After four seasons in L.A., Williams was admittedly shaken that the Clippers would decide to part with him.

“It hurts,” he said on a Zoom availability from Phoenix. “I had a lot of investment there. We had some success. We were gearing up for another deep run, a championship run. That what my mentality. I thought I would finish the season there.”

After thinking things over, Williams decided against retirement. He feels like he can help the youthful Hawks make a push toward their first playoff berth since 2017.

“I still feel like I can play at a high level,” the combo guard said. “I feel like I can help this team do some things. I don’t want to look back and say I retired prematurely, be asking myself what could have been or what I could’ve done. This is an opportunity to finish out the season with this team and go from there.”

The Hawks went into their contest against the Suns having won nine of 12 games, pushing into playoff contention in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference since Lloyd Pierce was fired and Nate McMillan took over as interim coach.

They are counting on Williams to provide an extra scoring option off the bench, a role the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner has played throughout his long career. He averaged 12.1 points a game in 42 appearances with the Clippers.

Williams was not going to take the court right away for the Hawks, a team he played with for a couple of seasons nearly a decade ago. It’s an entirely new group, of course, led by budding stars Trae Young and John Collins.

Williams only just met most of his new teammates, so he wanted to take at least one game observing their style and rotations from the bench.

“I want to get an understanding of how they play,” he said. “See their sets, get a feel for their rotations, understand how this group of guys mesh, see where I might fit. It would be unfair to this group of guys to just throw me out there.”

The Hawks are winding down their longest road trip of the season — an eight-game, two-week jaunt spent mostly on the West Coast. Williams will get his first chance to play before the home folks on Sunday, when Atlanta hosts Golden State.

Williams grew up in suburban Atlanta and came to prominence at South Gwinnett High School. The 34-year-old still lives in the city and does look forward for a chance to add to his legacy in a second stint with the Hawks.

“It took me few days to get here,” he said. “Once I arrived, I wanted the energy to be positive, I wanted the experience to be positive. I didn’t want the guys to look at me like I didn’t want to be here.

“It’s not personal against the Hawks,” Williams added. “I just needed time to figure out what’s best for me at this stage of my career. Now that I’m here, I feel embraced. The guys seem to want me here. I’m ready to make this push and move forward.”

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MLB Moves: Marlins trade James Hoyt to Angels - Fish Stripes

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James Hoyt lasted less than eight months with the Miami Marlins as the club announced Monday night that he’s been traded to the Angels for cash considerations.

It’s always difficult to anticipate specific trades at this time of year, but the Hoyt move isn’t particularly surprising. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald and Swings and Mishes reported earlier in the day that he would not have a spot on the Opening Day active roster.

Last season at age 33, Hoyt played a crucial role in solidifying the Marlins bullpen in the aftermath of their COVID-19 outbreak. The tall right-hander has an unconventional style, relying heavily on his slider (67.2% of his total pitches). It worked to the tune of a 1.23 ERA, 3.19 FIP and 1.16 WHIP in 14 ²⁄₃ innings, including a scoreless streak that spanned from Aug. 15 through the end of the regular season. Manager Don Mattingly loved calling on him to escape mid-inning jams—15 of his 24 appearances involved inherited baserunners.

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Unfortunately, Hoyt looked very uneasy throughout 2021 spring training. He allowed 11 baserunners in 6 ¹⁄₃ Grapefruit League innings. Small sample size, of course, but the spin rate on his bread-and-butter slider had dropped dramatically, from an average of 2,744 RPM last season to 2,367 RPM in spring games tracked by Statcast (51 sliders).

The Marlins could have optioned Hoyt in hopes that he’d find his groove again. However, this transaction comes with the perk of opening up a spot on their 40-man roster. They reportedly don’t have plans to fill it immediately, but this clears the way for impressive NRI Anthony Bender to make his big league debut in the near future. Bender will begin the regular season in the Fish Tank (alternate training site), according to Mish.

The Angels seem to have a fetish for fringy Marlins pitchers. They recently acquired Dillon Peters, José Quijada and Kyle Keller from the Fish via trades/waiver claims.

Also on Monday, the Marlins officially optioned Sixto Sánchez and Isan Díaz as expected. Assuming no setbacks, Sánchez will join their starting rotation within the next two weeks once he’s fully stretched out for a starter’s workload.

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Sam Darnold trade rumors: Price for Jets QB sits at a third-round pick, per report - Sporting News

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Florham Park is open for business, and there's a sale on Sam Darnold.

The Jets, sitting at the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, are presumably staying at No. 2 overall because that would be the organizationally wise thing to do. That means 2018 No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold is an expendable part, and he might not be as costly as originally thought.

ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin reports that the price for Sam Darnold sits around a third-round pick right now, with a "maybe" on third or even a conditional fourth rounder.

Just mentioned this on @GetUpESPN: Talked to three NFL GMs about the market for Sam Darnold. I asked what’s the most they’d be willing to give up: Two said a 3rd Rd pick — with one saying even a late 3rd would be “a little rich.” The other GM said “maybe” a 3rd or conditional 4th

— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) March 29, 2021

The reasons I’m told Darnold is a tough sell:

🔹A team has to really believe in his talent, which is difficult to do when he’s been one of the worst QBs over the past three seasons.

🔹The other problem? His option...

— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) March 29, 2021

MORE: What the 49ers trade up means for the Jets

The price has dropped from Adam Schefter's semi-speculative first-round pick that he set earlier in the offseason, and it makes sense why.

While Darnold's option year is set at $18.8 million guaranteed, that's still a fair amount of money for a quarterback who's been one of the statistical worst in the NFL since entering in 2018. A team trading for him would only be on the hook for around $5 million in 2021, per OverTheCap.

Darnold's market, too, appears to be diminishing: While rumors attached him to the Bears, Colts, 49ers and others earlier in the offseason, those teams have largely figured out their quarterback position heading into the draft. 

Recent reports indicate that the Panthers and Broncos could still check in on Darnold, but with the NFL Draft at the end of the month and both teams within trade-up striking distance to take a quarterback, they may wait on the draft to take a QB.

SI's Albert Breer reported on Monday that the Steelers also could be involved in a Darnold deal, potentially to back up Ben Roethlisberger as he enters the presumable final year or two of his career.

So, as we head into the last bit of the pro days, expect the Jets and GM Joe Douglas to make the Darnold decision soon.

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‘Earthquake Swarm’ Occurring South Of Milford - ksltv.com

MILFORD, Utah – An area south of Milford is experiencing an “earthquake swarm,” according to the University of Utah Seismograph Stations.

Unlike the 5.7 magnitude quake that rattled northern Utah last year, these swarms of smaller quakes have no clear mainshock, UUSS tweeted.

According to KSL TV’s Earthquake Tracker, dozens of quakes have been recorded an area just over five miles south of Milford over the past several days. They range in magnitude from about 1.1 – 3.2.

“(Earthquake) swarms are often associated with fluids or in areas of weak crust,” according to UUSS.

The account also noted that larger events often occur hours to days laters in earthquake swarms, and there can be multiple larger earthquakes with similar magnitudes. In the Milford area, larger magnitude events happened March 28 and 29 with quakes registering 3.2 and 3.0.

the largest eq occurred first followed by aftershocks w/ magnitudes distinctly smaller than the mainshock. In a swarm, the larger events often occur later, hrs to days, in the sequence & there can be multiple larger eqs with similar magnitudes, like March 28 & 29 M 3.2 & 3.0 eqs.

— UUSS (@UUSSquake) March 30, 2021

“Swarms are usually short-lived, but they can continue for days, weeks, or sometimes even months,” according to the US Geological Survey. “They often recur at the same locations. Most swarms are associated with geothermal activity.”

Earlier in March, University of Utah researchers found some volcanos in the central portion of Utah are still active, but there is no evidence that any of them are going to erupt.

The volcanoes are located near Fillmore  in the Black Rock Desert, which is approximately 70 or more miles away from the earthquake swarm south of Milford.

However, not all swarms indicate the presence of water or volcanoes. The USGS notes tectonic forces can also trigger swarms, which can be caused as the western USA extends.

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Kyle Shanahan says 49ers trade likely ticked off Jimmy Garoppolo: 'The more mad he gets, the better he gets' - CBS Sports

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Either the days of Jimmy Garoppolo putting on a San Francisco 49ers uniform are numbered, or head coach Kyle Shanahan is the greatest master manipulator of all time. Realistically speaking, while not entirely ruling out the possibility Shanahan is secretly Dr. Claw, the organization's decision to mortgage their future in a blockbuster pre-draft trade with the Miami Dolphins indicates the 49ers are preparing to say goodbye to Garoppolo. In sending the Dolphins the No. 12 pick in 2021, a first- and third-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023 to move up to No. 3 this April, the 49ers aren't even remotely pretending they didn't do it to select a quarterback.

Instead, they're framing it as competition at the position while holding firm they have no willingness to trade Garoppolo, who's also set to hit the team's salary cap for $26.4 million this coming season, and has only two seasons remaining on his five-year, $137.5 million contract awarded to him in 2018. So, how does Garoppolo feel about the trade? Well, he hasn't broken his silence regarding it just yet, but Shanahan believes he knows exactly what his quarterback is thinking.

"I'm sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it, just like I'd be, too," Shanahan told reporters, via The Mercury News. "But me knowing Jimmy, he'll be fired up and come in and work his butt off. The more mad Jimmy gets, usually the better he gets. So if he gets madder and stays healthy, this is going to be a good thing for Jimmy, too, which could be a great problem for the 49ers. 

"I hope Jimmy's alright with it and I expect him to be."  

Talk about a loaded statement, one that hints at the 49ers wanting to push Garoppolo to improve while knowing it could only serve to increase his value in a 2022 trade scenario because, let's be honest, no team uses a top 5 pick on a quarterback only to award the incumbent another big-money contract a year or so later -- San Francisco knowing full well that's the reality. Garoppolo knows it as well, which is why he's likely so "pissed off", as Shanahan so eloquently noted.

He contends he still wants Garoppolo leading the charge in 2021, though.

"We've got a guy in here we know we can win with -- a guy that our players love, that we love," Shanahan said. "We're excited to have him this year, and we're excited to have a hell of a quarterback right behind him, learning for when the time's his."

When exactly would that time be? 

Theoretically speaking, the 49ers could follow a model that keeps Garoppolo as QB1 for the coming season while allowing the third overall pick to learn/develop behind him for a season before unleashing him -- something the league has seen time and again in the past (with mixed levels of success). One example of this in particular is when Patrick Mahomes (the guy who defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV) was selected with the 10th overall pick in 2017 by the Kansas City Chiefs, despite Alex Smith having led them to the playoffs in the two previous seasons. 

It turned Smith from franchise guy to a lame duck, and he was traded the next year to the Washington Football Team. And if you're expecting Shanahan to shy away from this example to prevent Garoppolo from being labeled a lame duck himself, try again. If anything, he damn near rubber stamped it.

"That's a good example, the most obvious example of having a really good quarterback, drafting a young guy, having success and moving on the next year," he said.

Should that be the 49ers' eventual play here -- obviously praying the rookie becomes the next NFL sensation at the position -- the name of the game would be to find a suitor next offseason to give up assets to land Garoppolo, but there's still a great chance someone comes calling before or during this year's draft to try to pry him away. And it's well within the realm of possibility to believe the 49ers are secretly hoping they do, their public affection for Garoppolo being little more than an attempt to drive up the asking price in a situation where everyone knows they're about to replace him. 

But despite how direct the 49ers are being about their draft intention, they remain in lockstep when it comes to maintaining their want of retaining the 29-year-old for at least one more year (if only one more year).

"We went to ownership and said, 'Hey, things are looking good, we'd like to make this move but we also don't want to say goodbye to Jimmy,'" general manager John Lynch said. "We've shown we can get to a Super Bowl with him. We can play at a high level, and we don't think those two things have to be mutually exclusive."

No, they don't have to be, but considering how much time Garoppolo has missed in his NFL career due to injury, the lingering disappointment from his performance in Super Bowl LIV, his looming combined cap hit of $53.4 million over the next two seasons and how much the 49ers gave up to draft his successor in a few weeks -- they likely are.

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2021 NFL Draft: Why Eagles were wise to trade down, remain in position to select a wide receiver at No. 12 - CBS Sports

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Trading down isn't the sexiest move when it comes to the draft -- no matter the sport -- specifically when the team moving back holds a top-10 pick. There's a level of excitement for holding a top pick, a sign of vindication after a trying season -- giving the fanbase a glimmer of hope things are going to turn around. 

For the Philadelphia Eagles, hope springs eternal. Philadelphia decided to trade its top-10 pick (No. 6 overall) to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 12 overall pick, a 2021 fourth-round pick, and a 2022 first-round pick -- moving back six spots in the draft and out of the top 10. The trade was a killjoy for a fanbase of a team that wasn't active in free agency due to salary cap constraints, which was caused by the front office trading a franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz -- who they signed to a record-setting extension just 21 months ago. 

No Wentz, no prime free agents, no top-10 draft pick. Do general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office actually know what they're doing at this stage in the game? From the outside looking in, it doesn't appear so. 

But patience is a virtue and the Eagles trading back is wise for a franchise that has hit the reset button on the 2021 season. Here's why trading back in the 2021 draft was a good idea by Philadelphia, despite the "sure thing" of getting the franchise-changing wide receiver at No. 6 overall. 

More first-round picks

The Eagles trading down six spots is ideal for a franchise that nets a future first-round pick in return. Philadelphia acquired Miami's 2022 first-round pick as the kicker of the deal, adding to the Eagles' own 2022 first-round pick and a conditional (as the Eagles put it) 2022 first-round pick from the Wentz deal. 

If Wentz plays 75% of the Indianapolis Colts' snaps this season -- or 70% of the snaps and Indianapolis makes the playoffs -- the Eagles get a 2022 first-round pick from the Colts (and a 2022 second-round pick if they don't). That's potentially three first-round picks in 2022, crucial for a team that is rebuilding in 2021. 

What can the Eagles do with these first-round picks? They could select players with all three of them or use the assets to trade up in the 2022 draft and draft the franchise quarterback they covet. Perhaps the Eagles use those three picks to get a franchise quarterback that's potentially available (Russell Wilson, anyone)?  

The Eagles have options with their future first-round draft capital. Not bad for a team primed for the next stage of their rebuild in 2022. 

Get the playmaking WR at No. 12

It's not crazy at all to think the Eagles could get one of the top-three wide receivers with the 12th pick. Roseman is certainly taking a gamble moving back six spots and giving up the opportunity to draft Ja'Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith, or Jaylen Waddle at No. 6 -- but the draft board may find one of them at No. 12. 

If five quarterbacks go in the top 10, that leaves a board of Chase, Smith, Waddle, tight end Kyle Pitts, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, cornerback Jaycee Horn, linebacker Micah Parsons, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater as the top players remaining. At least two of those players will be available for the Eagles at No. 12. 

Offensive linemen are valuable in the top 10, so there's a strong chance Sewell and Slater could be picked before the Eagles select at No. 12. And there's a good chance Chase goes in the top 10, which leaves the mystery of where Pitts is selected. Pitts -- who they could have selected at No. 6 -- might be there at No. 12 for the Eagles (who they could have selected at No. 6) or he could go well before Philadelphia. 

Do the math. That's nine players off the board, and we didn't count Smith and Waddle in that equation. Parsons could also be selected before Philadelphia and Surtain is in prime position to be selected by the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys -- who pick right before the Eagles. 

The Eagles could have their choice of Smith or Waddle -- or settle for which receiver is left -- at No. 12. If they get one of those receivers, they'll have filled a need while also acquiring a first-round pick. Certainly a win for Roseman. 

If the Eagles don't get one of those receivers, they can still get an impact player at No. 12 -- and still have that first-round pick. Not as big of a win for Roseman, but still a victory. 

Filling a significant draft gap

Originally the Eagles had four picks in the first three rounds of the draft (first round, second round, and two third-round picks), all of which were within the top-84 selections. After that No. 84 pick, Philadelphia didn't pick again until the fifth round (No. 150) -- a span of 66 picks. 

The Eagles filled that gap by acquiring the Dolphins' fourth-round pick in the trade that moved them down in the draft. Philadelphia still has 11 picks in the 2021 draft, but gave up a 2021 fifth-round pick (No. 156 overall) in order to get in the fourth round (No. 123 overall). 

The Eagles now go from No. 84 to No. 123, a span of 39 picks. They'll have 37 picks between No. 123 to No. 150, so adding that fourth-round pick is significant. Philadelphia can certainly find a starting-caliber player with that 123rd pick, someone who could get significant playing time in a rebuilding year. 

Trade up

The Eagles do have ammunition to trade back up in this draft -- like the Dolphins did -- and get one of the top wide receivers available. Philadelphia has two third-round picks this year, one which the Eagles could use to move back into the top-10 and increase their chances of landing Smith or Waddle. Perhaps they even can have an outside shot at Chase, depending how the draft board plays out.

If the Eagles could move up to No. 8 or No. 9 on draft day (which will all depend on when the quarterbacks are taken), they can part ways with a third-round pick -- and still have that first-round pick acquired from the Dolphins for 2022. 

Hurts is the QB for 2021

The Eagles have a quarterback for 2021 and it's Jalen Hurts. Trading down ensures Hurts will be the starting quarterback for 2021 in a rebuilding year (as CBS Sports colleague Cody Benjamin detailed here), which is a perfect situation for a team that needs to see what they have with their 2020 second-round pick. 

Philadelphia isn't expected to win the NFC East in 2021, nor have Super Bowl aspirations. This year is about drafting and developing young players, which includes Hurts, and finding out what positions you need to improve on for 2022 and beyond. That may be quarterback, but the Eagles won't know unless Hurts gets a full season under his belt. 

Hurts will get that opportunity in 2021, even if the Eagles had an unorthodox plan to ensure he was the starter this season. 

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Rockets GM Rafael Stone on James Harden trade: 'I would for sure, 100 percent, do that deal again' - CBS Sports

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The Houston Rockets made a number of odd decisions in the process of trading James Harden. Rather than taking the All-NBA player in Ben Simmons, they chose Brooklyn's package of draft picks, and then, rather than holding on to young Nets Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, they flipped both for minimal returns. Allen netted them a first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks that is expected to be low, and LeVert got them Victor Oladipo, who they eventually traded to the Miami Heat for almost nothing. 

Rockets GM Rafael Stone addressed the Oladipo trade Monday by saying the team "had kind of organizationally made a decision that the Victor [Oladipo] fit wasn't a good one." As Oladipo was a key portion of the Harden return, Stone also addressed that deal, and even seeing how well Harden has played in Brooklyn, he revealed that he stands by the trade. 

"One of your colleagues texted me the day after the trade and they said they would evaluate me in 2027," Stone said, as transcribed by ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "And I told them that that was too early; they should do it in 2030. I think we felt at the time that we did the best deal for the franchise possible. Obviously, that's my job, so I did it. Particularly given the types of things we got back, yeah, it feels like you can't possibly know how you did for multiple years — like three, five, something like that. But I feel good about it. I do feel good about it. …

I would for sure, 100 percent, do that deal again. Again, you guys don't have the advantages of knowing everything I know, but literally no part of me regrets doing that deal. I have not second-guessed it for a moment.

A lot of what I said about being in a position maybe not to have to be bad [to rebuild], there's some other things that we've done, too, but it's primarily that deal that's allowed us to say, 'Hey, we want to compete on a slightly quicker timeframe.' We're not going to go down this path of intentionally trying to lose games for years on end."

Ultimately, if the goal was to avoid tanking, the Rockets failed. At one point this season, they lost 20 games in a row. Oladipo was healthy for the bulk of those games. P.J. Tucker was traded before the deadline, and LeVert, the younger player with multiple years of team control remaining, has looked good in Indiana thus far. 

In theory, judging the Harden deal as a whole right now would be impossible. We don't know where those Brooklyn draft picks are going to fall. In general, though, the odds of any single pick turning into an All-NBA player are extremely low. Houston seemingly could've had one, and while the Brooklyn package may ultimately turn out to be better, the truth is that such an outcome is incredibly reliant on luck. Bad lottery luck could sour the deal. So would sustained Brooklyn success, or injuries to a prospect, or any number of other factors. In that sense, we may not technically be able to judge the deal, but every night Simmons continues to play like a star looks worse for Houston with hindsight. The whole point of stockpiling picks is the hope that you can one day draft someone as good as Simmons. Until and unless Houston actually does so, the Harden deal is going to look bad.

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Mile High Morning: How might the 49ers' trade affect the Broncos in the NFL Draft? - DenverBroncos.com

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The 2021 NFL Draft order got its first massive shakeup of the offseason on Friday, as the 49ers, Dolphins and Eagles made a series of trades.

Focusing solely on the first round of the upcoming draft, Miami traded the third-overall pick to San Francisco. In return, the 49ers sent a package of draft picks that included the 12th-overall selection. Then, the Dolphins moved back into the top 10 as they obtained the No. 6 pick from Philadelphia. The full details of the deal can be found here on ESPN.

Ostensibly, the 49ers appear to be targeting one of the top quarterbacks. Though that's just speculation, the rare collection of top quarterback prospects will likely create a rush on draft night — and a move into the top three picks would give San Francisco the ability to secure one of those players.

The effect on the Broncos is largely limited to any circumstance in which they decide their heart is set on one of the top quarterbacks. For Denver, or any team that might be in the market for a quarterback late in the top 10, the possibility of one of the top four quarterback prospects lasting all the way until the ninth pick suddenly becomes quite slim. Should the Jaguars, Jets and 49ers all draft quarterbacks with the first three selections, a fourth would almost certainly come off the board at No. 8 to the Panthers, if not sooner to a team like Atlanta that may be looking to find a quarterback for the future.

Though the Broncos do not need to draft a quarterback with their first pick, if General Manager George Paton and the team feel they must have one of them, they'd have to put together a significant trade package to acquire a top-four pick of their own.

In his mock draft published after the trades on Friday, NFL.com's Chad Reuter projected Denver to pick one of the top offensive linemen, but he noted that a move up to pick a quarterback wasn't out of the question either.

"GM George Paton made it clear he's not ruling out bringing in another quarterback to compete with Drew Lock, so it won't be a shock if they're in the mix to move up and nab a signal-caller," Reuter wrote.

Paton and Head Coach Vic Fangio have both affirmed their confidence in Lock in the past month, but they've also expressed that they aim to add more competition at the position. That doesn't necessarily mean that would come in the first round in the draft, or in the draft at all, however.

"We like Drew Lock," Paton said on March 18. "We have a plan in place and there's free agency, there's the draft, there's trades, there's a lot of ways to acquire a quarterback. Fortunately, we have a quarterback here and we have a nice quarterback room. We do want to bring in competition. We are not going to force it."

Speaking of possible trades, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that even after the 49ers' trade, they are "holding on to Jimmy Garoppolo and have no plans to trade him."

However, if the Broncos prefer instead to focus on other options with their first pick, the situation might not change much. A run on quarterbacks was already assumed to some degree, and if it comes earlier than expected, then it would push other talent down. Should that happen, a trade down may be more likely for Denver.

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