Category: NBA

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NBA officials reportedly meeting with U.S. Congressional committee following gambling arrest of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

NBA officials reportedly meeting with U.S. Congressional committee following gambling arrest of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

NBA officials reportedly met with a U.S. Congressional committee Wednesday following the FBI arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier for alleged illegal gambling, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The meeting was meant to serve as a briefing covering the league’s partnerships with sportsbooks. It was also supposed to cover measures aimed at preventing “illegal use of non-public information,” per Charania.

Billups, Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were among the 30+ individuals arrested by the FBI in October in connection with two separate, but related, gambling probes.

In the wake of those arrests, the NBA’s partnerships with sportsbooks have come under scrutiny, especially after Rozier and Jones were accused of sharing inside information with bettors who used that information to place — and win — wagers. 

Rozier was accused of telling a co-conspirator how long he would play in a specific game so that co-conspirator could place wagers on Rozier’s unders in that contest. 

Jones was accused of giving inside information on the status of injured NBA players to bettors. In one such instance, it’s believed Jones may have informed bettors that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would miss a contest due to an ankle injury.

Billups was accused of knowingly participating in an illegal, rigged poker game involving the Mafia.

Billups — who was coaching the Portland Trail Blazers — and Rozier — a member of the Miami Heat — were placed on leave by the NBA shortly after their arrests. With Billups on leave, the Trail Blazers announced Tiago Splitter would take over as the team’s interim coach.

At the time of that announcement, the NBA stated it would “continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.” Wednesday’s meeting could be the next step in that process, though it’s unclear if the briefing will lead to immediate action by either side. 

This story will be updated.

by Editor

NFL trade deadline: Fantasy impact of Rashid Shaheed, Jakobi Meyers trades

NFL trade deadline: Fantasy impact of Rashid Shaheed, Jakobi Meyers trades

Things are shaking up across the NFL today with the trade deadline quickly approaching at 4 p.m. ET. With this week marking the midway point of the 2025 regular season, we’re seeing contenders trying to fill holes and load up for a playoff push down the stretch while other teams are stockpiling future draft capital.

Of course, some of these moves will have implications on the fantasy football front and we’ll go over them below.

Rashid Shaheed

2025 stats: 44 receptions, 499 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Current fantasy rankings: WR33 (Standard), WR27 (PPR), WR31 (Half-PPR)

The New Orleans Saints dealt wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks for a pair of Day-3 draft picks for 2026, parting ways with the fourth-year wideout in the final year of his deal. Shaheed was one of the lone bright spots for a miserable 1-8 Saints squad and was the team’s second top receiver behind Chris Olave through nine games. The former undrafted free agent was on pace to having a career season with the Saints and with an ADP in the low-50’s heading into the season, he’s actually played his with into being a Flex/low-WR2 option for fantasy managers this season.

The good news for Shaheed managers is that he’s joining a Seahawks offense that is on fire right now with Sam Darnold dealing. The bad news is that he’s joining an offense that is already loaded with weapons like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, and Cooper Kupp, potentially dinging some of his fantasy value. As for the Saints, this could open the door for Olave and Juwan Johnson to get more targets as they play out the rest of this season with rookie Tyler Shough now operating the controls at quarterback.

Jakobi Meyers

2025 stats: 33 receptions, 352 receiving yards
Current fantasy rankings: WR60 (Standard), WR46 (PPR), WR52 (Half-PPR)

The Las Vegas Raiders traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday, receiving a pair of Day-3 draft picks for next year in exchange. The veteran is in the final year of his contract and requested the trade during training camp after he couldn’t come to an agreement with the Raiders for a new deal.

Meyers entered the season with an average draft position in the low-40’s across multiple scoring formats and has put up modest numbers as the Raiders’ No. 2 pass-catcher this season. With Travis Hunter currently on IR with a knee injury, the Jaguars needed another receiver to complement Brian Thomas Jr. and acquired Meyers to fill that role as they try to stay in the AFC playoff hunt. He most likely won’t see a dramatic jump in production upon his arrival to Duval County, but should get enough targets to inch towards fringe sleeper territory.

As for Las Vegas, it isn’t really losing that much with Meyers’ departure considering that All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers just returned and put up a 127-yard, three touchdown performance in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Jags. Meanwhile, Tre Tucker should continue to serve as the team’s top receiver option and should continue to maintain his status as a top-30 fantasy wideout this year.

Adonai Mitchell

2025 stats: 9 receptions, 152 receiving yards
Current fantasy rankings: WR115 (Standard), WR114 (PPR), WR115 (Half-PPR)

The big blockbuster trade of Tuesday was the Indianapolis Colts deciding to trade two future first-round draft picks to the New York Jets for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. If you read the fine print of the details, you will see that the Colts also sent Mitchell to the Big Apple as part of the package.

The 2024 second-round pick offered up meager contributions as a rookie last year and didn’t really offer up much other than a career-high 96 yards against the Rams earlier this year. However, two mistakes in that 27-20 loss proved to be fatal to Mitchell’s time in Indy. First was him fumbling what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown right before the goal-line for a touchback and second was a holding penalty in the fourth quarter wiping a Jonathan Taylor go-ahead touchdown off the board. He was promptly put into the doghouse afterwards as he received just four targets total in the aftermath of that disastrous afternoon.

Mitchell wasn’t offering up any fantasy value beforehand and that most likely won’t change while on a Jets team that is clearly tearing everything down while prepping for the future. Meanwhile, the Colts aren’t really losing anything on offense and will continue forward as usual.

by Editor

‘It feels like they gave up’: Inside Myles Turner’s painful exit from the Pacers — to their fiercest rival

‘It feels like they gave up’: Inside Myles Turner’s painful exit from the Pacers — to their fiercest rival

As he’s tried to balance the memories of a decade in Indiana, Turner is embracing the other side of this heated rivalry. “[Indiana] made it very clear how they valued me,” he said. “And so did the Milwaukee Bucks.”

by Editor

Fantasy basketball pickups: Ryan Rollins, Quentin Grimes add instant offense

Fantasy basketball pickups: Ryan Rollins, Quentin Grimes add instant offense

Every week in fantasy basketball, there are available players who can help fill holes in your roster. Here are the ones to add for the week ahead.

by Editor

Way-too-early NBA All-Star predictions: Which new faces will we see in L.A.?

Way-too-early NBA All-Star predictions: Which new faces will we see in L.A.?

ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton breaks down why Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and eight others could make the coveted weekend in L.A. this season.

by Editor