Sports
Report: Knicks Have 'Much More' Trade Interest in Norman Powell Than Kyle Lowry – Bleacher Report
Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
The New York Knicks reportedly have eyes for Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, “While the Raptors are shopping point guard Kyle Lowry, the Knicks have much more interest in Powell, who is expected to opt out to become an unrestricted free agent following the season.”
Berman continued: “In the same vein as Houston‘s Victor Oladipo, the Knicks don’t wish to give up first-round picks for the 27-year-old Powell as a rental and would prefer assurances he would re-sign if they make a move. However, league sources contend the Pacers are willing to overpay Powell in free agency and perhaps outbid the field.”
Powell is having a career year for the Raptors, averaging 19.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from three. That has made him one of the intriguing potential trade targets ahead of Thursday’s deadline, with the 17-26 Raptors—losers of nine straight—perhaps set to be sellers.
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
Powell is starting to enter expected to be dealt territory, per several execs who have spoken with the Raptors. Will be an interesting couple of days in Toronto. https://t.co/AVvuLromLE
Dan Devine @YourManDevine
@rodimusprime Timing, mostly, I think. They re-upped Siakam, VanVleet, and Anunoby all in the last year and a half, and those guys will make $70M+/year by themselves for the next few years. If Powell costs ~$20M, you’re kind of locked into “pretty good” without many ways to get much better.
“He’s got upside to his game,” an NBA scout told Berman. “Plus he has that chip on his shoulder. He plays better than his minutes show. He’s shown the ability to be a full-time starter.”
It would make sense for Toronto to move on from impending free agents like Lowry and Powell as it looks to build around a young core of Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
The Knicks’ biggest need, meanwhile, is arguably an upgrade at point guard who is as adept at spreading the floor as he is at facilitating. But adding a perimeter scorer and shooter like Powell would make sense as well to complement power forward Julius Randle.
Still, a player like Lonzo Ball may be a more logical target. But the New Orleans Pelicans point guard will be a restricted free agent this summer, and if the Knicks believe they can sign Ball without the Pels matching, they may prefer waiting until the offseason rather than giving up assets to bring him aboard now.
Likewise, giving up assets for a potential half-season rental in Powell—when players like RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock and Alec Burks are capable of handling minutes at the 2—may not be deemed an ideal allocation of resources, either.
Ian Begley @IanBegley
Relevant info for Knicks fans – and all NBA fans – ahead of the trade deadline from @McDNBA and @aniljamesgogna: https://t.co/0vdwtCceU3
At 22-22, the Knicks are gunning for a playoff berth. But their best move may be to avoid getting an itchy trigger finger and instead wait until after the season to make major adjustments to the roster.
Sports
With matchup vs. Kings decided, Oilers should be confident facing familiar foe – Sportsnet.ca
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The sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah has been formally approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link). The vote received unanimous support from the board, shares The Athletic’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). The NHL has promptly released their first statement on this transition (Web link).
This news brings a quiet end to the long-running saga surrounding the Coyotes search for a home in Arizona. The team has been pushing to build a new arena since their lease ended at Gila River Arena at the end of the 2021-22 season. They searched through many options, ultimately settling on building and sharing a small, 5,000-seat arena with Arizona State University’s hockey teams. The Coyotes played their first game at Mullett Arena in front of a sold-out crowd on October 28, 2022. They’ve since maxed out their attendance in nearly every game since, though the devotion from the fans wasn’t enough to will the team to a new rink. The ownership group, led by Alex Meruelo, ultimately couldn’t find a new parcel of land to build a full-size rink before their timer ran out. After a lot of back-and-forth between the Coyotes ownership and the NHL, it was ultimately decided that the Coyotes will relocate to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.
The decision to relocate has come with a lot of contingencies for Meruelo and the Coyotes brand. Most notably, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shares that a return to Arizona wouldn’t require approval from the Board of Governors (Twitter link). Meruelo could instead get his team back quickly by building a full-size arena, with NHL Deputy Commissioner telling Wyshynski, “[Meruelo] has already been approved as an NHL owner.” The Coyotes will continue forward as an “inactive” franchise while Meruelo continues searching for a new home.
The disbandment of the Coyotes has been devastating to fans that have supported the impossible – hockey in the desert – for the past 28 years. Arizona only once averaged below 12,000 attendees prior to their move to Mullett – and it wasn’t by much, averaging 11,989 attendees in the 2009-10 season. But they rebounded well, even averaging 14,606 fans throughout the 2019-20 season. The devotion of Coyotes fans was never once in doubt – a passion made clear by the community’s rallying to support the Coyotes’ last home game on Wednesday, April 17th. Watch parties across Arizona came together to witness one more Coyotes win – a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, the same score as their first game as a franchise. The emotions of the evening were captured beautifully by a five-minute sign-off from broadcaster Todd Walsh, who’s covered the team since their 1996 move (Twitter link).
New York Rangers (1M) vs. Washington Capitals (WC2)
Game 1: Capitals at Rangers — Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN, SN, TVAS, MSG, MNMT)
Game 2: Capitals at Rangers — April 23, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNW)
Game 3: Rangers at Capitals — April 26, 7 p.m. ET (TNT, truTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS)
Game 4: Rangers at Capitals — April 28, 8 p.m. ET (TBS, truTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNP)
Game 5: Capitals at Rangers — May 1, TBD
Game 6: Rangers at Capitals — May 3, TBD
Game 7: Capitals at Rangers — May 5, TBD
Complete Rangers-Capitals series coverage
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