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Kevin Huerter‘s 2023-24 season will come to an early end due to his left shoulder injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (X link). The Kings‘ guard will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Wojnarowski.
The expectation is that Huerter will make a full recovery this offseason and will be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, Woj adds.
Huerter spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta before being traded to Sacramento during the 2022 offseason in exchange for a protected first-round pick. The 25-year-old set new career highs in points per game (15.2) and three-point percentage (40.2%) during his first season as a King, but saw his role and his numbers dip this season as head coach Mike Brown made defense a greater priority.
Huerter averaged just 10.2 PPG on .443/.361/.766 shooting in 64 contests (24.4 MPG) this season before suffering his shoulder injury on March 18 vs. Memphis. The Kings announced last Thursday that he had been diagnosed with a left shoulder dislocation and a labral tear and that treatment options were still being evaluated.
In Huerter’s absence, Keon Ellis has moved into Sacramento’s starting lineup for the past five games and is averaging 27.0 minutes per contest, a significant step up from his season average. Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte have also both seen more consistent playing time since Huerter went down.
The Kings are in the midst of a competitive race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. They’re currently at No. 8 with a 42-30 record, though they’re only one game back of the No. 6 Mavericks. Finishing in the top six would assure the club of a playoff berth without having to win one or more play-in games.
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'He had problems with David's intensity and work ethic': Dennis Rodman didn't respect David Robinson while they played together on Spurs
For two seasons, NBA icons Dennis Rodman and David Robinson were teammates on the San Antonio Spurs. And according to Jack Haley, who played with Rodman and Robinson, Rodman didn’t respect Robinson one bit. “Dennis had a real problem in his respect for David Robinson as a player,” Haley said in Roland Lazenby’s book Blood On the Horns: The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. “He had problems with David’s intensity and work ethic in practice. One thing about Dave: Dave could be the most talented player and athlete in the NBA. … Therefore, he’s not a big practice guy. Not a big work ethic guy. By [January], Dave would have sat out 30 practices. It’s tendinitis. It’s, ‘I’m sore today.’ Whatever it was, Dennis is a practice guy, and it didn’t sit well with Dennis. That caused a lot of problems… “Dave tried everything … imaginable to bond with Dennis Rodman, to get through with Dennis Rodman to form a friendship. I’m good friends with Dennis and I’m good friends with Dave. Dave would ask me, ‘Why don’t the three of us go to lunch? Why don’t we sit down and try to talk?’ He would try to talk to Dennis about basketball to form a bond. Dennis wouldn’t respond. Dave is very religious. He felt that part of his quest was to get through to Dennis Rodman on a religious level, to try to turn his life around. That didn’t work out at all.” The Spurs traded Rodman to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 and Robinson was delighted about the move. Rodman finished his San Antonio career with averages of 5.6 points, 17.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks in 128 games. The Bulls benefited significantly by adding Rodman, one of the best rebounders in NBA history. Chicago won three consecutive championships and went 72-10 in 1995-96. Rodman averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds with the Bulls, who beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals. Rodman won three straight rebounding titles in Chicago. The Bulls won three NBA titles before acquiring Rodman. However, Rodman said in The Last Dance docuseries that Chicago wouldn’t have won three more rings without him. “You got the great Michael Jordan, the great Scottie Pippen, the great Phil Jackson, but if you take me away from this team, do they still win a championship? I don’t think so,” Rodman said in The Last Dance. “I love Michael Jordan to death. I love Scottie Pippen, all these guys, but they really don’t do the things that I do. I’m the only guy who does all the dirty work, taking abuse from other players. I wanna go out there and get my nose broke. I wanna get cut. Something that’s gonna really just bring out the hurt, the pain. I wanna feel that.” Rodman won five championships during his career, while Robinson won two. Both players are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Former Steelers RB Najee Harris seemingly takes shot at Pittsburgh after arriving in Los Angeles
The Pittsburgh Steelers had to say goodbye to some important players during the 2025 offseason, with one of the most notable individuals being former first-round pick Najee Harris. It became clear that the 2024 season would be the running back's last year with the Steelers after the organization declined his fifth-year option, and he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2025 offseason. This was a natural landing spot for Harris, as he had a pre-existing relationship with Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and grew up on the West Coast. The back signed a one-year deal in Los Angeles, and he had his introductory press conference on Friday afternoon. The back spoke about his excitement to play for the Chargers, while also reminiscing on his time with Pittsburgh. He got a tour of the facility and was asked about it during his press conference, and the former Steeler was impressed as he compared it to what he had in Pittsburgh. "It's a great weight room first of all." Harris said. "It's all great things. There's a lot of things that they provide here that you can take advantage of. I was just telling them, 'Man, it's not like this everywhere man.' This is a special thing right here. It sort of reminds me of college at Alabama, you know, all the resources that they have. So, just getting the chance to take advantage of all this opportunity is a blessing. I was telling him, 'Y'all got a great thing going on. It's not like this everywhere.'" It is no secret that Pittsburgh's facility is outdated, and that is highlighted by the NFLPA report cards every offseason. The Steelers share a facility with a college team, and their facilities are out-classed by most college programs. Players don't play in Pittsburgh for a glamorous weight room and facility; it is more about the tradition and history of success. As the years go on, more and more players entering the NFL care about the facilities and the kind of resources an organization has, and that makes sense. Players spend a lot of their time there, and everything they need should be in one place. Clearly, this is an area the Steelers need to work on. It is also important to note that the Chargers just finished building this new facility that Harris spoke so highly of. It is a top of the line practice facility called "The Bolt", and it was completed during the 2024 offseason. The building is not even a year old, and it is probably the nicest facility in the league. The Steelers should have the goal of upgrading their facilities in the near future. It is going to start to become more of a draw for free agents as the years go on, so it would be better to get a head start now. Steelers' own players even believe facilities need to improve Every season the NFLPA surveys players on various aspects of their organizations. This includes coaching, ownership, team travel, the food, and the facilities that are used. The coaching aspect of these report cards is usually good for the Steelers, while the ownership and facilities sections are fairly rough. Pittsburgh's report card going into 2025 was pretty bleak, as the Steelers received a D for their locker room, a C+ for their training room, a C+ for their weight room, and a D in ownership. Art Rooney II can get his ownership grade up if he simply decides to invest some money into the facility to make players' everyday life a bit more enjoyable. Athletes need essential tools and equipment to recover on a day-to-day basis, and making sure things like that are taken care of should be a top priority moving forward.
Mekhi Becton agrees to two-year deal with Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers went out to get one of the more talented offensive linemen prospects in this free agency cycle. They went out and landed behemoth guard Mekhi Becton. He agreed to a two-year deal with the Chargers franchise on Friday evening, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. He shined this year for the Philadelphia Eagles and managed to stay healthy during the 2024-2025 campaign. Becton plans on playing guard with the Chargers, the same position he played this year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
NHL insider reveals young star traded to Buffalo was 'devastated' in debut
Josh Norris had made a home in the NHL in Ottawa, and after the trade to Buffalo, he was unsurprisingly devastated by the change in circumstances, with a major insider revealing how sorry he felt for the 25-year old star. The Ottawa Senators made some big moves at the trade deadline, but none were bigger than giving up franchise mainstay Josh Norris in a deal that saw them acquire Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres. Since arriving in Ottawa, Cozens had been thriving, showing how happy he is to finally be off the struggling Sabres, but unfortunately on the other side of the coin, Norris was devastated by the move. That comment comes from Elliotte Friedman, who pointed out the obvious as he watched Norris make his debut for the Sabres, as he went from a Stanley Cup Playoffs race to a team that has the longest drought in the NHL, stretching back 14 years. In three games thus far, Norris has tallied a goal and an assist, but given the change in scenery which made Brady Tkachuk immensely emotional after spending six seasons in Ottawa, it's easy to see why he's frustrated and upset about his change in scenery. Ultimately, the Sabres are now likely to keep Norris as a key piece of their future, and with another five years left on his current deal with a $7.95 million cap hit every season. While he's got plenty of talent and could be great for Buffalo, it's hard not to feel sorry for him after all he gave to Ottawa through an injury-riddled run with the team.
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