Latest news with #LukeKornet
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Less than a year away from hosting the World Cup, and the US looks far too much like the bickering Red Sox than a serious contender
This 2026 World Cup, which includes seven matches at Gillette Stadium — dubbed Boston Stadium for the tournament — represents the biggest moment for the careful choreography of soccer social climbing by the US since hosting the seminal 1994 World Cup. The American Dream was that the next time the US men hosted the World Cup they would be in a position to talk about lifting it. However, that looks risible. Advertisement Turmoil and disarray surround the program as the clock ticks closer to the first 48-team World Cup and American soccer's stress test. The US was reeling entering the CONCACAF Gold Cup this month, suffering four straight losses between the Nations League and friendlies. It marked the first time since the Dark Ages (1988) that the team dropped four consecutive matches on home soil. Advertisement However, the US can pick up some positive momentum with a strong showing in the ongoing Gold Cup. The Red, White, and Blue won their group (3-0-0) and face regional rival Costa Rica on Sunday in Minneapolis in the quarterfinals of the 16-team tournament. But the Gold Cup field is as close to the World Cup field as Luke Kornet is to Bill Walton. And the squad the US is fielding feels more experimental than aspirational. After a long season with AC Milan, Christian Pulisic (middle) chose not to make himself available for the US men's national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Maurizio Lagana/Getty That decision brought Pulisic under fire from former US men's team players, including co-all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan. It's giving serious Rafael Devers-Craig Breslow vibes. In addition to Pulisic's absence, his AC Milan teammate Yunus Musah also asked out of the Gold Cup. Injuries to dynamic defender Sergiño Dest, striker Folarin Balogun, and left back Antonee Robinson robbed the roster of other top-flight talents. Plus, more starting-caliber players (Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna) missed this tour of US duty due to the odious and extraneous FIFA Club World Cup. Advertisement Although ranked 16th in the FIFA world rankings, the US is currently closer to northern neighbor Canada than global powerhouses Argentina, Spain, and France. After a 2-1 victory in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match in March, Canada downed the US in consecutive matches for the first time since 1985. Jonathan David and Canada currently have a two-game winning streak against the US, the latest win coming in March in the third-place game of the CONCACAF Nations League. Michael Owens/Getty How's that for a 51st state? This hardly sounds like the stuff of a giant leap for the beautiful game in the US next year. Rather, it's the continuation of US soccer stagnation, a frustrating trend because the talent pool is better and deeper than ever. Long before America had Project 2025, we had The US advanced to the Round of 16 in 1994. Since then, they've been beyond that just once — advancing to the They delivered a perfunctory performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, reaching the Round of 16 despite only winning one match, 'We can show that we can hang with the best teams in the world, some of the best players in the world, and that's a lot of progress for US Soccer,' said team captain Tyler Adams. 'We're moving in the right direction for sure, but we need to keep pushing because we're not there yet, but we're close.' Advertisement They don't feel that close, although much can change in 11½ months in international soccer. Still, the US men struggle to live up to the lofty status of their female counterparts. They're Rosie the Riveting with the ball at their feet, playing an aesthetically appealing and successful brand of soccer (four World Cup wins). So, there's nothing intrinsic to our nation preventing soccer success. An ideal model for the US men would be another country wrapped in red, white, and blue, France. Marshalling their cultural and demographic diversity, Les Bleus are a top-five world team with a history of legendary players. That mantle handed to the magnetic Kylian Mbappé. The French didn't qualify for the World Cup the last time it was here. But since 1998, they've captured two World Cups and lost in the final twice on penalties, including to Argentina in 2022. If we can emulate their military parades, we should also be able to emulate their soccer program. The 2026 World Cup stands as a tremendous stepping stone for US soccer, but between now and kickoff, the US men's program has to stop finding stumbling blocks. Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Another Anfernee Simons trade coming? Celtics looking at ways to shed more salary
Anfernee Simons is smooth with the ball in his hands. He has proven himself as a big-time shot maker. He will likely fill up the basket next season. He just might do that somewhere away from Boston. Looking to continue shedding salary, the Celtics have explored the idea of flipping Simons' $27.7 million expiring contract, according to league sources. In such a move, they would be aiming to accomplish two organizational directives Brad Stevens emphasized after the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday: regaining more roster flexibility and setting up a path to retain free agents Luke Kornet and Al Horford. Advertisement Even after offloading the contracts of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis in a pair of trades this week, the Celtics have significant work left to do if they aim to escape the luxury tax entirely. At the moment, they appear hopeful of accomplishing that goal, which would help them initiate the process of resetting the repeater tax. Though they currently sit about $15 million above the luxury tax threshold, they would need to cut more salary than that to position themselves far enough under the threshold also to afford to keep Kornet and Horford. Stevens, who called the veteran big men 'huge parts of this organization' on Wednesday night, has stated he would like to re-sign both players. Speculation has surrounded Sam Hauser's future because it likely wouldn't be difficult to find a taker for his four-year, $45 million contract (which would also fit inside another team's non-taxpayer mid-level exception), but the Celtics are said to be more focused on avenues that would allow them to hold onto Hauser, who has proven himself as a valuable rotation piece and one of the NBA's best shooters. The team agreed to acquire Simons and Georges Niang this week, but both players are candidates to be moved before they ever play a game for Boston. The Celtics have already had an active offseason, but Stevens set the stage for more activity after the draft when he said he wants to retain Kornet and Horford. The team currently has minimal flexibility under the second apron and would need to cut even more salary to keep both big men while avoiding the tax. With Jayson Tatum 'a long, long time' away from even having a projected timeline for his return from a ruptured Achilles, according to Stevens, the Celtics have more incentive to escape the tax now while he is still recovering from his injury. Resetting the harsh repeater tax, which they would do by avoiding the luxury tax for two consecutive seasons, would set them up with more of a runway to spend big in the future. 'Our owners, old and new, are committed to spending,' Stevens said Wednesday. Advertisement At the same time, Stevens acknowledged, 'There's a lot of things that go into these moves and a lot of things that are really important. And, listen, again, it goes back to prioritizing our flexibility.' The Celtics knew they would eventually need to face cost-cutting decisions when they put together their 2024 championship roster. They are now dealing with the harsh reality of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. Vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren said, 'The fact of the matter is the new CBA is set up so that teams can't spend enormous amounts of money for long periods of time.' 'There's a bit of wistfulness always when guys move on,' Zarren said Thursday after the second round of the draft. 'But at the same time, the rules are the same rules for everyone and we've got a lot of good players here and a lot of good assets here and we feel like we'll be set up to compete really, really well in the near future. So that's always heartening when you know that you're in that spot. There's a lot of teams that feel further from that than we do, I'm sure.' Zarren said, 'there's a banner that will be here forever' because the Celtics were as aggressive as they were in the 2024 offseason. 'We sort of realized where we were a couple summers ago that we could take advantage of the situation with the assets we had and the salary situation we were in and the quality of players we already had,' Zarren said. 'We could make a jump before the rules got as punitive as they were going to get. That was a very conscious decision at the time, and it worked.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Key Celtics Vet Predicted to Bolt Boston for Hawks
Key Celtics Vet Predicted to Bolt Boston for Hawks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Atlanta Hawks could start to surround their young talent with reliable veteran players in free agency. The Hawks have a bright future with Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels. Additionally, they have an All-Star guard, Trae Young, at the helm, who could elevate their game. Advertisement Making moves to surround their young talent could be the right approach this summer. One of the Hawks' major concerns for their roster is their frontcourt depth. There have been conversations that veteran big man Clint Capela will sign with a different organization as an unrestricted free agent. Atlanta has also shown a preference for Onyeka Okongwu as their starting center for the future. This means the Hawks are targeting a veteran big man who could provide help on both ends of the floor. Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet and center Al Horford walk off the court during a Dedmon-Imagn Images Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently released his free agency predictions. Pincus linked the Hawks to veteran big man Luke Kornet. Kornet is set to be a free agent this summer following his one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Boston Celtics. Advertisement Pincus explained that his defense could entice Atlanta to add him to the young roster. "Kornet may not be a starter, but he's shown throughout the last few years that he's a viable rotation center who can provide a defensive presence. That might be enough for a team to pay more than Boston can or will, especially with the Celtics facing massive repeater taxes, in a year when Tatum (Achilles) is unlikely to suit up," Pincus wrote. According to Pincus, the bi-annual exception of $5.1 million could be enough to snatch him away from Boston. Last season, Kornet appeared in 73 games and averaged six points, 5.3 rebounds and a block. In the playoffs, the 7-foot-2 center had 4.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. In Game 5 against the New York Knicks in the second round of the postseason, he had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in 25 minutes. His performance on both ends of the floor helped the Celtics to secure a 127-102 victory. Related: Trae Young News Emerges on Friday Amid NBA Trade Rumors This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Could big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet leave the Boston Celtics in free agency?
Could big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet leave the Boston Celtics in free agency? Could big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet leave the Boston Celtics in free agency this offseason? Both are unrestricted free agents, meaning that the Celtics can't stop them from leaving if they get a bigger offer from some other ball club in the NBA. But on the other side of that same coin is the fact that Boston holds the Bird rights for both Horford and Kornet, meaning they can match whatever another team offers them, which may dampen interest in both. But there is a very real chance a big offer beyond what Boston can afford gets thrown to one or both of the two integral bigs. What would the Celtics do in such a scenario, if it actually came to pass? The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took a deep dive into all the possibilities on a recent episode of their show. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network:
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Insider Lists Potential 'Under-The-Radar' Free Agents For The Lakers
NBA Insider Lists Potential 'Under-The-Radar' Free Agents For The Lakers originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked with some big names this offseason, but they'll likely be making some smaller moves as well. Lakers insider Khobi Price shared some of the lower-tier players that the team could go after this summer. Advertisement "Under-the-radar potential free agent targets for the Lakers include Luke Kornet, Tre Jones, Dante Exum, Amir Coffey, and Larry Nance Jr." Let's take a look at these one by one. Luke Kornet was a solid backup center for the Boston Celtics this past season. Kornet averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Celtics in 2024-25. The 29-year-old can't be the starter for the Lakers, but would be a good rotational piece. Tre Jones started the campaign on the San Antonio Spurs but was then shipped to the Chicago Bulls as part of the De'Aaron Fox trade. Jones averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Bulls. Like Kornet, he would be a solid backup. Advertisement Dante Exum is next, and he averaged 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25. Exum is a decent backup, but there are major injury concerns here, as he played just 20 games. The last time he played more than 50 games in a single campaign was back in 2016-17. The best ability is availability, so the Lakers should ideally steer clear. Amir Coffey, meanwhile, would be an intriguing option. Coffey averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25. He started the season well, but then suffered a knee injury. When he did come back, there was no longer a spot available in the rotation. Coffey's two-way impact would make him a decent acquisition for the Lakers. Last but not least, we get to a former Laker in Larry Nance Jr. Nance, whom the Lakers selected with the 27th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Atlanta Hawks in 2024-25. He can play as a small-ball center and has developed a three-point shot as well, which makes him a welcome addition. With the exception of Exum due to his injury, the rest would be decent rotation pieces for the Lakers. We also listed three free agents for the team to target, and Nance was one of them. It's unclear, though, if he is interested in a reunion. Advertisement Jovan Buha, another Lakers insider, also shared some updates regarding the team's activity this offseason. Buha expects the team to be aggressive to appease Luka Doncic, but a move for Walker Kessler is unlikely. Chris Paul and Lonzo Ball are two guards they are interested in, but there are injury concerns regarding the latter. Only time will tell who the Lakers end up with, but expect changes. There was a lot to like about their 2024-25 season, as they were the third seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. The campaign ended on a sour note, though, as the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games in the first round. It was clear moves had to be made if they were to become serious title contenders in 2025-26. Related: 10 Players Who Should Be On Lakers' Radar Ahead Of 2025 Offseason This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
