The Sportsletter - Request Denied 🚫

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 24, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

Imagine you ask your employer to fire your superiors or trade you to a competitor. Your employer calls your bluff. Your bosses know you asked for their heads. No one’s going anywhere. Now, you’re coming back to work and the world is watching. Awkward…

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NBA

Brooklyn Binding: KD Stays With Nets

Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images

Nets & Kevin Durant Agree to ‘Move Forward’ Together After Trade Request Effectively Denied

The Kevin Durant trade saga in Brooklyn has come to an end, and a wild ride it was. Durant requested a trade on June 30 after giving owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum of choosing between him or management — head coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks. Ultimately, no realistic trade partners were found, and Durant’s four-year, $198 million extension starts this season. The sides came to an agreement to “move forward” together on Tuesday.

How We Got Here

The Nets were a mess last season after acquiring, then trading, James Harden. Kyrie Irving only played 29 games due to his COVID-19 vaccination stance. And Durant was left as the lone consistent leader of his team’s “Big 3.” They got swept in the first round of the playoffs despite opening the year with the best odds to win the title. Enter the offseason rumblings where both Irving and Durant wanted out. Ultimately, they’ve both agreed to stay and run it back with newly signed Ben Simmons and the same management team in tact.

There went two months of speculation for nothing. It’s KD and Kyrie back in Brooklyn for the 2022-23 season.

Additional Storylines

ESPN: What the Future Holds for Both Sides After KD Rescinds Trade Demand

SI: Kevin Durant and the Nets Say They’re Moving Forward. So What?

CFB

Rollin' In The Cash

Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images

Alabama's Nick Saban Becomes Highest-Paid College Football Coach With $93.6 Million Deal

The leader of the Tide is rollin’ in the cash. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is the latest beneficiary of college football’s wild spending spree. The ‘Bama board of trustees approved an eight-year, $93.6 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football. Saban’s yearly salary surpasses Georgia’s Kirby Smart (10 years, $112.5 million) for the most annual dollars. The 70-year-old Saban has seven titles to his name, including six with Alabama in the last 15 years. He's now locked in Tuscaloosa until the age of 78.

CFB Highest-Paid Coaches

1. Nick Saban (ALA): $11.7M / Year

2. Kirby Smart (GA): $11.25M / Year

3. Lincoln Riley (USC): $10M / Year

4. Brian Kelly (LSU): $9.5M / Year

5. Mel Tucker (MSU): $9.5M / Year

6. Ryan Day (OSU): $9.5M / Year

7. David Shaw (STA): $8.9M / Year

8. Dabo Swinney (CLEM): $8.3M / Year

9. Mario Cristobal (MIA): $8M / Year

10. Jimbo Fisher (TAMU): $7.5M / Year

Additional Storylines

Yahoo!: Nick Saban Regains Status as CFB’s Top-Paid Coach

ESPN: Alabama Approves Raise, Extension for Nick Saban Through 2030

BUSINESS

NFL Valuations

Cowboys Top Forbes List of NFL Franchise Value Once Again

A new year of NFL valuations hit the headlines yesterday, and the Cowboys are once again “America’s Team.” With a whopping $8 billion valuation, Jerry Jones’ ball club tops the list by a long shot. Here’s a look at the top-10 NFL franchise valuations.

NFL Franchise Valuations

1. Dallas Cowboys ($8 Billion)

2. New England Patriots ($6.4 Billion)

3. Los Angeles Rams ($6.2 Billion)

4. New York Giants ($6 Billion)

5. Chicago Bears ($5.8 Billion)

6. Washington Commanders ($5.6 Billion)

7. New York Jets ($5.4 Billion)

8. San Francisco 49ers ($5.2 Billion)

9. Las Vegas Raiders ($5.1 Billion)

10. Philadelphia Eagles ($4.9 Billion)

Full Story: NFL Team Values 2022 (Forbes)

MLB

MLB Quick-Hitters

Judge Blasts 48: Add another one. Aaron Judge hit a solo shot for his 48th home run of the year as the Yankees beat the Mets (4-2) to sweep a two-game Subway Series. Judge is now 13 shy of Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs with 38 games to play.

Verlander Flirts With No-No: Justin Verlander fanned 10 batters in six no-hit innings to lead the Astros over the Twins (4-2). He also passed Pedro Martinez for 14th on the all-time strikeout list with 3,155.

Harper Hits 2 HRs in Comeback: Bryce Harper made his rehab return with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, and he went 2-for-3 with a pair of jacks and four RBIs. It was his first appearance since breaking his thumb on June 25.

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 WNBA: Sky Eliminate Liberty in Game 3

The Chicago Sky are moving on to the WNBA semifinals after ousting the New York Liberty in Game 3 (90-72). Chicago had six players in double figures in a balanced scoring attack, including a 14-13-8 performance from Candace Parker. They’ll face the winner of Game 3 between the Wings and Sun (Tonight, 9:00 pm ET).

THE STORYLINES

🏈 The Receiver Spending Spree of 2022

Five months ago the wide receiver market erupted, with teams going on a spending spree featuring QB-like contracts and flipping loads of draft capital for top pass catchers. What fueled the frenzy? And where will it ultimately leave the haves and the have-nots? (Sports Illustrated)

⚾️ Aaron Judge Home Run Tracker

Aaron Judge has put on a power display for the ages in 2022. Judge is chasing the 60-home run mark, a number only five players in MLB history have ever reached. How many home runs does Judge have, and what is his pace this season? (Sporting News)

🏀 Landing Spots for Remaining Free Agents

This NBA offseason was always going to be tricky for a number of free agents. Though the spending power is almost entirely gone now, there are still some landing spots that make sense for the five best free agents on the market. (Bleacher Report)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Bengals Safety Jessie Bates Signs Franchise Tag After Failure to Reach Extension (ESPN
• White House Administration Disapproves of Dennis Rodman’s Brittney Griner Plan (SI)
• Iowa Little Leaguer Thinks ESPN is Fixing LLWS Games (Yahoo! Sports)
• Will Zalatoris Withdraws From Tour Championship Due to Back Injury (CBS Sports)
• Raiders Plan to Release RB Kenyan Drake (NBC Sports)

• Dodgers All-Star Pitcher Walker Buehler Has 2nd Tommy John Surgery (USA Today)

So Brooklyn put the band back together after all. Sounds risky. Will the Nets win over/under 50 games this season?  - Jeff Yoder

Support The Sportsletter Team

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