Amid the craziness that is the Coronavirus pandemic that has taken the globe by storm and halted the sports world as we know in its tracks, Monday served as the first busy day of the NFL's 2020-21 calendar year. Just 24 hours after players and league owners came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that will improve the number of playoff teams from 12 to 14, as well as ensure 10 more years of labor peace (at least for now) among many other things, the free-agent frenzy and a number of blockbuster trades, allowed for us to take a quick breather from the more serious matters at hand. With the NCAA's March Madness officially cancelled, both the NBA and NHL seasons in a standstill and Major League Baseball not expected to begin their season until at least mid-May, it was the NFL that once again reigned supreme in a nation that absolutely loves its football and is currently starving for any sort of sports entertainment.
Just two days before the official start of NFL free agency, things began to take shape when a pair of major moves were made out west as one of the league's toughest divisions in the NFC West appears to have gotten even tougher. Following the groundbreaking news of the Houston Texans sending superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals to catch balls from last year's No. 1 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year -- Kyler Murray, the archrival 49ers made a splash of their own in hopes of maintaining a stranglehold on the division for years to come. With a number of play-makers on San Francisco's star-studded defensive-line, the reigning NFC Champion 49ers were forced to pick and choose between a pair of good friends and former college teammates dating back to their days at the University of Oregon. After selecting Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner in consecutive drafts with their first round picks in 2015 and 2016 respectively, the 49ers made the two former Oregon Ducks teammates once again, helping them assemble the most devastating defensive front in all of football last season which led the way to the team making a Super Bowl appearance under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. But like all good things that must come to an end, the team would not be able to afford paying everyone after shelling out over $87 Million last offseason to defensive-end Dee Ford and drafting rookie sensation Nick Bosa who took home the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick.
With Armstead becoming a free-agent and Buckner entering the final year of his contract this coming season, 49ers brass would be forced to choose from one or the other. Not only would GM John Lynch and company go with the much cheaper option in Armstead, but they also went with the option that made the most sense long-term. With Buckner being the odd man out, San Francisco sent their former No. 7 overall pick and arguably the centerpiece to their defense to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 13 pick in next month's draft. In need of a defensive lineman to compliment their superstar linebacker in Darius Leonard, Indy quickly made Buckner the second-highest paid defensive player in the league by inking him to a multi-year deal that will pay him $21 Million per, trailing only L.A.'s Aaron Donald in annual salary. In his four seasons in the league with the 49ers, Buckner tallied 28.5 sacks while earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. While Buckner is clearly the more superior pass rusher here and has the more impressive track record, his asking price was going to be too expensive for the Niners' taste and therefore it made all the sense in the world to deal him now and at least get something in return, opposed to letting him walk after next season. Not to mention how needy the 49ers are for draft capital as they did not receive any compensatory draft picks this year and are without a single pick in rounds 2 thru 4 which have proven to be the rounds Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have built this team on in their 3+ seasons at the helm.
Having mainly underwhelmed in his previous four seasons with the team, Armstead had a career year in 2019-20 and benefited from having the perfect cast around him which allowed him to propel on the field and helped him accomplish a career-high 10 sacks on the year. Thriving in what was a memorable season for San Francisco's defense, Armstead just got a lot richer as the team signed him to a new five-year, $85 Million dollar deal with $48.5 Million in guarantees. Whether or not the 49ers intend to use one of their now two first round picks at No. 13 and 31 to find Buckner's replacement is anyone's guess at this point, as D.J. Jones who impressed last season before being bit by the injury bug, is also a viable option. Then again Lynch could always revert to using one of the picks as trade bait to land even more picks like he's done so often in his brief but impressive career as a general manager. By jettisoning Buckner's contract from their payroll, the team was able to clear up the salary flexibility to make moves such as re-signing free-safety Jimmie Ward to a 3-year deal worth $28.5 Million. The move to bring back the often injury-prone Ward who the 49ers made their 30th pick in the 2014 Draft, enjoyed his best and most healthy season in 2019 and was San Francisco's second top priority among their own free-agents, behind only Armstead, which now guarantees the return of 10 of 11 defensive starters from last year.
With more deals expected to come, other key free-agents on the Niners include: WR Kendrick Bourne, RB Matt Breida and WR Emmanuel Sanders.
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The moment the buzzer sounded after the Oklahoma City Thunder failed to put the Golden State Warriors out of their misery in the Western Conference Finals, allowing the defending champs to overcome a 3-1 deficit and make it to their second consecutive Finals appearance, Kevin Durant was as good as gone. But where he would decide to take his talents was anybodies guess, with meetings scheduled with the Warriors, Spurs, Clipppers, Celtics, Heat and of course the Thunder. Sure the idea to team up in the Bay Area with Steph Curry and company was a logical one, but we didn't think it would actually happen. Whether it be financial problems or just plain old chemistry issues due to adding yet another superstar to a squad that already has three, KD to Golden State -- the team that just handed him and the Thunder franchise arguably their most crushing defeat, wins the Durant sweepstakes and hands Oklahoma City yet another punch to the gut. But hey, at least Durant was courteous enough to announce his decision on the Fourth of July, making it easier for the pyro's living in Oklahoma to burn their jersey's.
With the salary cap increasing by $24 Million this offseason, the timing was perfect for the Warriors, enabling them to acquire another superstar talent to add to their already star-studded lineup. After setting a record for the most wins in a regular season with 74, the Warriors now have a chance to be even greater than they were in 2015-16, thanks to the signing of Durant. Not to mention Oklahoma City, one of Golden State's biggest threats out west, is now hampered with the departure of their former MVP. With the signing of Durant who agreed to a 2 year, $54.3 Million deal with a player option after the first year, now come the lofty expectations of delivering a championship, something Durant has come close to, four years removed from his only NBA Finals appearance, but has yet to accomplish. Anything short of back-to-back titles for Golden State in 2015-16 was already deemed a failure considering their record-setting regular season, but the pressure to deliver a title will be even higher this coming season. After blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the first time ever, head coach Steve Kerr knew work needed to be done and adjustments needed to be made in order to climb back to the hilltop of greatness and become champions once again. Landing Durant was their answer.
While many criticized LeBron James in the summer of 2010 for making the unpopular decision to leave the Cavs for the sunny beaches of Miami, Durant's decision has also had its fair share of critics, but nowhere near the magnitude of LeBron's. In some ways it's worse and in others it's not quite on par on the hate-o-meter and here's why. James' decision was not only criticized because he left his home state of Ohio, but because the manner in which he made it. As if announcing in front of a live television crew that he would take his talents to South Beach didn't rub people the wrong way, his WWE-like introduction alongside best friend Dwayne Wade and All-Star teammate Chris Bosh where he told the world they would win "not five, not six, not seven..." NBA titles, sealed the deal for most people. But Durant isn't leaving the area in which he was born and raised in, nor was he brought up and brought in to be the savior out of high school like James was.
As for a few reason's it's just as bad if not worse, Kevin Durant is all Oklahoma City fans have ever known. Since being drafted in 2007 by the Thunder, known then as the Seattle SuperSonics, OKC fans have watched Durant grow and develop into one of the game's elite players right before their very eyes. He now leaves them to chase a ring, joining the enemy in the process. And unlike Cleveland's situation when LeBron left, the Thunder are the only major sports franchise in the city (hell, in the state for that matter) which is why they've been so loyal and invested in the team since relocating from Seattle. Durant's contributions inside the Oklahoma City community will never be forgotten, but I think it's safe to say he'll be showered with boo's every time he touches the ball when the Warriors pay a visit to Chesapeake Arena next season. To their credit, the Thunder franchise and their fans were a little more prepared for life after Durant than Cleveland was when LeBron left the Cavs. It wasn't for a lack of help as was the case in Cleveland, but with former Sixth Man of the Year James Harden long gone and both Durant and Serge Ibaka now out the door, the 2016-17 Oklahoma City Thunder will be an entirely different team than the one that made it's lone NBA Finals appearance in 2012 as the reigns are now handed to Russell Westbrook who's departure from the franchise may be next.
With the future of fellow superstar and teammate of Durant's for eight seasons, Russell Westbrook also uncertain, who will become a free-agent following next season, Durant wasn't exactly promised that his sidekick and partner in crime would be there after next season had he re-signed long-term with OKC. While the possibility of Durant returning to the Thunder the same way LeBron did the Cavs, could present itself say if Golden State wins a title in Durant's first year with the team, he may want to consider being a Warrior for the long haul seeing as they have the potential to be even better than the Heat were when James, Wade, Bosh and Ray Allen teamed up in Miami. With Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green all under the age of 29, younger than Wade was when Miami's super team was formed in 2010, Durant could be part of a dynasty for many seasons to come if he chooses to stay with the Warriors past this season. With an Olympic gold medal, Rookie of the Year Award, four NBA-scoring titles, seven All-Star appearances and an MVP Award to show for, the only thing missing in Durant's trophy case is an NBA title. And for the first time in his career, he'll be on a team that's the odds on favorite to win it all and add to that case heading into the season.
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With the 2014 season now over and done with and free agency officially underway, one Giant who was instrumental in the team capturing their third title in 5 seasons this year will not be returning in 2015. That's right, fans of the orange and black will be forced to retire their panda hats with the news of free-agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox. The deal which has not yet been made official by the ball club, is said to be in the $100 Million range over five-years. While the exact figures of what Giants general manager Brian Sabean had offered Sandoval have not yet been released, their offer wasn't far off from what Boston and Sandoval had agreed to according to sources.
The Red Sox who ranked last in the Majors in batting average at the third base position this past season, will get a much needed jolt with the signing of Sandoval. After a very slow start, the 28-year old Sandoval had a torrid second half to the season before finishing the year having clubbed 16 homers and driving in 73 runs while posting a .279 batting average. Most impressive of all, however, is the 26 hits Sandoval recorded during the Postseason in 2014, the most all-time in a single Postseason. While Sandoval has never hit more than 25 home runs in his career, albeit playing all seven Big League seasons in the pitcher friendly AT&T Park, the Kung-Fu Panda has also never reached the 100 RBI mark. But transitioning his game to Fenway Park could do wonders for his already solid numbers. His defense which is also above average and probably doesn't get as much praise as it deserves, will also be appreciated in Bean Town. Though I highly doubt they'll embrace Sandoval the way the fans in San Francisco did with complete and utter 'Pandamonium'.
Looking to bounce back from a forgetful 2014 season in which they finished last in the AL East at 71-91 after making it to and winning the World Series in 2013, the Red Sox also landed free-agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez who agreed to a 4-year, $88 Million deal which also includes a $22 Million vesting option for a fifth year. Ramirez who turns 31 next month and played the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will return to the organization that drafted him and saw him make his Big League debut before being traded to the Florida Marlins back in 2005 where he later won a batting title.
As for the reigning World Series Champion Giants who now have a gaping hole in their infield and made it their top priority to focus on the re-signing of Pablo Sandoval before doing anything else this offseason, the door is now open for the GM Brian Sabean to look elsewhere. While the Giants could always retaliate by snagging All-Star pitcher Jon Lester via free-agency who was traded from the Red Sox to Oakland near the trade deadline and is being perused by Boston, they could also take a shot at landing Yasmany Tomas who is said to be the next bright young star from Cuba.
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