Justin Hunter is in some deep trouble. The Tennessee Titans wide receiver was involved in a bar altercation that resulted in assault charges and put his future with the team in doubt. Hunter specifically was charged with “stabbing, cutting, malicious intent and wounding” after a brawl inside the Sandbar Raw Bar.

The third year wide receiver out of Tennessee was regarded as a potential breakout player heading into 2014, but failed as a go-to threat and recorded just 28 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns. While possessing the size and athleticism to turn into a big play threat, Hunter never displayed the awareness or consistency to develop into a star in his second season and missed the final three games of the year due to a lacerated spleen.

Already falling down the depth chart after the Titans signed Harry Douglas and drafted Dorial Green-Beckham in the 2015 NFL Draft, Hunter’s run-in with the law could have him exiting the team. Hunter reportedly bulked up in an effort to get stronger and more physical when attacking the ball, but his physicality in a bar is what could derail a once promising NFL career. The Titans now have enough depth at wide receiver to cut the cord if Hunter’s off field issues become a bigger problem than they already are.

The 24-year old Hunter still has the talent to turn into a star, but his questionable decision-making on and off the field are starting to cloud his potential. Hunter did turn himself in upon learning that there was a warrant out for his arrest, and the investigation of the incident is said to be ongoing. It’s still possible Hunter was falsely named as the attacker, or he could have been involved and just acting in self defense. The reports suggest otherwise, but it appears the Titans will take in all of the information before making a final decision.

Even if not convicted, Hunter could be in danger of a team and/or league fine and suspension.

Should the Titans decide to cut ties with Hunter, they’d move on with Kendall Wright, Harry Douglas, Hakeem Nicks and Green-Beckham as their top receivers. Hunter would still potentially be a big help for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota if the charges are dropped and he remains with the team. With or without Hunter, though, the Titans are a young squad that isn’t expect to make much noise in 2015, even in the weak AFC South.

The Denver Nuggets made it clear they were probably headed in a new direction when they drafted point guard Emmanuel Mudiay in the 2015 NBA Draft. A second DUI by incumbent point guard Ty Lawson almost makes it official. Now, reports say, the team is actively looking for a way to cut ties with their troubled star.

So, with Lawson having one foot out the door and the organization already having his replacement on the roster, the next natural question is where could he go? There is already a strong list of possible trade partners, one that includes the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers.

Sacramento Kings

Sacramento did just add Rajon Rondo and already had Darren Collison in place, but they’ve made so many questionable decisions this off-season that they’re absolutely still in the mix. The biggest reason why is because of Lawson’s relationship with former Nuggets coach, George Karl. Upon Mudiay being drafted, Lawson even tweeted that he was “headed” to Sacramento. The Kings would probably have to give up either Rondo or Collison in any deal, but it might be worth it for the arguable upgrade.

Houston Rockets

Houston is a major candidate, as they publicly voiced their concerns over the point guard position. They kept Patrick Beverley in free agency, but they would probably love to land Lawson, who can provide offense, create and even play some defense. This could make Beverley more of a defensive specialist and a terrific backup. Of all the teams, getting Lawson probably helps them the most, as this type of trade could take a lackluster off-season and make it an arguable win for the Rockets.

Detroit Pistons

The mega deal the Pistons handed Reggie Jackson probably makes a trade less likely, but it’s not impossible for Lawson and Jackson to play together. The team is undoubtedly looking for a way to part ways with point guard Brandon Jennings, who is coming off of an Achilles injury, and this deal could make that happen. If Lawson isn’t seen as the lead guard in Detroit with this deal, though, it can’t work.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lake Shows makes a good amount of sense, as Kobe Bryant would probably prefer to stock up on talent in an effort to make one last playoff push before he retires. However, the Lakers do have two talented young point guards in rookie D’Angelo Russell and second-year man Jordan Clarkson. An argument could be made that sliding Lawson into the starting point guard slot could shift Russell to the two guard spot (possibly his more natural fit), which in turn would move Bryant to the three and make Clarkson a strong reserve off the bench. It could also stunt the development of L.A.’s young lead guards, but the team would suddenly have a fairly impressive starting five with a decent bench. The big question is, do the Lakers views Lawson as the missing link to a playoff appearance, and could they get him without giving up much in return?

These are just the main teams that have been publicly tied to Lawson to some degree. There are not too many other teams that will be searching for a new point guard, although the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz are two other teams that aren’t completely stable at the position. Ultimately, the Rockets stand out the most in the logic department, while the Kings have to be right up there if these trade rumors take a turn for the crazy.

It’s official, hometown hero Deron Williams is finally coming to Dallas. The former Brooklyn Nets star point guard received a buyout last week and was rumored to be interested in joining up with the Mavericks, and it’s now a done deal. Mavs owner Mark Cuban announced the deal on his social media platform, Cyber Dust.

Williams immediately slides into the starting point guard slot for the Mavs, after signing a two-year deal worth $10 million. The Mavericks will try him out as their lead guard after last year’s failed attempt to do the same with Rajon Rondo. The team cut ties with Rondo before the playoffs were over last year and have since been looking for an upgrade at the lead guard spot.

It looks like they have found that with Williams, who should see most of the point guard minutes ahead of Devin Haris, J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton. It’s worth wondering what Williams gives the Mavs as a starter, though, as he averaged just 13 points and 6.6 assists while shooting just 38% from the field with the Nets last season.

While Williams may not be quite in his prime anymore at 31 years old, it’s debatable that a fresh start in Dallas could be precisely what he needs. D-Will was an impact scorer as recently as 2012 (18.9 points per game) and arguably has seen a sharp decline as a result of inconsistent rotations orchestrated by Nets coach, Lionel Hollins. With a much brighter mind in Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle leading the way, it’s possible we end up seeing the best play from Williams the NBA has seen in years.

It could also all go horribly wrong and D-Will could be just as washed up and problematic as Rondo was during the 2014-15 NBA season. Only time will tell, but on the surface Williams is worth a shot and if he can return to form that even remotely resembles his elite playing days, the Mavs could have gotten a huge steal off of the open market.

With Williams in place and the team recently trading for big man Zaza Pachulia, Dallas has quietly made some solid moves to combat losing star center DeAndre Jordan, who decided to go back to the Clippers after verbally committing to the Mavs. Of course, that may not yet be enough to consider the Mavs a title threat, much less a concrete playoff team in a brutal Western Conference.

Johnny Cueto’s last outing probably didn’t have many MLB teams dying to trade for him. The one prior to that (complete game shutout over Nationals) did, however, as the long-rumored-to-be-traded Cincinnati Reds ace could be on his way out of town before long. That’s the latest word in the MLB rumor mill, with the Houston Astros, Toronto Bluejays and Kansas City Royals all reportedly taking “keen interest” on the Reds top ace.

Those three teams certainly aren’t the only teams gunning for one of MLB’s top aces, but they’ve reportedly been the “most aggressive” and all absolutely need the help on the mound. The big question, of course, is which of the three is the best bet to land Cueto. And if not one of those three, where does Cueto go before the July 31st trade deadline.

Astros, Bluejays and Royals

The nice thing about these three teams is they have loads of offense. Odds are the Reds are looking for young talent and probably in the form of arms to potentially help replace the stable Cueto. But if Cincy wants some pop to add to their offense for 2015 or down the road, all three of these teams have some nice hitting talent they could potentially part with. The Royals may be less inclined to do that with Alex Gordon (groin) on the mend, but that’s one route all three of these teams could take.

Who needs Cueto the most, though? That’s another key take, as it could lead us to the team that would give up the better package to land the star ace. On the surface, that might end up being Toronto. Toronto has the league’s most powerful and productive offense by the numbers, but really lacks even one true ace to put on the mound. Houston has a couple and the Royals have a few solid names to hang their hat on. The Bluejays are really struggling in the pitching department and when it’s all said and done, at least of these three teams, they might be the front-runner.

Dodgers, Yankees and Others

Of course, there could be a few teams a little higher on the food chain when it comes to assets, money and/or just willing to give up whatever it takes. L.A. is the most interesting, as they’ve been tied to Cueto and it’s not like they’re hurting for pitching talent necessarily. Then again, after Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke, it’s not like they have much pitching to get overly excited about. Mike Bolsinger and Brett Anderson are serviceable, but landing Cueto could push them further down the rotation and give Los Angeles a three-strack of elite pitchers.

New York factors in because they’re the Yankees and they almost never bow out of any high profile trade race. They have a strong offense and are in the driver’s seat for first place in the AL East, but they could use an extra arm to push their defense over the top. C.C. Sabathia has regressed mightily, but Michael Pineda has rebounded from a couple rough spots to be one of the better pitchers in baseball over the past month. Adding Cueto to the mix would strengthen their defensive efforts greatly.

The funny thing about this is the Reds contest that they aren’t shopping Cueto. That doesn’t mean they’re not listening to offers, though. With Cincinnati not in playoff contention and their 29-year old ace bringing in major offers, they’ll eventually change their tune.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a move to land center Enes Kanter last year to boost an offense marred by injury. This summer, they were debating whether to pay up to keep the big man. It was an understandable inner debate, as Kanter is a young, rising big man that can score at an elite level, but he would cost a lot and doesn’t provide any resistance on defense.

Whether to give themselves a strong post presence on offense, appease Kevin Durant (or both), OKC saw keeping Kanter as a no-brainer. That’s precisely what the Thunder did on Monday morning, when they officially matched the Portland Trail Blazers’ offer.

Thunder GM Sam Presti said it best, saying, “We traded for Enes [Kanter] last year with the intention of keeping him as a member of the Thunder for several years to come, and we are excited that he will continue with us”.

As they should be. Or at least Thunder fans would hope they’d be excited, especially after signing the beastly center to a massive four-year, $70 million extension.

There are multiple ways to look at this deal, and three scream the loudest. For one, this is at first a somewhat questionable move considering how much Kanter costs and the fact that OKC already has plenty of talented bigs in Serge Ibaka, Mitch McGary and Steven Adams. More importantly, Ibaka and McGary both have sound offensive games and all three play far better defense than it seems Kanter could ever hope to play.

That one blemish leaks into two very good reasons to keep Kanter, of course. The first is that all three of the guys the Thunder already have in the post struggled to stay healthy a year ago. By passing on Kanter, the Thunder would be playing with fire by assuming all of their bigs would be healthy all of the time going forward. On top of that, as solid as they are on offense, and even though they are superior defenders to Kanter, none touch what he’s capable of now (or in the future) offensively.

The other big positive out of this deal is that it shows Durant that OKC is serious about winning and they’re (possibly) even more serious about keeping him in town. With Durant scheduled to hit free agency next summer, there has been a growing thought that the Thunder had to make a move (or moves) to prove to KD that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to both please him and get closer to winning a title.

Firing head coach Scott Brooks last year and replacing him with former Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan was the first step, and not one necessarily Durant was a fan of. Holding onto Kanter appears to be a move that sets the odds of keeping Durant in OKC back into the green, though. The best part? Even if it doesn’t, Kanter is a strong young talent to built with, so if Durant jets in free agency, the Thunder would at the very worst still have a solid core of Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Kanter to work with.

Now it’s all about what the Thunder can do in the 2015-16 season. It starts with Durant and co. actually staying healthy, but if they can, they appear to have the roster to make a run at a title. That alone is good enough reason to support the Kanter signing.

The Atlanta Braves have slipped of late, dropping their last four games and falling further away from contention in the NL East. As difficult as things have looked recently, the road ahead could look a lot more bleak now that the Braves are down a solid arm in the bullpen.

Atlanta closer Jason Grilli was lost for the season on Saturday, when he crumbled to the field with a ruptured Achilles. The 38-year old hurler was enjoying a solid 2015 season with 24 saves, and was a major bright spot for a Braves defense that was otherwise extremely shaky. A unit that already had given up 374 runs on the year could now struggle immensely to close games, and will need to find a suitable replacement for Grilli. That not only renders them short on reliable arms, but naturally negatively impacts their overall pitching depth, as well.

It’s still possible the Braves could recover from the tough blow, as Jim Johnson is slated to take over as the team’s new closer. Johnson has recorded five saves on the year and hasn’t allowed a single run since June 8th. With that solid run, it’s somewhat arguable the Braves could be in a better spot with Johnson as their new main closer. Regardless, a weak Braves defense takes a hit to their depth and may need to add an arm off the street or via trade to bolster their depth.

Atlanta probably wasn’t a great pick to make a run at first place in the AL East, but still are just six games back behind the Washington Nationals. If they can find a way to tighten things up on the defensive end and provide a spark in their lethargic offense, they could always turn things around and be a real threat. For now, though, Atlanta remains a weak bet to storm the top of the division and isn’t likely to make a playoff run, either.

Serena Williams just won her third grand slam of the 2015 tennis season on Friday, when she won this year’s Wimbledon title. The win gave her 21 singles titles for her career and with the U.S. Open appraching, she could have history in her sights.

Two huge milestones could be approached by Williams come the 2015 U.S. Open, as a win there would give her a win at all four grand slam events for the year, which would give her the first clean Grand Slam sweep since Steffi Graf made it happen back in 1988. In fact, by doing so, she’d be just the sixth tennis player in history to accomplish the feat.

On top of the Grand Slam sweep (which is sweet enough by itself), Williams could vault herself to all-time greatest status by tying Graff with 22 singles titles in a career. While Williams is likely at her peak (or in a mild decline), she’s still playing terrific tennis when compared to her competition and could shatter that record come 2016.

The big question, of course, is who can stop her? Tennis fans probably would prefer to see greatness, and it shouldn’t shock anyone that Williams has pretty stout odds to win the 2015 U.S. Open (5/4). The reality is that Williams is probably on a collision course with greatness, rather than some random competitor that will rise up and stop her from declaring herself the best women’s tennis player ever.

Of course, there are some worthy choices, as Victoria Azarenka (5/1 odds), Maria Sharapova (7/1) and Simona Halep (8/1) all have decent odds in their bid to take down Williams at the U.S. Open. Petra Kvitova (11/1 odds) has found some minimal success against Williams in the past, while sister Venus Williams (33/1) could always be a threat if the two faced off at some point in the tourney.

You can search high and low through the 2015 U.S. Open odds, though, and you probably won’t find the right player to take down Williams. She’s dead set on sweeping the Grand Slam for 2015 and it doesn’t appear anyone will stop her. Naturally, that makes her the odds on favorite as we’ve seen and a pretty nice (and safe) bet going into the final grand slam event of the 2015 tennis season.

The Dallas Mavericks are still trying to pick up the pieces of the DeAndre Jordan debacle. It’s even worse when Mavs owner Mark Cuban implied that had the Mavericks not landed marquee free agents, they would have considered “taking a step back” and “tanking”. Jordan backed out of a verbal agreement and now Cuban and co. appear to be at a crossroads.

Except that they’re not.

While Cuban said the team would consider tanking, it doesn’t look like they’re entertaining the thought now. Instead, they acted fast by repairing their ugly center situation by trading for Milwaukee Bucks big man Zaza Pachulia. That probably shouldn’t be the end of their work in the paint, but it’s certainly a start and it only cost Dallas a second round draft pick.

More moves could be on the way, as Brooklyn Nets star point guard Deron Williams is said to be attempting a buyout from his current deal with the team. Once/if he gets out of his contract, a return home (he’s from Dallas) to the Mavericks could be in order.

Dallas coveted Williams back in 2012 when he was a free agent, but D-Will instead chose to sign on with a Nets team that appeared to be stacking talent for a title run. That didn’t work out so well, as Williams has only struggled during his time in Brooklyn, dealing with nagging injuries and the team failing to move far in the playoffs.

There’s no guarantee Williams would be the huge signing he could have been three years ago, but at 31 years old a healthy D-Will could still be somewhat in his prime. Regardless, Williams would serve as a clear upgrade at point guard, where Dallas is currently prepared to roll with a rotation of Devin Harris, J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton. Acquiring Williams would give them the credible starting point guard they’ve craved and could also make one of their current point guards expendable.

Dallas isn’t built to make a run for the NBA Finals just yet, and their title odds definitely support that notion, as they hold just 50/1 odds to win it all. However, adding Williams would give them a more than serviceable staring unit of Williams, Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki and the aforementioned Pachulia. With solid reserves in Barea, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva, the Mavs could at the very worst compete for a low seed in the Western Conference’s playoffs.

They don’t have enough ammunition to increase their title odds as they stand, though, and landing Williams probably wouldn’t change that. Had Jordan held to his word, the situation would be very different and adding Williams could have been the final piece to the puzzle of re-building a potential title contender.

Williams would still be a strong get and certainly shouldn’t hurt the Mavs. Being removed from the high-pressure situation in Brooklyn and starting over in his own backyard could do wonders for him. The Mavs were well constructed elsewhere on the wings and an aging Nowitzki is still a fairly strong second or third offensive option. Pachulia is a stop-gap center, however, and the Mavs would be at their best if they found another starting option and had him as their top backup.

Dallas could be in a worse situation in terms of trying to compete in the brutal Western Conference, but they remain a ways away from being serious threats – especially with Jordan returning to the Clippers and the Spurs landing LaMarcus Aldridge. Cuban has been known for big, bold moves in the past, though, so acquiring Williams could be step on toward putting Dallas back on the map. Until that happens, though, NBA bettors probably shouldn’t bank on the Mavs being serious contenders for the 2015-16 NBA season just yet.

The New York Giants got some pretty unsettling news over the 4th of July weekend, as they learned star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul sustained severe hand injuries after a fireworks accident. The initial outlook produced mixed signals on his playing career and even his 2015 availability and even ultimately led to an amputation of his right index finger.

Going forward, little that is concrete is known about JPP’s health and future with the Giants. New York had previously extended a long-term offer to JPP, but after the new they reportedly pulled the offer off the table. Pierre-Paul wasn’t expected to accept that deal, anyways, and the big question now is if he agrees to the one-year franchise tender.

The Giants seem to still be very interested in holding onto their best defensive end, but his availability for 2015 is obviously in question. The loss of a finger, plus the reported burns on Pierre-Paul’s hands, could give him a lengthy recovery time as he is forced to re-learn how to use his hands. Fractures in his right thumb further complicate matter, and those injuries alone are said to take up to six weeks to recover from. For what it’s worth, early reports from JPP’s camp suggest he will make a full recovery and could even still start by week one.

New York is in the middle of the pack right now when it comes to their 2015 Super Bowl odds (33/1 odds), while the last time we checked they’re the third team out of the NFC East when it comes to their odds of winning the division. Needless to say, they weren’t a lock to win their division to begin with, and if they can’t do that they’re obviously long shots to get to/win this year’s Super Bowl. Losing JPP for any amount of time or dealing with a JPP at significantly less than 100% could really set them back.

ESPN analyst Hugh Douglas, a former NFL defensive end, seems to think it’s wishful thinking for JPP to make a speedy recovery, much less come back as the same player he was. Per Douglas, a defensive lineman needs all five fingers on both hands to combat offensive linemen. Gripping and pulling will be made much more difficult, while the loss of his index finger could potentially sap JPP of up to “25%” of his grip strength.

Most of the analysis surrounding JPP’s hand injury is speculation, as only he and his doctors know what he’s in for. None of it sounds good on the surface, though, so the Giants could be looking at a hit in their pass rush going into 2015. That’s not good news for a defense that was extremely shaky a year ago and naturally doesn’t make the G-Men the sexiest bet to win their division or compete for another Super Bowl.

DeAndre Jordan decided to leave the Los Angeles Clippers behind last week, when he verbally committed to the Dallas Mavericks. That verbal committment hasn’t translated into an actual signing on the dotted line, though, and the Clippers are taking advantage of that fact. More importantly, reports have surfaced that the somewhat “torn” Jordan might actually listen to L.A.’s plea to have him turn down the Mavs.

Will it work? That’s the question dominating NBA headlines Wednesday afternoon, as Clippers brass are expected to meet Jordan in Houston, where he spends his off-seasons.

While there was a very real rift between Jordan and star point guard Chris Paul, it seems it could be a situation that could be mended. Per reports, the Clips brought in veteran small forward Paul Pierce for twi reasons – to shore up a major positional need – and to get an aging star to help Paul and Jordan co-exist. Paul flying out of the bahamas to join the meeting in Houston could go a long way as an olive branch, too, and Jordan is now believed to be 50/50 on his decision.

It’s anyone’s guess what Jordan does, but this development certainly has the Mavs feeling “nervous”. It’s especially concerning after Dallas owner Mark Cuban publicly admitted the Mavericks would probably have had to seriously consider “tanking” if they weren’t able to land Jordan and shooting guard Wesley Matthews.

If Jordan goes back to the Clippers, L.A. naturally becomes a serious title contender. They’re in serious trouble without him (they have no other options at center), but if he sticks around, they suddenly look quite formidable with Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Pierce, Blake Griffin and Jordan in their starting unit. With Lance Stephenson off the bench, they would be more top-heavy and deeper than they were a year ago, when they came one win within reaching their first ever Western Conference Finals series.

Jordan bolting would be awful news for Dallas, who would go from potential top playoff contender to a team struggling to even sniff the playoffs. It’s just one star center’s world and we’re living in it. For the NBA betting man (or woman), this is a massive move to monitor. Jordan’s ultimate decision could impact both of these teams at an extreme level and it could also have a fairly large trickle down effect. Stay tuned.