Did the Pelicans Make a Mistake by Not Making the Trey Murphy-Jaylen Brown Trade?
Did the Pelicans Make a Mistake by Not Making the Trey Murphy-Jaylen Brown Trade?
New Orleans may end up regretting not aggressively pursuing Jaylen Brown. Cem Yolbulan|
The wild twists and turns of the NBA offseason are continuing to shock the fans. The latest move that will alter the league landscape came on Wednesday night. The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
The initial reaction to the trade among basketball fans was disbelief. A Brown trade was expected, but no one could have seen coming how little it would take to acquire him from the Celtics. George is seven years older than Brown and is on a much worse contract. One would have thought that it would have taken the Sixers more than two first-round picks to turn George into a 29-year-old coming off the best season of his career.
For Pelicans fans, this deal brings up a different question. Brown was rumored to be a potential Pelicans target until it was reported before free agency that they weren't actively pursuing the former Finals MVP. The Celtics were rumored to be interested in Trey Murphy, which would have been the main return in the trade package for Brown.
Given what many thought the asking price for Brown would be and where the Pelicans are as a franchise, it didn't make much sense for them to trade Murphy for Brown. The expectation would have been for New Orleans to add more assets in this trade, especially since they would have had to include Jordan Poole or Dejounte Murray in the deal for salary-matching purposes.
Pelicans May End Up Regretting Not Going After Jaylen Brown
However, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday that if the Pelicans wanted to swap Murphy for Brown, that deal would have already been done. In his livestream for Bleacher Report, right before the Celtics-Sixers trade was announced, Fischer said that the Pelicans had no interest in turning Murphy into Brown.
If it were just a straight-up Brown-for-Murphy swap, should the Pelicans have done that deal? Was it a mistake not to pursue the 29-year-old All-Star?
If it also allowed the Pelicans to get off Poole or Murray's contract, this would have been a no-brainer. Getting such a clear talent upgrade without giving up any future assets or draft capital would have made some sense for the Pelicans.
Whether we can call this a mistake, however, will depend on what the Pelicans do the rest of the offseason. Perhaps they have other plans for Murphy and will get a better return in another trade.
If the plan is to run it back with the same core, however, the Pels may end up regretting not making this trade. Especially with everyone else around them making moves to improve their rosters, the Pelicans are falling behind in the league hierarchy. With the new lottery rules that punish teams that finish at the bottom of the league, New Orleans should have been more aggressive this offseason.
The Pelicans still have time to turn things around this summer, but let's hope that we don't remember this moment as a missed opportunity.
Published 37 minutes ago
CEM YOLBULANCem has worked as an Associate Editor for FanSided's Regional Betting Network sites for two years and continues to be a contributor, producing NBA and NFL content. He has also previously written soccer content for Sports Illustrated. He has extensive prior experience covering the NBA for various Fansided sites. Cem has been living in the Washington, DC area for over 15 years since moving to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey. On any given day, he can be found watching soccer or basketball on his couch with his many cats and dogs.
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AI boom blows up Big Tech’s climate promises
Google logo on a building in New York. (Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press) - Share via
The greenhouse gas emissions of Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google spiked in 2025, pointing to a growing problem for the hyperscalers: reconciling their climate goals with the massive amount of energy required to power AI, much of it still generated from fossil fuels.
Amazon’s emissions rose 16% from 2024, the company said in a sustainability report released Wednesday. It emitted about 81 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, roughly as much as the emissions from 19 million gas-powered cars on the road. The increase was driven by data center construction and fuel used for deliveries, the report said.
Google’s “ambition-based” emissions — a definition that excludes some parts of its supply chain — climbed 18% overall in 2025. Its Scope 1 emissions from its own operations, excluding purchased electricity, went up 20% compared to 2024, due in part to its expanding data center portfolio, the company said in its own sustainability report released Tuesday.
Amazon has a goal of reaching net zero by 2040, while Google is targeting 2030. As they balance AI’s power needs with sustainability, the companies report varying degrees of success.
Google’s electricity use went up by 37% last year, but it managed a small drop in its Scope 2 emissions from purchased power due to its sourcing of clean energy. Amazon, by contrast, said its emissions from buying electricity rose 34%.
Other tech giants are reckoning with the same challenge. Microsoft Corp. pledged to match 100% of its hourly electricity consumption with purchases of zero-carbon energy by 2030. Bloomberg News reported earlier this year that the company has weighed scaling back the commitment because of data center expansion.
Microsoft and Meta Platforms Inc., in their most recent reports published last year, cited emissions jumps of 23% and 64%, respectively. Meta set a net-zero target for 2030 across its entire value chain.
Data centers’ hunger for power is helping drive up utility bills and spurring investment in US fossil fuel infrastructure, including natural gas power plants. SpaceX is using gas turbines to run its AI data centers in Tennessee and Mississippi.
But producing the hardware, concrete and steel used in the facilities is also energy intensive. Google, in its new report, reported a 25% rise in Scope 3 or supply-chain emissions from 2024 that it attributed mostly to hardware manufacturing and data center construction.
Critics argue the industry should be doing more to curb its carbon footprint.
“We’re essentially in a climate crisis and we should not be having emissions growth at all, arguably, and yet the data centers are going in the opposite direction,” said Sasha Luccioni, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Sustainable AI Group, which works to measure and limit the environmental impact of the sector.
Amazon and Google both said they remain committed to their sustainability targets. Google’s report noted that its path to net zero will not be linear, “given our AI infrastructure build-out is currently accelerating faster than the grid is decarbonizing.”
“While the speed and scale of AI adoption is unique — and the change is happening faster and more broadly than anything else we’ve encountered in our lifetimes — the need to stay stubborn on our vision and flexible on the details is familiar territory,” Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said in its report.
This spring, activist investors asked Amazon, Alphabet and Meta in shareholder proposals to explain how they’re reconciling surging electricity demand for AI with their climate commitments. None of the proposals earned majority support.
Raimonde and Soper write for Bloomberg.
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Tottenham confirm Mateus Fernandes deal as Tonali jets in from Milan
Sandro Tonali declared he is 'ready for this new adventure' as the Newcastle star travelled to London to complete a £100m move to Tottenham, minutes after Spurs announced the arrival of Mateus Fernandes.
Daily Mail Sport understands Tonali is set to sign a six-year deal at Tottenham, which could be worth around £275,000 per week.
Tottenham agreed terms on a £92.5million deal with Newcastle, with add-ons centred around Champions League qualification taking that fee to £100m.
Tonali spoke to reporters at Milan Linate Airport as he travelled to London to undergo a medical.
'We had a sort of agreement with Newcastle, we talked every day and we made it,' Tonali told Sky Sport Italia.
'They wanted the best from me, we wanted the best deal for them. We parted on excellent terms, we're all happy and I'm ready for this new adventure.
Sandro Tonali spoke to reporters outside Milan airport as the Newcastle midfielder travelled to London to complete a £100m move to Tottenham
Tottenham have completed the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes as the club overhauls Roberto De Zerbi's midfield
'[Roberto] De Zerbi did a great job in all this and for a life choice with family after three years at Newcastle, last year our lives changed with our child's birth so we decided to change a bit our life and De Zerbi made a great difference, he did his job and he did it very well.
The Italian international is set to become part of a new-look Tottenham midfield under head coach De Zerbi.
Tonali will become Tottenham's record signing, surpassing the £85m they have paid to West Ham for Fernandes.
Fernandes' move was confirmed on Thursday morning, with the midfielder admitting De Zerbi was a key factor in his decision to sign for the club.
'I'm very excited for this next step,' Fernandes said.
'Spurs is a massive club and the head coach was a key part of why I have decided to join.
'When we spoke, it was very special. We look at football in the same way - going onto the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game.
'I can't wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone, and give everything for the club.'
Tonali said he leaves Newcastle on 'excellent terms' and is ready for a 'new adventure'
The Italian midfielder credited Roberto De Zerbi as a key factor for him making the move
De Zerbi added: 'I've admired Mateus for a long time because he combines quality on the ball with the intensity and intelligence that are so important in the way we want to play.
'Despite his age, he already has good experience in the Premier League and has shown quality and consistency at this level.
'Mateus is comfortable under pressure, can progress the ball, works hard for the team and has the courage to make things happen in difficult moments.
'I believe this is the ideal environment for him to continue his development and I'm excited to start working with him.'
The additions of Tonali and Fernandes will mark a significant boost for De Zerbi as he looks to rebuild a Spurs squad which has slumped to 17th-placed finishes in each of the last two seasons.
Ex-AC Milan captain Tonali made 110 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 10 goals, since signing for the club from the Italian giants back in 2023 in a deal worth £60m.
Just months after moving to the north-east, he received a 10-month suspension after being found guilty of breaching rules on gambling by the Italian Football Federation. He subsequently missed the rest of the season and the Euros that summer.
Fernandes has impressed in the past two seasons in the Premier League, despite suffering back-to-back relegations with Southampton and West Ham.
Tottenham beat Man United to the signing of Fernandes, who leaves West Ham following their relegation to the Championship
West Ham confirmed the 21-year-old's departure to their London rivals with a short statement on their website.
'West Ham United can confirm that Mateus Fernandes has completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee.
'The 21-year-old Portugal international departs having made 38 appearances and scored four goals for the Hammers after joining from Southampton in the summer of 2025.
'West Ham United would like to thank Mateus for his service and wish him well for the future.
They have already agreed on free agents Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson while Jan Paul van Hecke arrived from Brighton for £52million.
Spurs also want to add a forward and a winger with Savinho of Manchester City still in their sights.
Despite interest from Nottingham Forest and Napoli, they have yet to receive a bid for wantaway midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Tottenham did however accept a £50million offer from Brighton to sell Croatia centre back Luka Vuskovic.
