Morning sports update: The Celtics are reportedly ‘really focused’ on signing Gordon Hayward
Andrew Benintendi—who has zero hits in his last 26 at-bats—was not in the Red Sox lineup for Thursday night’s 8-3 loss to the A’s, while the Celtics prepped for their Game 2 Friday night match-up against the Cavaliers.
Woj Report: How the draft lottery order affects trades: “Boston could possibly know closer to the draft where they stand with Gordon Hayward, but I think Danny Ainge has not gone ‘all in’ with this group yet,” Adrian Wojnarowski said. “Having the No. 1 pick this year, and potentially the No. 1 overall pick again next year with Brooklyn’s pick again, he doesn’t have to take that kind of a risk. I think Boston preserves its cap space and goes really hard after Hayward on July 1.” (Yahoo! Sports)
How does landing the No. 1 pick impact the Celtics’ trade plans? @WojVerticalNBA and @TheVertical staff weigh in: https://t.co/pTfeIVOA5K pic.twitter.com/Kzu2VGfrAy
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) May 18, 2017
Isaiah Thomas believes he and Markelle Fultz could thrive with Celtics: “He asks questions; I answer them,” Thomas said. “He’s a good friend of mine. If it happens, we’ll figure out how to play together. If not, we’ll go from there.” (ESPN)
A’s spoil Hector Velazquez’s debut with 3 HRs in 8-3 win over the Red Sox: Staked to a 2-0 lead before taking the mound in his major league debut, 28-year-old Hector Velazquez fell behind just four batters into the game after allowing a two-run homer to Lowrie and a solo shot to Davis for Oakland’s first back-to-back homers of the season. (Boston.com)
The Sox aren’t losing faith in Benintendi: “I mean, I feel like I’m working hard with [hitting coach] Chili [Davis], just trying to keep things simple,” Benintendi said. “Sometimes they just don’t fall. It’d be one thing if I was striking out half the time. But it’s just not finding holes right now. I mean, all you can do is keep playing. A lot of games left, a lot of at-bats left, so we’ll figure it out.” (ESPN)
Jason McCourty: Patriots had ‘mutual interest,’ but no room for me: “I think there was definitely mutual interest, but to be honest, the Patriots are kind of set at cornerback. They have a lot of talent in that room. There really wasn’t room for me. Me and Dev talked about that and that’s just the way of the league. I’m excited about the opportunity I have in Cleveland to work with those guys.” (NFL)
Patriots make a series of transactions: The New England Patriots announced Thursday that they signed free agent James Ferentz at center; rookie free agent Sam Cotton, a tight end; and 2017 fourth-round draft choice (131st overall) Deatrich Wise, Jr., a defensive end. (Patriots.com)
