Eli Gregorski

Sports journalist with over 1,000 published articles covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA sports, international soccer, the Olympics, and Formula One for outlets like Heavy Sports, StadiumRant, CU Independent, and USports.org.

My Published Articles

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Lakers Tipped To Start New 3-And-D Wing After 'Best Defender' Austin Reaves Praise

The Los Angeles Lakers made a ton of roster changes this offseason to build around Luka Doncic, and though the team has yet to commit to a starting lineup for the upcoming NBA season, free agent signing Ziaire Williams is generating buzz around training camp and is a realistic candidate to begin games for the Purple and Gold in just a few weeks.Williams, 25, joined the Lakers in free agency on a minimum contract with the expectation that he’d be a rotational player this season in Los Angeles.How...
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Lakers Dealt Great News As All-Defensive Wing Poised For Breakout Season

The Los Angeles Lakers prioritized adding defense this offseason, and that was clear with the free-agent signing of former All-Defensive player Matisse Thybulle, who could be in line for a breakout year in his first season playing in the Purple and Gold.Thybulle had a strong start with the Philadelphia 76ers, but his game dipped over the past few seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, both due to injury and being placed in a smaller role off the bench.However, after signing a veteran minimum c...
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Ex-Lakers Champion Center Joins D'Angelo Russell On New Team In China

Former championship-winning center for the Los Angeles Lakers, Javale McGee, has signed a new contract with the Shanghai Sharks, now set to join another ex-Laker, D’Angelo Russell, in the Chinese Basketball Association.While Russell’s move to China was seen as a bit surprising, McGee last played in the NBA during the 2023-24 season, and more recently took the court for several teams across the globe before now being set to join the Sharks.Clearly, McGee isn’t done playing basketball, but after w...
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Raptors Proposed To Trade RJ Barrett For All-NBA Center In Blockbuster Deal

The Toronto Raptors made a big splash by making a trade for NBA star Kawhi Leonard to pair him with Scottie Barnes and an overall strong roster in the Eastern Conference. But after the big move, who’s to say another trade isn’t on the table?The Raptors expect to be competitive in the upcoming NBA season, and any Leonard storylines aside, the looming contract extension for RJ Barrett could become an issue that impacts the team.With that, the idea of trading Barrett, and potentially a few other as...
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Jaden Hardy Dealt Good News As Lakers Expected To Cut Dalton Knecht

The Los Angeles Lakers have a final cut to make before the start of the NBA season to get under the league’s 15-man roster limit, and the two names on the chopping block are Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy.Both have on very different paths to find themselves where they are now on this Lakers team. Knecht has been with the franchise for a few seasons and has yet to crack the rotation. New reports reveal the team already tried trading him once this summer.Hardy, meanwhile, is a new addition to the t...
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Dalton Knecht Tipped For Fresh Start As Lakers Trade, Roster Cut Looms

Third-year NBA player Dalton Knecht is expected to see his messy tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers come to an end very soon, as he’s the most likely name on the roster to be cut or traded before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.Knecht was selected 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, but his time on the Lakers didn’t go as planned. Along with trying to trade him during his rookie season, Los Angeles reportedly almost moved him this summer in a deal for Buddy Hield.Now, with just a few weeks b...
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Los Angeles Lakers Realistic Austin Reaves Trade Scenario Revealed

After signing Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract extension this summer, the biggest deal in NBA history for an undrafted player, the Los Angeles Lakers made it clear they want the 28-year-old to be a part of their long-term future.However, the NBA is a brutal business, and if things quickly go south for the Lakers’ trio of Reaves, Luka Doncic, and Walker Kessler, there is a real chance one of them, specifically the shooting guard, could be traded in the not-so-distant future.Cur...
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Pistons ‘2 For 1’ Jalen Duren Trade Idea With Hawks “Makes A Ton Of Sense“

As time goes on and contract extension negotiations between the Detroit Pistons and restricted free agent Jalen Duren continue, the situation has only become messier, and the idea of the team trading the young center has only become a more likely reality with the start of the NBA season just a few weeks away.Duren declined a $200 million contract offer from the Pistons, missed media day, and has no current plans to report to training camp as a restricted free agent.With that, rival teams have re...
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Bronny James' Potential $95M Lakers Extension Tops Kevin Durant Contract

NBA player Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers remains one of the most controversial and discussed players in the NBA, and that became even more the case after his father, LeBron James, skipped town just days after the franchise guaranteed his rookie contract for the upcoming season.James has an uphill battle to make his way into the Lakers rotation. Still, the young player has gotten praise from his coach and teammates, and so early in his career, it can’t be ruled out that he has a long pat...
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Jalen Duren Set For Unique NBA History After Rejecting $200M Pistons Offer

As restricted free agent Jalen Duren continues to remain in messy contract extension negotiations with the Detroit Pistons after turning down a five-year, $200 million contract offer, the star big man could instead sign the qualifying offer of his deal and return for roughly $9.6 million next season, in what would be something never seen before in NBA history.If Duren decides to further bet on himself and hope for an even bigger contract next season, whether it’s with the Pistons or not, and tak...
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Lakers Expect To Cut Ties With Dalton Knecht After Failed Buddy Hield Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have one final roster cut to make before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, and all signs point to it being Dalton Knecht.Knecht has had a difficult start to his career on the Lakers, as after already attempting to trade him for center Mark Williams during his rookie season, the team once again tried to trade the three-point shooting wing once again this offseason.According to a recent report from NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Knecht is likely to be waived by...
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Lakers Eyeing 'No Problem' Dalton Knecht Trade For $27M High Upside Center

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to cut ties with Dalton Knecht in the final roster move ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, but that will only happen if they can’t use him in a trade for another upgrade at the center position.The Lakers already reportedly tried to trade Knecht for Buddy Hield, but after that deal didn’t go through, the team is expected to search the trade market for another center and use the failed former first-round pick in a deal.According to a recent report from NBA insider...
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Lakers Trade Rumors Confirmed As Dalton Knecht Or Jaden Hardy Set For Departure

Amid the start of training camp and just a few weeks before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to trade either Dalton Knecht or Jaden Hardy to both get under the league’s 15-man roster limit while also adding new talent in the process.The idea of the Lakers making a ‘2 for 1’ trade has been floated out recently, and according to recent comments from general manager Rob Pelinka, as well as two top NBA insiders, Los Angeles is eyeing a move before the start of...
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Lakers Expected To Make Trade And Cut Ties With Young Player: Insider

Throughout the offseason the Los Angeles Lakers have been at the center of NBA trade rumors, with many expecting the franchise to make a move for a power forward to join the starting lineup alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Walker Kessler.Now, according to the latest report from a top Lakers insider, the team is expected to make a trade before the season begins to help get to the 15-man roster limit set by the league.Players like PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford of the Da...
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Bronny James Gets Big News On Future As Lakers Trade Rumors Grow

New reports suggest the Los Angeles Lakers are eyeing a trade before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, but Bronny James should feel safe for now; his name is not at the top of the chopping block.James has been mentioned as a Lakers trade candidate ever since his father, LeBron James, left the team in free agency. He’s also been named as one of a few players who could be waived or cut before the season begins for Los Angeles to get to the NBA’s 15-man roster limit.However, according to Lakers...
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Lakers Eyeing Two Big Man Trade Targets With Key Players On Chopping Block: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers did a lot this NBA offseason to build a new-look roster around franchise star Luka Doncic, but according to a new report, the team isn’t done yet, as new trade rumors indicate the Purple and Gold are eyeing a last-minute trade for a young big man to play behind Walker Kessler.Though the Lakers did add Kessler, Kevon Looney, and Sandro Mamukelashvili to the front court this summer, it appears the front office isn’t fully satisfied with the big men they brought in to play al...
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Lakers Expected To Trade Or Waive Dalton Knecht Before Season: Report

Heading into his third NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, former first-round pick Dalton Knecht might not be on the roster much longer, as reports grow of the 25-year-old being atop the trade list or the chopping block to be waived before the start of the team’s 2026-27 campaign.Knecht has had a messy tenure to start his career in Los Angeles, and as he’s never been fully able to break into head coach JJ Redick’s rotation, his time with the Lakers looks like it is coming to an end.The Laker...
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Quentin Grimes Committed A Crime Before Joining Lakers, JJ Redick Says

NBA Media Day always brings up interesting storylines throughout the league, but perhaps no story was wilder than one told by Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick about free agent addition Quentin Grimes.When speaking to Spectrum SportsNet in a Media Day interview, Redick revealed that he had previous experience with Grimes, which included the player accidentally committing a crime.Grimes is expected to be the starting small forward for the Lakers this season, set to join Luka Doncic, Austin...
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NBA Superstar Luka Doncic Helped Lakers Teammate Join New Team

Luka Doncic reportedly played a role in his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Nick Smith Jr. signing a contract with the Real Madrid basketball team, according to a new report.Doncic previously played for Real Madrid at a young age before getting drafted in the NBA back in 2018, and now he helped his old teammate, Smith, get a job in Spain.Smith previously played last year on the Lakers after signing a two-way deal with the team last summer. He left in free agency this offseason to join the Eur...
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Pistons Get Bad News As Kings, Bucks Prepare For Jalen Duren Trade: Report

The Detroit Pistons‘ offseason contract extension saga with restricted free agent Jalen Duren has gotten messier as the days go on, and with just a few weeks before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, the idea of a sign-and-trade, either with the Sacramento Kings or Milwaukee Bucks, is becoming a more likely reality.The Pistons recently offered Duren a five-year, $200 million contract extension, but the center turned that down. He declined to attend Detroit’s media day and is expected to miss t...
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Lakers Warned Walker Kessler Trade Could 'Backfire Spectacularly' After $130M Risk

The Los Angeles Lakers took arguably the biggest swing of the 2026 NBA offseason by completing a trade with the Utah Jazz for Walker Kessler by sending a total of four first-round picks out for the 25-year-old center. However, there is a real chance the deal will quickly prove to be the wrong move, and the Lakers could be paying the price for years to come.Despite not yet playing a game for the Lakers, a ton has been made about Kessler’s fit on his new team and the franchise’s decision to send f...
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Lakers Dodge Jalen Duren Trade Bullet As $200M Pistons Drama Gets Worse

The Los Angeles Lakers were close to making a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons for star center Jalen Duren earlier this summer.But as the drama continues with the player and team amid his restricted free agency, the Lakers should be happy they instead went with Walker Kessler, as the decision to trade for him makes the front office look genius, as Duren continues to remain in messy contract extension negotiations with the Pistons.The Lakers met with Duren this offseason, but the young big...
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Lakers 'Aware' Of Luka Doncic Departure Risk Before $417M Extension

Over the course of the summer, amid ownership struggles, off-court drama, and major questions about what the team did to build a new roster around its franchise star, reports emerged hinting that Luka Doncic could end up leaving the Los Angeles Lakers when his current contract comes to an end.Though he signed a new deal last summer and has only been with the Lakers since February of 2025, many around the NBA believe Doncic could leave Los Angeles should he not be surrounded by a title-contending...
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Lakers Get Bad News As Quentin Grimes 'Hostage' Situation Could Become Reality

One of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ biggest moves of the offseason while building a new roster around franchise star Luka Doncic was signing free agent wing Quentin Grimes to a four-year, $60 million deal this summer.Grimes is expected to be the starting small forward for the Lakers this upcoming season, which would likely be a smart move considering the 26-year-old is now the fourth-highest-paid player on the roster.However, before Grimes has even played a minute for the Lakers, the franchise was re...
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