The Ramos roundup is a weekly sports column highlighting all the news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Sixers Stun with Brown Acquisition; Lebron to follow?
On Wednesday, the Sixers continued to overhaul their roster with a massive trade with a longtime rival.
After signing Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti for depth purposes, Philadelphia swung big and traded Paul George to the Celtics, along with two first-round picks and two second-round picks for Jaylen Brown. The 29-year-old Brown brings a ton of athleticism and ability at both ends of the floor, giving the Sixers a true scoring threat on the wing now.
Obviously, it’s rare to see the Sixers and Celtics team up for a trade, let alone one that’s so lopsided. George is on the back nine of his career, while Brown remains in the prime of his. This is an outright upgrade for the Sixers; a starting five of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid is the best the team has had in years.
In Other team news, the Sixers aren’t done trying to improve their team this summer. According to Tony Jones, Philadelphia have made contact with free agent Lebron James’ camp and could potentially be an attractive destination for the future Hall of Famer.
Could you imagine Bron in the city of brotherly love?
Flyers Tender Landmark Offer Sheet to Leo Carlsson
Not to be outdone by their Xfinity Mobile Arena compatriots, the Flyers had an eventful week themselves. On Friday, the Flyers tendered an offer sheet to the Anaheim Ducks for Leo Carlsson. Philadelphia is offering a five-year contract worth a historic average annual value of $18M. The Flyers therefore would have to surrender their first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation.
Anaheim is likely to match this deal and keep Carlsson, but this is the type of aggressiveness people have been clamoring for from this front office. Props to Briere for having the guts to try something bold. The Ducks have seven days to decide to match the Flyers offer or lose the player.
Five Phillies Will Represent Club at All-Star Game
Major League Baseball has announced this year’s All Star teams on the fourth of July. The Phils lead the way this year with five All-Stars, tying the second-most All-Stars in franchise history.
Bryce Harper is the “legend pick” by Commissioner Rob Manfred for this year’s All-Star Game. It’ll be Harper’s 9th All-Star appearance in the Midsummer summer classic, while Kyle Schwarber will appear in his 4th. Left-handed pitcher Christopher Sanchez is set to appear in his 2nd All-Star game after logging a MLB-high in innings pitched. He also boasts an ERA hovering around 2.00 this year. Finally, there’s Brandon Marsh and Jhoan Duran each making their 1st appearance.
Marsh, of course, is in the midst of a career year, hitting .309 with 15 home runs. Duran, on the other hand, has saved 21 games in 22 chances this year. According to Todd Zolecki, the Durantula’s 95.5 percent save percentage would be the second-best in franchise history, behind only Brad Lidge’s 41-for-41 season in 2008.
