Latest sports news: ‘The Last Dance’ refuels Draymond Green-Kevin Durant’s beef; Yannick Ngakoue’s trade value plummets; Eagles donate to COVID-19 relief

Draymond Green hit the nail on the coffin with his response to Kevin Durant’s handling of his last season in Golden State.

The 2018-19 Warriors were similar to the 1997-98 Bulls because of their contract situations. Durant and Klay Thompson were pending free agents, and even though Draymond Green had another year on his contract, he was also being asked questions about the future.

Green and Thompson both came out publicly and acknowledged their plans to stay as Warriors. Durant kept his decision close to the vest all season, which led to a rift between the players and constant questions about Durant’s future.

“What should have happened is Kevin come out and say, ‘Hey man this is’ or ‘this isn’t it,'” Green said on the UNINTERRUPTED. “You can’t just leave the elephant in the room.”

Green has controversial takes, but he is right. Thompson and Green being upfront with their plans left Durant as the lone wolf. Curry had signed a five-year deal the previous year, so all eyes were on Durant.

Durant has detailed how an early-season confrontation with Green played a part in his decision to leave. So he had a good idea of his decision for the majority of the season. His teammates were upfront with him about their choices, and they deserved the same thing back, whether he was leaving or staying.

If you haven’t realized it yet, we are truly living in different times, and I’m not talking about because of the pandemic.

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (that won’t be said too much longer) took his trade demand to another level by voicing his frustrations on Twitter at the team owner. Ngakoue and Tony Khan traded jabs on twitter that ended with Khan delivering the knockout punch.

I can only imagine that Ngakoue’s agent was screaming at the top of his lungs when he saw the tweet. It’s an uglier breakup than separating with your first high school love.

The Jaguars franchise-tagged Ngakoue, but it’s obvious he has no intention to sign it. He was a key player on the 2017 Jaguars team that made the AFC Championship game. Ngakoue had 12 sacks and led the league with six forced fumbles that year. He has had 9.5 and eight sacks in the last two seasons and remains one of the most disruptive defensive ends in the league.

He will eventually get his trade. He plays at a premiere position and he is simply too good. But the way he has handled this situation has hurt his chances of securing a long term deal elsewhere and decimated the Jaguars’ hopes of getting great value in return. It’s a true lose-lose for all parties.

But hey, it only took him six hours later to try to restore his value by pleading to his future team.

Novak Djokovic has been the most dominant force in tennis, but he isn’t too pleased with the idea of having to be vaccinated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Djokovic is opposed to vaccinations, and one of the requirements before play returns may be receiving one.

“I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel,” Djokovic said in a live Facebook chat on Sunday with several fellow Serbian athletes. “But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision. I have my own thoughts about the matter, and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don’t know.”

This has been one of the least discussed topics during the pandemic. While we are hoping for a vaccine, not everyone is comfortable with being vaccinated.

Djokovic is one of the top athletes in the world and it would be crushing to see him miss action or possibly retire.

Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson is donating $100,000 to Philadelphia-based Fred Footsteps to support COVID-19 relief. Fred’s Footsteps is helping families caring for medically fragile children with their household bills over the next 12 months. Jackson also sponsored about $10,000 worth of meals at a LA County USC Hospital where he is from.

Jackson suffered a season-ending foot injury in last year’s season opener. The former Jaguars pro bowler is expected to help the Eagles unleash Fletcher Cox.

Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie also announced that he and the Eagles are making $1 million in donations in the Philadelphia to help COVID-19 relief.

“As part of these careful discussions, and in collaboration with some of the best minds and thought leaders in our city, we have developed a comprehensive plan aimed at providing critical support to essential healthcare workers,” Lurie said in a statement. “It cannot be overstated how appreciative we are for everything these workers have done – and are doing – to care for those directly impacted by this global pandemic.”