Browns Trade Pitch Dumps David Njoku for Draft Capital
Because of the general mediocrity–or even less-than-mediocrity–of the AFC North here in 2025, the Browns are in the odd position of being simultaneously awful offensively, great defensively, just 2-6 record-wise, and still not out of the running to win the division. With the bye week and the
They need assets for the long term. They need to get better in the short term.
Maybe the best way to accomplish the first without wrecking the second could be a move of tight end David Njoku, a star and a Pro Bowler three years ago who has been worn down by age (29) and a multitude of injuries since he was a first-round pick from Miami in 2017.
With the Browns having found a successor (Harold Fannin Jr.) at his position, trading Njoku in the coming days seems to be as certain a bet as Cleveland can make in the coming days.
Browns David Njoku Could Help Bucs
With that in mind, Heavy’s Max Dible proposes sending Njoku to the NFC, where he could bolster an ailing group of pass-catchers in Tampa Bay, with a third-day pick in 2026 coming back to Cleveland–a fifth-rounder, at best. It’s about all the Browns could hope for in exchange for Njoku at this stage.
Writes Dible: “David Njoku is a competent tight end who can help a high-octane offense in Tampa Bay that needs some more pass-catching due to a handful of injuries to some of its top options, including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
“The Browns are 2-6 and drafted Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round, who looks like a hit. Njoku probably isn’t coming back after he becomes a free agent next year, so getting a fifth-round pick, or the like, for him now makes more sense than letting him walk for nothing — especially since keeping Njoku for the rest of this season isn’t likely to change Cleveland’s fate.”
Browns Building Up Draft Capital
The Browns, of course, have already been busy on the trade market this season, going back to the draft-day trade of the No. 2 overall pick to the
At the end of training camp, Cleveland also dealt
The Browns swapped a sixth-rounder for a fifth-rounder by sending Joe Flacco to the Bengals, and brought in cornerback Tyson Campbell for CB Greg Newsome, swapping down from a sixth-rounder to a seventh-rounder in that deal.
David Njoku Trade Would Be Costly
Trading Njoku would require the Browns to take on a significant chunk of dead cap next season–a payment of $24 million that does not transfer to his new team. Alternatively, the Browns could give Njoku, an impending free agent, an extension and spread out that payment, though the team is likely more inclined to simply take the lump and move on.
Njoku has 27 catches for 260 yards this season, with two touchdowns for a team that has scored only seven passing touchdowns this season.
At Pro Football Focus, Njoku has a grade of 53.8, No. 63 out of 75 graded tight ends. That’s his worst rating of his career.
Ex-Celtics Guard Hires Trump Lawyer to Fight NBA Gambling Charges
Former Boston Celtics guard and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has hired one of the nation’s most prominent defense attorneys to battle federal gambling charges that have rocked the NBA — and tied three former Celtics to the league’s biggest integrity scandal in years.
According to The Athletic, Billups has hired Marc Mukasey, a high-profile trial lawyer who has represented former U.S. President Donald Trump, to handle his defense against wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Billups Turns to Prominent White-Collar Defense Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic report, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Now, Mukasey is representing Billups — the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach — as he faces potentially career-defining criminal charges.
Federal Allegations and Celtics Connection
In the indictments reviewed by
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds. His former attorney, Chris Heywood, said last week that Billups “would not jeopardize” his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and freedom.
Two other former Celtics — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones — are also implicated in the widening probe. Prosecutors allege Rozier shared private injury information with a friend who then profited from insider bets, while Jones allegedly helped facilitate the illegal gambling ring.
From Boston Lottery Pick to Hall of Fame Player
Getty 25 Jun 1997: Guard Chauncey Billups of the Boston Celtics shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billups began his NBA career in Boston, drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1997, before going on to win a championship with the Detroit Pistons and earning the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2024, a crowning moment for one of the league’s most respected figures.
Rozier, beloved by Celtics fans from 2015 to 2019, helped Boston reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, while Jones had a brief stint with the franchise during the 1998–99 season. Their shared ties to Boston have given the scandal an unsettling familiarity for local fans.
Badminton Betting Ban Mirrors NBA Investigation
The NBA’s ongoing gambling scandal comes as other global sports face similar integrity challenges. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned former Danish player and coach Joachim Persson for four years after he was filmed placing live bets courtside during a 2023 Japan Open match, according to
The similarities between the two cases are striking. Both involve allegations that individuals used insider access and confidential information for betting purposes. The incidents highlight the mounting challenge of maintaining sports integrity amid the rapid expansion of legalized gambling worldwide.
A Hall-of-Fame Legacy Under Scrutiny
For Billups, who spent part of his formative NBA years in Boston, the charges threaten to overshadow a Hall-of-Fame career defined by leadership and professionalism.
If convicted, Billups could face up to 20 years in prison per count, along with the potential loss of his coaching position and damage to his legacy.
The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation broadens — with Boston fans watching uneasily as three familiar names fight to protect their reputations.
