Hottest Commodities in Sports Right Now
Mark Sanchez is a hot commodity?
Believe it. With the market for NFL quarterbacks in the state it's in, the mostly disappointing first-round draft pick suddenly didn't look like such a bad option for the newly QB-starved, Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
Better-than-average QB play is just one hot-ticket item in sports right now. NBA teams want versatile swingmen. NFL teams want pass-rushers to go along with their competent QBs. Everyone wants Golden State Warriors tickets.
Other than the obvious Stanley Cups and No. 1 draft picks, the following are piping-hot commodities in sports, specifically right now.
Luke Walton
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It seems like head coaches are always in demand in sports, and the NBA is no exception.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr missed the first 43 games of the 2015-16 season following back surgery. Assistant Luke Walton filled in, and the Warriors went 39-4 in that stretch.
Kerr returned in January, and the Dubs kept winning, but now the question is: Where will Walton end up next year? Surely he'll be a coveted candidate for open head coaching positions, right?
Will there be a reunion with Phil Jackson in New York? What about a return to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he played most of his career with?
Bleacher Report's Josh Martin wrote, "The end of Walton's interim stint could be just the beginning of his own ride around the league's coaching carousel. The question is, where will he land?"
College Hockey Free Agents
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Each year, college hockey players have the chance to turn skills they've bolstered in school into a second chance. With the collegiate season nearing its end, teams have the opportunity to acquire such players as undrafted free agents.
Chris Peters of CBSSports.com explained, "Under the current salary-cap structure, undrafted free agents out of college hockey have become hot commodities. … Because it's such a low-risk investment to see what these players can do, NHL teams keep going back to the college free-agent well."
Defenseman Danny DeKeyser signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013 and earned a two-year extension in 2014. It was the same story for Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who joined the team just in time for a Stanley Cup championship.
This is an exciting time for NHL fans every year. Teams have the opportunity to add depth or even, sometimes, a real contributor.
New Stadiums
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Everyone wants a new stadium these days.
The Oakland Raiders attempted a move to Los Angeles, and the stadium-mate Oakland Athletics continue to seek options that don't include a long-term stay at O.co Coliseum. The Los Angeles Rams were successful in their proposal to build a new stadium in Inglewood, California, and the San Diego Chargers will seek approval for a new downtown facility.
The Tampa Bay Rays post horrendous attendance figures annually, due in large part to their home, Tropicana Field. In 2014, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg suggested the team would likely have to move out of Tampa/St. Petersburg if a new stadium couldn't be achieved, according to Dayn Perry of CBSSports.com.
Those are just a few examples of teams and cities seeking swanky new digs. However, as evidenced by sports' newest creations like U.S. Bank Stadium, future home of the Minnesota Vikings, new sports facilities are no easy, or cheap, task. And as the debate over public funding continues, it could become even harder for teams to achieve their facility goals as public enthusiasm wanes.
Warriors Tickets
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Not to make this whole thing too Warriors-happy, but they are the hottest ticket in town…actually, in all the towns.
According to Carl Bialik of FiveThirtyEight, as of mid-December the Warriors had the most expensive home tickets and were on par with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers on the road. Around the same time, Brad Tuttle of Time also reported ticket prices increased significantly across the country when the Dubs were the visiting team.
Fast-forward to March, and nothing has really changed. Tickets for the highly anticipated March 19 matchup with the San Antonio Spurs ran $139 for standing-room only and over $7,000 for the big-shot seats, according to Michael Marks of the San Antonio Current.
Starting Pitching
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On the heels of the steroid era, MLB has increasingly become a pitchers' league. According to an October report by the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), the league batting average dropped for eight consecutive years, from .269 in 2006 to .251 in 2014.
Though young talents like Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper brought some offensive excitement back in 2015, starting pitching depth is still vital in today's game. Andrew Simon of MLB.com reported of all the 2015 playoff teams, only two (the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates) used pitchers other than those in their projected rotations for 35 starts or less.
At the winter meetings, the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays made headlines for holding valuable chips in the form of starting pitching.
In February, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman offered, "As you've seen this winter, the cost of starting pitching [is high]. The more that you can collect, the safer your chances are," per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
An Actual Pro Team
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In some places, entire professional franchises are a hot-ticket item right now.
For example, the mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, has publicly spoken about a desire to see professional baseball return to his city. In October, he wrote a letter to the 30 MLB franchises detailing Montreal's worthiness.
Per the Canadian Press (via Sportsnet), Coderre said of the letter, "It's part of our strategy to prove we're serious to all these people. It's normal and natural to keep owners up to speed—they are the ones who'll take the final decision."
Quebec City and Las Vegas have officially applied for NHL expansion teams. According to ESPN.com news services, former Minnesota Vikings owner Red McCombs indicated in a January radio interview "that San Antonio is ready if the Oakland Raiders decide to move to the city and that he is even willing to invest in the team if needed."
NBA Swingmen
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NBA swingmen can play shooting guard and small forward and, really, oscillate back and forth when needed. That type of versatility is coveted in today's game. In fact, versatility in general is desirable with players like Golden State's Draymond Green running around.
With the emergence of stars such as Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls and Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks, players who can play more than one role are becoming more valuable in the game's changing landscape.
David Kenyon of Sportsnaut.com wrote, "Considering that versatility is a critical part of strong backcourts, it's the swingman who helps different lineups—small ball or undersized, for example—react to a specific situation."
Pass-Rushers
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Certainly, each team has its own unique set of needs as the NFL draft approaches, but pass-rushers look to be a hot commodity.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote, "Pass-rushers are viewed as the second-most important position on the majority of draft boards. Thus, teams are willing to invest heavily in edge players with a knack for getting to the quarterback."
The Denver Broncos just won Super Bowl 50 due in large part to their defensive efforts, specifically a stifling pass rush led by linebacker (and Super Bowl MVP) Von Miller. Look for defensive ends like Ohio State's Joey Bosa and Clemson's Shaq Lawson to go early on draft day.
Pass-rushers have been a hot commodity in free agency as well. Darren Urban of Azcardinals.com wrote of the Cardinals' struggle to upgrade at the position, dubbing the situation a "pass-rusher merry-go-round."
Kevin Durant
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is set to become a free agent after the 2015-16 NBA season.
Now, there are those who believe Durant will opt to sign a two-year deal with the Thunder that would include the ability to opt out after one year. Such an arrangement would likely result in the postponement of Durant-a-palooza until 2017.
Still, whether Durant hits the free-agent market in earnest in 2016 or '17, he will be one of the most coveted commodities in recent memory.
Rumors have raged all year regarding a possible landing spot for the 2014 NBA MVP—his hometown Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and even the defending champion Golden State Warriors have been tossed around.
Whatever happens with Durant, it won't be quiet. Chris Mannix of The Vertical wrote, "Durant is looking forward to being recruited, to being courted, to being treated like the biggest free-agent prize since LeBron James six years ago."
'Better-Than-Average' NFL QBs
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The Houston Texans gave Brock Osweiler—a quarterback who has started seven games in his four-year career—a four-year, $72 million contract. The Philadelphia Eagles extended injury-prone Sam Bradford for two years and $26 million guaranteed.
The Denver Broncos traded for Mark Sanchez, a former first-round pick who has generally failed to live up to lofty expectations in seven pro seasons. (Although to be fair, they only gave up a conditional pick for him.)
San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was benched in November, only to later see his name appear around the NFL rumor mill as several teams found themselves in need of quality QB play. The fact of the matter is, there just aren't a lot of great options for teams in need of franchise QBs.
Indeed, Tom Pelissero of USA Today wrote, "Let's be honest, there aren't 32 starting NFL quarterbacks on earth."
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