Glad to see this back after nearly a year! Interesting to see the Sawyers owner jailed amid the team’s struggles, wonder if this could mean a return to Phoenix or Denver for the league.

BOSTON-TORONTO TRADE HIGHLIGHTS NDL DRAFT ROUND ONE
by Kyle Greene, Sportsnet
October 6, 2034

The first round of the NDL Draft is in the books. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed:

The talk of the draft was, as it has been for months, Wichita State W/ZB Phil Jones, who was obviously taken by Atlanta at #1. Jones put together a stupefying sophomore season for the Shockers and rocketed up draft boards as a result. He is far and away the most complete player in the draft, with an ability to be an offensive threat both through the air and on the ground, along with excellent hands on the defensive side of the ball. He might (emphasis on might) be NDL ready right out of the gate, but in all likelihood, the Records will send him to Charlotte for a bit first.

The second pick was almost notable more for its atmosphere than the actual player it was used on, as it was Seattle’s. The Sawyers fans who had made the trip down to LA made quite the racket as Commissioner Justin Ross made his way to the podium, and Ross gave them a shoutout before reading the selection. The man they chose was B/ZB Robert Durkin, a defensive wizard who is coming off a national championship with Oklahoma State. Durkin is the best defensive prospect in the draft, but his offence is seen as a bit lacking. If he can spend a year or two in the minors working on it, he’ll have a bright future.

Once that pick was officially announced, Boston used two of their three first-round picks to trade up with Toronto to make sure they got one of the top two F/ZB prospects. After Philly took lanky B/C Elijah Alexander, the Commodores had both available to them, and went with the better offensive talent in Gilberto Cardona.

Incidentally, that trade left the two Canadian teams with three consecutive picks in the middle of the round. Toronto ended up with George Mason W/C Will Das and Arizona State W/ZB Dillon Derringer, two offence-focused selections who will contribute a lot of points but will probably both need some help on defence. Sandwiched in between them was B/ZB Andy Oliva, who will be heading from Northern Arizona up to Montréal. Oliva is most known for his wicked left-footed shot, and his ability to score with it from distance, though finding shooting lanes may be tougher against NDL defences than it was in the NCAA.

See below for a complete rundown of today’s picks:

1. ATL - W/ZB Phil Jones (Wichita State)
2. SEA - B/ZB Robert Durkin (Oklahoma State)
3. PHI - B/C Elijah Alexander (San Diego State)
4. BOS (from TOR) - F/ZB Gilberto Cardona (UNC-Greensboro)
5. NSH (from LA) - F/ZB Pedro Elizondo (UC-Riverside)
6. ORL - B/ZB Andrew Coreno (South Carolina)
7. CHI - B/C Cody Angelo (Sam Houston State)
8. TOR (from BOS) - W/C Will Das (George Mason)
9. MTL - B/ZB Andy Oliva (Northern Arizona)
10. TOR (from TEX via BOS) - W/ZB Dillon Derringer (Arizona State)
11. NY - F/ZB Alvin Taylor (Tennessee Tech)
12. ATL (from CAL) - W/ZB Dylan Robinson (Auburn)
13. BOS (from NSH) - B/ZB Lucas Hall (North Florida)
14. DC - B/K Ryan O’Harron (DePaul)
15. MIN - F/ZB Ismael Quiroz (Stetson)
16. MIA - W/ZB Skylar Crisman (Kansas City)

KRISTEN PAEZ TRADED TO MIAMI
by Byron Cavill, St. Paul Pioneer Press
October 8, 2034

The first major trade of the NDL offseason came in last night, and it involves the two teams who played in the NDLCS earlier this year. The Lights have traded W/ZB Kristen Paez to the Miami Palms in exchange for F/ZB Michel Macias, W/C Ally Rucker, and a second-round pick in next year’s draft. Paez has been one of the Lights’ better young players in the past few years, climbing up the ranks from Iowa and making his way into the starting lineup. You might ask, why trade him? It seems like strange timing, coming off of two consecutive Finals appearances, and especially since the team didn’t really get a marquee piece in return.

The answer stems from the Lights’ struggles to begin last season. With all the lineup changes they made in order to get themselves turned around and into the playoffs, Paez’s role was greatly reduced. With everything clicking so much down the stretch and into the playoffs, it seems the team thought he’d be more useful as a trade chip. Miami certainly needs wingers, so it’s a good fit.

So who are the players Minnesota is getting in return? Macias is seen as one of the best F/ZB prospects in the NDDL, with a balanced game highlighted by sure hands on both sides of the ball. Forward is a position where the Lights were lacking in young talent, so this is a good pickup. Rucker is a bit more of a gamble, coming off of a couple years wracked by injury. If the 32-year-old can recapture the talent he had, he should at the very least be a solid depth piece who can help take some load off of old man W/C James Pitts.

ROY LALANNE SIGNS WITH MAGMA
by Derek Brito, Orange County Register
October 12, 2034

Sabertooths superstar B/ZB Roy Lalanne has made a huge splash early in the NDL offseason, signing a 9-year, $142-million contract with the Montréal Magma. This comes as a huge loss to the Tooths, who relied on Lalanne for his impeccable passing on offense as well as his elite court vision on both sides of the ball. Losing him for nothing after falling right back out of the playoffs is a real gut punch. Now, we’ll just have to wait and see how the team tries to replace him.

It may be a bit unusual for a free agent athlete to leave LA, as it tends to be a pretty attractive market. The reality is, though, that the Tooths are not an ideal landing spot at the moment. Montréal has a fun, young team that just had a huge breakout year, finishing with the third-best record in the league; the Sabertooths have been hovering around the edge of the playoffs for four years now with only a quarterfinal win over Texas to show for it.

Of course, there's an additional cultural element at play. Montréal has never had a star player who could connect with the Francophone audience in Québec. Lalanne, who was born in Haiti, will be one of their only players who already knew French coming in (albeit not exactly the same kind of French). With that kind of opportunity, it's no wonder the Magma threw that contract at him - and it's even less wonder he took it.

SAWYERS OFFICIALLY SOLD TO SEAN ROBERSON
by Toni Rowen, Denver Post
October 16, 2034

The Seattle Sawyers are under new ownership - and pretty soon, they might be under a new name, too.

The sale of the team from now-banned former owner Wesley Kennedy to Sean Roberson was approved by the remaining owners on Monday. Roberson has controlled the minor-league portion of the franchise since the introduction of the NDDL in 2031, operating the Colorado Silver Kings since their inception. He has been vocal about a desire to bring pro dashball back to Denver, and was given control of the Silver Kings as part of the NDL’s initiative to grant minor league teams to prospective owners in test markets. Now, with majority control of a major league franchise, it’s seen as almost a sure bet that he will take this opportunity to move the Sawyers to his home city, though with such a short time until training camps kick off for 2035, such a move would only be able to happen next offseason.

There has been some criticism around the sale, particularly from the Sawyers fanbase and Seattleites in general, who believe that the league and/or Kennedy should have made more of an attempt to find a local buyer to keep the team in Washington State. It’s worth noting, however, that the deal includes a provision that would allow a future Seattle team to assume the Sawyers’ identity, history, and records should the league return there.