Update [7:49 p.m. ET]: Haynes has edited the D’Angelo Russell report to include a correct spelling of “Dallas” on the image. Read our original report below.
NBA insider Chris Haynes is having a rough go of things as NBA free agency gets underway.
Two of Haynes’ reports on the social media platform X have drawn attention for different reasons. First, Haynes mistakenly reported free agent forward Jake LaRavia was re-signing with the Sacramento Kings on a two-year, $12 million deal. Seconds earlier, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania had reported that LaRavia was headed to the Los Angeles Lakers on an identical deal. It turns out, Shams was right and Haynes had to issue a correction.
As you can see, Haynes edited his post to indicate it was, in fact, the Lakers that LaRavia was headed to. However, the image remains LaRavia in a Kings jersey.
That alone isn’t all that notable. Free agency reports often feature players wearing a jersey from their old team rather than a photoshopped image with their new team. But it seems like Haynes is intent on featuring players in the jerseys they’ll play in next season, as seen in his report about free agent guard D’Angelo Russell signing with the Dallas Mavericks.
Unfortunately for Haynes, while that report was factually correct, this post also sparked criticism. This time, it was his image coming under fire. On first look, the photo appears to show Russell in a Dallas Mavericks jersey. But upon closer inspection, Haynes’ image appears to be AI-generated, showing “Dalieas” rather than “Dallas” across Russell’s chest.
When speed is the entire game, as it is for free agency reporting, mistakes like this are bound to happen. Haynes would probably benefit from spending an extra second or two checking his work prior to posting, however.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.