According to Jake Fischer during his NBA rumors chat on Bleacher Report, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson are both available. But he also says that the Utah Jazz would prefer to keep Walker Kessler. (Big shoutout to David J. Smith for the notice on this one.)

This is not something new regarding each of these players but it does provide some clarity with Kessler. But this idea that it would take a “major package” to get him reminds me of something. Oh, that’s right, all of last offseason where we heard the same thing with Lauri Markkanen. That ended up turning into nothing, and we’re seeing the same playbook. Utah is happy with Kessler, but if there’s a team out there to give a major overpay, it sounds like Utah won’t turn that down. Looking back at this offseason and how it panned out. Teams like the Warriors and Kings, who were very interested in Markkanen, certainly look like they might regret not paying the huge price tag.

As far as Sexton and Clarkson, it seems pretty obvious that Utah is likely going for the highest possible package they can get for Collin Sexton. That may take time but Utah needs to think about the ramifications of having Sexton potentially costing them losses down the road. Utah is in an extremely tight race for Cooper Flagg and should think about making a move sooner than later to make that more possible.

TikTok has long known its video livestreams encourage sexual conduct and exploit children yet turned a blind eye because it “profited significantly” from them, according to newly unsealed material in a lawsuit by the state of Utah.

The accusations were made public on Friday, ahead of a scheduled Jan. 19 ban on TikTok in the United States unless its China-based owner, ByteDance, sells the popular social media app.

President-elect Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to put that ban on hold. 

TikTok, for its part, has said it prioritizes safe livestreaming.

Utah’s original lawsuit accusing TikTok of exploiting children was filed last June by the state’s Division of Consumer Protection, with state Attorney General Sean Reyes saying the TikTok Live streaming feature created a “virtual strip club” by connecting victims to adult predators in real time.

Citing internal TikTok employee communications and compliance reports, Friday’s largely unredacted complaint said TikTok learned of the threats Live posed through a series of internal reviews into the feature.

It said a probe known as Project Meramec uncovered in early 2022 how hundreds of thousands of 13-to-15-year-olds bypassed Live’s minimum-age restrictions.

It said many children were then allegedly “groomed” by adults to perform sexual acts, sometimes involving nudity, in exchange for virtual gifts.

The complaint also said a probe launched in 2021, Project Jupiter, found that criminals used Live to launder money, sell drugs and fund terrorism including by Islamic State.

In addition, an internal December 2023 study “documented what TikTok admits is ‘the cruelty’ of maintaining Live with its current risks for minors on the app,” the complaint said.

User safety

TikTok had fought the disclosures, citing confidentiality concerns and its interest in “preventing potential bad actors from getting a roadmap” to misuse the app.

A Utah state judge, Coral Sanchez, ordered the release of much of the previously redacted material on Dec. 19.

“This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures that TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support community safety and well-being,” a TikTok spokesperson said on Friday.

“Instead, the complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, which distorts our commitment to the safety of our community,” the spokesperson added.

In October, a bipartisan group of 13 states and Washington, DC, separately sued TikTok for allegedly exploiting children and addicting them to the app.

“Social media is too often the tool for exploiting America’s young people,” Reyes said in a statement on Friday.

“Thanks to Judge Sanchez’s ruling, more of TikTok’s shocking conduct will now be public through this unredacted complaint,” he added. “(The) full extent of its culpability can be demonstrated at trial.”

President Joe Biden signed a law authorizing the TikTok ban last April, addressing concern TikTok could gather intelligence on American users and share it with the Chinese government.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to put the ban on hold on Jan. 10. It is expected to rule quickly.

Associated Press

Utah Hockey Club (17-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (23-13-1, in the Central Division)

Dallas; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club visit the Dallas Stars after Lawson Crouse’s two-goal game against the Calgary Flames in the Utah Hockey Club’s 5-3 win.

Dallas is 23-13-1 overall with a 10-3-1 record in Central Division play. The Stars have a 13-6-1 record in games they have fewer penalties than their opponent.

Utah has a 4-6-1 record in Central Division games and a 17-15-6 record overall. The Utah Hockey Club serve 10.9 penalty minutes per game to rank second in NHL play.

Saturday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Stars won the previous matchup 3-2.

TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Duchene has 15 goals and 20 assists for the Stars. Roope Hintz has seven goals and one assist over the past 10 games.

Dylan Guenther has 16 goals and 18 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Clayton Keller has five goals and eight assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 6-3-1, averaging 2.8 goals, five assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.

Utah Hockey Club: 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.1 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Stars: None listed.

Utah Hockey Club: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.