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The wild Kyle Filipowski ‘girlfriend’ saga, explained as best we can. the,wild,kyle,filipowski,girlfriend,saga,explained,as,best,we,can,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft

The wild Kyle Filipowski ‘girlfriend saga explained as best we
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Kyle Filipowski should have been a Top 20 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, especially this NBA Draft. When you’re a seven-foot stretch four from Duke who averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds, when most of the 2024 class is full of Hail Mary picks and “what ifs,” it doesn’t matter that there are concerns about your athleticism or shot creation — you get picked early.

Instead, we saw one of the more puzzling draft drops in recent memory. In the span of 24 hours, Filipowski went from being mocked as high as the early teens to falling out of the first round altogether — earning the unfortunate “reward” of turning up to the NBA Draft green room for likely first-round draft picks, then waiting all night without hearing his name called without getting picked (he was eventually taken in the second round, on Day 2 of the Draft, with the Utah Jazz selecting him 32nd overall).

Obviously, something had teams spooked about Filipowski, but nobody could have predicted how this saga would unfold over the internet on Thursday.

Concerns of an older “girlfriend”

The first reports of something being off in the Filipowski camp came on Thursday morning as ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony explained on The Lowe Post Podcast what he’d heard from teams in regards to the Duke big man.

“NBA teams are talking about the fact that they had questions about his girlfriend being so much older than him, why was he estranged from his family because of this whole situation. It’s a very, very odd situation. I personally don’t understand why it would cause him to drop like this into the second round.”

Just to establish things: Caitlin Hutchinson is being referred to as Filipowski’s “girlfriend,” however the couple are engaged as of April 18 — with the intent of getting married in August.

As it pertains to draft stock: Filipowski is 20 years old, and Givony said his fiancee is 25 — sure, the age difference is a little unusual, but it’s hardly the kind of earth-shattering revelation that would normally tank a draft stock. Similarly, there have been plenty of prospective rookies who have been estranged from their parents, and it didn’t cause them to fall like Filipowski was.

There was a missing piece to this puzzle, and it wasn’t long before the internet began to try and work out what was going on here.

What we know about Caitlin Hutchinson

An Alabama native, there is little concrete information on who exactly Filipowski’s fiancee is. Most information can be gleaned from past social media posts, which as of writing are still public.

Trying to ascertain Hutchinson’s age is critical here, and that will become very apparent in a moment. A Facebook post from December 23, 2018 shows Hutchinson graduating from Alabama.

Another post Hutchinson is tagged in from Instagram shows her in a high school graduation gown in May of 2015.

Screen Shot 2024 06 28 at 9.57.52 AM

While it’s possible she graduated from high school or college early, if she stayed on a standard track she is either 27 or 28 years old, with her now being 6 years removed from college. Again, that’s not really an issue. As we’ve established, a 20-year-old dating someone in their late-20s might be odd — but it’s not exactly a major red flag.

But this is.

The prom photo

As people combed through social media on Thursday morning a photo of Filipowski and Hutchinson from his high school prom began catching everyone’s eye. It shows the couple together and is dated May 21, 2022.

Screen Shot 2024 06 28 at 9.45.50 AM

Filipowski was born in November of 2003. At the time of this photo he was 17 years old, and Hutchinson was (probably) 25 or 26. Even if we assume the first time they met was at this prom, that’s still an adult dating a minor. However, a now-deleted comment on the Filipowski prom photo from Hutchinson read: “one year with my favorite person.”

This would mean that they started their relationship when he was 16 years old and she was likely 24 or 25.

The Filipowski family weighs in

A critical component of this story, in addition to the relationship, were reports Filipowski had become estranged from his family over dating Hutchinson.

It wasn’t long before people claiming to be Kyle’s older brother Daniel, and his mom Becky were on Twitter explaining their side of things — and trying to track down Jonathan Givony to tell their side of the story.

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If we combine the accounts of the Filipowski family, they appear to be alleging that Caitlin Hutchinson began a relationship with Filipowski as a high schooler with the intent of grooming him and converting him to the mormon religion. According to their allegations, that includes a long-term play to become engaged to him shortly after he left Duke, and with the NBA on the horizon. This appears to have caused friction between Filipowski and his family, with Kyle seemingly choosing his relationship with Caitlin over his family, and — again, according to their tweets and Givony’s accounting of what NBA executives are saying — severing a relationship with them.

What can we make of all this?

If everything outlined above is to be believed, Filipowski could be viewed as a victim. Again, if the facts outlined above are actually what happened, it would appear an adult entered a relationship with a high school basketball player, one who was highly touted and seemed destined for the NBA.

Then, the same relationship reportedly damaged his draft stock by making Filipowski either too uncomfortable to talk about in interviews, which scared off teams — or by raising red flags about Hutchinson’s influence on his life.

As of right now, it does not appear there is anything illegal going on. Filipowski is 20, his fiancee is in her late-20s, so they can do what they want. However, this story isn’t going away, and it may be only a matter of time before more information comes to light about the nature of this relationship and how it’s damaged the Filipowski family. At the very least, given how much this has blown up on the internet and appears to have damaged his draft stock enough to drop a likely lottery pick out of the first round entirely, it seems probable that Filipowski will get asked about it by NBA media at some point, when maybe we will get his and Hutchinson’s side of the story.

Rockets’ wild trade with Nets is all about trying to get Kevin Durant or Devin Booker rockets,wild,trade,with,nets,is,all,about,trying,to,get,kevin,durant,or,devin,booker,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-trade-rumors,nba-draft,draftkings

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The Houston Rockets want Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. In an effort to get one of them, Houston made a fascinating trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night to acquire future draft picks originally belonging to the Phoenix Suns. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke a convoluted trade that returns the Nets their own 2026 pick (originally sent to Houston in the James Harden trade) and extinguishes swap rights Houston had on Brooklyn’s 2025 pick in exchange for a package headlined by the Suns’ 2027 pick, which was originally acquired by the Nets in the Kevin Durant trade.

This trade comes on the heels of the Nets trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in a package headlined by five first round draft picks. It’s all happening the night before the 2024 NBA Draft.

Does all of that make sense? Probably not. Here’s how Woj explained it:

Let’s do our best to sum this up:

Nets get: Brooklyn 2026 first round pick, extinguished swap rights on 2025 Brooklyn first round pick

Rockets get: 2027 Suns first round pick, 2025 Suns first round swap rights, 2029 first round pick from Dallas or Phoenix (more favorable), swap rights on 2029 first round pick with Dallas or Phoenix (less favorable)

The Nets’ motivation for doing this deal is obvious: Brooklyn is going all-in on rebuilding, and now has control of its own picks. The Nets are going to tank hard ahead of a loaded 2025 NBA Draft class, and then they’re going to tank again in 2026. Brooklyn is loaded with draft picks.

What’s the Rockets’ motivation for doing this deal? They want Durant or Booker, according to Woj, and believe they can get Phoenix to bite by returning their own draft picks. The Suns are determined to keep Durant and Booker for now and try to win next season, according to Woj. The Rockets are betting they will move off that position eventually. Here are tweets from Woj:

The Rockets also hold the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Is Durant getting traded during the draft on Wednesday night? It seems like a distinct possibility.

This scans as an incredibly bold, borderline reckless trade by Houston. The swap rights for the Nets’ 2025 pick and unprotected ownership of their 2026 pick were incredibly valuable assets. Houston gave those up to fade the Suns. The Rockets are going to be aggressive in trying to trade for an established veteran talent — whether it’s Durant or Booker or someone else.

The NBA is on fire, and the Nets are at the center of it all. Brooklyn’s big swing for Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden blew up into an epic disaster, but the team recovered so well by dealing them all (and the returning assets like Bridges) for future draft picks. The Nets are flushed with draft capital in stronger classes the next few years.

Durant, by the way, turns 36 years old before next season. What a way to start the 24 hours before the draft.

PGA Tour: Sam Burns on wild U.S. Open, Travelers, and putting tips pga,tour,sam,burns,on,wild,u,s,open,travelers,and,putting,tips,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

PGA Tour Sam Burns on wild US Open Travelers and
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Fresh off a solid performance at the U.S. Open, Sam Burns arrives at the Travelers Championship feeling strong about his game, as it is trending in the right direction.

Burns opened the RBC Canadian Open with a 7-under 63 and ultimately tied for 10th. He then tied for 15th at the Memorial, as a 3-over 75 during the second round kept him from threatening Scheffler and others towards the top of the leaderboard. Then, last week at Pinehurst No. 2, Burns closed with a final round 3-under 67, which gave him a back-door top-10 finish.

Yet, the former LSU Tiger did not have that consistency in the weeks prior. Burns missed the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship and did not have his best stuff at Harbour Town. But during that stretch, he and his wife Caroline welcomed a baby boy named Bear on April 22—the same day Scottie Scheffler won the RBC Heritage, which ended with a Monday finish.

His now 8-week-old has kept him busy, and being a new father is never easy. Yet, his son has given him a boost of momentum over the past three weeks.

Now he is back in New England for his fourth tournament in a row, hoping to secure his first PGA Tour title since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Sam Burns at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

SB Nation caught up with Burns to talk about his life and his game ahead of this week’s Travelers Championship—the final Signature Event of the season.

One-on-one with Ryder Cup star Sam Burns:

(Editor’s Note: This conversation has been lightly edited and modified for readability and clarity.)

Playing Through: First question for you: how is your son Bear doing?

Sam Burns: He is great; it’s gone by quickly. He is eight weeks old already, but it’s been nice having him out on the road during the last couple of weeks. They’re here again this week, so it’s been really fun.

PT: Nice! That’s great to hear. You and Scottie Scheffler are obviously really good friends, and you have a similar timeline with your children, too.

Burns: Yeah, we’re actually staying in a house together this week. Did so last week at Pinehurst, and then we got home one day after a round last week, and we’re sitting there holding the babies, and we looked at each other and said, “Wow, life has really changed quickly.”

PT: Being on the road as much as you are, how tough is it to be a new father and still try to compete at the highest level?

Burns: I think when you get out here and get to the golf course, it’s truly like any other job. You are focused on what you are trying to do. You obviously miss being at home with them, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do this week. Been coming out here last few days and just prepare the best I can, then when I get home, its time to change diapers and hold the little one. It’s a little bit different than what I used to do, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

PT: What’s the state of your game right now? You played well at the U.S. Open, how are you feeling?

Burns: Yeah, it was nice to play well there on Sunday. I had been playing well there all week, but anytime you can go bogey-free at a U.S. Open is always a nice thing. My game is feeling better. I’ve played well the last three weeks, and I am excited to tee it up this week.

PT: What clicked for you during that final round 3-under 67?

Burns: I putted well. As the golf course continued to get tougher, I think it was important to figure out where you could leave it around the greens. That was the key thing for us, especially on Sunday. It was difficult to get the ball on the greens, so where you ended up and dealing with what you had in front of you was really important. And we were able to do a really good job of that and manage that.

PT: Did you get a chance to watch the crazy finish?

Burns: By the time I got home, I probably saw the last four holes. Yeah, it was pretty wild to see. Excited for Bryson. He obviously played really well all week. But also tough for Rory. For Rory to finish that way, as a competitor and as a player, you don’t wish that upon anybody. But I know he obviously took it pretty tough—as he should of. But he will bounce back.

Sam Burns, U.S. Open

Sam Burns putts on the 1st green during the third round of the 2024 U.S. Open.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

PT: Speaking of Rory McIlroy, he announced that he will next play at the Genesis Scottish Open. Are you going to play before that somewhere?

Burns: No, I’m actually going to take three weeks off after the Travelers, which will be great. (Burns will next play at The Open at Royal Troon, which begins Jul. 18.)

PT: This golf course, at least from my understanding, is a ball-strikers course. You have to be precise. It’s not a bomber’s course, and you must have your short game. So what do you make of TPC River Highlands?

Burns: I think with a couple of the changes that they made—the first time I saw them was on Tuesday—so I think the changes were good. They made the holes better. On 12, they took away being able to hit to the bottom of the fairway, which puts the bunkers more in play. Yeah I think the changes they made were good changes. They made the green on 11 a little bit smaller. So yeah you have to be precise with your irons. You also have to drive it well to set yourself up, but it’s all about getting good looks on the greens.

PT: Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the Travelers Championship will be another Signature Event in 2025.

Burns: Awesome!

PT: From what we have heard from players, this is one of the favorite stops on tour, correct?

Burns: For sure. I love coming up here every year. Last year, I unfortunately had to miss it for a buddy’s wedding. But I always love coming up here. The fans are incredible, the community supports this event like no other. I also love going to eat some pizza at Sally’s in New Haven. We went there last night, it was awesome. But yes, this is always one of my favorites to come to.

PT: And then the Ryder Cup last year, how cool of an experience was that?

Burns: It was incredible. I wish the result would have been different, but an incredible experience. Going to play in Italy was extremely fun.

Sam Burns, Rory McIlroy, 2023 Ryder Cup

Sam Burns squared off against Rory McIlroy in Sunday Singles at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images

PT: Is there a lesson or takeaway from Marco Simone that you had and have applied to this year?

Burns: A little bit. I think playing over there is a lot different. I played a President’s Cup in the U.S., but that was a lot different—especially with how it feels. Over there, you expect everyone to root against you and that’s exactly what we felt. But it was really fun.

PT: You are such a great putter. Do you have any advice for amateur players on the putting greens?

Burns: A lot of times, from what I see with amateurs and putting, you know, in the Pro-Ams, they are always asking me to read putts for them and give them a line. But I am thinking, ‘You know I have seen you hit the last three putts, if I read this putt for you, it’s not going to help because you are either going to hit six feet short or six feet long.’ So the biggest thing is the speed. You see a lot of amateurs three and four-putt, mostly due to speed control. I think if you can take even five or 10 minutes before your round or after your round, and spend time hitting 20 footers, that will help. You want to try and get to within that three-foot circle. The make percentage from 20 feet is already pretty low. You see, guys try to make these 20-footers, and they ram it 10 feet past the hole, and they have a slippery putt coming back. You may get lucky one time, but you are losing strokes more often than not. When you hit it that hard, the hole becomes that much smaller, too. So speed control is big and amateurs should focus on that more than anything.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.