Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Nelson’s death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached.
Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.
Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.
His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.
Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.
In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.
Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.
At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.
Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.
The NBA community is mourning the death of Hall of Fame player and coach Don Nelson.
Nelson, who won five championships as a member of the Boston Celtics and then became one of the sport's winningest coaches, died Sunday, Aug. 9, at the age of 86.
The Warriors issued a statement on their official Instagram account calling Nelson "an iconic figure in Warriors history" for his 11 seasons with Golden State.
"He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking," the post read, in part. "His approach helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed."
Steph Curry on Nelson
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry only played for Nelson for one season, but said he was "one of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors."
“The story is he never liked rookies," Curry said in a statement, "but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court ...
"He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”
Dirk Nowitzki flourished under Nelson
As general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, Nelson was the driving force behind the draft-day trade in 1998 that brought Dirk Nowitzki to the Mavs.
He went on to a Hall of Fame career, spending every one of his 21 seasons in a Mavericks uniform.
"Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me," Nowitzki posted on X. "You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game."
Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
UNITED STATES - APRIL 15: Basketball: Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson in huddle with team during game vs Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas, TX 4/15/1999 (Photo by David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X57707)
He will be remembered around the DFW area as a Dallas Mavericks coaching and front office legend, but as large as his presence loomed over the franchise he guided from utter dormancy to perennial power, the basketball moments Don Nelson authored outside of his time with the Mavericks will be remembered as his most lasting and impactful.
Nelson passed away at age 86 on Sunday. At the time of his passing, Nelson had been living full-time on Maui, Hawaii, specifically in a home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Kihei. He had come a long way from Muskegon, Mich., where he was born on May 15, 1940, but his mileage in the game of basketball is rivaled only by an elite few. And he’d hate for his name to be mentioned in a sentence also occupied by the word “elite.”
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Hall of Famer Don Nelson, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five times a champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died at age 86.
The family has issued this statement:
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson… pic.twitter.com/MkDMNugYcu
Nelson will be remembered as an innovator and a maverick, befitting the name of the franchise he coached from 1997-2005, a giant of the game he spent his life dedicated to and a fun-loving, unforgettable figure. He advocated for wildfire relief in Maui and for cannabis reform outside the game.
“People thought I was a mad scientist,” Nelson said in 2025 after receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the NBA Coaches Association. “They may have been right.”
He arrived in Dallas in 1997, taking on the tall task of revitalizing a stagnant Mavericks franchise. He immediately jettisoned Oliver Miller, the overweight and chronically unhappy center. The brand of “Nellie Ball” he would introduce Mavericks fans to over the next nine seasons would help usher in a new, fast-paced style of play that coincided with the game’s growing globalization.
“I read where Miller said he doesn’t care anymore, and I don’t want people like that around,” Nelson said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t want anybody on my basketball team who doesn’t care.”
He was already the sixth-winningest NBA head coach ever when he came to Dallas, after being fired by the New York Knicks the year prior. He replaced Jim Cleamons as head coach late in the 1996-97 campaign.
“I thought I would be coming back to the NBA as a coach,” he told the Times. “Not many of these [general manager] jobs open up. I’m as surprised as anyone here.”
Nelson continued to surprise us all throughout his tenure as the Mavs’ coach and GM.
His first two seasons with the Mavericks were not successful, perhaps even steps back from the team’s 24-58 record in 1996-97, but as Dirk Nowitzki began to develop into the game-changing star that Mavs fans would come to know and love, Nelson’s stock, and his team’s, began to soar.
Nowitzki would go on to score 20.7 points and pull down 7.5 rebounds per game over his 21-year career with the Mavs, earning MVP honors for the 2006-07 season and leading the franchise to its first and only championship in 2011. Nowitzki posted his remembrance on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday afternoon, saying:
“I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything.”
Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
The Mavs went 40-42 in 1999-2000, then embarked on an 11-year run of 50 wins or more, the first five of which came under Nelson’s tutelage. His son and future Mavericks’ GM Donnie Nelson is credited with initially scouting and “discovering” the otherworldly talent hiding in Wurtzburg, Germany, and Don and Donnie did their best to hide Nowitzki’s raw, game-changing talent from other front offices early on in that process.
Don Nelson watched Nowitzki train for the first time at the Downtown Dallas YMCA, leading Nelson to call the future star “the most unbelievable young player” he had ever seen. He literally hid the teenage Nowitzki in his basement for a time before Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall by the team in 1998.
Nelson was also integral in point guard Steve Nash’s development. Nowitzki and Nash would lead the Mavericks to 57 wins in 2001-02 and 60 more the next year. Dallas would lose in the Western Conference Finals both seasons before Nash departed for Phoenix in the summer of 2004. Nash would go on to win NBA MVP honors in both 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Outside of his time with the Mavericks, Nelson will be remembered for scoring a Game 7-securing insurance bucket in the 1969 NBA Finals, when he played for Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtics. His shot from near the right elbow bounced high off the back of the rim and straight in, as if guided through the net by the basketball gods. It will be forever remembered as one of the biggest moments in late-game championship history.
“[Auerbach] called me up and said, ‘What do you think about Nelson?’” Tommy Heinsohn, Basketball Hall of Famer in the class of 1986 and Auerbach’s assistant, said. “I said, ‘This guy is slower than the turtle. But I’m going to tell you something, Red. He is a terrific offensive player. He can score.‘”
He would go on to win five championships as a player and three NBA Coach of the Year titles during his 31 seasons roaming the sidelines. Including his 14-year playing career, he spent 45 years in the professional game. He was a titan among titans. An icon who left an ever-lasting impact on every franchise he touched, from his start in Boston to his late coaching run with the Golden State Warriors, where he led the eight-seeded “We Believe” bunch to a first-round playoff win over his former team, the Mavericks, in the 2006-07 playoffs.
The Mavericks won 67 games that regular season, but that old rascal lovingly known as Nellie knew a little something about how to bring down the team he had built into the best in the West.
He finished his coaching career with 1,335 coaching wins, which at the time of his retirement in 2010 was the most all-time. His 79 ejections during his 31-year coaching career are an unofficial record as well. You could never accuse Nelson of not caring.
Nelson made 18 playoff appearances as a coach, finishing with a 75-91 postseason record. San Antonio Spurs coaching legend Gregg Popovich passed his regular-season mark in 2022, and Popovich’s 1,390 still stands today.
The Nelson Family has also announced that there will be a celebration of life in tribute to Don Nelson on Thursday, Aug. 13, at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. An ashes ceremony in Maui for friends and family will be confirmed at a future date, according to Stein.
The Nelson Family has also announced that there will be a Celebration of Life in tribute to Don Nelson on Thursday (Aug.13) at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
An ashes ceremony in Maui for friends and family will be confirmed at a future date.
Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont released a statement shortly after the initial reports of Nelson’s passing, saying:
“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations. Nellie helped transform this franchise, bringing an innovative spirit, a belief in doing things differently and, most importantly, a winning culture to Dallas. His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today.
“On behalf of the entire Mavericks organization, our thoughts are with Don’s family, friends, former players and coaches, and the many people whose lives he touched. We are grateful for all he gave to the Mavericks and to the game he loved.”
Rest easy, Coach Nelson. The game you loved with every ounce of your soul mourns your loss today.
And now, he’s ante’d up at the Great Card Game in the Sky.
1999: Head Coach Don Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks shares a light moment with Mavericks rookie star forward Dirk Nowitzki during an NBA game circa 1999. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1999 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors cracks a smile during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 12, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers won 124-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA world lost one of its greats on Sunday, as Hall of Famer Don Nelson has passed away at the age of 86. His family announced the news, saying, “On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson was a legendary figure with the Golden State Warriors and numerous other teams. After a collegiate career at Iowa, Nelson played briefly with the Chicago Zephyrs and Los Angeles Lakers before cementing his legacy with an 11-year tenure on the Boston Celtics, in which he won five NBA championships and had his No. 19 jersey retired.
In his first year after hanging up his sneakers, Nelson worked as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, but was promoted to head coach just 18 games into the season. A year later, he took on double duty as both coach and general manager, and held both roles for more than a decade. He resigned in 1988 due to fractured relationship with Milwaukee’s owner.
That led to Nellie’s first stint with the Warriors. He took over as Golden State’s head coach in 1988, and coached for six seasons before resigning in February of 1995. With the Warriors, Nelson formed the famous Run TMC era, as Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin became a fast-paced, free-wheeling, highly-entertaining trio.
After a brief stint coaching the New York Knicks, and eight years at the helm of the Dallas Mavericks, Nellie returned to the Warriors for the 2006-07 season. In his first year back in the Bay Area, Nelson formed built the deeply entertaining We Believe Warriors squad, when the eighth-seeded Dubs shocked the top-seeded Mavericks for one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.
Nelson continued coaching the Warriors through the 2009-10 season, which was Steph Curry’s rookie year, before resigning. It has been reported that Nelson was one of the strongest voices advocating for the Warriors to draft Curry, while many had questions about the future superstar’s ability to survive against the size and physicality of the NBA.
That was Nelson’s final year in the NBA, after which he retired to Maui where he was known for his celebrity-filled poker games and his marijuana farm.
Nelson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, finished his playing career with 10,898 points and five rings, and his coaching career with a 1,335-1,063 record, 18 playoff appearances, and three Coach of the Year honors (including in 1992 with the Warriors).
As the National Hockey League enters the second month of free agency, a number of former Buffalo Sabres still remain unsigned. At this point of the offseason, players who have not latched on with an NHL club might consider playing in Europe, or taking a short-term deal or professional tryout to earn a one-year deal.
A player who has been well-travelled since entering the league in 2014 is center Curtis Lazar. A 2013 first round pick of the Ottawa Senators, the Salmon Arm, BC native Kitchener, ON native played 2 ½ seasons in Canada’s capital before being dealt to Calgary in March 2017. After playing a full season with the Flames, Lazar spent nearly all of the 2018-19 season in the AHL, and he signed with the Sabres in the summer of 2019.
Who had the best and worst offseasons in the Atlantic Division?
The versatile depth forward split time between AHL Rochester and Buffalo in the COVID-shortened campaign and 33 games in 2020-21 before being dealt allong with Taylor Hall to Boston. Since then, Lazar has made stops in Vancouver, New Jersey, and Edmonton, where he played 45 games last regular season and five games in the playoffs.
Outlook: At this point in the summer, and at this point in Lazar’s career, it is more likely that the 31-year-old, if he wants to play for an eighth NHL club, will have to open to accepting a professional tryout.
It's been more than 25 years since the Ottawa Senators traded Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders in one of the most important deals in franchise history.
Yashin was the Senators' first real star in the 1990s, and still the only player in team history to be nominated for the Hart Trophy.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss how the Senators now keep a much tighter lid on trade or signing information than they did just a few years ago..
But after many seasons of discontent, which included contract complaints, holdouts and claims of broken promises, the Senators, just as they did this summer, traded away their team captain.
And incredibly, it's a trade that still has a chance to pay dividends today.
On June 23, 2001, the Senators sent Yashin to the Islanders in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft.
Later that day, the Sens used that #2 pick to select Jason Spezza.
Chara emerged as one of the NHL's top defencemen during his four seasons in Ottawa, while Spezza developed into one of the most talented offensive players in franchise history.
Chara eventually left Ottawa as a free agent in 2006, and Muckalt spent just one season here, so two of the three branches of the Yashin trade tree came to an end a long time ago.
But the Spezza branch is still alive.
Spezza played 11 excellent seasons with the Senators, scoring 251 goals and 687 points in 686 regular-season games. He still ranks second all-time in Sens scoring.
In the summer of 2014, in the proud tradition of Sens captains wanting out, Spezza requested a trade, and Bryan Murray sent him to the Dallas Stars.
The Senators received Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a 2015 second-round draft pick.
That created four new branches on the Yashin trade tree.
Three eventually came to an end.
Chiasson spent two seasons in Ottawa before being traded to Calgary for Patrick Sieloff, who's best known for clobbering a recovering Clarke MacArthur in a preseason scrimmage. The Senators later flipped Sieloff to Anaheim for Brian Gibbons, who had 14 points in 20 games for the Sens before leaving as a free agent that summer.
Guptill was included in a multi-player trade with Buffalo in 2016 that brought Phil Varone, Jason Akeson and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc to Ottawa. It was strictly a minor league deal that never yielded another asset to the Senators.
The 2015 second-round pick acquired from Dallas also took an interesting path.
Ottawa packaged the 42nd overall selection with another pick to move up to No. 36 in the 2015 draft, where the Senators selected Gabriel Gagne.
Gagne was eventually traded to Toronto in 2019 for former first-rounder Morgan Klimchuk. Klimchuk played one full season in Belleville, then retired at 25.
That left Nick Paul, the fourth and final branch. Teammates would often say, "Nicky Paul does it all," and that apparently included nursing trade trees back to life.
The tree could have easily died at any point when the Sens exposed Paul to waivers on three separate occasions, but he went unclaimed and eventually became a very solid middle-six forward for the Senators.
In a trade that certainly hasn't aged well for Ottawa, the Sens deal Paul to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2022 trade deadline for Mathieu Joseph and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Joseph spent two more full seasons with the Senators before Ottawa traded him to St. Louis in 2024 along with a third-round sweetener just to free up some cap room for some big changes in Ottawa that summer.
That ended the Joseph portion of the tree.
But there was still that 2024 fourth-round pick, a single remaining bud.
The Sens used it to select winger Blake Montgomery, and he's the sole reason why a trade tree that sprouted in 2001 is still alive today.
After falling in the NCAA Final with Wisconsin, the 21-year-old joined the pro ranks late last season, signing his entry-level contract and getting into three games with Belleville.
So, in a nutshell (I've decided the tree has nuts), the history of the Spezza branch looks like this:
Alexei Yashin → 2001 No. 2 pick → Jason Spezza → Nick Paul → 2024 fourth-round pick → Blake Montgomery.
It's one of the more intriguing trade trees in Senators history, and whether it ends with Montgomery or not remains to be seen.
Philadelphia was the biggest winner this offseason — landing Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to go with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid — and with that, there are already a lot of news and rumors around the team heading into the season. Here are a few.
Brown threw phone when told of trade
Jaylen Brown is excited to be a 76er and chase a ring in Philadelphia.
That was not his initial reaction. Brown was drafted by Boston, won a championship there and had invested his time and money in the community. He didn't just show up to collect a paycheck. So, unsurprisingly, when he talked at his introductory press conference about getting the call that told him he was traded, he described frustration, with the quote via Noah Levick at NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"When I first (learned) I got traded, I just threw my phone across the room," he said with a laugh... "I think Maxey reached out to me first. He reached out and was like, 'I know it's a lot of stuff going on right now, but we're excited to have you.'"...
"There's been a lot of emotions," he said. "It's been a process. To be honest, I'm still processing to some degree. One, the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy. And then also leaving somewhere that you've been for a very, very long time."
One thing that will help with that will be workouts with teammates in the coming weeks, and eventually the start of training camp.
LeBron the connector
The expectation is that LeBron James will be the "point guard" for Philadelphia this season, although the better way to describe that may be that he will be the one initiating the offense.
"LeBron's a connector. That's the one thing about him. He fits every role you possibly can. He's gonna elevate everyone in the whole building...
"When LeBron was maybe a possibility, I went back and watched some of the Olympic tape with [Embiid] and LeBron. Those two played pretty well together. We have so many different options. Any given night anyone can be the guy. So I think once we get clicking and get gelling, it's gonna be fun to watch."
Gansey also was honest about needing the first domino to fall before LeBron would come.
"Without getting Jaylen, I don't think we get LeBron."
Veterans want to get in
The 76ers have 14 players on the roster heading into training camp, and that's likely where things will stay. Philadelphia is hard-capped at the first apron and is $1.8 million below that number as it stands, meaning they can't add even a veteran minimum deal right now.
Still, a couple of veterans are throwing their hats in the ring.
"Though the 6-foot-10 Love and James have remained close since teaming up for four seasons with the Cavaliers and even vacationed extensively together this summer, that bond doesn't necessarily mean there will be a roster spot for the former five-time All-Star by training camp."
Markieff Morris says that roster spot should be his.
Shiddd if it’s anybody getting that last Vet roster spot it’s gonna be me! Philly raised!!! https://t.co/QZPs25JKVR
Again, Philly would have to waive Jabari Walker, who is just partially guaranteed (that's not happening), or trade a player to have the cap space to sign anyone. Don't bet on it. This is the roster entering the season.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 02: Wyatt Mills #58 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Playing some catch-up on roster moves in a busy week, we had resolution for three players were designated for assignment by the Dodgers in the last week.
Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment on Monday when the Dodgers needed to clear 40-man roster space after a flurry of trade deadline deals. On Thursday the right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals, who simultaneously optioned Mills to Triple-A Rochester.
The 31-year-old Mills pitched in six games for the Dodgers this season, his first time in the majors since 2022, after Tommy John surgery wiped out 2023 and 2024.
“A long road, it’s never a guarantee that you get fully healthy after that,” Mills told me after his call-up in May. “So it was more like a deep breath, kind of peaceful. I felt calm. I put in a lot of work, and my confidence came from that.”
Mills struggled in his stints with the Dodgers, with nine walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, with five runs allowed, four of them earned. He had a 2.41 ERA and six saves in 33 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City with 52 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 1/3 innings.
Oklahoma City got a battery back this week after two more players were designated for assignment.
Cole Irvin, who pitched six bulk innings in a reset game at Dodger Stadium on July 31, got designated for assignment one day later. He cleared waivers an was sent outright to Triple-A on August 3. He started and won again for the Comets on Friday night in Salt Lake.
Robinson cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on Friday. The 31-year-old is hitting .229/.333/.440 in 126 plate appearances for Oklahoma City this season, with 32 games started behind the plate.
MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 21: Jonah Bride of the Texas Rangers bats during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on February 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers today purchased the contract of infielder Jonah Bride, the team announced today. To make room for Bride on the active roster, the Rangers optioned outfielder Alejandro Osuna to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Bride on the 40 man roster, the Rangers transferred pitcher Jake Leiter from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.
Bride is a 30 year old who played for Skip Schumaker in Miami in 2024, when he had a career best season, slashing .276/.357/.461 while playing first, second and third base. He has an overall career .221/.311/.313 line, however, which is why he signed a minor league deal with the Rangers this past offseason and has spent the year at Round Rock.
Bride’s overall slash line for Round Rock is a rather pedestrian .282/.401/.425 in 431 plate appearances this season. However, he has put up a very impressive .388/.473/.669 slash line against lefthanded pitchers, which is why the Rangers, who are kind of desperate for a righthanded bench bat, have brought him up. Interestingly, Bride has reverse splits in the majors for his career, slashing .194/.295/.228 against lefties in 272 plate appearances in the bigs, against .238/.321/.367 against righthanded pitchers.
Osuna has played sparingly as of late, getting just one start in the month of April and mainly being used for pinch hitting duties. He’s not a good fit for the roster, as currently constructed, given that he’s a lefthanded hitting outfielder on the bench, and the Rangers need a righthanded hitting bench outfielder, not a lefthanded hitting one. It seems like this might have been an area the team would have wanted to try to address at the deadline, were it not for the fact that Ray Davis is apparently claiming that the team is po’ like Kenny’s family.
Bride will presumably fill in until Josh Jung returns, assuming Jung does return at some point this season.
The move of Leiter to the 60 day injured list is purely procedural in nature, given that he’s spent close to 60 days on the injured list so far on this stint. He still would seem to be on track to return sometime in late-August or early-September.
Jul 29, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After playing poorly in two straight losses, the Phillies will try to salvage the third game of their Alumni Weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jesus Luzardo gets the start for the Phillies. The lefty is 10-5 with a 3.36 ERA.
Rangers have rejected an offer for striker Youssef Chermiti, with manager Derek McInnes confirming that it did not meet the Scottish Premiership club's valuation.
The 22-year-old striker, who went off injured after starting Saturday's match at home to Hibernian, joined the Ibrox club from Everton in September 2025 as he reportedly became their most expensive purchase since Tore Andre Flo in 2000.
"I'm led to believe the club's valuation of the player hasn't been met," McInnes told BBC Scotland when asked about reports that Turkish champions Galatasaray were the bidders.
"So, from our point of view, like everything else, when you get clubs looking at your players, it's business as you were."
Chermiti, capped at under-21 level by Portugal, has made 43 Rangers appearances, 30 of them starts, scoring 15 goals.
"It's no surprise that he's a player who's got a big tag on him and he's got high potential, but thankfully he's our player and that will continue to be the case," McInnes said.
"We're trying to build a team here at the minute and we're trying to still bring additions to the team that helps us add to the good players that we've got, including Youssef.
"So it's not something we would encourage at any point and, as I say, obviously news has broken today, but we're just trying to concentrate on the game today."
Rangers have made nine signings already this summer after the arrival of McInnes from Heart of Midlothian and he is hoping to add more.
"We've got a few bids in for several players and a few things are ongoing at the minute, but everything else, ideally a lot of these things would have came to fruition a wee bit quicker," he added.
"But hopefully, if there is any news to tell, it'll be in the upcoming days on a few of our targets."
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Andrés Chaparro #87 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Abimelec Ortiz #81 after scoring in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park on August 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After that brutal road trip, these last two wins have been a massive boost for the Nats. Now they will look for only their second sweep of the season this afternoon against the Reds. The only other sweep was against another NL Central team in the Brewers, so maybe that is a good luck charm.
The Nats actually have the same 9 players in the lineup today. However, the order is mixed up a bit. Jose Tena will be up in the 3 spot, while Dylan Crews moves down to the 5 hole. Keibert Ruiz will also move down in the order. The Nats have a bullpen game today which will be started by Brad Lord, but all hands are on deck.
The Reds are making a couple changes with a righty opener on the mound. Hector Rodriguez will return to the lineup. Tyler Stephenson will also be the catcher in this one. Left handed JJ Bleday will move up in the lineup while righties like Eugenio Suarez and Dane Myers will move down. The veteran sinkerballer Brady Singer is on the bump.
Getting a sweep would be a major statement for the Nats. It would show that this team has no plans of fading into oblivion. The Wild Card is a real long shot now, but with a real winning streak you never know. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
After 11 seasons and stops with five different NHL teams, the former Vegas Golden Knights forward appears ready to close out his professional career where his hockey journey began.
Nosek has signed with HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga in recent weeks, returning to his hometown club after more than a decade in North America.
For Golden Knights fans, Nosek will always have a special place in the franchise's early history. He joined Vegas for its inaugural 2017-18 season and spent four seasons with the Golden Knights, appearing in 240 games and recording 31 goals, 34 assists and 65 points.
Nosek as a member of the Golden Knights during a 2021 game against the Montreal Canadiens. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
Nosek was never expected to be a star in Vegas, but he became a reliable part of the team's bottom six and played 240 games for a franchise that was still establishing its identity. He brought size, versatility and a willingness to do the less glamorous work that comes with playing a depth role in the NHL.
After his time with the Golden Knights, Nosek continued his career with several other NHL clubs before eventually landing with the Florida Panthers.
His final two NHL seasons couldn't have ended much better.
Nosek helped Florida win the Stanley Cup during the 2024-25 season, appearing in 16 playoff games and recording three assists while throwing 44 hits during the Panthers' championship run.
He returned for one more NHL season in 2025-26, appearing in 21 games and finishing with two goals and two assists for four points.
Now, at 33 years old, Nosek is heading home.
A native of Pardubice, Nosek joined HC Dynamo Pardubice's system in 2007, beginning with the club's U18 team. Nearly two decades later, he's returning to the organization as a Stanley Cup champion and a veteran of 11 NHL seasons.
It's a fitting ending for a player who never forgot where he came from.
When Nosek got his day with the Stanley Cup following Florida's championship, he made sure to bring it back to Pardubice. He visited his childhood rink and former high school before eventually sharing the trophy with thousands of people in the city's historic Pernštýnské Square.
Now, after playing for five NHL teams, winning a Stanley Cup and building a career that lasted 11 seasons in the world's best hockey league, Nosek appears ready for one final chapter in his hometown.
And if this is indeed the end of the road, he couldn't have picked a better place to finish it.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 01: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run in the fourth inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on August 1, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The stage is set as the Atlanta Braves look to avoid a sweep against the New York Yankees.
Let’s take a look at the lineups.
Dominic Smith has returned to DH for the Braves and is batting in the sixth spot. Other than that, the lineup replicates yesterday’s. The bat power is expected (or hoped) to show up in a big way today with Grant Holmes on the mound, but the Braves will have to strike while the iron is hot and get a head start in setting the tone.
Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisolm Jr. have been added back to the Yankees lineup. McMahon averages a 1.500 OPS against Holmes and a .400 batting average, while Luis García Jr. averages an OPS of 1.300.
Cam Schlittler, who will be leading the Yankees on the mound, is no joke and will be looking to bounce back from his off outing against St. Louis. The Braves are just looking for a win before they return home to face their division rivals, who also happen to be right across the subway.
A sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals may well be the last final final last death knell for the 2026 Cincinnati Reds season. The Nats found a way to beat even Chase Burns on Saturday in yet another game where the Reds offense failed to show up, and now the Reds are once again on the cusp of falling 5 games under the .500 mark and too far buried in the National League Wild Card standings to even make looking at them an enjoyable exercise in conjuring miracles.
Brady Singer gets the start for the Reds in Sunday’s series finale opposite Washington opener Brad Lord, who won’t be on the mound for long. First pitch is slated to be Lord-chucked at an early 12:15 PM ET, so I hope you got up and got your coffee in ya early this fine morning.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin this one:
