ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 21: Jakob Junis #16 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Field on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for May 11, 2026 against the Arizona Diamondbacks: starting pitchers are Jakob Junis for the Rangers and Michael Soroka for the D-Backs.
The Rangers, who haven’t allowed a run since the seventh inning of Friday’s game, find their scoreless streak in greater jeopardy now that Nathan Eovaldi has been scratched. Texas is going with a bullpen game fronted by Jakob Junis. Cal Quantrill, the long man — and also the last Ranger pitcher to give up a run — threw 70 pitches on Friday, so he’s likely unavailable.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Duran — 2B
Seager — SS
Jung — 3B
Carter — CF
Pederson — DH
Osuna — 1B
Higashioka — C
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -126 favorites.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Detroit Pistons in Game 4. The Cavs won Game 3 after the Pistons took the first two games in Detroit. Cleveland is favored by 3.5 points. The over/under is set at 213.5.
How to watch Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Moneyline: Cleveland Cavaliers -167 (60.0%) / Detroit Pistons +140 (40.0%)
Over/Under: 213.5Series schedule, results
Game 1:Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101 Game 2:Pistons 107, Cavaliers 97 Game 3:Cavaliers 116, Pistons 109 Game 4: Detroit at Cleveland (Monday May 11, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 5: Cleveland at Detroit (Wednesday May 13) Game 6: Detroit at Cleveland (Friday May 15)* Game 7: Cleveland at Detroit (Sunday May 17)*
The Los Angeles Lakers face elimination in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. A loss will usher in an offseason full of questions surrounding LeBron James' future — not only with the Lakers, but in the NBA.
With a loss tonight, will LeBron James retire before the 2026-27 season?
Will LeBron James retire?
Traders at Kalshi, one of our best prediction market apps, are giving LeBron James a 25.6% chance of retiring before the 2026-27 season entering tonight's Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The market has drawn $384,485 since it opened on June 14. James was initially given an 11% chance of retiring before the 2026-27 campaign. It peaked at a high of 46% in mid-January but has dipped again, as LeBron has averaged 23.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game across nine games this postseason.
A loss would see LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers fail to make the third round of the playoffs for a third straight year.
Percentages courtesy of Kalshi.
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LeBron James' contract
LeBron James is in the final year of a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers that carries a $59.5-million cap hit this season, according to Spotrac. The 22-year NBA veteran has reportedly not yet made any decisions on his playing future. LeBron's son Bronny James averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 assists, and 0.5 rebounds per game over 42 games in the regular season, and has averaged 5.3 minutes per game in the playoffs. Bryce James took a redshirt year as a freshman at Arizona.
How old is LeBron James?
LeBron James, in his 22nd NBA season, is 41 years old, and will turn 42 in December. The first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft played at least 45 regular-season games each year of his career. He played 60 games this season and hasn't missed a playoff game against either the Houston Rockets or Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prediction
Yes, if the Los Angeles Lakers lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 tonight — as Douglas Farmer expects in his Thunder vs. Lakers prediction for Game 4 —I believe LeBron James will retire.
Despite several NBA teams likely to have interest in pursuing James as a free agent this offseason — including the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and potentially the Los Angeles Clippers — I firmly expect James to call it quits before next season.
A $100 investment on James to retire at a Yes price of 26 cents at Kalshi would return a profit of $285.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
René Cárdenas waves to the crowd as he is inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame on Aug. 17, 2024. (Kevin M. Cox / Associated Press)
René Cárdenas, the first radio announcer to broadcast major league baseball games in Spanish to a domestic audience while with the Dodgers and who helped start Spanish-language broadcasts for two other teams, died Sunday in Houston. He was 96.
The Dodgers announced his death Sunday night, noting his 21 years — over two stints — with the team starting in 1958. The broadcasting pioneer also served as the Houston Astros' first Spanish-language announcer starting in 1962.
Cárdenas called games for 38 seasons with the Dodgers, Astros and Texas Rangers and paved the way for Jaime Jarrín, who joined the broadcast team in 1959 and served as the Dodgers' broadcaster for 64 seasons.
"He was indisputably one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball radio broadcasting, and he opened the door for other broadcasters to reach the major leagues," Jarrín told The Times in Spanish on Monday morning. "He was a total professional, truly."
Cárdenas was born on Feb. 6, 1930, in Managua, Nicaragua. His grandfather, Adan Cárdenas, was president of the country from 1883 to1887 and is recognized for introducing baseball to Nicaragua in the late 19th century while his uncle, Adolfo, played on the first national team.
But Cárdenas became more adept at describing the action and before he left high school, he was not only writing for La Prensa, Nicaragua’s leading newspaper, but also broadcasting games for Radio Mundial, the capital city’s top-ranked station.
“He had a very original style,” Edgard Tijerino, a Nicaraguan sports journalist, told The Times' Kevin Baxter in 1995. “It was a way of broadcasting that nobody here in Nicaragua had. The people of my generation remember him with fondness and still value the work he did.”
When the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn ahead of the 1958 season, they partnered with KWKW-AM (1330), the only Spanish-language radio station in L.A. at the time, to broadcast the games in Spanish. Cárdenas was hired as the lead play-by-play announcer while Jarrín shadowed him that first season before settling in as the No. 2 announcer. During that time, Cárdenas was part of the first Spanish broadcast of the World Series in 1959 and the All-Star Game in 1961.
Before the 1962 season, Cárdenas moved on to serve as the lead play-by-play announcer for Houston's new team, then known as the Colt .45s. He chronicled the team's first 14 seasons, during which the team moved into the Astrodome and were renamed the Astros in 1965.
Cárdenas returned to Nicaragua in the late 1970s to live in semi-retirement, but political unrest in the country, in the form of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, forced him to flee and eventually return to the United States. The rebels’ final push to victory would take them right past the front door of Cardenas’ three-quarter-acre hacienda.
“They were fighting around my house every night. We used to go under the bed every single night for months,” Cárdenas told The Times in 1995. “We were in a war without being soldiers.”
Cárdenas, who became a U.S. citizen in 1963, had his house, life savings and many priceless mementos from his broadcasting career seized.
After working with Texas Rangers, Cárdenas returned to the Dodgers for the 1982 season. By this point, Jarrín was firmly in place as the team's lead Spanish-language play-by-play announcer — particularly in the wake of Fernandomania the season before, when Jarrín's profile was raised as Fernando Valenzuela's interpreter during his media interviews.
"It was explained to him by our producer, 'You can't come back as the No. 1 announcer because Jaime is established, he has many years as the lead announcer and he is beloved by the community,'" Jarrín said Monday. "René said, 'I don't care, I'll come back as the No. 2 with Jaime. I just want to come back to the game of baseball.' He was determined to return to the Dodgers.
"It was during that time that we established a close-knit friendship and we were well-received by the community as a broadcast duo."
Cárdenas worked with the Dodgers through the 1998 season and moved back to Houston, where he wrote for multiple outlets and then broadcast Astros games on the radio in 2007 and on TV in 2008, setting another first at the time: the only MLB team with a standalone Spanish-language broadcast featuring dedicated cameras and Spanish-language graphics separate from the English-language broadcast.
Fifty years after his first broadcast with the Dodgers, Cárdenas remained a pioneer.
He was nominated several times for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award, including last year, but did not receive enough votes for induction. He is in the Nicaragua Baseball Hall of Fame, the Broadcasters Wing of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame and in the Astros' team hall of fame.
"I think what hindered him was that he didn't fully establish himself with the Dodgers," Jarrín, one of three Latino broadcasters in the Baseball Hall of Fame, said of Cárdenas' chances of enshrinement. "He was away for many years. So that lack of continuity may have hindered him, possibly. Because professionally, he is deserving of being in the Hall. I would love it if he got inducted posthumously because he was a broadcasting pioneer and a true professional."
Sunday night’s duel between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres wasn’t for the faint-hearted. There were big hits, elbows, punches, and stick whacks. It wasn’t pretty, unless of course you're into that kind of hockey, in which case, you probably loved it. Still, the deeper we got into the game and the more frequent the incidents became, which makes sense given how much of a one-sided affair it was becoming.
There was, however, one moment that prompted a collective horrified gasp from the filled to the rafters Bell Center, the moment when Beck Malenstyn collided at full speed with Jakub Dobes. By that time, the score was 3-1 Montreal, and the Sabres were seriously feeling the pressure. When Malenstyn battled with Zach Bolduc to reach the net, he saw an opportunity to get to Jakub Dobes, to shake him up and get him off his game. The jump right before the impact, as well, made it look like the Sabres forward might have been a WWE in a previous life, as if he was jumping off the third rope for a flying elbow.
Somehow, that play only led to a two-minute goalie interference call, and while the Canadiens took advantage of that opportunity to make it 4-1, that moment in the game, that hit on Dobes, will not be forgotten or forgiven. On Monday afternoon, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Malenstyn had been fined $3,515.63, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the play. That’s a slap on the wrist considering how disastrous that incident could have been for the Canadiens. Habs fans will remember all too well what kind of effect an injury to a team’s number one goaltender can have in the playoffs; some still have nightmares about the Carey Price-Chris Kreider incident.
Chris Kreider Bowls into Carey Price https://t.co/pfmivWN40p via @YouTube Remember this. They will try to do it again to Dobes.
Malenstyn wasn’t the only one to be fined on Monday afternoon. Arber Xhekaj also encountered “the wrath” of the Department of Player Safety for roughing Sam Carrick in the dying seconds of the game. At 19:56, there was a melee in the corner, and Alex Carrier was outnumbered by two Sabres. The gritty defenseman intervened and pulled Carrick off Carrier, then proceeded to give him one punch to the jaw, which sent him down to the ice. It will be interesting to see if a Sabres player will dare try to “keep Xhekaj accountable.” Just like Malenstyn, the rugged defenseman was fined $3,385.42.
Delhi Capitals rode on blistering half-centuries from skipper Axar Patel and David Miller to mount a record chase and keep their qualification hopes alive following a stirring three-wicket victory over Punjab Kings on Monday.
Just eight days earlier, the potential of these Philadelphia 76ers was on full display — they had vanquished their heated rivals from Boston in seven games, sending the Eastern Conference betting favorites home for the summer. The young backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe had been fantastic, Paul George was healthy and making big contributions, and a dominant Joel Embiid in the paint made the difference. The vibes could not have been better.
Sunday, the vibes around the 76ers could not have been much worse after they were dominated by the Knicks and swept out of the playoffs. Philadelphia lost the four games in the series by an average of 22.5 points per game (including an ugly 30-point blowout in Game 4 that felt over after the first quarter). Joel Embiid missed a game due to injury and could not push around the Knicks frontcourt like he did the Celtics, and when the Maxey/Edgecombe backcourt was off, as it was in Game 4, things fell apart fast.
The jobs of Morey and head coach Nick Nurse are expected to be evaluated entering the offseason, multiple league sources told The Athletic. As of Sunday's elimination, team sources said ownership has not made final decisions on either and is likely to take a few days to assess before making any major calls...
"Internally, the volatility of this year cannot be ignored heading into the offseason. From a tumultuous trade deadline to late-season frustrations between players and coaches that nearly derailed a shootaround, tension simmered throughout the year. On many nights, the team barely knew who would be available."
The report details tensions between Embiid and the front office, and the frustration that the only move made at the trade deadline was to send away Jared McCain to get under the salary cap (Philly did get the No. 17 pick in this upcoming draft as well, but that's not helping Embiid on the court this season). McCain has thrived in Oklahoma City, including scoring 18 off the bench in a playoff game against the Lakers.
Then there was the tension around whether Embiid would play on April 1 on the road in Washington — Embiid expected to play, the team listed him as out, and the following meeting almost derailed the entire shootaround that day, Jones reports. (Embiid did not play that night.)
All of this was just part of the drama in Philadelphia this season. As Joel Embiid put it:
"So, we just gotta get better from top to bottom. Ownership, players, coaches, everybody just has to get better."
That has to start with Embiid — he played in 38 games this season and, while he rushed back from an appendectomy to be on the court for the playoffs, still missed a game against the Knicks. Embiid hasn't played in six straight games since December of 2023.
Philadelphia has to decide what to do with a very expensive player who is still elite when he is on the court but can't be counted on to play consistently, even in the playoffs. While the logical step may be to pivot and get younger, building around Maxey (the team's clear best player now) and Edgecombe, it's not that simple — Embiid is almost untradable. He is guaranteed $188.3 million over the next three seasons (the last one is technically a player option, but he's going to pick that up or want to be extended off of it). Paul George is guaranteed $54.1 million next season and has a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28. Because of the health concerns around both of them, the only way to trade the 76ers veterans is to add first-round draft picks or young players as sweeteners in any deal — and it would take more than one pick.
All of that means this core is likely the 76ers core again next season, and likely at least one more after that. If Embiid can't play consistently, how good can the 76ers really be?
That question may fall to a new coach and head of basketball operations, because owner Josh Harris is stepping back and looking at everything.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 10: Evan Carter #32 of the Texas Rangers is congratulated by Joc Pederson #3 and Josh Jung #6 following a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on May 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Season Record: 19-21
Week Record: 3-3
Series Record: 5-7, 1 split
GAME 35: 4-7 LOSS @ NEW YORK YANKEES GAME 36: 6-1 WIN @ NEW YORK YANKEES GAME 37: 2-9LOSS @ NEW YORK YANKEES
GAME 38: 1-7 LOSS vs CHICAGO CUBS GAME 39: 6-0 WIN vs CHICAGO CUBS GAME 40: 3-0 WIN vs CHICAGO CUBS
So the Rangers pitched 20 innings (and counting) of shoutout innings this weekend. And managed to get some hits with runners in scoring position. All good things that hopefully continue and get the Rangers on a roll.
However, something that has been proven over the last few seasons, something both myself and the Rangers broadcast has pointed out, once Corey Seager gets out of his funk, the rest of the lineup will follow. And his funk is bad.
I believe he had a similar start last year, he turned it around in May and then stayed hot but right now he’s looking lost in most plate appearances.
In the seventh inning of Sunday’s game, the At Bat app popped up a surprising stat for Seager, his wiff rate last season was 27.9% and this year its up to 35.9%. League average is 25.3%. So if you feel like he’s swinging and missing a lot more, you are not wrong. Its especially frustrating and prevalent considering Texas has the lowest chase rate in Spring Training.
Offensive upside? Both Josh Jung and Ezequiel Duran have both figured it out at the plate and have been the most reliable and consistent bats in the lineup.
And maybe playing the Arizona Diamondbacks will trigger some of that magic from the World Series and the team can start turning it around? Here’s hoping at least!
Leo Carlsson has been a model of consistency for the Anaheim Ducks, only going two or more straight games without a point on two occasions since early January.
After a quiet showing in Game 4, my Ducks vs. Golden Knights predictions expect the young star to get back on the score sheet Tuesday night.
Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for May 12.
Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 5 prediction
Ducks vs Golden Knights best bet: Leo Carlsson Over 0.5 points (-170)
The Anaheim Ducks have created plenty of opportunities with Leo Carlsson on the ice, generating 94 shot attempts, 50 scoring chances, and 4.45 expected goals. That has translated to two goals.
Carlsson is a career 14.7% shooter — and plays with great players at 5-on-5 and on the power play — so there’s no reason to expect these looks to continue being wasted.
That’s especially true facing Carter Hart, who posted an .891 SV% and allowed 4.2 more goals than expected during the regular season.
Look for Carlsson, who has been held pointless in consecutive games just twice over the last four months, to get back on the scoresheet.
Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 5 same-game parlay
Troy Terry flies under the radar because of all Anaheim’s terrific young players, but he quietly sits tied for the team lead in points during the playoffs. He leads their forwards in assists, but also trails only Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier in shots.
He’s a dual threat weapon, and one strongly correlated to Carlsson.
Shea Theodore has blocked multiple shots in eight of 10 playoff games during this run, and has averaged 2.9 along the way. The Ducks play at a fast pace and generate a lot of volume, which helps increase his floor and ceiling.
Ducks vs Golden Knights SGP
Leo Carlsson Over 0.5 points
Troy Terry Over 0.5 points
Shea Theodore Over 1.5 blocked shots
Ducks vs Golden Knights odds for Game 5
Moneyline: Ducks +130 | Golden Knights -150
Puck Line: Ducks +1.5 | Golden Knights -1.5
Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5
Ducks vs Golden Knights trend
Leo Carlsson has six points over his last six games against Vegas. Find more NHL betting trends for Ducks vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 5
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV
Date
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Puck drop
9:30 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN, SN360
Ducks vs Golden Knights latest injuries
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The Milwaukee Bucks are listening to deals for Giannis Antetokounmpo again.
The continuing saga between the franchise and its long-standing superstar reached its latest potential breaking point on Monday, May 11 when ESPN reported the Bucks are seeking trade offers for Antetokounmpo in the aftermath of the 2026 NBA Draft lottery.
Numerous teams are expected to make offers for the two-time MVP, who will enter next season essentially on an expiring contract with one year left on his current agreement and a player option for the 2027-28 season. He'll likely need to be signed to a new max contract extension, which gives Antetokounmpo some control over his destination. Some teams will be the same as at the NBA trade deadline in February, when the Bucks also reportedly fielded interest in Antetokounmpo without making a deal.
Since then, the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks has become increasingly acrimonious. The team and its star were at odds over his availability at the end of the season when Antetokounmpo was shut down for a knee injury. The dispute, with Antetokounmpo wanting to play, led to a league investigation related to the NBA's player participation policy.
"Sometime over the next six or seven weeks we'll decide whether Giannis is going to sign a max contract and stay with us or he's going to play somewhere else," Haslam told reporters on May 6. "And [general manager] Jon [Horst] and Taylor, along with [co-owner] Wes [Edens] and myself, will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call."
Here's a breakdown of some potential landing spots for Antetokounmpo should the Bucks decide to trade him in the coming weeks:
The Celtics' first-round loss to the 76ers, combined with some confusing postseason comments from Jaylen Brown, have sparked speculation that the Celtics could look to make a big move this offseason for Antetokounmpo involving Brown.
This is TBD with the Cavaliers still in the playoffs. But an unceremonious loss to the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland's former coach (J.B. Bickerstaff) might prompt personnel changes. Evan Mobley fits the mold for the type of player the Bucks will want in return for Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors need a pivot for the closing chapter of Steph Curry's legendary career with Golden State and Antetokounmpo would be the ultimate partner for his final years. It's unclear, however, if they have the assets to get it done since Milwaukee reportedly wants a young foundational piece in return.
The Rockets made a big move last offseason to acquire Kevin Durant and it didn't work as well as the franchise hoped for after this year's first-round playoff exit. If they choose to make another splashy trade for Antetokounmpo, Houston has promising players like Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson who should be appealing to Milwaukee.
The Lakers have historically been known for poaching superstars from other teams and Antetokounmpo would fit the bill, particularly if LeBron James and the franchise part ways in some form this offseason. Would a deal with Austin Reaves and draft picks as the centerpiece be enough, though?
If the Timberwolves can't pull out their Western Conference semifinals series against the San Antonio Spurs, might they make another run at Antetokounmpo after reportedly being suitors at the trade deadline? An Antetokounmpo-Anthony Edwards pairing would be dynamic and the Timberwolves have some interesting contracts to deal (Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert).
The Knicks have been linked as a potential destination for Antetokounmpo for years. If they fall short of an NBA title this year, there will be pressure again to make a move for the Bucks star. But a trade package centered around Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby might not be appealing to Milwaukee.
The Magic could reset their core after a disappointing regular season by trading Paolo Banchero for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Banchero, despite his inconsistencies, has already made the NBA All-Star Game once and would give the Bucks a young piece to build around after a possible Antetokounmpo trade.
The Trail Blazers could be looking to make a splash under new owner Tom Dundon, and they have some intriguing young assets to trade as well as former Antetokounmpo teammates Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo's desire to play for a title contender could complicate this potential option.
The franchise that once traded for the expiring contract of Kawhi Leonard could offer up Scottie Barnes in a potential deal for Antetokounmpo after he took another step forward during the Raptors' first-round exit against the Cavaliers.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 10: Vince Carter represents the Brooklyn Nets during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on May 10, 2026 at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, that was tough. From disappointed to deflated to defeated to downright embarrassing, at least in terms of immediate fan reaction, the 2026 Draft Lottery is right up there with some of the worst days in recent Nets history … and there’s been some doozies. The effect remains to be seen, but whoosh, that was ug-ly.
As devastating as last year’s drop from No. 6 to No. 8, this year’s slide from No. 3 to No. 6 was worse, not just in terms of the number of slots, but in projected star power. No more speculation about a “franchise-changer” like A.J. Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson or maybe Caleb Wilson embracing Adam Silver adorned with a Nets cap. Things could change by June 23 and beyond. The litany of “franchise-changers” taken after No. 4 in this year’s playoffs starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taken at No. 11 and continues on down the line to Jalen Brunson taken at 33rd. But of course, the odds are in favor of a top pick.
More than that: fans thought they “deserved” a high pick because of what they have gone through over the last two-plus years of tanking, starting sometime after the 2024 trade deadline when the Nets decided it was time to go full-on tank. All those losses, all those fan arguments about losing to win, all of it seem to have been for naught. But the aerodynamics of ping pong balls are cruel and unforgiving. Deserved or not, it happened.
How close did they come? Heart-breakingly close, as Brett Siegel tweeted Monday. One ping pong ball away from No. 1…
I was watching the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery again and I discovered that the No. 1 pick was almost in the hands of the Brooklyn Nets.
The 4-2 first two digit combination for the No. 1 pick essentially made it a 50-50 chance for BKN and WAS.
Of course, the Nets may not even pick at No. 6 (or No. 33 or 43 in the second round.) Sean Marks, predictably considering how soon he was asked following the Lottery, was non-committal about a lot of things, but his key takeaway is that “rash decisions” should be avoided … not that that’s his style. It isn’t. In fact, Marks suggested in post-Lottery comments that whatever the Nets do will be driven not just by lottery results, but by the team’s overall youth and their development. Think bigger, he seemed to say! Longer, too?
“Hard to tell,” Marks told reporters after the Lottery when asked about ramifications. “I think it’s all about how these guys develop, right? I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look,”
He also showed optimism that whoever they pick will be a prize addition.
“I think we all know there’s a group in this draft that could be game-changers, but I said could be because you never know,” Marks added. “Every draft there’s a guy who people didn’t quite expect to be [that high] if you do the re-draft. So for us, it’ll still be about having patience. But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality, we’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So I think the word would be opportunistic.”
As Marks said, the Nets still have plenty of flexibility with seven players on rookie deals — Noah Clowney, the Flatbush Five and whoever they take in the first round — that off-cited grand total of 33 picks composed of those 13 firsts and 22 seconds plus a couple of swaps. They will also have a lot of cap space. Keith Smith estimates that the total as of now at $47.7 million (up as he notes from $44.6 million because of the lower guarantee for the No. 6 pick compared to the No. 3.)
In fact, on Monday, Siegel also reported the Nets and Jazz, who hold the No. 2 pick, will meet soon to talk trade. Seems unlikely, but no one would be surprised to see the Nets try to move up. They do have 13 firsts, 10 of them tradeable. As one league decision maker not associated with the Nets told ND recently, the only reason that a GM gathers all those firsts is to be “opportunistic” using the same word Marks did. The source added that while he thought that while difficult, moving up is certainly possible.
All that’s good. So is their scouting department, their performance and medical staffs, their development staff, per league sources. Agents and players understand, as one agent, told ND, that their player amenities are among the best in the NBA. And they have Jordi Fernandez and his staff, all of whom just got extensions and raises. Oh yeah, don’t forget New York. Players like to play in the Big Apple, too.
However, does the Nets poor performance on the court, the lack of anyone approaching a star let alone a superstar and oh, yes, bad luck, hurt them? Is this place cursed, is Barclays Center a haunted house? some fans were asking just before 4:00 p.m. ET Sunday. And that was before news that the Nets came within a ping pong ball of winning it all!
We try to steer clear of conspiracy theories and those who promote them (mostly an aggrieved, disagreeable lot) but there has been a litany of events like Sunday’s. In fact, there was, among the NBA media Sunday afternoon and evening, a generalized concern for the Nets and their fans, suggesting that the “basketball gods” abandoned them, etc.
Said Jake Fischer on The Stein Line:
Sunday’s foremost lottery loser, on this scorecard, was my home-borough Brooklyn Nets.
Tsai was the only owner in the drawing room and visibly disappointed when the Nets fell from No. 3 to No. 6. They are now firmly out of the top tier of this draft and just as visibly lacking a young Face of the Franchise type to be, say, their answer to Detroit’s Cade Cunningham.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger:
As for Brooklyn … yikes. In the wake of what looks like a fairly disastrous 2025 draft (the Nets used five first-round picks, but only two look anything like a rotation player so far), they needed help from the lottery gods ahead of a 2027 season where they owe an unprotected first-round pick swap to a likely playoff team in Houston.
Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor:
The most talent-starved team in the league was let down by the basketball gods. While they will still get a quality player at No. 6 — likely a star guard like Darius Acuff Jr. or Keaton Wagler — but it’s not the guy or the lottery luck they were hoping for.
Brooklyn is on track to struggle again next year, and with the coming new “3-2-1″ lottery system, their chances of adding that elite talent just got longer.
Sam Quinn, in response to former ND writer Billy Reinhardt, went even further back…
It's sad how true this is. Like they lost a championship favorite over a pandemic. https://t.co/aDg3yNCM8l
Fans of course went a LOT further than Quinn, O’Connor, Hollinger or Fischer! Throughout social media, there were discussions that boiled down to “why can’t we have good things?” But mostly, the sentiment was harsher, more, worrisome. It centered on the question, “why do I put myself through this?” Exorcists and free lance wiccan could have done a nice business at Barclays Center if it had been open.
Whether you agree or disagree with pundit assessments, no one wants to feel cursed. That’s worse than unlucky or even incompetent. It means you’ve forsaken logic as well as hope. And no we don’t want to get too philosophical here. It is after all basketball. But the depth of fan pain was very real (and it should be noted is a concern at the team’s highest levels.) We’re less worried about prospective free agents. Money matters more than any real or imagined hex.
So how do Joe Tsai, who as Fischer reported was among the deflated, and Sean Marks, who was as ever forward looking in his post-Lottery comments — at least publicly, turn things around and not just with picks and signings but with some encouragement of the fan base? We’re sure there will be meetings.
Winning, of course, cures everything in sports (unless you’re from Philly where, despite reports, it is never sunny … ask their fans.) Can the Brooklyn Nets win enough games next season to counter said curse? You’d have to be an optimist to think that at the moment. But things change fast in sports and particularly in basketball. The coach is very good and he knows after two years of tanking, he has no other priorities but winning. Players develop and surprise and while next year’s team may not be the youngest NBA team in 20 years, it will be young and presumably hungry.
It would also be helpful if someone on the Nets roster had just a little touch of star quality, you know, someone whose name and face you could splatter all over Brooklyn and online, on TV. Face of the Franchise! We don’t know if there is a “star” box for scouts to check but maybe there should be, at least this year. (Hello, Darius Acuff?)
We also believe that the removal of the tanking ethos will help. Tanking in our opinion makes for an insular locker room, particularly with so many fans cheering for losses and excoriating fellow fans to do the same. It becomes “us vs. them,” with the “them” an expanded universe. The locker room by all accounts was positive despite everything, a credit to Jordi.
Maybe Mr. Whammy has a “reverse the curse” in his hex toolbox.
But in the end, we got nothin’ to guarantee success at ending real or presumed curses. Fandom is irrational exuberance, former Nets executive Irina Pavlova used to say (paraphrasing a former Federal Reserve chairman about the stock market.) You have to decide whether you want to be a fan and how far to go how brave you want to be. And of course, fandom isn’t just about the team’s performance. It’s about the collegiality, friends, family, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.
Indeed, a FOX Sports study, backed now by Harvard researchers, reported Monday, suggested that collegiality is underrated, that whether you’re high on a winning streak or low on a lottery selection, you’re part of a community from which you draw support. From Sportico.
“What we find is that regardless of the fan base in question, whether they’re perennial losers or in the middle of a dynastic run, there really is no measurable effect on the wellness outcomes that we see,” Ben Valenta of FOX told Sportico. “Effectively what fandom is, is you’re going on an emotional ride with other people, and whether you’re celebrating or commiserating, it doesn’t really actually matter. What matters is the connectivity that results from the engagement.”
“Emotional?” Oh yeah! So, ALL of that said, we hope to see you next October in Brooklyn to root for the home team. Screw the curse!! What else we got? We got each other.
Draft Sleeper of the Week
We could profile one of the guards in that No. 5 to No. 8 range or beyond to Nate Ament, the 6’10” Tennessee forward/wing or Karim Lopez, the 6’9” Mexican power forward who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian League. (Among some fans, Lopez is this year’s avatar for failed lottery luck, just like last year’s was Kon Knueppel. How’d that work out?)
Nah, Lucas Kaplan has already done some of that Monday and there will be plenty of time as the spring turns to summer and all of them find their way to the HSS Training Center.
Instead, we’re going with a projected second round pick. Luigi Suigo (pronounced SWEE-go) is a 7’3” Italian center who plays for Serbian powerhouse and NBA feeder Mega Basket. We’ve noticed him getting attention at the two spots where the Nets pick in the second round, again Nos. 33 and 43. He’s 19 so at big raw but as his highlights for this season show, there’s some talent lurking there.
He is huge. At the 2025 Basketball Without Borders, he measured 7’3″ barefoot with a 9’6″ standing reach and a 7’4” wingspan. He has a 19.25″ standing vertical and a 27″ max vertical.
Suigo is all about big man fundamentals: pick and roll, put backs, passing, shot blocking and some shot making.
“I’m a center. I play also as a 4,” he said. “The main thing I can do, for me, is shooting threes. I can play in post-up, catch lobs. On defense, I can switch with everyone, and I block and rebound…
“[Victor] Wembanyama. I want to be like him one day. I want to play like him,” Suigo said. “I watch Wemby, [Kristaps] Porzingis, [Karl-Anthony Towns], also [Nikola] Jokic, but he’s too slow for me, he’s not my type of player, but I like to watch him.”
Always like a little ambition. And while we’ve seen him projected to the Nets at No. 33 and 43, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports has him going in the first round as high as No. 24 to the Knicks.
Suigo has said he wants to be the Italian Wemby and, at 7-foot-3 with passing feel and shooting touch, you can see why a teenager might put that out into the universe. Suigo lacks the handle and self-creation chops to ever be the best player on a team, but his dynamic skills as a passer, shooter, and lob threat layer cleanly on top of baseline center duties as a screener, finisher, and rim protector. Becoming the Italian Marc Gasol is a more realistic goal, and would still be an excellent outcome. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Celtics system.
There’s some suggestion that if he isn’t projected in the first round, he is likely to go the collegiate route. He has heavy interest from Villanova and North Carolina, among others.
Another draft analyst, Ersen Demir wrote in a lengthy analysis of his positives and negatives that Suigo would be best served getting picked “high in the 30s.”
It’s better for Suigo to bet on himself and declare for the draft now and likely be selected high in the 30s in the second round. That’ll help him to stick around at a program for two years, develop and fight for a second deal shortly after that. The long term potential is tremendous. But he’s still young and can make a move to play college ball.
Final Note
For all the gnashing of teeth going on Sunday, the Nets did not have the worst of it … by a long stretch. No one can touch the Indiana Pacers in that category, well other than the Pelicans and Bucks.
The Pacers lost their selection to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade sending center Ivica Zubac to Indiana, as Kevin O’Connor noted. The Pacers, who finished with the second worst regular season and had the second best odds, would have kept their pick had it been among the top four selections — and they had a 52% chance of getting there. But the Clippers kept the pick if it fell within the No. 5 through No. 9 selections…. and it did dropping to No. 5. Worse, that was Indiana’s only pick in either round. So they want from having the second best chances at the overall No. 1 to one of two teams without a pick, joining Portland in that distinction.
The GM even apologized…
I'm really sorry to all our fans. I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.
And in a related move, the Pelicans oft-criticized move to trade for Derek Queen in last year’s Draft was ultimately disastrous.
The Pels moved up 10 spots last June so they could take Derek Queen at No. 13. It took some doing as O’Connor noted. During last year’s Finals, the Pelicans traded an unprotected 2026 Pacers first back to Indiana for the 23rd pick in last year’s draft. Then on Draft Night, a few days later, they packaged the Pacers pick along with their own 2026 first (with a Bucks swap attached) to move up.
The Pacers pick they gave up? That landed at fifth as noted, and it’s now the Clippers’ pick. The Pelicans’ own pick landed at eighth, and is now property of the Hawks.
When you tally it all up, New Orleans surrendered the fifth and eighth picks this year to draft Queen with the 13th pick last year. Five plus eight equals 13, so it couldn’t have happened any other way.
Finally, there was the Milwaukee Bucks whose woes were different. On the same day his daughter once again sat on the lottery dias, the New York Post broke a story about how the Bucks principal owner Wes Edens, had been the subject of a blackmail attempt by a “Chinese divorcee’” with whom he had had an affair.
So it can always be worse … and no one is talking about curses in those cities.
The combination of the NBA Draft Lottery setting the order for the NBA Draft (and the value of the picks), along with executives from every team gathering in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine, is always the spark that lights the NBA offseason trade and free agency markets on fire.
That is happening this week in Chicago, and the biggest rumor out of the Windy City is the least surprising.
Bucks listening to Antetokounmpo offers
This was expected, but ESPN’s Shams Charania made it official. Milwaukee listened to trade offers back at the February trade deadline, but sources from other teams told NBC Sports then that it felt more like Bucks GM Jon Horst was gauging the trade market, not seriously looking for a deal. He and ownership wanted to wait until the offseason, when more teams and better offers would (theoretically) be on the table.
While the Bucks are still open to the idea of trading for another star, which inspires Antetokounmpo to sign an extension and stay in Milwaukee, most teams around the league expect the two-time MVP and NBA champion to be traded — and a deal to be done before the NBA Draft, which is what co-owner Jimmy Haslam expects. From Charania:
There is expected to be a robust market for Antetokounmpo's services, and ownership and front office officials expect to maintain their trade deadline asking price of a young blue-chip talent and/or a surplus of draft picks, sources said.
One of the reasons to hold out until the summer to trade Antetokounmpo was to get teams that had a disappointing playoff run — Houston, Orlando, Boston — to seriously consider jumping the mix, as well as a couple of teams still playing but with questions, including the Lakers and Cavaliers.
Waiting into the summer also gave Antetokounmpo more leverage in where he might be traded — he has just one guaranteed season left on his contract (followed by a player option), and he can tell a team he does not want to play for that he will not re-sign with them. While Antetokounmpo's camp is tight-lipped, the feeling in league circles is that he wants to stay in the East and play for a team he can elevate to contender status.
"The conversation will be simple: Where does [Giannis] want to be moved, and where will he sign long term?" one source with direct involvement in the situation told ESPN.
Expect a flood of Antetokounmpo rumors over the next month, but the Bucks will be wise to be patient and wait until closer to the draft — when that deadline forces teams to put their best offers on the table — before making a call.
"I can just say the lottery results will have no impact on the approach moving forward with Ja Morant. They're going to try to find a home for Ja Morant regardless of where they ended up in the lottery."
The challenge in finding a trade for Morant is the combination of his salary — two years and $87 million guaranteed — and limited availability due to injuries and suspensions. Morant is coming off a season in which he played in just 20 games, largely due to an elbow injury, and hasn't played in 65 games since his rookie season. That said, he is a dynamic talent who is just 26 years old. One rumor laid out by Jake Fischer at The Stein Line is that the Grizzlies package Morant with the No. 3 pick in this draft to bring back a superstar.
There are teams interested in Morant, but the Grizzlies are not going to get the draft-pick hauls they received when trading Desmond Bane or Jaren Jackson Jr.
Will Kawhi Leonard hit market?
The basketball gods smiled on the Clippers and gave them the No. 5 pick in the draft (via the Indiana Pacers, part of the Ivica Zubac trade. That high pick, plus the trade that brought them Darius Garland at the trade deadline (for James Harden), gives the Clippers a foothold in a retooling.
However, the potential fallout from the Aspiration scandal — a league investigation into whether the Clippers used former team sponsor Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap and get more money to Kawhi Leonard — has everything feeling on hold for LA. That includes Leonard's future with the Clippers, another point ESPN’s MacMahon explained well on the Hoop Collective podcast.
"We'll see what happens with Aspiration. Assuming they are allowed to attempt to negotiate an extension, I believe the intention is to try to negotiate an extension with Kawhi Leonard. But 'negotiate' is a key word there. It's not just like, 'Hey, can you take just a little slight haircut from maxes?' And so, depending on how that goes, there's a world where Kawhi could be on the block this summer, too."
League sources that have spoken to NBC Sports expect the league to bring a hammer down on the Clippers — the loss of draft picks, an eight-figure fine, and very possibly a suspension for owner Steve Ballmer. However, a voiding of Leonard's contract is not on that list because it's not really a punishment — the Clippers would be happy to have his $50.3 million off their books as they retool, and it would make Leonard a free agent who would then sign a massive contract with another team, so he doesn't lose that much either.
Leonard is coming off a season where he almost certainly makes an All-NBA team after playing in 65 games, averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 assists per game, plus playing elite defense. Leonard is also entering the final year of his contract and the Clippers would love to re-sign him, but at a lower price than he's making right now (and on a far more tradable contract). The Warriors are reportedly among the teams interested if Leonard hits the market. But that remains an "if."
Wizards open to trading No. 1 pick
Maybe the fastest track to a GM getting fired is blowing the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Enter the Washington Wizards, who were the lottery's big winner and have that No. 1 pick. They will at least listen to offers for the top pick and the rights to e AJ Dybantsa, something both Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report (with Fischer talking to Wizards president Michael Winger.
This is considered an exceptionally deep draft, so if there is a player the Wizards might like a few slots down the draft board, and the package to give up No. 1 was big enough, they would consider it, according to reports. Mannix suggests Utah, which has the No. 2 pick and would love to keep BYU's AJ Dybantsa in state, might be open to a deal swapping picks. Winger told Fischer the Wizards are not entering this draft looking for their "savior" but rather a player to add to Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and the rest of what should already be an improved roster.
Washington may listen to offers, but if they make a deal they are not dropping out of the top three or four slots in this draft, they are not about to just trade the No. 1 pick and get out entirely. That's how a GM gets fired.
Oct 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (29) throws in the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners during game three of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images | John Froschauer-Imagn Images
It’s been a rough season for Lauer. As Tom noted, his velocity is down. for a while that could be attributed to the stomch flu he suffered in early April, but that was a month ago and in his most recent outing he was still a mile per hour off his average from last year. For a guy who didn’t have great stuff at his best, losing a little edge is a problem. It’s been confounded by some location issues. If he makes it through waivers, hopefully he’s able to work in Buffalo and rediscover his form from last season, but I suspect we’ve seen the last of him in a Blue Jays uniform.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, was DFA’d back in the winter. He’s been effective as a 1-2 inning reliever for the Bisons, with a few more walks than you’d like but an excellent strikeout rate. He’s de-emphasized his fastballs and leaned harder on his splitter, throwing either that or the slider 70% of the time. Hopefully that translates to the majors, as Rodrigez has been a pretty disappointing singing after a lot of hope when he came over from Japan.
In other news, Addison Barger is officially on the IL. That’s hardly a surprise after it was announced this morning that he was getting an MRI on his elbow. No actual new information on the injury has been reported. Coming up in his place is Yohendrick Piñango. The Venezuelan rookie made an impression in his first call up this season, striking out just three times in 27 PA and posting excellent contact numbers and strong exit velocities. The latter haven’t translated into MLB power yet as he struggles to get the ball in the air with authority, but all the tools are there to hope that he can replace most of what Barger would offer offensively even if he can’t match his defense.
Yankees shortstopJose Caballero is out of Monday night’s lineup against the Baltimore Orioles due to a right middle finger injury.
Caballero told reporters in Baltimore that he hurt the finger diving back into first base in Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. While Caballero will undergo an MRI, he does not believe the finger is fractured and doesn’t believe he’ll need to go on the IL.
Manager Aaron Boone later said that Caballero will return to New York after Monday's game to meet with team doctors, saying that that while Caballero has hit, he has not yet thrown a ball.
Max Scheumann will start at shortstop for the Yankees on Monday, hitting eighth in the order.
The 29-year-old Caballero is slashing .259/.320/.400 this season with four home runs and 13 RBI.
While it doesn’t sound like Caballero will need to hit the IL, that scenario would certainly make things interesting with fellow shortstop Anthony Volpe, who was optioned to Triple-A at the end of his rehab assignment for offseason shoulder surgery.
Winnipeg Jets - Feb. 27 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 8 - Jared Clinton
C+ | RANK: 19TH
THE JETS’ SUCCESS in Winnipeg has been built on a draft-and-development foundation. For instance, of the 25 players on the team’s 2018 Western Conference-finalist roster, a dozen came up through the organization. But while homegrown roster players still number in the double digits, consistent playoff appearances have masked the fact that Winnipeg is in a development drought. Only one Jets draft choice from the past eight years – Cole Perfetti, 10th overall in 2020 – has played a regular role in the NHL lineup. Entering 2026, no Jets pick since Perfetti has played more than 13 NHL games in Winnipeg.
5-YEAR TREND
1 SASCHA BOUMEDIENNE
D, 19, 6-2, 183
Boston University (HE)
30–2–8–10–12
2025 draft, 28th overall
OVERALL54
Boumedienne thrived while playing major WJC minutes for Sweden. And he found pay dirt when it mattered, notching the gold medal-winning goal. His maturity is what catches the eye. He makes smart reads and gets pucks through to the net, and director of player development Jimmy Roy said Boumedienne’s puck retrievals are “elite already.” He’s just a minor contributor on the scoresheet at BU, but his performance for Sweden provided evidence there’s potential for more.
FW25 | new NHL | 2028-29
2 BRAYDEN YAGER
C, 21, 6-0, 170
Manitoba (AHL)
43–6–11–17–8
Trade (Pit), Aug. 22, 2024
OVERALL57
A wicked shot makes Yager lethal in the offensive zone, and he also has the ability to wheel with the puck. Now, the challenge is learning to capitalize on fewer opportunities and do the dirty work that separates talented junior players from those who make the NHL. Essential to Yager’s development is learning to have patience with the puck, create separation and win battles. “He’s getting the puck to the middle and getting shots off quicker,” said Roy. “He’s learning the pro game.”
FW25 | No. 1 NHL | 2026-27
3 BRAD LAMBERT
C, 22, 6-2, 180
Manitoba (AHL)
29–6–7–13–18
2022 draft, 30th overall
OVERALL93
A precipitous drop in Lambert’s AHL production last season didn’t worry the Jets, and he began the season pencilled in for middle-six NHL duty. Often, though, Lambert was the odd man out, and he wound up back in the AHL – and his output is again stagnating. There are attributes to love – skating, puckhandling and playmaking ability chief among them – but Lambert’s hurdle is discovering ways to become effective and impact games when he’s not finding his way onto the scoresheet.
FW25 | No. 2 NHL | 2026-27
4 ELIAS SALOMONSSON
D, 21, 6-2, 189
Manitoba (AHL)
29–1–9–10–10
2022 draft, 55th overall
Salomonsson can motor and change directions on a dime. But spending last season in the AHL paid dividends, as the Swedish product – neither big nor stout – learned to handle the physicality inherent to the smaller-ice North American game. He also exhibits the beauty of simplicity. “He keeps the game simple, keeps the puck going forward and doesn’t overcomplicate it,” Roy said. “He’s learning a bit on the speed of the game and strength of the players at the NHL level, but I see why people are excited about him.”
FW25 | No. 5 NHL | 2027-28
5 NIKITA CHIBRIKOV
LW, 23, 5-11, 193
Manitoba (AHL)
28–2–4–6–10
2021 draft, 50th overall
Chibrikov looked set to take a step forward as a bottom-six NHL buzz saw, but a stumble out of the gates will inevitably lead to concerns. It is important to keep in mind, however, that Chibrikov missed the majority of the back half of 2024-25 with an injury. The long rehabilitation and recovery process surely contributed to the slow start. He’s come into his own in the AHL as the season continued, and the Jets believe in his abilities – as evidenced by the fact they inked Chibrikov to a two-year extension.
FW25 | No. 3 NHL | 2026-27
6 COLBY BARLOW
RW, 21, 6-1, 194
Manitoba (AHL)
40–3–5–8–14
2023 draft, 18th overall
Pure shooter with a lethal release. Working hard to improve explosiveness.
7 ALFONS FREIJ
D, 20, 6-1, 198
Timra (SHL)
33–1–2–3–6
2024 draft, 37th overall
Smooth skater got stronger on his feet. Learning to move the puck quicker.
8 KEVIN HE
LW, 19, 6-0, 182
Flint (OHL)
48–33–30–63–18
2024 draft, 109th overall
Workmanlike attitude aids skill. Will benefit from high-stakes environment in Flint.
9 ZACH NEHRING
RW, 20, 6-5, 201
Western Michigan (NCHC)
28–5–12–17–8
2023 draft, 82nd overall
Understands how to optimize massive frame to win battles and create offense.
10 KIERON WALTON
LW, 19, 6-6, 227
Peterborough (OHL)
48–34–37–71–18
2024 draft, 187th overall
Power-forward size with playmaker’s toolbox. Got taste of AHL last season.
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