Gansey had spent the past season as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager.
He joined Cleveland’s front office in 2011-12 before rising through the ranks. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2017, serving under Koby Altman. He was then promoted to general manager in 2022, still under Altman.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished this season with a 52-30 overall record and were fourth in the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks swept the Cavs in the conference finals.
The Knicks also swept the 76ers in the conference semifinals. Philadelphia, which had a 45-37 overall record, fired Daryl Morey after the season.
Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager, led the search for the 76ers as the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. Myers recently participated in the UCLA football coaching search, which led to the hiring of Bob Chesney.
Who is Mike Gansey?
Gansey finished second to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" in 2001.
Gansey played college basketball at St. Bonaventure (2001-03) and West Virginia (2003-06) before going undrafted in 2006.
After a short professional playing career, which included stints in the NBA's D-League and overseas, he began his executive career. Gansey served as the Canton Charge's general manager and was named the NBA Development League's executive of the year for the 2016-17 season.
As we move closer and closer to the NBA Draft — June 23, less than a month away — the trade rumors are ramping up around the league as well. Here is some of the latest chatter.
Cavaliers not likely to chase Antetokounmpo
For many fans, Cleveland being swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks was a sign that the team needs to make bold changes. Internally, it does not appear that's what they are thinking.
Case in point: Don't expect the Cavaliers to jump into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, report Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, which echoes previous reports. The price for the Cavaliers to get in the mix is 24-year-old, former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, and Cleveland does not want to go there. From The Stein Line:
"Mobley, at 24, is regarded in Cleveland as the sort of player who could offer a legitimate bridge to a successful post-Mitchell future. The Cavaliers, remembering how hard life was after (LeBron) James walked away from the franchise — twice — are obviously reluctant to surrender Mobley and the staying power he is projected to represent unless it's a sure-thing trade."
One quick thought on where this leaves the Bucks. Milwaukee didn't trade Antetokounmpo at the February deadline believing the market would be more robust this offseason for the two-time MVP. That is not proving to be the case. New York is in the Finals and not about to blow up its core now. Cleveland is out. Antetokounmpo doesn't want to go to the West. That makes Miami the frontrunner, but if Cleveland is looking to start a bidding war, that is not going well.
Cleveland looking to extend Mitchell
What Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman did make clear at his end-of-season press conference is his intention to lock up Donovan Mitchell, who is extension-eligible this summer. Here's Altman's quote, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
"Donovan is our guy. He's elevated everything about this franchise and this organization, so when he professes his love for being here, we're fortunate to have him and we'll work out those details when it comes time."
The James Harden to Cleveland trade doesn't happen without a handshake agreement to extend him, although for likely less than his current contract. The Cavs have made it clear that coach Kenny Atkinson will be back. All signs point to more minor moves this summer for the Cavaliers than anything big and bold.
Heat also eyeing Leonard, Morant
The Miami Heat are swinging for the fences this summer and are considered the frontrunner to land Antetokounmpo if he does bolt Milwaukee. But what if he stays put, or jumps to another team?
"Honestly, if they get a signal it's not going to be Giannis, I think they explore Kawhi [Leonard]. I think they explore Ja [Morant]. You can't get stale, especially in this market."
Miami's Antetokounmpo offer is centered on Tyler Herro and Kel'el Ware (with picks and other players), pairing the Greek Freak with Bam Adebayo, but with little around them. Does that provide a better chance to chase a ring than Milwaukee?
Morant will be available, the Grizzlies shopped him at the trade deadline but there just wasn't much of a market. Leonard is a more complex scenario, with everyone involved — including the Clippers — waiting for the NBA's Aspiration/salary cap circumvention investigation to wrap up. The punishments that come out of that, both to the Clippers and potentially Leonard, will have a big say in what is next for everyone. That said, there is a belief in some quarters of the NBA that he will be available via trade this summer.
OKC to trade up in draft?
This rumor has been flying around in some circles: Oklahoma City would package the Nos. 12 and 17 picks in this draft — plus maybe a player or another future pick — to move up to the top three in this draft and Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson.
I don't buy it. Mostly because I don't think any of the top four teams are going to trade out of a chance to land a franchise-changing player — this is not the NFL, where accumulating picks to deal with the attrition that comes with the sport is logical and necessary. In the NBA, one franchise player changes everything, and teams like the Grizzlies or Bulls (drafting third and fourth) need that more than a couple of later picks. It would take a Godfather offer for them to move out of those spots.
Second, can you imagine the backlash — from their fans, but particularly from the other 29 GMs in the league — if a team made a move to make the Thunder even better and deeper? It would be pitchforks-and-torches time.
Will Jalen Duren get max extension?
This question seemed like a foregone conclusion when the regular season ended. Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, shot 65%, all while playing elite defense. He showed real chemistry with Cade Cunningham and was named Third Team All-NBA. Of course he was a max player.
Then the playoffs started. Duren struggled in the postseason, averaging 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. Now, it's no sure thing he gets a max offer from the Pistons. Here is what one league executive told Tim Bontemps at ESPN.
"If he wants to get a max, they'll tell him to go get one," an East executive told ESPN. "But he's Cade's guy, so they'll have to play it the right way."
It's a tricky political line for Detroit to walk, keeping a young star happy while trying to save some money, but in an apron-era, NBA teams cannot afford to miss on max or near-max contracts. Duren becomes one of the stress points, and it's worth asking if another team with cap space and a need at the five — hello Lakers — might try to swoop in and make a play. That said, Duren is a restricted free agent, the Pistons can match any offer and almost certainly would, making a play by Los Angeles or anyone else less likely.
What he ultimately signs for is something worth watching this offseason.
The Thunder guard/forward, who averaged 17.1 points per game this season, reinjured a hamstring injury in Game 2. He sat out Games 3, 4 and 5 and returned to the court for Game 6, where the Spurs evened the series to force Game 7. He played just 10 minutes off the bench and had one point, a free throw.
"It was a unique situation. Ever since he got hurt, he's been hell-bent on trying to get himself to this point," Daigneault said. "I give him a lot of credit. He's a big-time team guy. He's a big-time competitor. He's obviously not a hundred percent. He didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to expect, so it was a matter of getting him out there in kind of an insulated role and see what he can bring to the team.
"... He hasn't done a full return-to-play the way that he would if this was the regular season and yet he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team."
Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters Friday that Robinson did not sustain the injury in a game or practice, and added that he's aware that Robinson has had surgery.
"I don't know much about the details, obviously I know that he had surgery and all that," Brown said. "For me it's the same thing, I don't want to know. Just let me know if he can play and when he can play. Just like we normally would, we're getting everybody else ready to go."
He added: "For me, I'm always going with who's available today and (Robinson) didn't practice today, so we're getting whoever we need ready to go."
When a reporter asked Brown a follow-up inquiring exactly how Robinson was hurt, a member of the Knicks' media relations staff interrupted and said "we're not going to get into specifics."
Robinson reportedly plans to play. The NBA Finals begin Wednesday, June 3. The Knicks are preparing to face the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Robinson has been a key contributor off the bench for New York, providing size and an interior presence defensively when Karl-Anthony Towns is off the floor.
Despite battling numerous injuries in his career, Robinson has been a stud for the Knicks during the postseason, averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 bocks and 0.5 steals in just 14.2 minutes per game in 13 playoff games this year.
Robinson has made the most of his sparing minutes, giving the Knicks additional scoring opportunities by grabbing 2.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Despite his desires to play, if he is unable to go, it would be a huge loss for the Knicks, who will need all the size they can in the NBA Finals when New York faces either Victor Wembanyama or the duo of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren.
The next man up for New York would be second-year, third-string center Ariel Hukporti, who appeared in just 54 games this season, playing 9.2 minutes, which came mostly during the waning minutes of blowout games.
Jalen Williams tried. He suited up for Game 6 ready to see if he could help Oklahoma City close out San Antonio. What was clear in his 10 minutes off the bench is that his strained left hamstring was not ready for an NBA game.
Williams has officially been ruled out of Game 7 on Saturday, the team announced, something that wasn't a surprise after he sat the entire fourth quarter of Game 6 (even though the game was out of hand, if Williams could have played he would have been out there to shake off some rust). Ajay Mitchell also remains out with the calf strain that has sidelined him for the last few games.
It's bad news for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been up and down this series — and is shooting 37.9% for the first six games — because an elite San Antonio defense can drill down on stopping him, and he doesn't have his most trusted secondary shot creators next to him to relieve the pressure.
It also leaves Thunder coach Mark Daigneault with some tough choices. He almost certainly now keeps Jared McCain in the starting lineup, but Oklahoma's lineups in this series with SGA, McCain, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort have struggled — San Antonio keeps racing out to a lead in games for a reason. Does Daigneault start Cason Wallace in Dort's spot? Is changing the starting lineup for a Game 7 wise?
That said, it's best to know that Williams just can't go, rather than feeling obligated to roll him out for minutes where he only hurts the team in the biggest game of the season.
Australian teenager Ollie Peake will make his international debut this weekend, selected for Saturday’s series opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, captain Josh Inglis has confirmed.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 28: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs high five during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 28, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 (Photos by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In the words of Zaza Pachulia: NOTHING EASY! NOTHING EASY! WE GOING TO GAME 7, BABY! GAME SEVEN! GAME SEVEEEEENNNN!
The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 118-91 win in Game Six. With the series tied 3-3, the Spurs will head to Oklahoma City with an NBA Finals appearance on the line.
The Spurs won the game on defense, holding the Thunder to just 13 points in the third quarter. While the defense stifled the Thunder, Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper scored at will. They’ll lead our Game Six player grades. As a quick reminder, player grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
Wembanyama responded to the moment. Wembanyama came out aggressively after a disappointing Game Five. He made it rain from three and attacked the basket on a few difficult drives. He was much more impactful on the defensive end, constantly disrupting the Thunder’s drives to the basket.
If you’re looking to pick apart Wembanyama’s game, he probably took too many jumpers. The Thunder are doing everything in their power to prevent him from catching lobs at the rim or getting deep post position. Finding a way to get him going toward the basket will be key in Game Seven. As +132 underdogs on FanDuel, the Spurs will need everything they can get from Wembanyama.
Fox still doesn’t have the lift on his jumper due to his ankle injury. He made up for his lack of scoring with his passing and defensive effort. Fox had 7 assists and 0 turnovers in the win. He knew exactly when to push the pace in transition and when to slow it down and find his healthy teammates. Game Seven will be a different story. The game will almost certainly slow down, and the Spurs will need Fox’s scoring.
Castle has been fantastic in this series. He was great at handling the ball in Game Six with 9 assists and just 1 turnover. Once again, he defended his tail off against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Spurs held SGA to 15 points on 6-18 shooting.
Champagnie didn’t have the same explosive game he did in Game Five, but he continued to knock down shots. He made his presence known with an awesome finish at the rim and a sweet block from the weak side. He is playing really well right now on both ends. The Spurs are going to need another big performance from him in Game Seven.
Where would the Spurs be without Vassell? He was on fire in Game Six and maintained his excellent defense and effort. He’s been given incredibly difficult defensive matchups in SGA and Chet Holmgren. He’s held his own with Gilgeous-Alexander on the perimeter and played tough against Holmgren inside. His block against Holmgren was one of the biggest highlights from the game.
This might have been Harper’s best game of the series. He looks like he’s back after struggling with an injury. He played with strength as he got to the basket and made aggressive plays in transition. What stood out the most was his tough shot-making in the mid-range and from three. When those shots are falling, the Spurs are incredibly hard to beat.
Johnson continues to play within the rhythm and in the flow of the offense for the most part. There are times when he puts his head down and gets into trouble. His energy has been so important. He’ll need to bring that same passion and fire to Game Seven.
This was a scrappy game for Kornet. He was mucking things up inside, especially during the Spurs’ big run without Wembanyama on the floor. Surviving without Wembanyama on the floor has been a key part of the Spurs’ victories in this series. Kornet helped San Antonio thrive in Game Six.
Barnes grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down a pair of triples in his limited minutes. Johnson went to him over Bryant earlier in the game, but ended up using both players.
Bryant had another incredible dunk. He also played awesome defense on SGA in his limited minutes. That’s not counting him laying him out in a moment that almost led to a flagrant foul.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 13: Mike Gansey current Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager and former basketball player arrives at Perth Airport on December 13, 2022, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Faith Moran/GC Images)
The Sixers have a new front-office boss.
The team will reportedly hire Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey as president of basketball operations, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Just in: Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey has agreed to become the new President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. Gansey — who rose the ranks within the Cavaliers front office since joining in 2011-12 — now lands the top… pic.twitter.com/QXwblvV1pf
Gansey was one of four candidates — including Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren and a lone internal candidate in Jameer Nelson — reportedly on Bob Myers’ short list to replace Daryl Morey.
As Gansey separated from the pack of candidates, it’s been speculated that the Sixers could potentially promote Nelson to their GM role. The only word out so far comes from Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, who has reported that a decision regarding the St. Joe’s legend has yet to be made.
No decision yet on Jameer Nelson's role within the Mike Gansey-led Sixers front office, I am told.
In Gansey, the Sixers get an interesting candidate.
Gansey was a standout player in college for both Saint Bonaventure and West Virginia. After playing a few years professionally both overseas and the then D League, he quickly joined the Cavs’ front office as director of development league operations in 2012. He won the D League’s Basketball Executive of the Year in 2017 for his work with the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ D League affiliate. He was then promoted to assistant general manager before president of basketball operations Koby Altman named him GM in 2021.
Cleveland was able to recover fairly quickly after LeBron James and company were swept in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors in 2018. James departed to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and the Cavs won 19, 19 and 22 games, respectively, the following three seasons amidst a rebuild.
After selecting Evan Mobley third overall in 2021, adding him to a young core featuring Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, the team finished with 44 wins, good enough for the East’s eighth seed. Unfortunately, they lost both play-in games and didn’t get to the actual NBA playoffs.
A blockbuster trade for All-Star Donovan Mitchell helped the team raise the bar and expectations. After disappointing playoff finishes the following two seasons, the team fired head coach JB Bickerstaff and brought on Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson won 64 games in the regular season, but the team was bounced in the second round again.
After a polarizing trade that sent the oft-injured Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden, the Cavs were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. But obviously, Cleveland had a massively underwhelming performance against the New York Knicks.
While it’s fair to wonder how much say Gansey had in the Harden deal, there’s no questioning the Cavs’ recent ability to draft and develop players while finding talent on the margins. It’s obvious Gansey played a huge role in that.
That will likely be Gansey’s immediate goal — build the best team possible around the max deals of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey while not compromising the future of the Maxey-VJ Edgecombe backcourt. No easy task there.
So, the Sixers got their guy. His first test comes rather quickly with the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23, followed quickly by free agency. We’ll see how the team’s new steward plans to build the roster now and in the future.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren was already having a tough go against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals before Devin Vassell emphatically swatted away a routine dunk by OKC’s 7-footer in Thursday’s ugly road loss.
Vassell piled on the dejected Holmgren with two scoops of trash talk as the crowd inside the Frost Bank Center exploded. While that humiliation of Holmgren makes the rounds on social media, my Spurs vs. Thunder predictions won’t count out the talented big man, who needs a long look in the mirror ahead of Game 7.
Our NBA picks like Holmgren to show up, or at least surpass the blowout-suppressed odds' expectations, as Oklahoma City is a 3.5-point home favorite on Saturday, May 30.
Spurs vs Thunder Game 7 prediction
Spurs vs Thunder best bet: Chet Holmgren Over 13.5 points (-112)
In the past two games, Chet Holmgren has been shooting 59% for a collective 26 points, including hitting all six FTAs.
Passive play and limited minutes in recent blowouts are stunting his scoring.
With squashes in the last four games vs. the San Antonio Spurs, Holmgren’s minutes go from an average of 15 in the 1H to 11.9 in the 2H, including a piddly four minutes in the 4Q. His usage drops with it.
Saturday’s short spread writes a tight game script that keeps Chet on the floor. Projections sit as high as 16+ points, which is comfortably beyond his shrinking prop total.
COVERS INTEL: Rarely do you get precedent in these high-pressure scenarios, but Holmgren also struggled offensively vs. Indiana in last year's NBA Finals. He followed a 6-for-24 skid in Games 5 and 6 with a big 18-point effort in Game 7. Chet can answer the bell.
Spurs vs Thunder Game 7 same-game parlay
Experience counts in the crunch, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have played in plenty of pressure cookers.
While the offense has been humming for the Thunder at home, their defense has made the biggest difference by being disruptive. They’ve forced the San Antonio Spurs into an average of 19.7 turnovers in three games at OKC (six more than in San Antonio), quickly translating those miscues into 25 average points off turnovers.
Nerves will get the better of the young Spurs and feed into those transition buckets for Oklahoma City.
Lost in a sea of slander, Holmgren has hauled in 22 total rebounds over the past two games. Those boards are even more impressive when you factor in his limited minutes in the second half of those blowouts.
Chet has been in position for 36 rebounding opportunities in that span and is aggressive on the offensive glass, with seven boards on the offensive end in the past two showings.
Spurs vs Thunder SGP
Thunder moneyline
Chet Holmgren Over 13.5 points
Chet Holmgren Over 8.5 rebounds
Spurs vs Thunder odds for Game 7
Spread: Spurs +3.5 (-110) | Thunder -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Spurs +135 | Thunder -160
Over/Under: Over 212.5 (-110) | Under 212.5 (-110)
Spurs vs Thunder betting trend to know
The Thunder are 6-2 SU when coming off a double-digit loss on the season, and they were missing MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in two of those “bounce-back” spots. Overall, OKC is 15-5 SU off a loss, including a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Thunder.
How to watch Spurs vs Thunder Game 7
Location
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Date
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Tip-off
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
NBC/Peacock
Spurs vs Thunder latest injuries
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Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 96 was in vain as Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on Friday to set up an IPL final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic is part of an investment group that has purchased Italian team Vanoli Cremona with hopes of joining NBA Europe in the near future. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Luka Doncic could be involved in two championship bids this upcoming season.
The Lakers’ superstar and former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson are leading an investor group that acquired a professional basketball team in Italy, it was announced Friday, with hopes that the franchise could become part of the NBA’s new European venture.
The group plans to move Vanoli Cremona, a team that plays in a northern Italian city about 60 miles southeast of Milan, to Rome, and submitted a bid for the club to join NBA Europe, making Doncic the first player to state his ambition to become part of the NBA’s expansion across the pond.
“I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing,” Doncic said in a statement. “Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. We have an amazing group of partners, and I really believe we can do something special for basketball in Italy and Europe.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said this year that the NBA is working with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, to begin a standalone league in Europe. The league could begin as soon as October 2027 with up to 16 teams hosted in major cities in England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
Rome and Milan are the top Italian targets to host NBA Europe teams. Rome, the Italian capital, has not had a Serie A team since 2020, when Virtus Roma ceased operations because of financial difficulties. Vanoli will begin playing in Rome for the 2026-27 season.
“Rome deserves world-class basketball, and we are excited to be bringing it back,” Nelson said in a statement. “Vanoli Cremona has a proud history, and we are committed to honoring that legacy as we build toward an exciting future in Rome. This city has been without top-flight basketball for too long. That changes now. We are bringing the resources, the expertise, and the passion to make this club a source of pride for Rome and for all Italy.”
Nelson, who is the lead investor and managing partner, was the general manager when the Mavericks traded for Doncic on draft night in 2018 and was the architect of Dallas’ 2011 NBA championship team led by German star Dirk Nowitzki. The investor group also includes Valerio Bianchini, a celebrated coach in the Italian league, and Rimantas Kaukėnas, a 17-year pro across European leagues.
The 27-year-old Doncic, who was born in Slovenia and started his professional career with Real Madrid in Spain, is part of a recent wave of international stars taking over the NBA. The last eight most valuable players have been born outside of the United States. Doncic finished fourth in MVP voting this year behind two-time winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is from Canada, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is from Serbia, and Victor Wembanyama, a 22-year-old Frenchman expected to dominate the league for years.
The NBA played two regular-season games in Europe this season, with the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic facing off in Berlin and London. Next season, Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will play in his home country against the New Orleans Pelicans and in Manchester, England.
The Mets are officially making a change to their pitching staff.
David Peterson will be sliding back to the bullpen as of this weekend, and Sean Manaea will receive an opportunity in his spot in the rotation as the bulk arm the next time around.
Peterson had been enjoying success during the early part of May, but he was roughed up his last time out, allowing six runs on a season-high 11 hits across five innings of work in a loss to the Reds.
Manaea, on the other hand, has turned things around nicely after a brutal start to the season.
From potential coaching staff changes to roster moves, the Colorado Avalanche are going to have to make some tough choices this summer as they reflect on getting swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals. Thankfully for them, the salary cap will be increasing by $8.5 million for 2026-27. The cap will be $104 million, while the floor will be $76.9 million.
With that nice chunk of change added, the Avalanche now has $2.979 million to work with. Not the number many expected, considering the cap increase. The main issue is that few contracts are coming off the books, which raises questions about what they plan to do this summer if they want to shake up the roster.
Now, this isn’t a “predicting the Colorado Avalanche's 2026 Offseason Moves” piece or what I think they should do; I am working on that, but I’m still working out some signings and trades to look over. This is more of a thought I want to put in people’s heads about what people on social media and insiders think will happen to this roster.
The Avalanche are set to have five unrestricted free agents come July 1st: Joel Kiviranta, Brent Burns, Brett Kulak, Jack Ahcan, and Nick Blankenburg. They have two restricted free agents in Jack Drury and Zakhar Bardakov.
Every single player who was brought up about why the Avalanche lost to the Knights is under contract. Nazem Kadri still has three seasons left at his new $5.6 million cap hit that the Flames retained. Martin Necas' new eight-year $92 million contract kicks in. Sam Malinski’s new four-year $19 million contract also kicks in.
Outside of players' contracts running out, the only other cap relief they are receiving is Josh Manson’s cap hit going from $4.5 million to $3.95 million with his new two-year $7.9 million contract extension. The money looks better each season, following as the cap will go up, but if you look past this summer, you see why.
This season, Artturi Lehkonen, Ross Colton, Nicolas Roy, and Cale Makar are in the last year of their contract. Now, Makar is the least worrisome, and many insiders have speculated that the team's focus is on getting an extension done this summer. Still, if you want to retool this team and pick and choose where management thinks they can get better, trades will need to come with their cap situation.
The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 26 and 27, with the Avalanche focusing mainly on Day 2, as they have no draft picks until the fourth round. So the Avalanche will have some time to scout some later-round players before they decide where to make some space for the roster this free agency.
The Philadelphia Phillies open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scheduled starting pitchers are Zack Wheeler for Philadelphia, with a 1.67 ERA, and Justin Wrobleski for Los Angeles, with a 3.07 ERA.
How to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
There’s a nostalgic feeling to how the Vancouver Canucks’ new management team is starting to shake out. With Ryan Johnson as the Canucks’ new General Manager, Daniel and Henrik Sedin now co-Presidents of Hockey Operations, Alex Edler reportedly helping out with Vancouver’s development camp, and Manny Malhotra being eyed as the franchise’s next head coach, it appears the Canucks are taking a sentimental route when it comes to forming the leadership behind their next era.
With culture and environment being a priority heading into Vancouver’s first stage of their rebuild, it looks as though the Canucks will be drawing heavily from the experiences faced by those late 2000s to early 2010s teams that took Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Final.
These four players are very unlikely to re-join the Canucks organization at this stage in their careers. However, if they did, they would fit seamlessly with the team’s nostalgic trajectory.
Kevin Bieksa
You knew this one was coming.
While the likelihood of Bieksa leaving his position as a Sportsnet analyst feels highly unlikely at this stage, the Canucks bringing the grizzled defenceman back would make a lot of fans happy. Bieksa evidently still has strong feelings towards the organization that he retired with after signing a one-day contract with them, and paired with the way he speaks of culture in the dressing room, he’d be a great addition to the new-but-familiar look of the Canucks organization.
Alex Burrows
He’s in the Ring of Honour for a reason.
A hard-worker who fought his way up to the NHL, right into a spot on the Sedins’ line, Burrows would be a great coaching hire for the Canucks — regardless of whether he’s an assistant, head coach, or even in Abbotsford. The ex-Canuck currently operates as a player development consultant for the Montréal Canadiens, even getting a shout-out from head coach Martin St. Louis at the beginning of his team’s Eastern Conference Final series.
While Burrows would be a great candidate on paper for the Canucks, there’s a reason why he left his role as assistant coach for the Canadiens — wanting to spend more time with his family. Coming back to Vancouver would only make that more difficult.
Jeff Tambellini
Tambellini was reported to have been part of the Canucks’ GM search at the end of April, though evidently, the former Canuck was not the organization’s final selection.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations has spent nearly six seasons in an NHL front-office, as he also put in three years as the Seattle Kraken’s Director of Player Development.
With the Sedins’ promotion causing a noticeable vacancy in the player development space, a former Canuck like Tambellini would be an interesting hire for Vancouver.
Roberto Luongo
The Florida Panthers’ Special Assistant To The General Manager would be an interesting name to add to Vancouver’s organization, especially given that he has now won two Stanley Cups with his current team in his advisor role. A former player whose place in the Canucks’ Ring of Honour has sparked debate, specifically about jersey retirement in this context, Luongo’s name was thrown around during Vancouver’s GM search — though there were no specific reports connecting him to the role.
There’s no secret that a Luongo hire would be fun, but that would require the ex-Canucks goaltender to either move his family back to Vancouver, or return on his own.
Feb 12, 2020; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Former NHL player Kevin Bieksa speaks during the Sedin's retirement ceremony for twin brothers Daniel Sedin (22) and Henrik Sedin (33) of Sweden as their Vancouver Canucks jerseys are retired to the rafters of Rogers Arena prior to a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Realistically, these four hires are extremely unlikely — but they’re still fun to think about.
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COVERS INTEL: Rarely do you get precedent in these high-pressure scenarios, but Holmgren also struggled offensively vs. Indiana in last year's NBA Finals. He followed a 6-for-24 skid in Games 5 and 6 with a big 
