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Back when Tim Duncan was in college at Wake Forest, people would watch him and think, what’s all the fuss about? Then they’d look at the boxscore and see 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5 assists.
In person, he was sort of boring because he never did anything flashy. He was just incredibly sound.
Cameron Boozer is much the same way.
Zach Lowe watched him casually and wasn’t impressed. Then he watched more closely and got it.
He says “Boozer is so smart, so crafty, and has this super high IQ, where his vision and his IQ make him faster and more athletic than he actually is, because he’s outthinking everybody on the court. And he has such a smart sense of anticipation and angles. Combine that with a workable three-point shot, at least in college, a nasty streak, an ability to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll…I fu**ing love that guy…I think he’s gonna walk in and be a really good NBA player right away.”
That’s what Duke fans were lucky enough to see last season. Like others before him – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and just last week, Jalen Brunson, Boozer is smart enough to force the game to be played on his terms.
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France XV 35-19 England XV
South Africa-born back came on in 52nd minute
Benhard Janse van Rensburg’s hopes of a try-scoring England debut were dashed by fumbling hands as France emerged conclusive 35-19 winners in their non-cap international in Vannes.
South Africa-born Janse van Rensburg was brought on in the 52nd minute and shortly after he was presented with a routine run-in, only for the ball to slip from his hands. The opportunity was England’s last chance to start reeling in a 28-12 deficit and otherwise the Bristol centre’s involvement was limited.
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Veteran guard D’Angelo Russell has opted in to his $6 million player option for the 2026-27 season, Jake Fischer reported Friday.
Russell, 30, was acquired by the Wizards on Feb. 5 as part of a trade that sent Anthony Davis, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy to Washington. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 assists across 26 games with Dallas last season.
Despite the trade, Russell never reported to the Wizards as the sides navigated a buyout agreement that never materialized. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said the team and Russell spoke following the trade and agreed he wouldn’t report.
“With D’Angelo, we’ve talked to him, talked to his representatives. At the time, he’s not going to report as we try to figure out what’s best for him and us in our future,“ Dawkins said.
It’s possible Russell quickly becomes a trade piece for Washington, as it appears neither side is interested in the former All-Star playing significant, if any, minutes in a Wizards uniform this season.
If the Wizards re-sign Trae Young, which is considered very likely, the roster sits at 12 guaranteed contracts. If you include Jamir Watkins, who has a $2.15M team option that likely gets picked up, and the No. 1 pick, Washington is at 14 standard deals.
The Wizards also hold the No. 51 and No. 60 selections in the 2026 draft.
The Golden State Warriors wrapped up another set of pre-draft workouts ahead of next Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Thursday’s crop was one of their most intriguing workouts yet, featuring Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., and Washington big man Hannes Steinbach.
Burries is one of the top guard prospects in the draft and has been a popular name linked to the Warriors throughout the pre-draft process. He is a versatile guard who would add size to Golden State’s backcourt alongside Stephen Curry, measuring 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. He also provides value as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 39.1% of his three-point attempts during his freshman season at Arizona.
Philon, meanwhile, offers a different type of fit in the Warriors’ backcourt. The Alabama guard is a more dynamic creator off the dribble, with the ball-handling and scoring ability that helped him average 22 points per game during his sophomore season. However, Philon is considerably smaller than Burries, measuring 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds at the combine.
Lastly, Steinbach is widely regarded as the top rebounding prospects in this year’s draft class. The 6-foot-10 freshman big averaged 11.8 rebounds per game last season, the most of any player in the country. He also possesses excellent hands and a high basketball IQ, giving him intriguing upside as a passer despite averaging just 1.6 assists per game.
With the draft now less than a week away, the Warriors will continue to evaluate a wide range of prospects as they weigh their options with the No. 11 overall pick. While Burries, Philon, and Steinbach bring very different skill sets to the table, each fills a potential area of need for a Golden State team set on adding young talent around its veteran core.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, June 19th:
Most teams want to make sure their top pick has at least one elite trait, and Steinbach clearly does. His strong and massive hands help him be the best rebounder in the draft. Steinbach positions his body well and he just has a knack for the ball. He led the country in rebounds per game (11.8) and he also ranked second in the Big Ten with 126 offensive rebounds.
Golden State’s Kristaps Porziņģis is one of those players and league sources say that the sides are indeed progressing in talks on a new deal after the Warriors acquired Porziņģis and his expiring salary of nearly $31 million on Trade Deadline Day in February.
The Celtics have gone to great lengths to avoid the elephant in the room here, but Jaylen Brown would need to be part of any deal for Antetokounmpo. And if Boston had its way, the conversation would start and end there with a one-for-one swap of fellow All-Stars who are still in their respective primes (Antetokounmpo is 31; Brown is 29). Lest anyone forget, Brown is coming off his best season yet, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
Given Golden State’s limited avenues to improve the roster, the depth of guards in this year’s draft class, and a quietly deep free agent crop of guards that could be in the non-taxpayer mid-level exception price range (Quentin Grimes, Ayo Dosunmo, Coby White, Benedict Mathurin, Landry Shamet, Keon Ellis, Norm Powell, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, CJ McCollum, and De’Anthony Melton), the Warriors could be in position to improve their depth by trading Podziemski for another first-round pick, giving Will Richard an expanded role, and adding a proven guard in free agency.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are counting on one of their younger prospects to take another step forward this summer. Whether it’s Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor, or their upcoming first-round pick, it’s important that one of them turns into a hit.
Earlier this week, asked you, the fans, who is the most important prospect out of that bunch. Here are the results.
An overwhelming majority chose Tyson. That might not be much of a surprise.
Tyson became a fan favorite last season through his hustle on the court. Bringing heart and toughness to this Cavalier team is the quickest way to win over the city.
But Tyson was more than just a junkyard dog. He took a huge leap forward as a three-point shooter and showed some skills in the pick-and-roll that make him an intriguing offensive prospect. The Cavs would love to see him continue to improve as a shooter while fleshing out the rest of his offensive game. His playmaking in the short roll, for example, leaves endless opportunities.
On paper, Tyson can be a highly valuable complementary piece moving forward. The fans seem to have taken notice.
Proctor is a distant second. But make no mistake, he’s someone whom I’d feel just as excited about. Proctor has good size and defensive instincts for his position. I trust his jumper is legit, and the more he can do on-ball, the more helpful he can be. I think there’s a chance Proctor can earn backup point guard minutes in his sophomore season.
Finally, the 29th pick in this year’s draft comes in last place. That’s because there’s simply no telling what to expect from a late first-round pick. None of us assumes that this pick will translate to anything tangible in the immediate future. Though it’s still important that whoever they select can develop into someone useful down the line.
Cleveland currently holds the 11th highest odds to win the title next season. They won’t get any higher if they strike out on all three of these prospects.
Thomas Haugh‘s decision to return to Florida after a breakout sophomore season sent shockwaves that reverberated throughout not only college basketball but the NBA as well. The consensus All-American forward announced his return to Gainesville in mid-April despite most projections listing the 6-foot-9 Haugh as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
And it turns out the NBA has one of its own to thank for that decision. Golden State Warriors veteran big man Draymond Green confirmed he advised Haugh to go back to Florida after learning what he could make in NIL. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Haugh could exceed $10 million in NIL during the 2026-27 season, with roughly $8 million coming courtesy of the team’s NIL collective, Florida Victorious.
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Haugh first revealed his conversation with Green last week after the Gators started summer workouts. It was an in-depth consultation with the four-time NBA champion, courtesy of their mutual friend, Warriors rookie Will Richard, who won the 2025 national title with the Gators.
“I was just like really up in the air about it,” Haugh told reporters, per GatorsOnline‘s Zach Abolverdi. “I kind of wanted to get like a perspective from like a player. And so, I called Will (for advice) … and then he’s like, ‘I’m actually going to add Draymond right now.’ And then we talked for like 45 minutes. It was pretty sick.”
Green revealed his side of the conversation with Haugh earlier this week on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, citing the multitude of reasons a return to Gainesville was ultimately the right decision. And while the NIL money was an important factor, Green pointed to the potential legacy Haugh could establish by going back and potentially winning a second national championship at Florida.
“We start talking about the number (Haugh) could possibly get if he went back, and when (Richard) told me the number in the millions that he’d make if he stayed at Florida, I was like, ‘Oh, no question he should go back,’” Green recalled this week. “When we got on the phone with Thomas, the number was actually higher then (what) Will had thought or had told me it was. But No. 1, Thomas grew up a Florida Gator fan, family are big time Gators fans, so Florida is his dream school. He’s won a national championship there, gonna come back next year and have an opportunity to win a second national championship possibly, and compete for national player of the year, and (then enter) a much weaker draft (in 2028).
“And he’s going to make really good money; that’s 1099 income as opposed to W2 income that NBA players make,” Green added. “And he’s going to solidify himself as one of the greatest Gators ever. I just don’t know how it gets much better than that.”
Of course, Green’s advice for Haugh didn’t stop there.
“One thing I told him, ‘Alright, but you’ve got to go do the work. You have to come back (to the NBA) next year better than you are right now. So you gotta go do the work, but I think it’s the right decision to go back to school,'” Green added. “I hope he has a great year, I’m praying for his health, and build that draft stock up even higher. Because I think he’s more than capable of doing that.”
Haugh’s return coincided with similar draft decisions from fellow juniors Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. That has Florida among the leading favorites to win the 2027 national championship.
A big shift that has occurred in the six years that Leon Rose has been in charge of basketball operations is one that naturally occurs when a team begins to compete. The priority shifts from development to winning now.
The year that Rose and company fully shifted from the youth movement to a veteran-ladened roster was 2023-24. Obi Toppin was traded to Indiana, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley went to Toronto, Quentin Grimes went to Detroit. Four guys that seemed like key parts of the team’s future two years prior were out the door to supplement a core around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (later, Karl-Anthony Towns).
With draft assets being tossed around in these trades and others (particularly to get Mikal Bridges), the youth pipeline was completely shut off. All that was left was the occasional late first and a few seconds every so often.
You see them filling out the back end of these rosters with lottery tickets in these spots. The Tyler Kolek’s and Ariel Hukporti’s of the world. But with their most recent pick, No. 51 in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Knicks made their biggest upside play, and hope that they might’ve found a diamond in the rough for the future.
Mohamed Diawara was born on April 29, 2005, in Paris, France. Basketball wasn’t his first love; soccer was, but a growth spurt, coupled with watching his sister play as a little kid, instilled a love for the game in him, resulting in him joining La Domremy Basket at the age of 13 and later joining the Saint-Charles Charenton youth team alongside Pacǒme Dadiet in 2020.
He made his senior debut with Paris Basketball in 2021 at the age of 16, but his minutes were sporadic over the next few years across both continental and LNB Pro A. As he continued to mature as a man and a basketball player, he had a hard time finding a role, eventually being loaned down to second-division Poitiers Basket 86 in December.
That summer, he left Paris to play full-time in LNB Élite, signing with Cholet Basket for the 2024-25 season to get a bigger role ahead of his draft eligibility year. NBA scouts had long noticed his talent, naming him the best player at a 2022 Basketball Without Borders event in Milan, but he needed to find out how to best put his skills on display. That summer, he won a gold medal with France’s U20 team at FIBA EuroBasket in Poland.
At Cholet Basket, he played 20 minutes a game, by far a career high, but he was limited to just 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds a game on mediocre efficiency. He looked the part of a raw prospect, but he still decided to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, banking on his elite measureables to convince an NBA team to take a flier on him with their ever-growing addiction to drafting for traits over production.
The Knicks were scheduled to make their only draft selection at No. 50, but traded back one pick to allow the Clippers to come up and take Kobe Sanders. With the 51st pick, Diawara heard his name called, joining his old French teammate Dadiet in New York.
It was a relative surprise to see that this late-second round selection wasn’t a Eurostash and planned to compete for a roster spot. He showed some flashes on both ends in an overall forgettable Summer League for the Knicks and benefited from Brock Aller needing to dance around the second apron, which allowed him to get into training camp with an inside track at a guaranteed contract.
There, he impressed the coaching staff right away and earned his way onto the Opening Night roster after initially only signing an Exhibit 10 deal. He was very far down the depth chart, as you might expect, but with Mike Brown now in charge, maybe he’d get a chance other recent rookies didn’t?
It took until late November for him to get meaningful minutes, where he struggled against Orlando in a very sad game overall. A month later, in the NBA Cup hangover game in Indiana, he got his first career start with five regular rotation players ruled out.
Slowly, he was gaining more reps, even if the impact wasn’t there yet. Something seemed to click for him when he got a quick 3:40 stint on Christmas Day against Cleveland, which turned into his most impactful week of the season. He earned starts against Atlanta and New Orleans on the upcoming road trip with Josh Hart injured, with his 18-point performance against the Pelicans serving as the best game of his rookie year.
There were things holding him back, though. Despite tantalizing sequences with his defensive abilities, the team was struggling to defend anything during this time, killing his lineups. In the New Year’s Eve clash with the Spurs, Diawara earned the start but was limited to just six minutes. Why? Teams had enough film on him to start dissecting his weaknesses.
While he was a 40% shooter and a deadeye corner sniper in limited reps, there was some hesitancy with his shot. He also hadn’t shown an ability to attack driving lanes and make plays the way Hart does, so teams started utilizing ghost coverage, which played him off the court.
As a result, January was a month that saw him sink back into a deep reserve role as the team got healthier. He’d occasionally re-emerge when guys were banged up, but he seemed unprepared to attack the new way he was being defended.
He started getting more comfortable when he was called upon in early February. He played 15 critical minutes in a double-overtime win against the Nuggets, he started for a shorthanded Knicks squad in Detroit against the Pistons, and he looked great in a season-high 27 minutes against the Celtics just after the trade deadline.
His most memorable game might’ve been his March 1 game against the same Spurs team that revealed the book on how to play him off the court. When called upon against Mitch Johnson’s ghost coverage, he attempted a staggering 13 three-pointers in 15 minutes and was a plus-18 in a blowout win.
By late March, the team had gotten fully healthy and, despite showing some real flashes, he was outside the 9 or 10-man circle of trust that Brown had heading into the playoffs. He didn’t play a single meaningful minute in the playoffs, even when OG Anunoby missed two games with injury.
The overall numbers don’t say anything special, but for a player who barely managed to sneak into the end of the second round, he had an impressive rookie season. Maybe he could’ve contributed to this championship run. Maybe the Knicks didn’t want to simultaneously risk rookie mistakes or buffing up the complicated contract situation that will result in him being a restricted free agent at the end of the month.
Regardless, Diawara is a champion. He joined an exclusive group of Muslim NBA players who would win a championship, and even managed to be featured alongside Mayor Mamdani in an article during Ramadan. If cap mechanisms can manage to keep him in New York going forward, he’s an exciting piece for when we’ll have to start thinking beyond this core of players.
Congrats, Mo!
–
(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)
Another NBA Draft means another No. 1 overall pick, and the focus will be on which player NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces first on Tuesday, June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Per the Big Board of NBC Sports’ Raphielle Johnson, AJ Dybantsa of BYU is the leading candidate to be the first selection in the 2026 NBA Draft with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) and Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) also high on the list.
The Washington Wizards have the first pick in this year’s draft.
Here's a look at the top selections in the NBA Draft dating back to 1947:
| Year | Player | College/HS/Club | NBA team |
| 2025 | Cooper Flagg | Duke | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2024 | Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg (France) | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2023 | Victor Wembanyama | Metropolitans 92 (France) | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2022 | Paolo Banchero | Duke | Orlando Magic |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | Detroit Pistons |
| 2020 | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | Duke | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton | Arizona | Phoenix Suns |
| 2017 | Markelle Fultz | Washington | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons | LSU | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2015 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Kansas | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | UNLV | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Duke | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010 | John Wall | Kentucky | Washington Wizards |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Memphis | Chicago Bulls |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | OhioState | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | Toronto Raptors |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Utah | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | SACA Atlanta | Orlando Magic |
| 2003 | LeBron James | St.Vincent-St.Mary | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Shanghai Sharks | Houston Rockets |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Glynn Academy (Georgia) | Washington Wizards |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati | New Jersey Nets |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Duke | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Georgetown | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Maryland | Golden State Warriors |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Michigan | Orlando Magic |
| 1992 | Shaquille O’ Neal | LSU | Orlando Magic |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | UNLV | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | Syracuse | New Jersey Nets |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Louisville | Sacramento Kings |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Kansas | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1987 | David Robinson | Navy | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | North Carolina | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | New York Knicks |
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | Houston Rockets |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | Houston Rockets |
| 1982 | James Worthy | North Carolina | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Purdue | Golden State Warriors |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson | Michigan State | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Minnesota | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Indiana | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Maryland | Houston Rockets |
| 1975 | David Thompson | North Carolina State | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | UCLA | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Illinois State | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Loyola | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Notre Dame | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | Detroit Pistons |
| 1969 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | UCLA | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | Houston | San Diego Rockets |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Providence | Detroit Pistons |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | Michigan | New York Knicks |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | Davidson | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | Texas Western | New York Knicks |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | Duke | New York Knicks |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Utah | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Indiana | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Kansas State | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1957 | Hot Rod Hundley | WestVirginia | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1956 | Si Green | Duquesne | Rochester Royals |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Duquesne | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Furman | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Manchester (ABL) | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | West Virginia | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1951 | Gene Melchiorre | Bradley | Baltimore Hawks |
| 1950 | Chuck Share | Bowling Green | Boston Celtics |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Kansas State | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Marshall | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeeley | Texas Wesleyan | Pittsburgh Ironmen |
There have been 11 No. 1 overall selections in the NBA Draft who eventually won the MVP (which never has been won by a rookie):
Using the criteria of MVP awards and NBA championships, you take your pick between:
The general consenus is probably Anthony Bennett, who started only four games with four teams over four seasons after being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The power forward from UNLV, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds over 151 games, was chosen 14 picks ahead of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Other No. 1 overall flops were Greg Oden in 2007, Kwame Brown in 2001, Michael Olowokandi in 1998 and LaRue Martin in 1972.
No, Jordan was drafted third by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers).
Henry Nicholls’ superb unbeaten century saw New Zealand into an utterly dominant position against England in the second Test at the Oval on Friday.
Every offseason produces at least one difficult decision, and this one might define the Colorado Avalanche's pursuit of another Stanley Cup.
Valeri Nichushkin is simultaneously one of the team's biggest strengths and one of its biggest uncertainties.
When he's healthy and on the ice, few power forwards in the NHL can match the combination of size, speed and relentless puck pursuit that has made him such an integral part of Colorado's identity. But injuries and off-ice setbacks have repeatedly interrupted what could have been one of the league's most dominant careers, leaving the Avalanche to answer a question that doesn't have an easy solution.
Do you move one of the best playoff performers in franchise history while he still carries significant value? Or do you trust that a healthy offseason finally allows him to become the player everyone inside the organization knows he can be?
There's a compelling case for both.
When Nichushkin is healthy, he is one of the most efficient and impactful skaters on Colorado's roster. He can score in bunches, and when he finds his rhythm, he has a tendency to take over games.
Nichushkin finished the season with 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points in 72 games. He scored in just 12 of those contests, but four of them were multi-goal performances, including a hat trick on New Year's Eve in a 6-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues — the same night Nathan MacKinnon scored his 400th career NHL goal.
Beyond the production, Nichushkin does countless things that don't always show up on the scoresheet. He has underrated puck skills that allow him to carry the puck into the offensive zone with possession, his speed makes him one of Colorado's best forecheckers, and his combination of size and hockey IQ helps him win battles along the boards and extend offensive-zone time.
He's exactly the type of power forward every contender wants.
The problem is that he isn't always available.
In fact, Nichushkin shares an unfortunate distinction with Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux: he has never played a full 82-game season. The closest he came was during the 2013-14 and 2015-16 campaigns with the Dallas Stars. Throughout his career, injuries have consistently interrupted his seasons, and in recent years, so have off-ice issues.
On April 22, 2023, Avalanche staff found a heavily intoxicated woman in Nichushkin's room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle before Game 3 of Colorado's first-round playoff series against the Kraken. The team doctor called emergency services, the woman was transported to a hospital, and Nichushkin abruptly left the team.
No criminal charges were filed against Nichushkin, but he returned to Denver and did not play again as Colorado's Stanley Cup title defense ended in seven games. Nichushkin later revealed he would have returned had the Avalanche advanced to the second round.
Less than a year later, in January 2024, Nichushkin entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and the Avalanche announced he would be away from the team indefinitely.
The program consists of four stages. Stage 1 involves an initial in-patient treatment program with no disciplinary penalty. A violation of the Stage 1 treatment plan moves a player into Stage 2, where he can be suspended without pay during active treatment before becoming eligible for reinstatement.
Stage 3, which follows a violation of the Stage 2 treatment plan, carries a suspension without pay for at least six months before reinstatement can be considered. Stage 4, following a violation of the Stage 3 treatment plan, results in a suspension of at least one year, with no guarantee of reinstatement.
Nichushkin completed treatment in late February 2024 and entered follow-up care under the Stage 2 treatment plan. He returned to the Avalanche on March 8 and still managed to finish the regular season with 28 goals.
Then came another setback.
After scoring nine goals in eight playoff games during Colorado's first-round series victory over the Winnipeg Jets, Nichushkin failed a drug test, was suspended for six months without pay, and entered Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program.
Since returning, however, there have been no public issues. Head coach Jared Bednar repeatedly said throughout this past season that Nichushkin was in a great place mentally and had become an important presence inside the locker room.
That part of the story is often overlooked.
Nichushkin isn't someone who seeks the spotlight. If Nathan MacKinnon is quiet around the media, Nichushkin is even more reserved. Yet Bednar has spoken about how younger players gravitate toward him because he's approachable and easy to relate to. It's also no secret that he and goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood have developed a close friendship.
His statistical decline this season wasn't entirely his fault.
After Colorado's 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 11, Nichushkin had five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 17 games. In that game, though, he blocked a shot and suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him for nearly a month.
Only a month after returning, Nichushkin was involved in a car accident on his way to the rink and missed a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. He later dealt with an upper-body injury in early April before suffering another lower-body injury in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. He missed the final 22 minutes of that game and Game 4 as Colorado was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.
There may not have been a player more ready for the offseason than Nichushkin.
A healthy summer devoted entirely to recovery and conditioning could set him up for another productive campaign.
People also tend to forget what he has already sacrificed for the organization. Nichushkin has fought for this team, played through pain for this team and helped deliver a Stanley Cup.
During the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, he played Game 6 with a broken foot and still produced four goals and two assists in the series. Those four goals tied a franchise record shared by Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay for the most in a Stanley Cup Final.
That's the version of Valeri Nichushkin the Avalanche are betting still exists.
Colorado could certainly explore moving his $6.125 million cap hit after creating additional flexibility with the Ross Colton trade. A left-shot defenseman or a younger, more physical forward could make sense on paper.
But there's another way to view it.
Nichushkin is 31 years old, not 36. His recent postseason numbers — five goals over his last two playoff appearances — don't erase the 19 goals he scored in the previous three postseasons, nor do they erase the reality that, when healthy, he remains one of the NHL's most dominant playoff wingers.
That's why the smarter approach may simply be patience.
Give Nichushkin a healthy offseason. See what he looks like over the first half of next season. If he returns to the player Colorado knows he can be, the Avalanche keep one of the league's most unique forwards. If not, his combination of production and contract certainty still makes him a valuable trade asset at the deadline.
If the Avalanche can find a way to retain Jack Drury and Brett Kulak while working within the nearly $7 million they have left in cap space, even better. The downside, however, is that it could leave Brent Burns as the odd man out.
But for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, moving on from Valeri Nichushkin now might be the bigger gamble.
On Friday morning at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex in Winnipeg, one of the most emotional moments of an already deeply moving retirement speech came when Toews began working his way through the teammates who defined his historic NHL career, and the first name mentioned was one that surprised nobody in Patrick Kane.
The two arrived in Chicago together, were drafted back to back in 2006, and spent the better part of 16 seasons as the engine behind one of the most celebrated dynasties in 21st century hockey.
From their rookie season in 2007 all the way through Kane's trade to the New York Rangers in 2022-23, Toews and Kane were one of the best duos the sport has ever seen, winning three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and built a bond that clearly ran far deeper than the rink.
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"Kane came in with me as a rookie, we're kind of an odd couple for a lot of those years, especially when we were rooming together," Toews laughed.
"Going through the journey with a young player like himself definitely took the pressure off me, but at the same time, a guy like that is going to push you to get better and his commitment to the game and the career he's had. I get to look back and be thankful I got to play with a player like him."
Toews closed his NHL career having played 1,149 games, recording 383 goals and 529 assists for 912 points, numbers that tell only part of the story of a player whose value was always measured in championship rings and leadership as much as individual statistics.
Kane, meanwhile, is not yet finished writing his own chapter as the Detroit Red Wings winger put together a strong 2025-26 campaign, posting 57 points in just 67 games, and is widely expected to return to the ice next season despite not yet signing an extension with Detroit.
When he does return, he will carry a distinction that no other player in the league can claim, as the last remaining active player from those legendary Blackhawks teams, a living piece of hockey history skating on into a new era while his former partner steps away from the game for good.
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Well, the slump is on. While it’s not surprising for any team to slump for a few games, and even less surprising for an injury-laden squad to do so, it’s still been quite a turnaround for a team that held baseball’s best record for quite a while. After going 1-6 in their last seven games, with three consecutive series losses (two shortened by rain), the Braves are now a full game behind the Dodgers in the best record race. They’re a half-game ahead of the Brewers, who come to town for a holiday weekend series.
If you were hoping that maybe the Braves could change their fortunes with a new series, well… uh… maybe shunt those hopes onto tomorrow. Because, tonight, the pitching matchup involves Martin Perez and Jacob Misiorowski.
The Miz, as he is affectionately called these days, has basically been eating MLB batters for dinner. He already had an impressive debut in 2025, putting up 1.2 fWAR and a 104/88/89 line (ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-) in 15 appearances (14 starts), but 2026 has been worlds apart. Through 14 starts, Misiorowski has completed 87 innings with a 33/40/49 line. We used to talk about Chris Sale and Spencer Strider video game numbers, and, honestly, these are even better than those numbers. The Miz has 3.9 fWAR and it’s not even July yet; he leads MLB in pitching fWAR, FIP-, and xFIP-, and is second by a smidge in ERA- to boot. While his April was very good, things have taken a turn for the sublime when the calendar turned to May. In his last eight starts, Misiorowski has an 80/9 K/BB ratio, and a 4/18/38 line. Those don’t even seem like real numbers.
He’s coming off one of the greatest MLB pitching performances ever, a near-perfect game where he faced the minimum (but had a hit off him) and threw just 95 pitches while striking out 15 Phillies. Those Phillies weren’t mired in terrible offensive doldrums and the Miz diced ‘em up. What will happen to the Braves? Well, watch and witness, I guess.
To do battle against Misiorowski, the Braves will deploy Martin Perez. At one point, this was tabbed as a Chris Sale-Miz matchup, but the Braves are definitely not yet (or ever?) in the “give Chris Sale as many starts as humanly possible” operating mode, so… Perez it is. To his credit, Perez has taken over the “unexpectedly pretty good starter” position from Bryce Elder, and his season line now sits at 0.8 fWAR and a 70/93/94 line in 62 total innings, which is certainly way better than anyone was expecting out of him. Due to the phenomenon I still think of as Perez pachinko, it’s pretty hard to know exactly what you’re going to get out of him other than a relatively short outing, but maybe he can help keep the score fairly close if nothing else.
Game Date/Time: Friday, June 19, 7:15 p.m. EDT
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: BravesVision
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
On Friday morning at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex in Winnipeg, the hometown hero officially announced his retirement from the NHL, closing the book on a 17-year career that cemented his legacy as one of the greatest winners the sport has ever produced and arguably the finest athlete Manitoba has ever given the world.
Toews admitted he was more nervous than he expected to be, but spoke with the same calm, measured presence that defined him throughout his playing days, working his way through a lengthy and heartfelt speech that touched on the people, the moments and the memories that shaped everything he became.
He began with the Chicago Blackhawks, the organization that drafted him third overall back in 2006 and gave him the stage to become a legend. Toews described his time in Chicago as going by in the blink of an eye, calling it a special chapter he remains deeply grateful for.
He thanked former general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville before reflecting on the three Stanley Cups that defined the Blackhawks dynasty, recalling the surreal feeling of winning the first one and the almost incomprehensible moment of bringing the Cup home to Winnipeg, describing the experience of having it sitting in his living room and barely being able to process that any of it was actually happening.
As the first teammate he wanted to single out, Toews turned to Patrick Kane, his longtime linemate and the other half of one of the most celebrated duos in modern NHL history.
"Patrick Kane came in with me as a rookie. We're kind of an odd couple for a lot of those years, especially when we were rooming together," Toews laughed.
"Going through the journey with a young player like himself definitely took the pressure off me, but at the same time, a guy like that is going to push you to get better and his commitment to the game and the career he's had, I get to look back and be thankful I got to play with a player like him."
Toews also extended gratitude to Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Patrick Sharp, describing the veteran core as big brothers who helped shape his understanding of leadership and what it meant to be a captain in the NHL. He thanked the Chicago faithful as well, noting that the pace of the game rarely allowed him to stop and appreciate what was happening around him.
Toews reflected on how the NHL demands you always be focused on what comes next, leaving little time to smell the roses, but said the ovations he received from the Chicago crowd caught him off guard and that being able to skate around and soak it all in served as a powerful reminder of just how special his years with the Blackhawks truly were.
Toews finished his tenure with the Blackhawks with 372 goals and 511 assists for 883 points in 1,068 games, adding 119 points in 137 playoff games across 16 seasons.
When he turned his attention to the Winnipeg Jets, Toews began by singling out Jets chairman Mark Chipman, calling him a hero and crediting his work in bringing the NHL back to Winnipeg as nothing short of monumental.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of pulling on that Jets sweater and playing in front of my hometown community, my family, my friends, all the people that have supported me over the years. It meant a lot to them and it means a lot to me," Toews said.
He thanked general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel for taking a chance on a player who had been away from the game for two years and represented something of an unknown commodity.
"I know I was kind of a wild card, not knowing what this year would look like, having been away from the game for two years," Toews explained.
"It's a business and you guys are out there to win and I can't thank you enough for your patience and your support, helping me find my way and be part of this locker room and this team."
Toews spoke warmly about his Jets teammates, laughing as he noted he had collected more nicknames in one season in Winnipeg than in his entire career before it, and was quick to praise the culture Cheveldayoff and Arniel have built within the organization, noting it was not something that happened overnight.
"Even though I feel like I struggled on the ice and didn't quite contribute the way I wanted to at times this year, you guys made me feel part of the group right away."
He spoke to the resilience of the group throughout a season that did not end the way any of them had hoped, and offered words that carried the weight of someone who has lived through both the highest highs and lowest lows the game has to offer.
"I wish I could have done more, I wish we would have had a little bit more team success. I think we all wanted that this year, and you guys just kept showing up every day, ready to work and have fun and that starts with you guys."
Toews went on to thank the training staffs of both the Blackhawks and Jets before reflecting on the personal journey that brought him to this moment, one that included prolonged health battles that left him uncertain whether he would ever play again.
"I think, when you're heading into the unknown a little bit and your whole life has kind of been structured and predictable from one year to the next, it is not easy. Sometimes I catch myself wishing that things had gone differently, and I could have finished my career on a different note these last five years or so, but truth be told, I'm grateful for the struggle and the learning experiences I've been through," Toews noted.
"Ironically, I feel like I've learned so much more about myself and about life through the low points than I ever did when my career was at its height."
He closed by thanking his family for consistently putting their own needs aside to support his dream, and offered a final word to the city that raised him.
"The old saying goes, it takes a village. In my case, it couldn't be more true. Too many people to name, my coaches, childhood friends, people all over the city of Winnipeg. It was super special this year to reconnect and cross paths with people I haven't seen in 15, 20 years. It's just special to see what the Jets and hockey means in the city and thank you all for everything."
To close out his speech, Toews spoke directly to Jets fans one final time.
"Lastly, thank you to our loyal Jets fans and the city of Winnipeg. Something special about being from this city. I'm so proud to be from Winnipeg and thank you guys for making this year so special. I hope I represented you guys well over the years, so thank you very much."
Among the most decorated players of his generation, Toews leaves the game with a resume that will make Hall of Fame voters take little time in making their decision. He won three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the Blackhawks, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2010.
At the international level, he was equally dominant representing Canada, winning two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014, a World Junior Championship gold medal and a World Championship gold medal, becoming one of the rare players in hockey history to complete the Triple Gold Club.
Individually, he was a Frank J. Selke Trophy winner as the league's best defensive forward, a Mark Messier Leadership Award recipient and was named Winnipeg's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee this past season.
It was a fitting final scene for a player who began his hockey journey with the Winnipeg Warriors U15 AAA and the Winnipeg Jr. Jets, and who ends it in the same city, having represented it with distinction every step of the way.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Raphielle Johnson