There’s a reality in which the Golden State Warriors’ future doesn’t hinge on the No. 11 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Sure, they could trade the selection for a superstar.
But that’s not what we’re talking about.
It’s whether they could go back and redo their previous lottery picks.
Steph Curry, who was selected seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, was part of the Warriors’ dynasty. NBAE via Getty Images
A run of savvy selections in the early 2010s built the foundation of a dynasty, delivering Steph Curry (seventh overall, 2009), Klay Thompson (11th, 2011) and Draymond Green (35th, 2012) among other key contributors.
But the well has dried up, taking with it any hope of executing owner Joe Lacob’s bold “two-timeline” plan. That hope disappeared when the franchise used two of its highest selections this millennium on James Wiseman (second overall, 2020) and Jonathan Kuminga (seventh, 2021).
As far as the draft goes, the Warriors have been light-years behind.
There have been 44 players taken since Green who have gone on to earn All-Star selections, but none have been among the 21 prospects drafted by Golden State.
The good news is that this year’s draft is considered so deep it will be almost impossible to go wrong with the 11th pick. The Warriors will also have a different man in charge of the draft room from the last time they held a lottery pick.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob (right) hasn’t had much luck with the franchise’s draft picks recently. David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Mike Dunleavy Jr. has proven to be adept at identifying role players late in the draft since assuming the general manager’s post from Bob Myers weeks before the 2022 draft.
But this will be Dunleavy’s first lottery selection.
“We’ll just draft who we think is going to be the best player for us with our franchise moving forward,” Dunleavy said last month. “That’s what we’ve always done. Particularly the last few years we were pretty good about it whether it’s first or second round, whatever.
“We’re a little higher this year, but we’ll take the same approach.”
A report card on the Warriors’ recent history in the NBA draft, dating back to 2020:
A’s
None
The crux of the Warriors’ problems: While they have been able to find role players in the first round and value deeper in the draft, they’ve been bereft of top-line talent.
A selection of players taken after the Warriors’ past three lottery picks: Tyrese Haliburton, Deni Avdija, Tyrese Maxey, Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, Trey Murphy III.
You get the picture.
Brandin Podziemski, picked 19th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been an above-average player for the Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images
B’s
Moses Moody — 14th overall, 2021
Gui Santos — 55th overall, 2022
Brandin Podziemski — 19th overall, 2023
All three players will be part of the Warriors’ rotation for years to come.
Santos looks to be the steal of the 2022 draft — a credit to the Warriors’ international scouting operation and their player development. The Brazilian played an entire season in the G League before making his NBA debut and saw the court sparingly the past two seasons but broke out in a big way this year, starting 26 of the Warriors’ final 32 games while averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists per game.
Moody, the Warriors’ last lottery selection, isn’t a star but had developed into a quality 3-and-D player before tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee in March.
It would be difficult to do better at No. 19 than Podziemski, who played all 82 games this past season and looks to be in line to join Moody and Santos with a contract extension this summer.
The Warriors selected Will Richard with the 56th overall pick in th 2025 draft. Robert Sabo for NY Post
C’s
Ryan Rollins — 44th overall, 2022
Quinten Post — 52nd overall, 2024
Will Richard — 56th overall, 2025
The jury is still out on Richard, who looked far better than a late second-round pick before hitting a wall toward the end of his rookie season. Likewise, Post has contributed more than can be expected from the seventh-to-last selection the previous year.
Rollins is a big win — for the Bucks.
The undersized guard didn’t get much of a chance with Golden State, appearing in only 12 games as a rookie before being traded for Chris Paul. But three years and two teams later, Rollins averaged 17.3 points and 5.6 assists as Milwaukee’s starting point guard.
Jonathan Kuminga was traded to the Hawks at this season’s deadline. NBAE via Getty Images
D’s
Nico Mannion — 48th overall, 2020
Jonathan Kuminga — 7th overall, 2021
Trayce Jackson-Davis — 57th overall, 2023
According to assistant GM Larry Harris, “If I were to tell you that Joe [Lacob] likes the draft, that would be the understatement of the world.”
By all accounts, the Warriors owner loved Kuminga and viewed the raw-but-tantalizing teenager as their ticket into the post-Curry era. In one of the more regrettable sagas of Lacob’s otherwise sterling stewardship, that is not how it played out.
Coach Steve Kerr and Kuminga never saw eye-to-eye on the court, contentious contract negotiations played out in the public eye and the Warriors ended up trading him for pennies on the dollar once it became clear the situation was irreconcilable.
Kuminga could still become a great NBA player — he is still only 23 and is in a better situation with the Hawks — but it was never going to happen in Golden State.
James Wiseman is one of the Warriors’ biggest draft busts in recent memory. Getty Images
F’s
James Wiseman — 2nd overall, 2020
Justinian Jessup — 51st overall, 2020
Patrick Baldwin — 28th overall, 2022
Wiseman has some competition among the Warriors’ biggest draft busts — including their present GM, taken No. 3 overall in 2002 — but there’s no doubt the oft-injured and ineffective big man was their most misguided selection of the current era.
A free agent since being released in December by the Pacers — his third NBA team — Wiseman has logged just 152 games in five seasons since Golden State made him its highest draft pick since Joe Smith in 1995.
The Hornets took LaMelo Ball with the next pick, and Haliburton went 12th overall, leaving the Warriors and their fans wondering: What if?
Hey, at least they didn’t pass on Luka Doncic for Marvin Bagley.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Will AJ Dybantsa be the Washington Wizards next No. 1 overall pick? | Getty Images
For most of the past two decades, the Washington Wizards have been bad. During that 20-year span, they’ve managed an above .500 record just six times. Their cumulative regular season winning percentage was 40.2% — second worst in the league. Only the Sacramento Kings (39.6%) were worse.
And the Kings had to play in the tougher Western Conference.
To be that bad for that long is difficult. The draft was designed to help losing teams obtain the best new players. Unfortunately, the worst teams are typically bad because the people in charge of choosing the players do a poor job of evaluating the relative merits of available players.
Which is a kinda convoluted way of saying bad teams stay bad because they keep picking the wrong guy. A look back through the past 20 years of Wizards’ draft history underscores the point. No every draft year, of course. There were some years and selections where Washington either got the best guy, or the guy they picked turned out no worse than anyone chosen later.
And there were some gobstopping, future-ruining, scream-into-the-void blunders. The kind of mistakes that inspired the #SoWizards hashtag and locked in a small but devoted band of weirdo fans wh0 knew to expect the worst and revel in it.
Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins has the chance to select the team’s next franchise player in the 2026 NBA Draft. | Getty Images
The newest executive team led by Michael Winger, Travis Schlenck, and Will Dawkins are trying to change all that. The tear-down portion is over. With five youngsters added to the draft over the past three years, the rebuild is underway. FanDuel odds suggest they’ll kick things into high gear by picking high-scoring BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the number one overall pick.
Here at Bullets Forever, we’ve published some work looking at this year’s talent-loaded draft pool, and more is on the way. Today, let’s take a look back at bests and worsts of the past 20 years of Wizards drafts.
2006
At 18, Ernie Grunfeld selected Ukrainian forward/center Oleksiy Pecherov. The theory wasn’t bad — sweet-shooting 7-footer. In reality, he wasn’t really an NBA player. What made this a bad pick: Washington could have had Rajon Rondo (21st) or Kyle Lowry (24th). In the second round, the Wizards chose Vladimir Veremeenko, who never played in the NBA. They could have taken Leon Powe (bad knees and all), who went with the next pick, or Ryan Hollins (the pick after Powe).
Grade: D
2007
The pick was Nick Young, who a) was kinda almost not bad some of the time, and b) could not reasonably be considered a miss, even though he went 16th overall. It’s pretty stunning that no one picked in his vicinity performed any better. The closest “shoulda picked that guy” I could see was Tiago Splitter, who went 12 picks later. In this draft, Grunfeld saved his whiff for the second round. He picked Dominic McGuire 47th. Marc Gasol went 48th.
Grade: C-
2008
JaVale McGee had outlandish talent and athleticism. The outlandish antics got him traded. | NBAE via Getty Images
The pick was JaVale McGee 18th overall. McGee was a unique pairing of immense talent and cartoonish personality. He was absolutely robbed of a dunk contest win when judges chose Blake Griffin despite McGee pulling off three dunks that maybe five people on the planet could have done. Guys taken a little later who would have been better picks: Ryan Anderson (21), Nicolas Batum (25), George Hill (26). They sold the 47th overall pick, which annoyed me in 2008 but in retrospect was inconsequential. They missed on no one.
Grade: C+
2009
When I mentioned gobstopping, franchise changing blunders, I had 2009 in mind. With an alleged goal of assembling a championship contender, Grunfeld traded the fifth overall pick for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Each departed the team after one season. By trading the pick, they missed the chance to select Ricky Rubio (Minnesota took him fifth), or Stephen Curry (7th), or even DeMar DeRozan (9th). Ouch. The blundering continued in the second round. They sold the 32nd overall pick for cash when they could have picked DeJuan Blair (37th), Pat Beverly (42), Danny Green (46), or Patty Mills (55).
Grade: F-
2010
John Wall was one of the best players in Washington Wizards history until his career got sideswiped by injuries. | NBAE via Getty Images
Washington won the draft lottery and made John Wall the number one pick. Wall turned into a mutli-time All-Star and one of the better players in franchise history. I could kinda-sorta see arguments that the Wizards should have chosen Demarcus Cousins (5th) or Paul George (10th) instead of Wall, but I wouldn’t make those arguments myself.
Due to some trades, the Wizards also had picks 17 and 23. They chose French big Kevin Seraphin 17th and Trevor Booker 23rd. Booker was pretty good — no one picked later was any better. Seraphin was terrible (except for those hook shots), but the theory was pretty good, and he wasn’t much of a miss. The only guys who were good who went after him were Eric Bledsoe (18) and Booker. Bledsoe should have been the pick, and a Wall-Bledsoe backcourt could have been interesting.
Grade: A-
2011
This was a disastrous draft. With the sixth overall pick, Washington took Jan Vesely when they could have had Kemba Walker (9th), Klay Thompson (11th), Kawhi Leonard (15th), or Nikola Vucevic (16). With the 18th pick, they took Chris Singleton (who had a don’t draft grade in YODA) when they could have selected Tobias Harris (19th), Kenneth Faried (22nd), Reggie Jackson (24th), or Jimmy Butler (30th).
In the second round, they chose Shelvin Mack, who was the team’s most productive selection from this draft…and who they kept cutting to keep less productive players. Instead of selecting someone they kept deciding they didn’t want, they could have picked Chandler Parsons (38), Jon Leuer (40), Davis Bertans (42), or Isaiah Thomas (60). Thomas, by the way, had a first round grade in YODA.
Grade: F-
2012
With the third pick, the Wizards took Bradley Beal, who started as a standard-issue shooting guard and developed into a high-level offensive weapon. I’d accept arguments that they maybe should have taken Damian Lillard in that spot, though I would not have made that pick myself. In the second round, they picked Tomas Satoransky 32nd, who wasn’t bad…but they could have had Jae Crowder (34th), Draymond Green (35th), Khris Middleton (39th), or Will Barton (40th). Not an egregious miss, but still a miss.
Grade: B+
2013
Hindsight is 20/20: when the Wizards picked Otto Porter, they could have chosen Giannis Antetokounmpo. | Getty Images
For a second straight year, the Wizards had the third overall selection. This time, they picked Georgetown forward Otto Porter. While there were some (including Wall) who seemed more interested in chronicling things Porter could have theoretically done better, what he did was actually pretty damn good. The big miss: Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went 15th and became an all-time great. Ouch.
They traded their second round pick for Glen Rice Jr., who had a nice summer league. They didn’t miss a whole lot — Nate Wolters was chosen in that spot and didn’t do much in the NBA. They could have taken Mike Muscala, who was a decent backup big, or Raul Neto, who came to Washington later and had his best season.
Grade: C
2014
This draft rankled me. First, just before the 2013-14 season, they traded their first rounder plus an injured Emeka Okafor for Marcin Gortat. As a pure trade, it was fine. That they needed to make it was galling because they’d used every player acquisition resource available to them that summer to not address the glaring need for another big man — absurd because Okafor was 30-years-old. That’s an age when most players can be relied upon to get injured and get worse. Had they kept the pick, they could have had T.J. Warren, Jusuf Nurkic, Clint Capela, or a chubby, ground-bound Serbian kid who’d go on to be a three-time league MVP (Nikola Jokic, who went 40th!).
They had the 46th pick, which they sold to the Lakers for cash. They picked Jordan Clarkson. Something of a miss for Washington, though not a bad one.
Grade: C-
2015
In this draft, Grunfeld traded up to 15 so he could select Kelly Oubre Jr. I supported the move at the time — Oubre was long, athletic, and played hard. Some players picked later arguably had better careers, like Terry Rozier (16), Delon Wright (20), Bobby Portis (22), and Tyus Jones (24). I wouldn’t consider Oubre a miss, though. He was about as good as any of those guys and no one was significantly better. In round two, they chose Aaron White, who never played in the NBA, and still was no worse a pick than anyone who went later.
Grade: B+
2016
Once again, Grunfeld traded the team’s first round selection for a veteran — this time acquiring Markieff Morris. While Morris never was any better than average, he still proved to be a good value for the pick. First, because a “typical” 13th overall pick is going to produce over time at about the level Morris did, and second because they didn’t really miss out on anyone. The draft in that 13-17 range was blah. The “misses” came later — Malik Beasley (19), Caris LeVert (20), Pascal Siakam (27), or DeJounte Murray (29).
Grade: C
2017
It’s hard to say Kevin Durant was one who got away from the Wizards when he wouldn’t even take the meeting. | NBAE via Getty Images
For two seasons, Washington had been avoiding adding payroll in this offseason so they could have lots of cap room to chase free agent prizes like Kevin Durant or Al Horford. For some reason, no one in the front office — including the team’s owner, who was on the league’s ownership committee negotiating a new national TV deal — seemed to consider how that new TV deal would change the league’s financial landscape. That offseason, half the league had max cap room. The Wizards couldn’t get a meeting with Durant, and Horford chose Boston. They turned to a Plan C, which involved heaping large contracts on…lesser…players — Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, and Jason Smith.
Nicholson was so bad, the Wizards paid the Nets their first round pick to absorb Nicholson’s contract and rent Bojan Bogdanovic for a few lackluster months. That pick became Jarrett Allen. It could have been OG Anunoby (23), Kyle Kuzma (27), Derrick White (29), or Josh Hart (30).
In round two, they traded the 52nd overall pick for backup guard Tim Frazier, which was fine. They didn’t miss anyone by trading the pick.
Grade: F
2018
With the 15th pick, the Wizards chose Troy Brown Jr., who seemed pretty interesting for a couple seasons. Then he lost confidence and retreated and ended up out of the league in short order. They could have taken Donte DiVincenzo (17), Kevin Huerter (19), Grayson Allen (21), or Anfernee Simons (24).
In round two, they inexplicably chose Issuf Sanon with the 44th pick. It’s not so much that better players went later (though they could have drafted De’Anthony Melton or Shake Milton), it’s that Sanon had shown nothing in his professional career overseas to suggest he would ever be an NBA player.
Grade: D-
2019
With the 9th pick, Tommy Sheppard and the Wizards chose Rui Hachimura, who had some good moments in Washington but got less productive the longer he stayed. Sheppard finally traded him to the Lakers for a bushel of second round picks, where Hachimura has been better playing in the space created by LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. The Wizards dodged a bullet by not picking Cam Reddish (10). They could have selected Cameron Johnson (11), PJ Washington (13), Tyler Herro (13), or Brandon Clarke (21).
With the benefit of hindsight, Herro should have been the pick. At the time, everyone was looking at the short arms and average height and wondering how successful he could be. Johnson or Washington could have been better choices, especially Johnson. While I had Clarke rated high in YODA, I fully understand not picking him that early in the draft — he was a weird combination of wing size, elite athleticism, and a big’s game. And he was older for a prospect. Overall, Hachimura was an okay pick.
In round two, they chose Admiral Schofield 42nd overall. Schofield had wing height and a football player’s build. The theory was he could become a three-and-D type. The reality was that he was too stiff and lacking in lateral agility or vertical pop to be strong at the D part, and his shot wasn’t good enough for the threes part. They could have taken Talen Horton-Tucker or Terance Mann, but I wouldn’t call the Schofield selection a whiff even though he failed.
Grade: C+
2020
Reportedly, the Wizards promised Tyrese Haliburton they would pick him 8th overall. On draft night, Deni Avdija, who they thought would go earlier, was still available, so they broke the promise and chose Avdija. While Avdija has grown into a very good player, the Wizards would have been better off keeping the promise and picking Haliburton — who in five seasons was All-NBA twice, All-Star twice, and was the best player on team that reached game seven of the NBA Finals.
In the second round, Washington for some reason traded the 37th overall pick in a deal that netted them Cassius Winston, who’d been a good college player but was not a serious NBA prospect. It’s tough to be good in the NBA when you’re small and slow and don’t jump well. The Wizards could have taken Tre Jones (41), Nick Richards (42), Isaiah Joe (49), or Sam Merrill (60).
Grade: D
2021
Once again, the Wizards picked a decent player. Once again, they left better players on the board. In this draft, they chose Corey Kispert 15th overall. Alperen Sengun went next. Sengun was followed by Trey Murphy III. Jalen Johnson went 20th. Ugh.
The Wizards had another first round pick, which for some reason they traded to get Isaiah Todd and Aaron Holiday (a replacement level guard). Todd never came close to being an NBA player. The pick they dealt became Isaiah Jackson. They could have drafted Quentin Grimes, Cam Thomas, Santi Aldama, Herb Jones, or Miles McBride.
Grade: D-
2022
This one might have been the worst draft in franchise history other than Kenny Green (who didn’t even make the team) over Karl Malone. With pick No. 10, the Wizards chose Johnny Davis. They bypassed Jalen Williams (the terrific one who played great in the NBA Finals for OKC), Jalen Duren, Mark Williams, Tari Eason, Christian Braun, and Walker Kessler. Wow. Many — MANY armchair draft analysts were screaming for Jalen Williams at that spot. The professionals picked a guy who could not compete at the NBA level.
In round two, they chose Yannick Nzosa 54th, and though Nzosa never played in the NBA, they missed on no one.
Grade: F-
2023
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Bilal Coulibaly #0 of the Washington Wizards goes to the basket against Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Miami Heat during the second half at Capital One Arena on April 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In his first draft with the team, general manager Will Dawkins traded up a spot to select French wing Bilal Coulibaly. While Coulibaly has had his ups and downs, as well as injuries and “injuries,” it’s difficult to argue anyone selected after him has been significantly better.
In round two, the team shuffled some picks and ultimately chose Tristan Vukcevic, a decent shooting big man with leaden feet and inattentive defensive presence. They could have taken GG Jackson (eh), Toumani Camara, or Trayce Jackson-Davis. Fun fact: I was pleased when I thought the Wizards had picked Jackson-Davis 57th overall. Alas, they’d traded the selection to the Golden State Warriors.
Grade: B+
2024
The Wizards used three first rounders:
2nd overall: Alex Sarr — potential franchise player and likely to be the best player from this draft
14th overall: Bub Carrington — competitive gamer, though not very effective overall. They could have picked Kel’el Ware, Jared McCain, or Yves Missi instead.
23rd overall: Kyshawn George — competitive gamer who mixes commendable effort and positive plays with ambitious mistakes and ill-tempered fouls. No one picked later is any better.
The Wizards traded out of the second round. They had sufficient resources to have landed Ajay Mitchell or Jaylen Wells.
Grade: A
2025
Two first rounders in this one:
6th overall: Tre Johnson — good shooter who lacks dimension to his game. It’s too soon to say for sure, but it’s arguable that Jeremiah Fears or Cedric Coward would have been better choices.
21st overall: Will Riley — My assessment of Riley’s rookie year wasn’t as positive as others thought, but he has promise. While it’s too soon to say for sure, I didn’t see anyone picked after him who was better.
In round two, Washington traded out of the 32nd pick where they could have drafted Noah Penda or Micah Peavy, and they chose Jamir Watkins at 43. Watkins was an older prospect, who plays hard, works on defense, and needs to improve his shooting to earn a role. Still, no one picked later has been any better.
Grade: C+
A few observations:
The impact of major blunders is profound. It would have been one thing to say pick Rubio at five instead of Curry. It was something else entirely to spend the fifth pick and gain no long-term value. Getting nothing from Vesely at six was crippling.
The quality of Washington’s drafting dropped when the team replaced Grunfeld with Sheppard and improved markedly when Ted Leonsis hired Winger, Dawkins, and Schlenck.
This year’s draft is LOADED at the top. In Ye Olde Draft Analyzer (YODA for short), my stat-based draft prospect evaluation tool, I have four players with scores consistent with being the number one pick in most drafts, and 12 players with scores that would put them in the top five in most drafts. For context, Sarr, who went second overall in 2024 and had the top score in YODA that year, would rank fifth in this year’s draft. Tre Johnson would rank 17th. Coulibaly: 12th. And so on.
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 10: Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings looks on prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors on April 10, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks will be earnestly rebuilding their team around Cooper Flagg this offseason. Big changes are already underway following the hiring of Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz (as President and GM, respectively) and the departure of Jason Kidd. With the NBA season officially no more than five games from being over at this point, it’s time to start looking at what Dallas can do to reshape their team going into the 2026-2027 season.
In staff discussions at Mavs Moneyball, we often prognosticate on various trade scenarios, leaving nothing off the table of possibilities. So long as the trade would actually work in reality, we entertain it. Wanting to bring these ideas and discussions to a wider audience, I’ve elected myself curator of the crazy (but far more often, thoughtful) trade ideas that frequently fly about our internal discussions. With that, I welcome you to a new series – Trade Talk.
The parameters are simple. The trade proposal must go through a legitimate trade machine, such as that found on Spotrac.com, and must actually work in reality under NBA trade rules. There will be no trading Mark Cuban for the ghost of Wilt Chamberlain. I’ll select some of the trade proposals we bandy about and we’ll debate the value of each. First up is MMB’s Jack Nowicki’s proposed trade with the Sacramento Kings.
The trade proposal
The Mavericks use their traded player exception (TPE) to take on Malik Monk. Their reward for this service is a swap of Dallas’ #9 pick for Sacramento’s #7 pick in the 2026 draft. Sacramento also gets some cash considerations for their part.
The discussion
Mike: This is an interesting one, because it seems so rare that TPEs are actually ever used. Getting a player that scored 12.5 points per game and knocked down nearly 40% of his threes last season, without giving up any player assets doesn’t sound like a bad exchange. That said, the real value in this trade you’ve proposed seems to lie elsewhere, yes?
Jack: Absolutely. While Monk could be a useful player next season, the real prize is moving from pick #9 to pick #7. The purpose for this small trade-up is if the Mavericks fall head-over-heels for a guard who is unlikely to fall to their current pick. Obviously, we don’t know who this could be, but knowing Ujiri, it would not surprise me if he loves Keaton Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr. For the Kings, they sit in a unenviable situation where they are simultaneously very expensive and years away from contention. Trading Monk allows the Kings to duck the luxury-tax and build future cap flexibility. The issue with trading Monk is that the Kings will be hesitant to part with any future draft assets, meaning they have few ways of getting out of his money – that’s where this trade-down becomes a solution. If the Kings aren’t sold on the options at #7, this trade gives them the flexibility they require while keeping a pick within the top-10. This move highlights how the TPE could become very valuable and why the Mavericks should get creative this offseason.
Mike: I agree that the key to this is who is still standing when the #7 pick comes up. Monk would cost Dallas $20 million this year, then $21 million the following year in the likely event he picks up his player option. At that point, he may add value as an expiring contract in a future trade, but he comes at a relatively steep price until then. I like how the Anthony Davis trade gave the Mavs better cap flexibility, so I’m hopeful they’ll utilize it in the most favorable way. If Dallas really does their homework and knows for sure “their guy” is gone when the #9 pick is selected, then I’d be more inclined to do this trade. I think Dallas really needs to nail their first pick in this draft and the shift of two spots that you’ve proposed could certainly help them do that.
Jack: One other thing to highlight is that Monk is not an outright negative player. He has major flaws, but would bring a spark of ball-handling and shooting off the bench that could be very useful for this team. He also can be an effective offensive player whether he has the ball or not, meaning he could play next to another guard.
Mike: True. That could come in handy in a number of ways. He’s arguably an upgrade over both Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard, and could take some load off Kyrie Irving as he’s working his way back into the swing of things. Monk might not be the best or cheapest guard option, but well said – he’s certainly serviceable and his 40% three point shooting would be huge for the Mavs.
Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts on this proposal as constructed, or perhaps how it could be altered or abandoned altogether.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
MONTREAL, CANADA- APRIL 5: Jacob Markstrom #25 of the New Jersey Devils passes the puck to Dougie Hamilton #7 during the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre on April 5, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Arianne Bergeron/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“The New Jersey Devils need to make some changes this offseason, but they will have to clear some cap space to do so. General manager Sunny Mehta will enter the offseason with $13.125 million in cap space, and that’s without a contract extension for Arseny Gritsyuk. Fortunately, there are a few cap-clearing candidates that Mehta can move to give the Devils a bit more financial flexibility if he wants to add players such as Mason McTavish or Dylan Larkin.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“…The Devils should certainly be calling Detroit about Larkin. He’s an excellent hockey player, and one the Devils would be lucky to get if the price was right.” [Devils’ Advocates]
“At 23 years old, 6-foot-3, and carrying a generous $7.75 million cap hit through 2031 in the rising cap era, Knies has emerged as one of the NHL’s more intriguing young wingers. His blend of size, physicality, and growing offensive production makes him the type of player who can anchor a top-six group for years. For teams like the Devils, who are perpetually hunting for that blend of youth and heft up front, the conversation naturally turns to whether they could step up and get a deal done. The short answer? They absolutely have the pieces.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
Hockey Links
Vegas takes Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final:
VEGAS WINS GAME 3 IN OVERTIME AND TAKES A 2-1 LEAD IN THE SERIES‼️ #StanleyCup
Milan Lucic is officially announcing his retirement following 1,177 career NHL games played – wishing all the best to the 2010-11 #StanleyCup champ👏 pic.twitter.com/X4QF1dWqt3
“Listen, no one can know yet how this Larkin situation will play out. But one thing I won’t do is doubt Yzerman’s ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat in this particular set of circumstances.” [The Athletic ($)]
“From Sunday’s 32 Thoughts podcast: out of nowhere, an unexpected name surfaces in Toronto’s coaching search — Joe Pavelski. According to multiple sources, the Future Hall-of-Famer is on the Maple Leafs’ radar as the team begins the next phase of its interview process, with one describing him as a ‘Martin St. Louis-style candidate.’” [Sportsnet]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 02: Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) skates with the puck during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators on February 2, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Ben Kindel Born: April 19, 2007 (Age 18 season) Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 182 pounds Hometown: Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada Shoots: Right Draft: 2025 first round (11th overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins 2025-26 Statistics: 77 games played, 17 goals, 18 assists = 35 points ; 6 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists in playoffs. Contract Status: Kindel has two years left on his entry level contract valued at a miniscule $986,250 against the salary cap.
Story of the Season
When the Penguins drafted Ben Kindel 11th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, there was frustration among the fan base at what appeared to be a reach by Kyle Dubas, forgoing some more popular names still on the board in favor of selecting Kindel at this spot. As it turns out, Dubas and his scouting department did their homework and Kindel quickly made everyone forget about their angst from draft night.
Throughout the course of the summer and into the fall, it became clear that Kindel had something special about him and was going to figure into the Penguins rebuild in a significant way, but no one expected his impact to happen this soon. He stood out among the other prospects at development camp and the Prospects Challenge, but training camp is where he made his case to be on the opening night roster.
Even when Kindel made the team out of camp, most figured it was just going to be for a nine-game trial run before returning to the Calgary Hitmen for another WHL season to continue his development. That plan quickly went out the window and it was clear Kindel was set to be in Pittsburgh for the long run.
In just his third NHL game, Kindel scored his first career goal, the lone Penguins tally in a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers. He will forever hold the distinction of being the first player from the 2025 draft class to score an NHL goal, beating out top overall pick and eventual Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer by a few minutes.
Even as Kindel blew through his nine game window and it was clear he was going to be with the team for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign, it was still expected that he was going to have his work load managed as he acclimates to playing in the NHL.
That turned out to not be the case as well, with Kindel playing 77 games as a rookie, recording 17 goals and 18 assists. His 17 goals made him just the 12th player over the last 20 years to reach that number as an 18 year old, joining the likes of Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and fellow 2025 first round pick Shaefer just to name a few.
While many figured Kindel to be a major piece of the Penguins future, he actually turned out to be a major part of their present as well. As the season went along and it was clear the Penguins were going to be in position to at least contend for a playoff spot, Kindel kept getting opportunities to prove himself and he kept making the most of every chance he got.
Although the season ended in a six game playoff series loss to the Philadelphia Flyers where Kindel did not record a point, he will enter his second NHL season in 2026-27 with valuable experience under his belt and a clear role with the Penguins as not just a part of the future, but with what the franchise is trying to accomplish right now.
It was a pretty consistent run across the board for Kindel in his rookie season when breaking it down by month. January was his strongest month with 10 points in 15 games and his solid March output was big for the team during its toughest stretch of the season and missing key pieces from the lineup. It’s not every day an 18 year old becomes a lineup mainstay in the NHL, but Kindel did just that and was performing on a consistent basis all season long.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 18 forwards on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.
While Kindel’s score effects don’t jump off the page here, it’s a solid base to build off of for a 19 year old who will be entering his second NHL season in 2026-27 in a few months. If that shooting percentage trends upward then everything else should jump right along with it. He creates a ton in the high danger areas on the ice and helps drive possession overall.
It’s tough to not preface every statement with “he’s only 18” but my goodness, this type of offensive and defensive impact from an 18-year old center that wasn’t even a top-5 pick is almost unheard of. Kindel’s still got growth opportunities in terms of finishing and finding a comfort level on the power play, he’s got one heck of a base to work from at even strength.
Kindel is an active player all over the place. The goals and assist totals are nice but far from his only contribution. His defensive aptitude with puck touches are high. He’s good at exiting the zone, he’s pretty decent at entries. Rush offense, particularly setting up teammates is a hallmark of Kindel’s game. A lot of fine details under the hood that demonstrate value to the team. Even when going through some rookie struggles and cold production streaks that type of detail-oriented value add made him a lineup regular throughout the season and reliable player to send on the ice.
All around fun stuff here, as mentioned above Kindel is an active player that gets coverage all over the rink. He trusts his shooting talent with plenty of mid-range shots and has a pretty good one from the left side of the ice with the right handed blade seeing a lot of the net to score on 23.5% of his shots from that area.
One area of improvement detailed in these stats would be getting a little more efficient and frequency towards the front of the net. In this league players have to get to that area near the goal to boost their stats. Kindel frequently had some big bodies like Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau to fill that role, in the future seeing if he can attack the net more will be a big signal and shift towards unlocking even more.
Level of skating ability was something of a knock, if not question mark on Kindel during the draft process. He’s certainly not a burner that is going to pull away from opponents with straight-line speed, but he’s young and fresh enough to have plenty of jump and crafty enough to maneuver his way to being effective as a skater. Again, with age, experience and adding some muscle, this is an area that already is pretty decent but could be expected to show improvement as he continues to grow as a player.
In addition to being a good passer, responsible defensively and decent skater, Kindel’s wrist shot is another tool in his toolbox. (As you can tell, it’s a pretty full toolbox). He knows how to subtlety manipulate his shooting angle by drawing the puck in to fool goalies enough on the direction and timing of his shots, in the style like so many of his young contemporaries tend to do. Kindel won’t be confused for Auston Matthews as a total master of that skill, but he was able to find the time/space to get quite a few shots away to beat goalies from distance as a rookie and presumably will be able to use that experience for the future.
Highlights
Ben Kindel’s first National Hockey League goal… they don’t get much prettier 🤌🏻 pic.twitter.com/VF9Bv1Jcg8
Ben Kindel, who we have discussed at length, made his mark on the Penguins first power play unit as he extended the Penguins lead to 3-1 in the third period! The teenage phenom! Here's @Joe_Brand1's call. pic.twitter.com/cm0fFA2fCH
You’ll hear a lot about a sophomore slump for Ben Kindel next season, so whether or not he can avoid falling into one will be the big question worth answering for him. Everything we saw from him in 2025-26 points to a long and productive career, but there will be bumps in the road and he will have to learn to adjust and work his way through those moments.
At one point this past season, Kindel went 19 games between goals, but once he broke out of that slump, he scored in three straight games along with four in six as well. It was a tough stretch of hockey for the rookie, but he never gave up on himself or got too down. The goal scoring touch returned and he gained his confidence back.
Expectations will be rightfully high for Kindel entering next season, but even the best players can go through slumps or dry spells. It will be how he reacts to those moments and learns from them that will ultimately determine how his 2026-27 plays out and what we are saying about his future this time next year.
Ideal 2026-27
Continued development should be a key focus for Kindel next season. He’s already established himself as an NHL player and has a full season plus playoff experience under his belt at just 19 years old. He’s coming off one of the best goal scoring seasons for an 18 year old in the last two decades, so building off of that will be incredibly important for himself and the franchise this coming season.
Where exactly Kindel will slot into the lineup remains to be seen and we should have a better idea of how it will all shake out once the summer slows down and rosters become clearer post free agency. If the plan is for Kindel to be a top-six player starting next season, then getting him as much ice time with a preferred set of linemates will be crucial to his continued development.
Bottom line
When Ben Kindel was drafted, there was angst among the fan base at the supposed reach for him at the 11th pick. That angst was washed away quickly when it became clear exactly what the Penguins were getting in Kindel. Of the ten players drafted before him, just six played an NHL game this season, only three played in 12 or more games, and one of those players is a potential generational talent.
Removing Shaefer from the equation, Kindel led all first round picks in games played, goals, assists, and points. His rookie season was a smashing success by every metric and he’s only going to get better as a player. There were ups and downs throughout the season, including the previously mentioned 19 game goal drought, but those are the types of growing pains you get with an 18 year old in his first professional season.
Final Grade
A.
What Ben Kindel did as a rookie at just 18 years old is not typical in the NHL. He exceeded every expectation by just making the team out of training camp, then just continued to trend upward as the season went along. His linemates varied throughout the season but he proved he could play with just about any body Dan Muse placed next to him.
When he was drafted, Kindel was seen as a major piece for the Penguins future as the plan was still to rebuild in 2025-26. That rebuild may now be ahead of schedule and Kindel is a major reason why, showing everyone why the Penguins valued him so highly to take him 11th overall.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 16: Tanner Jeannot #84 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring against Akira Schmid #40 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on October 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to a new week, folks!
It’s the first full week in June, if you count a full week as being from Sunday to Saturday, which I think is how it works?
Either way, we’re moving toward the first day of summer, but we still have plenty of on-ice action to discuss.
A wild Final thus far
For a neutral observer, this year’s Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes has been a blast to watch thus far.
A late Vegas game-winning goal in Game 1, an OT win for Carolina in Game 2, then a chaotic Game 3 that had just about everything: a natural hat trick, a blown four-goal lead, and a ping-pong OT winner.
After all that, Vegas has a 2-1 lead and it remains anyone’s series, but the entertainment factor has been through the roof.
And while I’m sure many of you scoff at the mere mention of the NBA, that final has been very entertaining as well.
It’s a nice treat for sports fans until we have to settle into the darkness (in Boston, at least) of baseball season.
Hey, at least the World Cup is coming!
Lucic calls it a career
Two-time Boston Bruin Milan Lucic officially announced his retirement on Sunday, ending a 17-season NHL career that spanned a handful of organizations.
Lucic finished with 233G-353A-586PTS in 1,177 games.
He was a force to be reckoned with in his prime years with the Bruins and was pretty much worth the price of admission on his own during that time with an ability to fight, hit, and score.
Lucic’s second stint with the Bruins ended when he was placed on indefinite leave after he was charged with domestic assault, charges that were later dropped due to inadmissible evidence/lack of testimony.
Lucic briefly played in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) over in the United Kingdom, but that didn’t last long.
Odds and ends
Joe Pavelski, who I honestly thought was still playing, is apparently a name that has come up during the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching search.
Jeremy Swayman finished third in Vezina Trophy voting, with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning taking home the top spot.
Fans of every NHL team not named the Detroit Red Wings are currently conjuring up the wackiest possible trade proposals for Dylan Larkin. I think Spooner, Khokhlachev, and a first gets it done.
Happy birthday to Terrance Gore, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1933 – Jimmie Foxx hits three home runs in his first three at-bats as the Philadelphia Athletics outscore the New York Yankees, 14-10. Foxx had homered his last time up the previous day to give him four consecutive home runs, and other stories as well.
1976 – Bobby Orr signs a five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
2002 – British-Canadian Lennox Lewis retains boxing’s WBC Heavyweight title with eighth-round knockout of American Mike Tyson at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.
2013 – Patrick Kane scores a playoff hat-trick against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
2021 National Geographic announces it is officially recognizing the South Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean.
Today in music history:
1964 – “The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)”, recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean, is released.
1968 – Gary Puckett and Union Gap release “Lady Will Power.”
1968 – Rolling Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
DENVER, CO - June 7: Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5), left fielder Jackson Chourio (11), and right fielder Sal Frelick (10) celebrate the win after a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 7, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Brewers 16, Giants 2
Tuesday: Brewers 8, Giants 3
Wednesday: Giants 1, Brewers 0
Thursday: Giants 12, Brewers 9
Friday: Brewers 9, Rockies 7
Saturday: Brewers 7, Rockies 1
Sunday: Brewers 12, Rockies 4
Division Standings
Brewers 40-23
Cardinals 35-28 (5 GB)
Cubs 34-32 (7.5 GB)
Pirates 34-32 (7.5 GB)
Reds 31-33 (9.5 GB)
Last Week
Brewers: 5-2
Cardinals: 4-2
Cubs: 2-4
Pirates: 2-4
Reds: 1-5
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
Several Brewer pitchers performed well this week, but in what is becoming a frequent occurrence, this “award” needs to go to the Brewer ace, Jacob Misiorowski. On Saturday night in Denver, Miz wasn’t quite as sharp as we’ve seen him at times in the last month-and-a-half, but he threw seven innings with only an unearned run allowed while striking out eight and working around three walks. His staredown of his manager, who was contemplating taking him out of the game with two on and one out in the seventh, became a signature moment of the season when Misiorowski struck out the next two batters.
In what is also becoming a weekly tradition, we need to acknowledge Kyle Harrison in this space. Against the Giants team that traded him for Rafael Devers just under one year ago, Harrison struck out 12 batters — including Devers three times — in just 5 2/3 innings while allowing one run in what was eventually an 8-3 Brewers win. Special mention also to Chad Patrick, who pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen across three games this week.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
It was quite a week for the Brewer offense. Colorado helps, of course, but six different Brewers had an OPS of at least 1.075 this week. At the top of that list, and the recipient of the prestigious Brew Crew Ball Week in Review Hitter of the Week Award for the second straight week, is Jake Bauers. In six games, Bauers went 5-for-17 (.294) with two homers, two doubles, and seven RBIs… but he also walked 10 times. He had an OBP of .556 on the week and slugged .765, and he’s now up to a 149 wRC+ on the season.
A quick rundown of those other five 1.075+ OPS Brewers:
Brice Turang broke out of his slump in a big way: he played in all seven games and went 11-for-27 (.407) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, four walks, and eight RBIs
Jackson Chourio was 11-for-29 (.379) with two homers and four doubles
Garrett Mitchell was 6-for-16 with three doubles and a triple
David Hamilton hit .348 and hit his second and third homers of the season
Gary Sánchez went 3-for-8 with a double, a homer, a walk, and three RBIs
Injury Notes & Roster Moves
The Brewer bullpen was hit with some injury trouble this week. First, on Thursday, DL Hall and Grant Anderson both had to leave the game with injuries; Hall was diagnosed with a pectoral strain and landed on the 15-day injured list. Anderson was hit on the pitching arm with a baseball, and while it looked pretty nasty, he was able to get back into game action after a day off.
Then, Brian Fitzpatrick, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Hall’s roster spot, suffered what unfortunately appears to be a serious elbow injury while warming up between innings on Friday.
The Brewers also cut ties with Jake Woodford on Friday after a rough outing in the last game of the Giants series. He was designated for assignment. Craig Yoho was called up to replace him on the major league roster.
After Fitzpatrick was placed on the IL, Drew Rom was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and made his Brewers debut on Saturday.
Milwaukee also acquired reliever Joel Kuhnel from the Athletics. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, Quinn Priester was switched over to the 60-day injured list. (That move doesn’t make any functional difference; Priester has already served more than 60 days on the 15-day IL, and those count toward the 60-day count.) Kuhnel will presumably report to Triple-A Nashville, though Rom or Yoho could be sent back there before the series in Las Vegas against Kuhnel’s former team this week.
Earlier in the week, Rob Zastryzny, who’d just been activated from the injured list on May 31, strained his trapezius and found himself back on the injured list before appearing in a game. He has yet to pitch for the Brewers this season.
Priester, who has struggled badly on his rehab assignment, had that assignment shifted from Nashville to Phoenix, where he’ll pitch in the Arizona Complex League.
On Deck
Monday: @ Athletics (in Las Vegas, not Sacramento) (9:05 p.m.)
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies celebrate after a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Opener Daniel Duarte allowed a first inning run, but Zach Thornton shut the RailRiders down for the next five innings, the offense scoring a run in his last inning of work to make him the winning pitcher of record. Syracuse added some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, scoring a run on a sac bunt and then a two-run Matt Rudick homer. Those runs came in handy in the bottom of the inning, when the RailRiders were able to plate a pair of runs. Dylan Ross ended up facing Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. with two outs and the bases loaded and struck him out on three splitters to end the ballgame and secure the series victory.
The Rumble Ponies won their fifth in a row, taking the lead in the first inning and never looking back. In the inning, a fielding error by left fielder Bryson Ware allowed two runs to score on a Nick Lorusso double. Reading tied it up in the third with a two-run homer, but Vincent Perozo, suddenly red hot, broke the tie with his second homer in as many games and fourth of the season. Binghamton added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, loading up the bases on a pair of walks and a single and then drawing another walk to force in a run, but it ended up being unneeded as the bullpen did not allow another run to score after those third inning runs.
Things started out poorly for the Cyclones, as starter Noah Hall allowed a run in the bottom of the first and two more in the bottom of the second, but the offense came alive a little later in the game and eventually bailed him out. Daiverson Gutierrez put Brooklyn on the board in the third with a sac fly and then tied things up in the fifth with an RBI double that evened things up at 3-3. In the sixth, Mitch Voit gave the Cyclones the lead with an RBI single and Corey Collins extended the lead by a run with an RBI single of his own. Bryce Jenkins threw a scoreless seventh, Juan Arnaud threw scoreless eighth, and Parker Carlson closed it out in the ninth to wrap things up, taking the series 5 games to 1.
This one was a slobberknocker, with the Threshers scoring 11 runs on 10 hits and 8 walks and the Mets scoring 8 runs on 9 hits and 8 walks. Suffice to say, neither starting pitcher did particularly well. In the end, it was a war of attrition and Clearwater had the better bullpen; St. Lucie did not score past the fifth inning, whereas the Threshers scored a pair of runs in the seventh charged to Josh Blum and a pair of runs in the eighth charged to Joe Scarborough.
Jun 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz (55) speaks with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt (21) in the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles’ six-game road trip through two AL East cities went…fine, I guess. They broke even at 3-3 on the trip to remain four games under .500, as they were when they started. They’re 1.5 games out of the third wild card, if looking at the wild card standings this early in the season isn’t a fool’s errand.
Of course, a case can be made that the Orioles should have had a winning record on the trip and leapfrogged the Blue Jays in the AL East standings if not for the controversial way that yesterday’s loss played out. A Jays runner who clearly ran out of the baseline was ruled safe, a potential inning-ending double play was thwarted, and Toronto promptly rallied back from a four-run deficit to knock off the O’s in the rubber game, 6-4. Alex Church recapped the game and the pivotal call that went against the Orioles.
It’s a rough way to lose a game, but of course the Orioles failed to do a lot of things that would have made the blown call not matter. If Gunnar Henderson hadn’t committed an error on the previous play, or if Shane Baz hadn’t unraveled after the blown call, or if the O’s offense hadn’t squandered a promising rally in the next inning, the Birds could have pulled out a win anyway. They didn’t, and it left them with a sour taste in their mouths on the return flight to Baltimore.
No time to dwell on it, I suppose. The Orioles are going to need to be laser-focused for their next few weeks of games as they begin a particularly brutal stretch of their schedule. Their next 13 games are against teams with winning records, starting with a seven-game homestand against the Mariners and Padres followed by their first west coast trip of 2026 that will take them through Seattle and Los Angeles. Other than a series against the Angels, the rest of the Birds’ June slate will come against opponents that are currently .500 or better, which somehow includes both the White Sox and Nationals.
The Orioles have been playing good baseball lately, but they’re about to face their toughest test yet. If they’re serious about getting back into the postseason race, they’ll need to prove they can take down the best teams in the majors. Here goes nothing.
I’m not a rules expert, but the umpires’ explanation of the play doesn’t really seem to clear anything up, and in fact just makes the call more confusing.
Maybe Baz should’ve whipped out that knuckler in the sixth inning yesterday. He certainly wasn’t fooling most hitters with the stuff he was actually throwing.
I’m a staunch anti-sac-bunt guy, and Blaze Alexander’s rally-killing botched bunt yesterday is just one example of why. But if a guy wants to try to bunt for a hit, especially someone speedy like Leody Taveras, then I’ll allow it.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And a posthumous happy birthday to Orioles Hall of Famer Mark Belanger (b. 1944, d. 1998), the greatest defensive shortstop in O’s history, if not major league history. “The Blade” spent 17 years flashing his wizardry with the leather for some excellent O’s teams, winning eight Gold Glove awards and two World Series championships.
Other former Orioles born on June 8 include infielders Connor Norby (26) and Lenn Sakata (72), left-hander T.J. McFarland (37), and the late lefty George Brunet (b. 1935, d. 1991).
On this date in 1986, the Orioles and Yankees played (at the time) the longest nine-inning game in AL history, clocking in at 4 hours and 16 minutes. (That record is now held by an Aug. 18, 2006 game between the Yanks and Red Sox that lasted 4 hours, 45 minutes.) The O’s won an 18-9 donnybrook at Yankee Stadium in which the two teams combined for 36 hits and 16 walks, including three home runs by Birds right fielder Lee Lacy.
And on this day in 2013, the O’s used their 30th-round draft pick on Creighton infielder Federico Castagnini, making him the first Italy-born-and-raised player ever selected in the MLB draft. Castagnini lasted two years in the O’s organization, topping out at Low-A Delmarva with a career .192 average and .509 OPS.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 8, 1997, the Orioles defeated the White Sox, 2-1, at Comiskey Park. The O’s trailed 1-0 until the sixth, when Roberto Alomar tied the game with a homer and Tony Tarasco delivered an RBI single to put the Birds ahead. The Orioles’ pitching staff made the slim lead stand up, with starter Jimmy Key holding the White Sox to one run in seven strong innings, followed by 1.1 scoreless frames from Armando Benítez and Randy Myers’ 19th save. The win improved the O’s to 39-17 and put them 7.5 games ahead in the AL East. That was one heck of a team.
Bryant Park has been added as an extra Knicks watch party location for Monday night’s NBA Finals Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs, it was announced early Monday.
The addition was made after the NYPD and Secret Service axed the planned watch party outside of Madison Square Garden due to heightened security requirements for President Trump’s planned attendance.
Bryant Park will serve as a Knicks watch party location for Monday night’s NBA Finals match-up, giving thousands of fans the chance to come together and watch the hometown heroes battle the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3. Rawf8 – stock.adobe.com
“These watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“From every borough and every neighborhood, this city has come together to cheer on the Knicks and share in a moment that belongs to all of us. That’s why we’re adding Bryant Park as an additional watch party location, so even more fans can be part of this incredible Knicks Finals run.”
New York Knick’s fans outside Madison Square Garden during game 2 of the NBA Finals with the Knicks playing the San Antonio Spurs. Aristide Economopoulos for NY Post
Knicks watch parties will also be held at Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl so fans across the Big Apple can watch the team make their first run at an NBA championship since 1973.
Boston, MA - June 2: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early reacts in the sixth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Hello and happy Monday, folks—and happy World Cup kickoff week, too.
The tournament starts on Thursday, but the Red Sox’s series in St. Pete against the Tampa Bay Rays starts tonight at 6:40 p.m. EST. Toeing the rubber for Boston will be left-hander Connelly Early, who’s been by-and-large very good in 2026 in spite of a pretty bleh outing last time out against Baltimore. The O’s hung four runs on him across 5.1 innings, and that damage was enough to secure the win for them. Still, Connelly’s got an impressive 3.26 ERA on the year.
So, simply put: do we think Early’s gonna get right back on the saddle at the Trop tonight? Personally, I do—the Rays have a team OPS that’s considerably worse against lefties compared to righties. But that’s just my take; let me know what you think below.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will have a chance to close out the series at their home arena after winning the first two games on the road at the Frost Bank Center.
The Knicks' last NBA finals appearance was in 1999 against the Spurs, who went on to beat New York 4-1. The Knicks won their only two NBA titles in 1970 and 1973.
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will have to crawl back into the series, in search of the franchise's first title since 2014.
Here’s what NBA experts think will happen in Game 3 of the series:
Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3 predictions
USA TODAY Staff: Knicks will continue to pull away
Most of the USA TODAY Sports staff believes the Knicks will continue to run away with the series in Madison Square Garden.
There will be an infusion of new blood when Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game descends upon Philadelphia next month.
So many of the main characters and stalwarts from recent years – think Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Tarik Skubal, Mookie Betts – have been slowed by injury or poor performance. Yet the show must go on and, unsurprisingly, a slew of players – some rookies, others very veteran – have stepped forward to replace them.
Ready for American League starting pitcher Cam Schlittler? How about NL starting center fielder Michael Harris II?
Sure, plenty can happen between now and early July, when the full roster will be announced. Yet with fan voting now open and early surprises starting to solidify, USA TODAY Sports examines nine players on track to earn their first invites to the Midsummer Classic:
CF Andy Pages, Dodgers
It’s so very Dodgers that as they come under fire for All That’s Wrong With The Game – good luck finding an MLB press release about the impending lockout that doesn’t invoke their name – that their best player is making just $800,000.
OK, we’ll allow that Shohei Ohtani is their “best” player, but nobody in the big leagues has produced 3.8 WAR without both pitching and hitting. With that in mind, behold Pages, with 14 homers and an .852 OPS, five outs above average defensively and a trove of clutch at-bats that have kept the Dodgers atop the NL.
It will be a typically large Dodgers contingent on hand, with the likes of Max Muncy and Justin Wrobleski as equally deserving as Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But Pages will be flying the charter.
CF Oneil Cruz, Pirates
Remember this guy? Stands 6-7, slated to be Pittsburgh’s answer to Elly De La Cruz as a massive and massively talented shortstop before he was relegated to the outfield?
Well, Cruz is more than justifying the great expectations heralding his arrival.
The big fella is on pace for a 30-homer, 40-steal season and, with his long levers and elite bat speed, ranks in the 100th percentile for both average exit velocity (96.4 mph) and hard-hit rate (59.2%). Sure, the big hacks and larger strike zone have resulted in a majors-leading 98 strikeouts, and he’s a below-average center fielder.
But with a .350 OBP and a did-you-see-this element to his game, this guy should get Cruzed to Philly.
C Shea Langeliers, Athletics
Just a remarkably steady climb for a player who endured a trade from Atlanta and a move down I-80 to Yolo County in his first few seasons with the A’s. Langeliers leads AL catchers in home runs (16), OPS (.880) and average (.281), all while handling an inexperienced pitching staff that’s already deployed 10 starters this season.
RHP Nick Martinez, Rays
Perhaps this will be the winter Martinez again receives a multiyear contract after two seasons of accepting the qualifying offer from Cincinnati and then a one-year, $13 million deal with Tampa Bay.
It was once again a shrewd pitching investment for the Rays: Martinez is second to Schlittler in the AL with a 2.29 ERA and has given up two or fewer runs in 11 of his 12 starts.
It’s tempting to call this a 12-month All-Star nod, piggybacking off Clement’s excellent 2025 followed by his record-setting 30-hit postseason. But let’s check the tape: Clement leads the AL with 77 hits, ranks fifth in the majors with a .306 average and first with 19 doubles and naturally leads all AL second basemen in almost every meaningful statistical category.
He remains an excellent defensive second baseman while filling in at shortstop against left-handers, and should piggyback his eye-opening World Baseball Classic nod by joining this AL super team.
LHP Eduardo Rodríguez, Diamondbacks
Wait a minute: Rodriguez, a World Series champion with Cy Young Award votes on his resume, has never been an All-Star?
Perhaps that’s about to change.
It’s been an injury- and illness-laden journey for Rodriguez, 33, the past six seasons, but he’s absolutely found his groove in Arizona, where he’s fifth in an overly loaded NL ERA race and has posted three starts of seven innings and no earned runs.
INF/OF Casey Schmitt, Giants
Wow, what a disappointing season for the Giants. Yet Schmitt has been a consistent power source through it all, with 15 homers, 28 extra-base hits and an .868 OPS.
It’s been a most pleasant surprise for a guy who has never been able to solidify a position nor play 100 games in a season. Now, he’s forced the issue even as top prospect Bryce Eldridge has arrived and Rafael Devers has started producing. An everyday player, and the Giants’ best representative in Philly.
It will be interesting to see how engaged the hometown fan base is at the virtual ballot box, with longtime faves Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both worthy of selection, and though Schwarber has a more viable case, he’s blocked in fan balloting at DH by Ohtani.
Amid all that, let’s not forget about Marsh, whose damp mane and thick beard are familiar to fans after four straight playoff appearances.
The dude leads the majors in batting (.338), is OPS-ing .889 and for a while was the only guy keeping the Phillies afloat as manager Rob Thomson got fired and others struggled.
Sure, our preliminary plan is for the NL to carry a dozen or so outfielders, but alas: If ever there’s a time Marsh gets a nod, this would be it.
2B Brice Turang, Brewers
Yet another “Wait, he hasn’t been an All-Star yet?” Nope, that was the World Baseball Classic we saw Turang taking a star turn and emerging as one of the most respected ballplayers on that vaunted Team USA squad.
Now he and the Brewers are at it again.
The eternal “surprises” in the NL Central are 39-23 and Turang leads them with 3.0 WAR. With nine homers and 11 steals, he’s creeping toward a 30-30 season and his .881 OPS leads all major league second basemen.
With the Brewers’ fan base activated and the generally wiser habits of voters in the dot-com era, this should be an easy, righteous outcome in the voting booth.
Unfortunately for New Yorkers, the Knickerbockers haven't hosted an NBA Finals game at MSG in 27 years. That all changes on Monday, June 8, when the San Antonio Spurs come to the Big Apple for Game 3.
Let's take a look back at what happened the last time the Knicks were the talk of the town.
Not in the West, where the Spurs − led by big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan − tied for the league's best record and cruised into the NBA Finals.
In the East, however, the Knicks knocked off the top-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round. (Just the second time in NBA playoff history a No. 8 seed defeated a No. 1.) They went on to defeat the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers to reach the Finals.
Duncan, Robinson and guard Mario Elie hounded the Knicks into 44% shooting from the field (1-for-9 from 3-point range) and held New York scoreless for the final 3:12 of the game for a 78-77 win.
Behind guard Latrell Sprewell, the Knicks jumped out to an early lead. The Spurs came back to open up as much as a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but a 16-3 Knicks run put them back on top.
That's when Duncan took over. He scored 14 of the Spurs' next 15 points and assisted on an Elie 3-pointer to tie the game at 75 with 3:36 left.
On the next possession, Duncan fouled Sprewell, who hit both free throws to give New York a 77-75 advantage. But the Knicks missed their final five shots and Avery Johnson's 18-foot jumper with 47 seconds left proved to be the difference.
Sprewell had a chance to win it at the buzzer but his baseline jumper didn't fall and the Spurs won the series four games to one.
Finals MVP Duncan finished with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Robinson had a double-double (15 points, 12 boards) to lead San Antonio.
Sprewell scored a game-high 35 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Knicks. Allan Houston chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
