When the NBA season tips off on Tuesday, teams can only have 15 guaranteed contracts on the roster (plus three two-way contracts).
Three teams — the Lakers, Grizzlies and Bucks — currently have 16 or more guaranteed contracts on their rosters. Each team is exploring trades to reach 15 players, but may end up just waiving someone, reports NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The Lakers have been exploring for months a 2-for-1 trade that could send a combination of Jarred Vanderbilt (who has looked like an odd man out in the rotation much of this preseason), Jaden Hardy and Dalton Knecht to get a player back. There were rumors they explored that kind of trade for Buddy Hield, but it never came together. They are still looking, according to Fischer.
If the Lakers have to waive someone and eat the salary, Knecht — the 2024 No. 17 pick out of Tennessee — appears to be the guy. After two seasons, he has fallen out of favor in JJ Redick's rotation.
Memphis has 16 guaranteed contracts, plus Jaylen Wells, who is on a non-guaranteed deal but, from all reports, is likely to make the opening-day roster. That means the team needs to trade or waive two players. Signs seem to point to Kris Murray and Micah Peavy — two players the Grizzlies traded for this summer — as the most likely to go.
Milwaukee technically has 17 players, so two must go, but with Pete Nance on a non-guaranteed deal, he is likely one of them. Reports out of Milwaukee suggest veteran Caris LeVert could be the other guy. Milwaukee traded for him this summer primarily to acquire two second-round picks, he is on an expiring $14.8 million contract, and he has struggled in the preseason.
If the Bucks can find a trade, it is more likely to be for someone of value around the league like AJ Green or Kevin Porter Jr., who could net the Bucks a second-round pick or two.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals flips to second base during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It has been a roller coaster career for Michael Massey so far. He flashed good power for a middle infielder in 2023, but not much offensively. He came into his own in 2024, flashing great defense and finishing fifth on the team in home runs with 15, frequently hitting leadoff in the playoffs. But injuries piled up last year – a left ankle sprain, a right wrist fracture, and back issues that caused him to miss over two months of action, and limited him to just 77 games. He came into his first arbitration-eligible season at a crossroads.
And in 2026, Massey had his best season as a big leaguer. One factor was health. While he did begin the season on the injured list with a calf strain, and missed a week with a concussion in September, he generally stayed on the field, appearing in a career-high 131 games. When he played, he contributed, posting a line of .272/.303/.428 with 13 home runs. He was sixth among American League second basemen with a career-high 2.3 fWAR. He was also a finalist for his first Gold Glove Award, after finishing second among all AL second basemen in Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved.
Michael Massey lays out to make a tremendous play! ⭐️
Massey has never been shown significant platoon splits, and this year he actually hit lefties much better than righties. He has shown good plate coverage and a high contact rate of 82.3 percent. His 16.6 percent strikeout rate was third-lowest on the team among semi-regulars, behind only Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino.
While he is good at making contact when he swings, he does swing a LOT. Out of all hitters with at least 450 plate appearances, he was 25th in swing rate at 52.9 percent (joining two other Royals in the top 25, Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone). His walk rate went up this year, but was still just 4.6 percent, tied for seventh-lowest in the league. He did post a career-high in on-base percentage, but making outs almost 70 percent of the time still puts him near the bottom of the league in that category.
So through four and a half seasons and 489 MLB games, we have a good idea of what Michael Massey is. He will be 29 by next Opening Day, and the Royals can likely count on him as a good glove at second base, with good pop for a middle infielder, a good lefty bat with no platoon split, but very low walk rates and a propensity to get injured. He is eligible for arbitration for the second time this winter, and will likely earn over $3 million next season.
There is an argument the Royals should look to trade Massey while his value is high, although the team shouldn’t expect a big return. The Royals could “replace him in the aggregate” through some combination of Nick Loftin, Tyler Tolbert, and Isaac Collins, or even look to make a big move to upgrade at the position.
More likely, Massey will begin next year as the team’s starting second baseman, hitting sixth or seventh in the lineup. You can win with a guy like that in your lineup – the 2024 Royals are evidence of that. He is a productive offensive player in his prime, who is a plus on defense, and is still cost-controlled.
But his low on-base skills may cap the impact he can have offensively, and in a lineup full of fellow free-swingers, the Royals need someone who can work a count and get on base consistently. Massey is a useful piece, but if the Royals want to take the next step offensively, they may need more production from second base. Michael Massey took a step forward, but if he wants to be more than a stop gap measure, he will need to take his game to the next level.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Walker Kessler #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors on October 13, 2026 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Through the first three seasons of Walker Kessler’s NBA career, he averaged 65 games played per year. Last season, however, a torn labrum in his left shoulder spoiled his campaign before November arrived and he only suited up for five games. After the lengthy layoff, he’s back and equipped with a newfound drive to help the Los Angeles Lakers win as many games as possible in 2026-27.
“I think what I missed most was just competing, quite frankly. Competing to win,” Kessler said following Tuesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. “And I think as far as making me a better basketball player, I just think it has made me long to go try to win every game and win every night. So in turn, that probably makes me a little better basketball player.”
This season will also mark the first time in Kessler’s career he’s playing for a team fully committed to immediate winning. That’s not to besmirch the Utah Jazz but merely a recognition of their emphasis on development and willingness to sacrifice short-term gains in pursuit of better lottery odds to land the best prospects possible throughout Kessler’s Salt Lake City tenure. While they were competitive and won 37 games during his rookie season in 2022-23, they traded away some key contributors and went 18-29 following a 19-16 start, which they could’ve propelled into a postseason berth had they so chosen.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are led by two in-your-prime stars with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, who are flanked by a slew of other players, Kessler included, in the prime of their careers. It’ll be interesting to see whether entering win-now circumstances provides Kessler a subtle on-court boost, in addition to how energized he sounds to simply be back on the floor again.
Kessler and the Lakers return to the court Friday night in their preseason finale at home against the Denver Nuggets. Then, they’ll welcome the Warriors to town for their regular-season opener Wednesday night at 7 p.m. That’s when we’ll get our first meaningful glimpse as to how Kessler is faring in his new surroundings.
Mets head coach Carlos Mendoza looks on before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field in Queens, New York, Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
Carlos Mendoza has a new job — and it’s in the National League East.
Mets head coach Carlos Mendoza looks on before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field in Queens, New York, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The move was announced Thursday by Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski as the team made a string of coaching changes upon signing Don Mattingly to a new two-year deal to remain as manager without the interim tag.
Mendoza, 46, spent two-plus years in the Mets dugout after being hired by president of baseball operations David Stearns. He led them on a surprise run to the NL Championship Series in 2024 before losing to the eventual champion Dodgers, but the Mets then had an ugly collapse following a strong opening two months in 2025.
With high expectations heading into this past season, the Mets were a mess early and suffered through a 12-game losing streak in April. Injuries to Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto didn’t help.
Despite playing better for part of May, a six-game losing streak in June sealed Mendoza’s fate, and he was fired after a June 25 loss to the Cubs.
Mendoza was replaced by Andy Green on an interim basis before Green accepted the full-time job and a three-year contract near the end of the season.
The Phillies hired Don Mattingly as their full-time manager. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
Prior to joining the Mets, Mendoza coached in the Yankees minor league system from 2011-17 before moving to their major league coaching staff in 2018. He was Aaron Boone’s bench coach from 2020-23.
Mendoza finished his tenure with the Mets with a 206-199 record and now moves to Mattingly’s staff, which saw former Mets and Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, as well as infield coach Bobby Dickerson, let go this week.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 31: Sidney Crosby #87 talks with Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
If there was any positive to take out of the Pittsburgh Penguins game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, it is the fact Sidney Crosby scored two goals. They were not only his first two goals of the season, they were quite honestly the first time that the captain really made a noticeable impact on a game this season.
It has not only been a shockingly quiet start for him, it has been a disturbingly quiet start for the entire first line. Even after Bryan Rust was put back into his usual spot alongside Crosby and Rickard Rakell, the line just isn’t moving the needle.
Objectively speaking, it’s been the Penguins’ least productive line combination this season, and it really hasn’t been close.
Crosby, Rakell and Rust have played 35 minutes together so far this season across four games.
The Penguins are being outscored by a 3-2 margin in those minutes, and getting absolutely crushed defensively despite that trio getting the heaviest offensive zone start usage on the team (23 offensive zone starts for that group; only three defensive zone starts).
When none of those three are on the ice together, the Penguins are outscoring teams by a 10-6 margin, while their expected goal share nearly doubles, going from 34.9 percent up to 59.4 percent.
Individually, Crosby had zero goals and two assists in his first six games before scoring the two in Chicago.
Rakell has zero goals and only two assists in his first seven games.
Rust has two goals in four games.
In the cases of Crosby and Rakell, slow starts to a season are not something that is totally out of the ordinary.
This isn’t even the worst seven-game start to a season for either player in their careers. It’s not even Rakell’s worst start as a Penguins player.
Crosby had one goal in seven games to open his season two years ago. In 2021-22 he had two points in seven games. He had three points early in 2015-16 through seven games.
Sometimes it takes these guys a little bit to get rolling.
At least in Crosby’s case, I am not quite ready to say he has completely lost it offensively.
Having said that, these guys are 39, 34 and 33 years old. There can not be an older top line anywhere in the NHL, and while Crosby might still have some offensive juice to his game that is just waiting to be unlocked this season, there is going to come a point where both Rust and Rakell do start to slow down. Every player ages differently, and every “decline” portion of a career is going to look differently. A declining Crosby is still going to be really productive because he’s starting from a much higher level and is a superior talent. When an all-time great starts to slow down they’re still going to put up a lot of points. They might go from 100 or 90 points to 60 or 70 points. Still useful. Still productive. When a second-tier player starts to decline, that looks a lot different just based on where they’re starting from.
But what concerns me more than the lack of actual goal production from that trio, is the fact they are also just simply getting outplayed and not taking advantage of their situations. The Penguins are doing everything they can to put them into offensive spot, and they are not only not scoring, they are giving up way more than they are generating from a chance perspective.
It seems like every time they are on the ice they are pinned back in their own zone and on their heels defending.
And it’s usually not going well.
The results aren’t great. Neither is the process.
The only time the Crosby-Rakell duo looked good, and produced good results, was over the first two-plus games when they had Nicholas Robertson on their wing.
Just look at how much better that trio was (small sample size warning) vs. the other versions of that top line (also small sample size warning).
Line Combination
Minutes Played
GF
GA
GF/60
GA/60
GF%
xGF/60
xGA/60
xGF%
Crosby-Rakell-Robertson
32.30
3
1
5.54
1.85
75.0
5.40
3.00
64.3
Crosby-Rakell-Rust
35.40
2
3
3.36
5.04
40.0
2.07
3.85
34.9
Crosby-Rakell-Lapierre
6.50
0
2
0.00
17.40
0.0
2.56
8.31
23.5
It creates a couple of interesting questions and situations.
I get why the Penguins went back to the old trusted formula up front. It has worked well in the past, and all three players have a track record of success. You don’t want to overreact to early season noise and small sample sizes. There is a chance, and maybe even a good chance, they get it together and start producing more.
But even if that happens, that line has had some increasingly hard-to-ignore defensive issues over the past few years that are getting more concerning.
Are you going to get enough offense from them to make up for that?
The other question: Do you ever give Robertson a chance on that line again? That game against Winnipeg, and specifically that turnover from Robertson that led to a goal against, seemed to be the only margin for error he had in that spot.
On one hand, the Robertson-Blake Lizotte-Connor Dewar line has been absolutely sensational in the few games they have played together. They are outplaying every line they go up against, and are doing so in some of the toughest minutes a line could get. They are also getting more ice-time with each passing game. It might be the fourth line on the lineup sheet, but over the past two games there has been very little difference in terms of how many minutes each line is getting. In a couple of those games, the Robertson-Lizotte-Dewar line was actually third out of the four lines in terms of 5-on-5 minutes.
If it is working, and it is producing results, do you really want to break that up?
But on the other hand, is it more important to have a good fourth line, or is it more important to try and give your top line a spark?
How much longer do you wait? Will the top-line break through and start producing more and give the Penguins the type of balance and depth that made them so good a year ago?
That brings up an interesting point I saw my good friend Dan Hopper make about a week ago: The narrative around the 2025-26 Penguins was that Sidney Crosby dragged a bad roster into the playoffs, willing them back into contention. It made for a good narrative, but it was not close to the reality of the situation that was actually unfolding on the ice. Crosby was simply a really good player, on a really good team, that had a lot of really good depth. The Penguins’ play when Crosby was not on the ice, and especially when he was out of the lineup entirely, illustrated that.
Crosby had better, more impactful years than last year and it didn’t produce a playoff result because the rest of the team wasn’t any good.
Last year’s team was pretty good, whether it was intended to be or not. That was the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.
That’s the new reality that you have to expect with a 39-year-old No. 1 center and captain. He might still be really good. But he’s not going to carry them the way he used to.
But they still need him, and his line, to be good to make it all work given the minutes they are still getting. So far, they have not been getting that from them. Right now it is arguably one of the things that is holding them back the most.
The Robertson line has been really good. The Kindel line has been really good. The Malkin line has been a little up-and-down, but for the most part, has been very solid.
The first line has simply been the weakness.
Getting that line going, whether through patience and letting them work through their early slumps, or by shaking things back up and giving them a different look, has to be a priority right now.
Knicks center Drew Eubanks (17) battles for position against Toronto Raptors forward Allen Graves (22) and forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026.
The battle for the Knicks’ final roster spot lost a candidate.
Drew Eubanks, a veteran center, suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will be waived by New York, a source confirmed Thursday morning.
Eubanks was among three centers on non-guaranteed deals in training camp, joining James Wiseman and Tony Bradley. As The Post reported a couple weeks ago, Wiseman was the early frontrunner to secure the 14th roster spot. His play recently — he scored 18 points with 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss to Toronto — seemed to only bolster his case.
Knicks center Drew Eubanks (17) battles for position against Toronto Raptors forward Allen Graves (22) and forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Coach Mike Brown outlined what he wants from the winner of the competition.
“We just hope that there’s a passion and an energy and a focus coming from that spot because, I’m sure at times that person will start, at times they may be the first backup and at times they may be second backup,” Brown said. “So as the minutes are fluctuating, you’re going to have to generate some internal energy at times, to go play in a low-minute game.
“Sometimes he’ll maybe not play one or two, maybe three games in a row. You look for that, and then you know, you just look for somebody that’s going to play hard at the end of the day – try to do the things that you’re asking on both sides of the floor. And bring a little something different than what the two guys in front of you bring.”
During Tuesday’s loss in Toronto, he played 15 minutes with eight points and two boards.
Knicks center Drew Eubanks (17) passes the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the second half of a game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Knicks can only keep one more player and stay under the second apron. They also have veteran guard Bruce Brown on a nonguaranteed deal in training camp but have prioritized a center.
To keep Brown, the Knicks would have to unload salary in a trade.
The Florida Panthers received a welcomed sight when they hit the ice for Thursday’s morning skate.
Back in South Florida after a quick road back-to-back earlier this week, the Cats’ were out at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale gearing up for their game that night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Joining the team for their morning skate was starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
It was on Monday in Buffalo when Markstrom started the game, but after stopping 9 of 11 shots during the first period, he did not return for the second or third.
Backup Akira Schmid played well in Markstrom’s stead, doing his best to hold down the fort in Buffalo before picking up a gutsy win the following night in Columbus.
For the game against the Blue Jackets, Florida called up goaltender Cooper Black from AHL Charlotte to serve as Schmid’s backup.
That’s how Florida’s goalie tandem will remain for at least the next couple games.
Speaking after the morning skate, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that both Markstrom and injured defenseman Radko Gudas could return for Tuesday’s game in Ottawa, if not sooner.
“Both are making improvements,” Maurice said. “Jake was back on the ice, Radko might get to a point where he can play Saturday, but we’ve got three days on the other side of it so it may just make more sense to get him right. He’s purely day-to-day, he’s walking around, he’s fine, he’ll be on the ice soon. We would expect both of them to be able to play in Ottawa.”
Schmid was named the starting goaltender against Vancouver, and it’s likely he’ll remain between the pipes when Florida hosts the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night in Sunrise.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s contest with the Canucks:
Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Lars Eller
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 12: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout prior to Game Two of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, October 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A Dodger left-hander, who put video game-like numbers in the regular season, had a colossal dud in arguably the most important game of the year, in no small part by being left to hang out to dry in the seventh inning, before a back-breaking, likely season-breaking, home run. And then, the bullpen let whatever hope still in the building out with great alacrity.
The fact that this paragraph could apply to either Clayton Kershaw or Blake Snell is one of life’s little ironies. Snell became the second pitcher in history to start a playoff game by giving up a home run and have his last pitch in that same game go for a home run. The other pitcher was John Smoltz in Game 3 of the 1991 NLCS.
Considering Snell hadn’t previously allowed a home run all year, the timing is terrible.
If this current era of Dodger baseball started because Rays’ manager pulled Snell too early in 2020, the bookend image of Dave Roberts leaving Snell in too long in 2026 is striking.
Unless you have been mercifully under a rock, the Dodgers have failed, so far, with aplomb in this NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. Not to take any flowers away from the Brewers: they have played hungrier, angrier, and more effectively than the Dodgers. And now Tyler Glasnow and an offense that has mostly been absent stand between the Dodgers and Cancun.
If you told me that the poor play in this series was from this past July, I wouldn’t disagree. The Dodgers look like they would probably drop a series to the Colorado Rockies right now if given the opportunity. Again, it’s not an unknown problem. Over the past two seasons, you’ve seen this movie; you’ve heard this song.
It’s just unusual to see it in the most important games of the year, this year.
Time is a flat circle
Like the bad, old days, the Dodgers have reacted to adversity in this round by being “confused and stunned like a duck hit on the head.” President Lincoln used that turn of phrase to describe one of his generals after the Union defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that the situation is likely going to resolve itself, one way or another, in less than eight hours after you read this essay.
Five of the last six times there has been a rematch in the LCS in consecutive years, the loser in the first year wins the rematch. The Brewers are one win away from making that bit of recent history, six out of seven times. Moreover, with a win today, the Brewers would be the first team ever to repay a sweep one year by sweeping in the rematch the following year.
The last time the Dodgers were down 0-3 in the playoffs was the 1966 World Series: Koufax’s last ride. The Dodgers ended up being swept and shut out over Games 2 through 4. In a bit of historic irony, last year’s championship team had the lowest batting average for a winning team since the 1966 Orioles.
Sarah Langs reported via EliasSports that there have now been six times when a team has gotten a 3-0 advantage on the reigning champion. Four of these instances have involved the Dodgers: 1963, 1966, 2017, and now. Four of the last five times, the series ended in a sweep. Only the 2017 Dodgers allowed a game five.
Getting ready to look for loose change
The Dodgers have been bad in this LCS; you don’t have to take my word for it. Once again, Max Muncy is singing a slightly more urgent tune than he did after the dud to end Game 2.
"It's a pretty simple answer: We're playing like s*** they're playing great."
I applaud Muncy’s candor, but I must politely disagree on one point: excrement, in a pinch, can be useful.
Based on what we knew then, you can even use it to grow a potato. There’s nothing useful here from the Dodgers over these past three games, no silver lining, no green shoots to build upon, no fun moment with young phenom Josue De Paula to obsess over or expand upon for the pending long winter. Sure, let’s use the most exciting prospect since Cody Bellinger as a decoy.
The figurative harvest has come back with blight, and everything looks dead. But technically, it’s not dead; it’s only mostly dead, and unless you’ve forgotten — shame on you — there’s a big difference between “mostly dead” and “all dead.”
Only one single solitary team has ever climbed the Everest that is a 0-3 best-of-seven hole in baseball: the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
Yes, Dave Roberts sparked the comeback; that’s not the point here. He’s not running. He’s not playing. Heck, last year in Toronto, he badly lost a footrace to Hyeseong Kim, which kept the team loose.
The fact to remember from that ALCS is that Boston took the figurative belt to its bottom in Game 3, losing 19-8 in Boston. The Red Sox looked beyond dead, and it took two extra-inning games to force Game 6 back in the Bronx and returned the belt with aplomb in Game 7.
Yes, the 2004 Red Sox turned it around. There is nothing in the past three games of play to indicate the 2026 Dodgers are about to go on a similar run. But again, the Red Sox looked mostly dead until they weren’t.
The only thing left to lose is pride
In all likelihood, the series and the season are hours away from being over. The Dodgers can either roll over or get mad and finally start punching back. The Brewers have played well, but they haven’t played perfect baseball. There have been opportunities.
A good team finds a way to win. A bad team finds a way to lose. A mediocre team attempts to convince itself and you that they are a good team, only to underachieve until their season ends.
Yes, the 2026 Dodgers won 100 regular season games. That fact and a cookie leaves you with a cookie and a likely forgotten notation in Baseball Reference, unless things drastically turn around.
Talk of a threepeat and talk of history have become a yoke around this team’s neck. So throw it out. It’s like eating a whale: you do it one bite at a time. If the series extends past today, the teams will be playing for free. Why not give everyone something to talk about?
If I had to work for free, I would make a spectacle of it.
Truthfully, I’ve been on house money mode since I was fortunate enough to be at last year’s Game 7. My only fear that game wasn’t a defeat; it was that the team laid an egg and made me feel dumb for making the effort to get to Toronto and back in 48 hours.
Losing is one thing; getting embarrassed is another. The play and the results over the last three games have been the latter. The moments where I haven’t thought that this team was underachieving or skimming by on pedigree and reputation have been far fewer than I would have preferred.
I harbor no illusion that this essay will change anything. Nor am I trying to annoy or aggravate or any other cardinal sin of this profession. I operate under the delusion that the right words can move mountains, or at the very least, make one smile when everyone is frowning.
The 2026 Dodgers could do better and should do better. They have at least one last chance to do so. Again, the Brewers have been better on the field simply by being watchable. If there was a time for this team, our team, to live up to its pedigree, its design, it would be to acknowledge the cold, hard truth that there is no tomorrow unless they outright take it.
Keep clawing and fighting until they tell you to stop. Maybe you become a legend. Maybe you get one last road trip to Milwaukee? Maybe you get to see Tarik Skubal one last guaranteed time in a Dodger uniform? Maybe you get to prevent the indignity of seeing your home fans, some of whom paid $75 for parking, watch another team celebrate at Dodger Stadium?
And if not? Well, then it doesn’t matter what this team did. It simply underachieved when it mattered most, and the rest from them would be silence.
Contracts will expire. Players will move on. Time will move on, and ripping the bandage off with critical analysis can start. Calling out an offense built like a supercar and performing like a busted Honda Civic, calling out a rotation that has underperformed when it has mattered most, and calling out a manager who literally panicked and resuscitated jokes and memes from 2018, 2019, and 2021 that he successfully put to bed over the past two seasons?
Now is not the time for postmortems and requiems. We likely have a lengthy, miserable lockout-aided offseason for those essays. But first, I am a slave to the bit, and we are going to press on, much like I hope that the Dodgers do today.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to first base after being hit by a pitch during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. Getty ImagesLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) looks on before Game 3 of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs against the Milwaukee Brewers at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Orioles won Game 4 of that World Series by a score of 1-0, cementing the sweep against Los Angeles. The legendary Don Drysdale was the losing pitcher for the Dodgers in that fateful Game 4.
In fact, history has been historically bad for MLB teams who were down three games in a best-of-seven series. Only one team has ever crawled out of that deficit to win a series: the Boston Red Sox, who famously did so against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
Aside from that, 41 of the other 42 MLB postseason series where a team went up 3-0 has ended with that team advancing. 32 of those have ended in a sweep.
At least Dodgers fans won’t have to wait long to see whether this NLCS series becomes No. 33 that ended with a sweep, as Game 4 is arriving on Thursday night.
Jorge Polanco | (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Three days after the Orioles agreed to a five-year deal with Pete Alonso last December, the Mets signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract. At the time, the Mets’ front office clearly thought that the switch-hitting veteran would give them good production at the plate, and in the team’s press release about the signing included a comment from David Stearns that the expectation was that he’d spend time at first base and designated hitter while “bouncing around to other positions as needed.”
None of that happened. After a slow ramp-up in spring training that was designed to ease him into the long season because of past injury issues with his legs, Polanco played first base just two times: in the first and second games of the Mets’ season. He started having issues with his lower legs, as his Achilles tendon and heel were mentioned in injury reports in early April, and he spent the rest of the season as a DH.
A variety of injuries kept Polanco sidelined for several long stretches of the season, too, and when he did play, he was historically bad. In just 145 plate appearances over the course of 37 games, Polanco hit .148/.201/.230 with a 20 wRC+. He was worth -1.4 fWAR, which was tied with Noelvi Marte of the Reds for the worst mark in all of baseball. And while that wasn’t the worst single season in Mets history, it’s the only one of the ten worst seasons by fWAR to have happened this century. The last time a Met was that far below replacement level was in fifteen years ago, back when Ronny Paulino put up a -1.2 fWAR season for a very bad Mets team, thought it’s worth noting that Mark Vientos nearly tied Paulino with a -1.1 fWAR of his own this year.
So what went wrong? Having struggled in his first season with the Mariners in 2024, Polanco thrived at the plate as he got the team shifted the vast majority of his playing time to the DH role in 2025. Yes, he had played shortstop, second base, and third base in the past, but the Twins began moving him off short in 2021 and had fully moved him off the position in 2022 with the exception of 30.0 innings that he played there that season. Primarily a second baseman from that season through 2024, he occasionally played third base, too.
That track record, combined with what the Mariners got out of Polanco when they reduced his playing time in the field even further, seemed to suggest that Polanco was moving toward a full-time DH role sooner rather than later. Sure, the Mets might’ve been able to have him cover other infield positions in a pinch, but it would’ve been surprising to see him get significant playing time around the infield. If his legs hadn’t been such a mess on the injury front, maybe he’d have been able to play about as often at first base this year as he played second base for the Mariners last year, but even that would’ve given the Mets a whole lot of innings and games to cover at first.
Even for those of us who were concerned about the Mets’ apparent plan to play Polanco in the field regularly, though, what wound up happening was far worse than what had seemed like the worst-case scenario back on Opening Day. Leg injuries forcing him to move to DH even more than he had last year in Seattle, well, that seemed fairly predictable. You wouldn’t have expected him to fall off a cliff at the plate, though, and you wouldn’t have expected him to last just two games in the infield before he was too hurt to play defense again.
Entering his age-33 season, Polanco presents a massive question mark for the Mets, assuming the team doesn’t decide to part ways with him as it manages its 40-man roster this winter. If he sticks around, a best case scenario would be an injury-free spring training spent exclusively as a DH and something resembling a return to form in that role once the regular season gets underway. The underlying metrics as measured by Statcast don’t paint any more of an optimistic picture than his 2026 stats do, though, and it would a major shock if he were to rebound significantly enough to avoid joining Jed Lowrie and Frankie Montas as one of the Mets’ most infamous signings of all time.
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 7: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks poses for a photo during a press conference on February 7, 2025 at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s the middle of October. Football is underway. This is the Cowboys’ year again, somehow. The best part of October, though, is that basketball is back.
For us casual football fans, this is when I start getting locked back into sports. And one thing basketball has over football is the drama: the rumors, the roster construction, and, of course, the trades.
So naturally, let’s hypothesize about who could be on the move this upcoming season.
Anthony Davis
A local Mavericks favorite.
While Anthony Davis was nothing but a professional during his brief tenure in Dallas, the contract extension situation was almost guaranteed to complicate things eventually. I fully expect Davis to play to start the season, but the Wizards are in an interesting position.
They have a roster built around a strange combination of young players, Davis and Trae Young, while simultaneously trying to develop their new cornerstone, AJ Dybantsa. If Dybantsa is the future of the franchise, Washington needs to be careful about how much long-term money it commits to an aging superstar.
That is where things could get interesting. Two teams that could have interest in Davis are the Celtics and Nets.
Boston bolstered its center rotation this offseason with the addition of Mitchell Robinson, but they still don’t have a true defensive anchor who can hold up against the best teams in the playoffs. Davis would give them exactly that while also getting off the Paul George contract.
The Celtics also have a significant amount of draft capital, which gives them the flexibility to make a substantial move without completely sacrificing their future. They could either let Davis’ contract play out or potentially extend him if the fit works.
Washington receives: PG13 + 2027 Celtics FRP + Two SRPs
Boston receives: Anthony Davis
Brooklyn is an even more interesting possibility.
The Nets don’t control their own pick in 2027, so they have little incentive to intentionally bottom out. Their young cornerstones play guard, meaning Davis could take some of the pressure off them offensively while providing a defensive foundation without interfering with their development.
Like Boston, Brooklyn has plenty of draft capital and veteran contracts that could facilitate a deal. They also have significant cap flexibility moving forward. They could extend Davis if the fit works, or let his contract run out and shift their focus back toward their young core.
Washington receives: MPJ + Terrance Mann + 29’ Knicks FRP + 1 SRP
Brooklyn receives: Anthony Davis
For Washington, either scenario gives them a chance to reshape the roster around Dybantsa.
A starting lineup of Trae Young, Kyshawn George, Porter Jr./Paul George, Dybantsa and Sarr would give the Wizards a much clearer timeline and allow them to build around their new franchise centerpiece.
My prediction: I don’t expect Davis to be traded immediately, but if Washington struggles to find a clear identity early in the season, he could become one of the biggest names available at the trade deadline.
Everyone on the Clippers
Adam Silver showed us that he is willing to bring down the hammer on a team, no matter how influential or powerful its owner is. That puts the Clippers in an incredibly awkward position.
They have no real reason to be bad, but they also don’t have a conventional path to acquiring the kind of talent that would turn them into a legitimate contender. If I were the Clippers’ GM, outside of Keaton Wagler, almost everyone would be available.
The strategy would be pretty simple: turn veterans with value into draft capital and younger players. There are a number of different versions of this. Hachimura, Strus, Beal and Jones Jr. could all potentially bring back some combination of picks, young players or future flexibility.
The goal wouldn’t necessarily be to tank. It would be to avoid NBA purgatory.
Clippers receive: Duncan Robinson + Two SRP’s
Detroit receives: Rui Hachimura
The Clippers are in the dangerous territory where they won’t be good enough to seriously contend while not having the conventional path of the draft to get better. There is little reason to hold onto veteran contracts that could be converted into future assets.
Clippers receive: Jalen Suggs + Tristan da Silva
Orlando receives: Max Strus + Bradley Beal + Rui Hachimura
My prediction: I expect the Clippers to be aggressive in looking for opportunities to turn veteran talent into draft capital. If they get the right offer, almost anyone outside of their true foundational pieces should be available.
One of Suggs, Banchero or Wagner
This time last year, the Magic had just made the blockbuster trade to acquire Desmond Bane, and expectations were high.
We all know how that turned out.
Now Orlando enters another season with a talented roster, but one facing some increasingly difficult financial and basketball questions. With Anthony Black’s upcoming extension and the amount of money already committed to the roster, another disappointing season could force the Magic to reconsider how their core is constructed.
At some point, repeated first-round exits become more than bad luck. They become evidence that something about the roster may not be working. If Orlando gets off to another disappointing start, I could see them examining whether their best path forward is to rearrange the core rather than simply adding more pieces around it.
The obvious question is which of the three young stars becomes expendable: Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner.
The Clippers could potentially swoop in and take a swing on Suggs while Orlando adds depth and flexibility as demonstrated in the trade above. Another possibility could be a Jalen swap with Phoenix.
Orlando receives: Jalen Green
Phoenix receives: Jalen Suggs + Tristan da Silva
Green is on a shorter contract and would give the Magic something they desperately need: another dynamic scoring option. Obviously, trading one of these three would be an enormous decision. These aren’t role players we’re talking about. They’re the players Orlando has spent years building around.
But that’s exactly why this is worth watching. If the Magic believe the current core has reached its ceiling, eventually someone has to make the uncomfortable decision.
My prediction: I don’t expect Orlando to break up the core before the season starts. But if they have another disappointing year, I wouldn’t be shocked if one of these three becomes the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade.
Daniel Gafford
Alas, what is an article on a Mavericks site without one of our own getting traded?
Daniel Gafford will always have a place in Mavs fandom after being the starting center during a Finals run, but his time in Dallas may have simply run its course.
With Morez Johnson Jr. and Dereck Lively fingers crossed projecting as the frontcourt of the future, and even Moussa Cisse potentially entering that conversation, Gafford is the natural player to move.
The key is that Gafford still has established NBA value. Dallas doesn’t necessarily need to trade him, but if the Mavericks believe Lively and Johnson are the long-term answer at center, Gafford becomes one of their more obvious trade chips.
Things can obviously change as the season progresses, but I think getting a first-round pick outright for Gafford is unlikely at this point. If a FRP was ever on the table for him, he would already have been on another team.
As much as I don’t want to be in the Jakob Poeltl business, a deal involving Toronto is one of the better ways Dallas could potentially turn Gafford into a first-round pick while also addressing another area of need.
Dallas receives: Jakob Poetl + TOR 29’ FRP + two SRPs
Toronto receives: Daniel Gafford
Corey Kispert is another player who makes sense for Dallas. He could be a solid ninth- or tenth-man option who provides shooting and spacing, while Atlanta could bolster its center rotation with Gafford.
Dallas receives: Corey Kispert + two SRP’s
Atlanta receives: Daniel Gafford
The exact return is difficult to predict, but the logic behind moving Gafford is pretty straightforward: if Dallas has two young centers they believe in, why not turn their established veteran into another asset?
My prediction: Gafford is the Maverick I would be most surprised to see finish the season in Dallas if the right offer comes along. I don’t think a trade is inevitable, but the fit between his trade value and Dallas’ long-term roster construction makes him an obvious candidate.
Who Actually Gets Moved?
The NBA trade market rarely operates on a predictable timeline. Sometimes it takes one bad month, one injury, or one disappointing playoff series to completely change the direction of a franchise.
That’s what makes trying to predict trades so much fun.
Of the names on this list, Gafford is the player I feel most confident could be available. The Mavericks have a young frontcourt they clearly want to develop, and Gafford is the one player who already has established value around the league. If Dallas can turn him into draft capital or a young player who fits the timeline of this roster, I think it makes too much sense not to explore it.
The more interesting situations are the ones where a team has to make a much bigger decision. Does Washington really want to keep Anthony Davis and Trae Young while AJ Dybantsa develops? Can Orlando keep its core together if another season ends without meaningful playoff progress? Can the Clippers find a path forward after losing 5 years worth of first round picks?
Those are the situations I’ll be watching most closely.
And if there’s one thing we know about the NBA, it’s that the trade nobody saw coming is usually the one that changes everything.
SAN FRANCISCO – Steve Kerr on Thursday gave NBA fans something to think about. It pertains to Stephen Curry, and it’s profoundly logical.
Before digging into your wallet in hopes of coming to an arena and seeing the splendor of Curry in action, please consider that your wish might not be granted.
“We have fans who buy tickets expecting to see Steph,” Kerr said Thursday after practice. “Usually Steph, sometimes other players. People expecting to see vets. And then we have a back-to-back, and we don’t play him. I would just come out and tell the fans out there to be mindful (of the schedule) when you’re buying the tickets because we’ve got not just Steph, but we’ve got multiple vets we are going to try to manage because it’s the only way we can do this.”
This is a warning that goes far beyond basketball fans. This is about being prudent with Curry. About acknowledging that the man who has been scampering circles around NBA defenses since 2009 is now 38 years old and coming off a season in which he missed 27 late-season games after being diagnosed with runner’s knee.
First and foremost, this is about saving Steph, a notorious pusher of envelopes, from himself.
And, in the process, hoping that will keep the Warriors in position to compile a much better record than the 37-45 mark posted last season.
Everyone on Golden State’s payroll understands that Curry the team’s barometer. If he’s available and healthy, the Warriors have a chance to beat any team in the league. If he’s neither, they can tumble like a house of toothpicks. They were 9-18 while Curry was coping with a malady he’d never experienced – and can become chronic if mistreated.
Curry’s body is different than it was 10 years ago, or even five years ago, which has forced an adjustment to his legendary conditioning regimen. He had to curtail the amount of offseason running that was at the base of his fitness.
In four preseason games, Curry has played a total of 64 minutes. He made his first second-half appearance Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers and was on the court for a preseason-high 23 minutes. Normally, when the regular season is so close, he’s closer to 30.
“We are purposely ramping up Steph more slowly this year, this training camp, than he’s used to,” Kerr said. “In the past, by this time he was already in such good playing shape and rhythm because of his routine and his work ethic.
“We purposely are holding him back this year, trying to lessen the load with the knee in mind in particular. So, we’re ramping him up more slowly. He’s right on schedule. This is exactly how we planned it to this point, but every day means he’s doing less.”
Curry’s practice time once again will be reduced in the regular season, just as it has been throughout training camp and the preseason. He participated in only a portion of the team’s practice on Thursday.
“We’re really scaling back his overall workload,” Kerr said, “and trying to find that sweet spot where he can still be in rhythm and be ready to play 32, 34 minutes without all the load that that comes. It’s a different approach.”
This will be a season in which Curry plays few, if any, back-to-back sets. There could be instances in which he misses consecutive games. He’ll hate it, but he’s better about listening to his body than he was 10 years ago.
And Curry won’t be alone.
Golden State’s roster is deeply reliant on a group of players over 35, with Al Horford the oldest at 40 and Draymond Green the youngest at 36. Jimmy Butler III is 37 and won’t be a factor when the season begins on Oct. 21. Kristaps Porziņģis is only 31, but various health issues have made his anatomy considerably older.
Caution is the word for this season, as it should be. It won’t be popular, but it is absolutely necessary.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Walker Kessler #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors on October 13, 2026 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With Kessler on the floor in the first half, the Lakers scored 46 points in 16 minutes. Across the 32 minutes he rested overall, they mustered just 43 points. His pick-and-roll connection with Austin Reaves was quite effective between his vigorous dives to the rim and Reaves’ playmaking abilities. Of Reaves’s seven assists Tuesday night, four stemmed from ball-screens with Kessler, whether it be directly feeding Kessler inside or Kessler commanding extra attention to open up looks on the perimeter.
“I mean, he created probably four or five really good looks for us from three just rolling hard,” Reaves told reporters postgame. “Nobody’s going to give him credit for it, but him putting pressure on the rim and roll opportunities is going to make the X-man [on defense] sink, and we’re going to get wide open threes. We had quite a bit of them tonight.”
Kessler made clear postgame he’s still establishing his footing and timing after not playing since Halloween last year. But he already senses the stress he and Reaves can impose upon defenses out of ball-screen actions, which should also presumably extend to his partnership with Luka Dončić, who received a night off Tuesday.
“With Austin, he’s so good at making the right decision out of the pick and roll. Even if I’m not getting the ball, my roll, that corner guy cracks down and Austin’s so good at throwing that corner pass,” Kessler said. “It’s a lot of fun to play with. I think as I play more, my rhythm will kind of come back as well as kind of game sense. I mean, that first layup I made, I almost fell out of bounds. I had no footing whatsoever. But yeah, it was good to be out there.”
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor's wife, Katia, gave a hilarious basket of treats before he undergoes a vasectomy surgery, she revealed in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s wife, Katia, gave him a hilarious basket of treats for undergoing a vasectomy, she revealed in an Instagram post Wednesday.
“Three beautiful children later, we decided our family is complete. ” Katia wrote, including a behind the scenes video of her assembling a snack basket with jokes referencing the procedure. “I’ve carried the babies, now it was his turn to take one for the team. Love you, babe! ”
The couple are parents to daughters Kalina Zoé, 5, and Amapola Chloé, 3, and 18-month-old son Koa Amani.
This surgery comes after Lindor and the Mets finished last place in the National League East with a 74-88 record and missed the postseason for the second consecutive year.
Katia showed a handmade card that said, “Snip snip hooray it’s vasectomy day!” with the date of Oct. 14, 2026.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s wife, Katia, revealed he’s undergoing a vasectomy surgery in an Instagram post on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Inatagram/Katia LindorMets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s wife, Katia, shared a card she wrote to him for his vasectomy surgery. Instagram/Katia LindorMets shortstop Francisco Lindor react to a vasectomy gift from his wife, Katia, in an Instagram post she shared on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Instagram/Katia Lindor
Another card said, “It’s a whole new ballgame Happy Vasectomy Day!”
Inside, it read, “Paquito, Thank you for taking one for the team! Blessed with the best teammate,” including the message, “No more babies.”
Katia’s post was set to the song, “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC.
Katia included some snacks with a few jokes such as, Chips Ahoy, which she switched to “Snips Ahoy” — and a box of Sour Patch Kids that had a “No more” sign on it.
She also packed cooling boxer briefs for the five-time MLB All-Star.
New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor follows through on a swing against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, September 24, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Lindor flashed a big smile as he read the cards.
“Yeah, done,” he said.
“He’s home and we’re giggling together,” Katia wrote.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 05: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter during the preseason NBA game at Fiserv Forum on October 05, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves head to the Windy City to close out their preseason schedule against the Chicago Bulls. After a series of games that showed the awe-inspiring flashes of the starting five’s offense and the tenuous causeway the bench will need to walk to maintain leads, we’re ready for the games to actually matter. Before we can get started with the real stuff, once more we head into the breach.
The Chicago Bulls are a team on the rise. After years of playing towards the play-in, they dismantled much of their team for second-round picks and young players, including four seconds from Minnesota along with Leonard Miller and Rob Dillingham to acquire Ayo Dosunmu. After that mid-season overhaul, they moved up in the lottery odds and selected UNC forward Caleb Wilson.
Head Coach Chris Finch has extended his starters’ minutes more and more as the preseason has worn on, and I expect the same, especially with four full rest days before the opening tip in Miami.
Between both Chicago and Minnesota’s combined starters and benches, this will be a battle of young talent. The Wolves core, most of whom are around 25 years old, have played minutes deep into the playoffs and are gearing up for a long season. They’ll play with their newfound “giddiness” – as Chris Finch called it – with a shade more maturity.
The Bulls, who boast the second-youngest team in the league, will play with a “Giddeyness” of their own. Bulls guard Josh Giddey will be helming the offense and looking to feed the ball to slashing forwards Matas Buzelis and aforementioned top pick Caleb Wilson. If the defense collapses too hard, he will kick out to newly acquired three-point threats, Norman Powell and Buddy Hield.
Giddey, like LaMelo, is a point guard bigger than some NBA forwards at 6’7”. He has a strong handle and averaged a shade over nine assists per game to a decent 3.5 turnovers. His great deficiency is his outside shot, which allows teams to frequently go under screens and dare him to let it fly.
The Bulls figure to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Even in the weirdness of preseason, this is a game the Wolves should win.
Minnesota’s starting five showed in the Detroit Pistons game that they can score in bunches out of the gate. What’s more, whether in the lead or chasing, these young Wolves are looking for highlight plays that spark energy throughout a team. The primary concerns for Minnesota were shown in their recent bout as the Pistons’ big and physical team continued to disrupt the flow on defense and pushed their way to the hoop through the Wolves’ skinnier players.
Containing Big Forwards
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 11: Caleb Wilson #8 of the Chicago Bulls drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 11, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In Buzelis and Wilson, the Bulls have two dynamic forwards who love to put their heads down and drive. Buzelis was in the 92nd percentile last season in rim frequency and saw his average points nearly double as the Bulls put the ball in his hands more.
Wilson apparently reminds people of Kevin Garnett, but thems fighting words in these parts. I do see shades of the Big Ticket’s energy in Wilson’s twiggy 6’10” body, so I won’t begrudge the national media their deja vu. The rookie is developing a three-point shot but butters his bread at the rim.
With defensive legend Rudy Gobert minding the paint, he should be able to shut off most of these attempts by less experienced players. The Bulls’ presumed starting center Nic Claxton, who they acquired as the third team in the Julius Randle trade, has missed all of preseason with an injured hamstring.
To try and give their wings room to fly, Chicago will look to Jalen Smith, who shot 37% from three on over four attempts a game last season. This might juice the offense a bit, but at 6’8”, Smith at center allows the Wolves to contend in the rebound battle.
Bring the Illinoize
AMES, IOWA – OCTOBER 07: Ayo Dosunmu #13 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball during the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Hilton Coliseum during a preseason game on October 07, 2026 in Ames, Iowa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tyler Clouse/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This will be Ayo Dosunmu’s first time playing against Chicago since he was traded. He was drafted by the Bulls in 2021 with the 38th pick.
As a kid who grew up in Chicago in the twilight of the Jordan era, he watched the rise and fall of the Thibe-Bulls headed by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler.
On the cusp of reclaiming their relevance behind the play of DeMar DeRozan, former Wolf Zach LaVine, and Lonzo Ball, he was selected to play for his hometown team and even given starter’s minutes several times in his first two seasons. From there, the Bulls unfortunately fell apart due to injury and bad management.
Despite his bench assignment, Ayo continued to improve. He honed his three-point shot (save for a weird 2025 season), improved his rebounding, and continued to bring energy to a team badly in need of it. When he was traded to Minnesota, he went right to work finding where he could fit in and help his new team. Now, with the bag secured and more familiarity with his team, he is primed for a breakout.
There will be plenty of emotions playing against his old team in their home arena in front of his community. The Bulls are looking for direction after tearing down their team. For Ayo Dosunmu, his eyes are raised higher than the Willis Tower.
” Katia wrote, including a behind the scenes video of her assembling a snack basket with jokes referencing the procedure. “I’ve carried the babies, now it was his turn to take one for the team. 
Love you, babe! 
” 
