People around the NBA are wondering if the Lakers will bring back Rui Hachimura

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers after missing a shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder the third during quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, 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 License Agreement. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images

While paydays are aplenty in free agency, the fluidity of it all can leave some on the outside looking in.

Despite the Lakers being swept out of the playoffs, Rui Hachimura came away a big winner after his postseason performance. Most predicted he would receive one of those paydays once the offseason rolled around as a result.

However, as we discussed on Wednesday, LA’s flurry of moves left him as the odd man out, as some had predicted. At the time, the Spurs were still a contender for him. However, San Antonio soon chose Tobias Harris on a two-year deal over Rui.

Now, Rui is still without a new contract and the teams that can and would have interest in him have dwindled significantly. The result, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on Thursday, is people around the NBA wondering if he may be returning to Los Angeles after all.

That Hachimura remains unsigned caused several league sources to wonder whether the Lakers are planning some sort of trade or using the stretch provision on perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to be able to offer Hachimura more.

There are two reasons why this is still unlikely.

First, the Lakers would still need to do some reshuffling of the roster to shed one or both of Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton’s salaries. That could come via an unlikely trade or by waiving and stretching one of them, with Vando being the far more likelier option.

Even if they are able to open up cap, there aren’t any realistic scenarios in which Rui signs a deal close to his value or the deal he was just on. Perhaps there’s an avenue where the Lakers sign him to a short-term deal with the premise of paying him more money in the future, but the end result of him being underpaid in year one remains the same.

For Rui to get to that point, the market would have to completely dry up on him, which is already close to happening, and he’d have to value being in LA with teammates and a staff he already has a report with as opposed to starting anew.

I won’t pretend to know Rui’s thinking in that aspect, but it does feel like things are still many steps away from that end point. A surprise trade or a new team being interested could change things quickly and Rui could sign a new deal elsewhere, still.

But after seeming like a done deal that he was gone on Wednesday, it looks like the door may still be cracked open.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Mets at Braves: 5 things to watch and series predictions | July 3-6

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves play a four-game series in Atlanta starting on Friday night at 7:15...


5 things to watch

Is Christian Scott becoming a mainstay?

Scott showed flashes with the Mets in 2024 during his rookie season, but his big league ascendance was short-lived due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery and kept him out for the entire 2025 season.

Now back at full strength, the 27-year-old has impressed since returning to the rotation.

In 45.0 innings over 10 starts, Scott has a 3.20 ERA (3.93 FIP) and 1.33 WHIP with 53 strikeouts in 45.0 innings -- a rate of 10.6 K's per nine.

Using mainly a four-seamer, sweeper, and cutter, Scott's arsenal has been remade a bit from his rookie season, when he was not yet using the cutter.

Scott's four-seamer has ticked up (averaging 95.5 mph this season after it averaged 94.2 mph in 2024), and his cutter has been especially effective -- with hitters slugging just .194 against it.  

Nolan McLean has turned a corner

Following a somewhat alarming two-start blip in May where he allowed 16 runs (13 earned) in 9.0 innings, McLean has snapped back in.

In 34.0 innings over his last six starts, the young right-hander has a 2.65 ERA.

He's still battling his command at times -- as evidenced by the 17 walks he's issued during that span -- but he looks a lot more like he did during his rookie season and earlier this year.

McLean was especially impressive during his last start, firing six shutout innings against the Blue Jays while allowing five hits, walking two, and striking out seven. 

Francisco Lindor is shaking off the rust

Lindor is still searching a bit at the plate since coming off the IL, but it's starting to come.

Over his last five games, Lindor has a two homers, a triple, and a .967 OPS.

Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium.
Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Lindor has been batting cleanup recently, with Carson Benge still entrenched in the leadoff spot.

The Braves are sinking

Because of a 5-13 record over their last 18 games, the Braves' lead over the Phillies in the NL East is down to just 2.5 games.

Atlanta is dealing with a rash of injuries, which hasn't helped matters.

In addition to being without Ronald Acuña Jr. and Sean Murphy, Atlanta's starting rotation is decimated -- with Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Joey Wentz all on the 60-day IL.

The Braves also recently lost high-leverage reliever Robert Suarez, who landed on the 15-day IL due to a forearm injury. 

Matt Olson remains fearsome

With Acuña and Murphy out, and Austin Riley having a down season (he's hitting .207/.285/.332 with an OPS+ of 74), Olson is the most dangerous bat in Atlanta's lineup.

In his fifth season with the Braves, Olson is slashing .272/.342/.523 with 20 homers and 22 doubles in 84 games.

Michael Harris II is also having a standout year, with 14 homers, 13 doubles, and an .817 OPS -- the best mark he's had since his breakout rookie season in 2022. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Despite a quiet series in Toronto, Soto still leads the NL with a .956 OPS. 

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Nolan McLean

McLean is locked in again. 

Which Braves player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Ozzie Albies

Albies is having a bounce back year at the plate after struggling in both 2024 and 2025.

SB Nation Reacts Poll Results: Which Astros SP Will Lead Team in Wins?

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 28: Hunter Brown #58 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

We asked. You answered.

The answers seem to indicate a common thread: Astros fans have more faith in Hunter Brown to have a dominant 2nd half than they do in Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai or Spencer Arrighetti to be even decent the rest of the season.

The poll was fashioned in such a way to flesh this out. Arrighetti leads the team currently with 7 wins, but he has struggled badly for a month. Imai has 5 wins, but it seems every time fans feel they are ready to trust his electric stuff that he suddenly has a complete loss of command and lays an egg. Lambert has 6 wins, has clearly been the most consistent of the pitchers not named Brown, but also has never had his current level of success at the major league level and it seems many fans are simply waiting for the bottom to fall out.

Meanwhile, Brown only has 1 win this season in the 25.1 innings that he has pitched this season.

Yet it was Brown most fans believed will finish the season with the most wins. That is a big indictment on fan sentiment towards an overwhelming majority of the rotation, and underscores the idea that despite the outfield’s offensive meekness, adding an impact starting pitcher at the deadline should be the team’s first order of business.

SB Nations Reacts polls are powered by FanDuel.

https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb

MLB Player Props & Best Bets for Today, July 2

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Thursday's MLB card is loaded with star power, and a few of baseball's biggest bats find themselves in favorable matchups.

Before locking in your MLB player props, here are the hitters my MLB picks are targeting to leave their mark tonight.

Best MLB player props today

Player PickOdds
Rays Yandy DiazOver 1.5 total bases-140
Dodgers Shohei OhtaniOver 2.5 hits + runs + RBI+101
Dodgers Max MuncyOver 1.5 hits + runs + RBI-106

Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 total bases (-140)

A lot of people will be rushing to bet Junior Caminero tonight, given the six-game home run streak, but I think the veteran is the better option. Yandy Diaz checks more boxes than Caminero in my opinion.

First off, Diaz covers over 80% of Royals right-hander Stephen Kolek’s pitch mix. His arsenal grades out more than 50% below league average, per FanGraphs.

The only two above-average pitches in the mix are the fastball and sinker. Diaz against sinkers this season is hitting .414 with a 1.066 OPS and a .479 wOBA. Against fastballs, his expected batting average is still north of .300.

The Tampa Bay Rays veteran has also been generating an alarming amount of hard contact. Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he owns a 71.4% hard-hit rate while hitting .320 with an .840 OPS and a .369 wOBA. Kolek at home against right-handed hitters is allowing a 40.5% hard-hit rate and nearly a 62% fly-ball rate.

I know this prop is super-juiced, but I would look for a boost, play his home run and double combo, or take him to record two hits.

  • Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: ROYL, RAYS

Shohei Ohtani Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI (+101)

Finally, some value!

The great one enters today with an elite rating covering 82.7% of Randy Vásquez’s entire pitch mix on Batters-Box. Tonight will mark Shohei Ohtani’s 314th elite rating over the last three seasons. In the previous 313, these are his records:

  • 1+ hits: 74.44%
  • 2+ hits: 33.87%
  • Home run: 29.71%
  • 2+ total bases: 55.87%
  • 2+ HRR: 66.13%
  • 3+ HRR: 50.48%

Ohtani has surpassed this prop in six of his last ten elite-rated home games. 

On top of that, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger in his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he owns a .346 AVG, .462 SLG, and .862 OPS. He's also generating a 50% hard-hit rate and a 9.1% barrel rate during that stretch.

For Vásquez, the last 30 lefties he has faced have produced a 57.7% hard-hit rate, 19.2% barrel rate, and 65.4% elevation rate. Those lefties own a .764 xSLG and .596 xwOBA in that span.

People forget, this can cash with one swing of the bat, and I already like him to go yard tonight. Do not pay juice for this... plus money only!

  • Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: MLBN

Max Muncy Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-106)

Snagging this price for Max Muncy Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI in a spot that covers 88.9% of Randy Vásquez's pitch mix and grades out elite on Batters-Box is a gift.

Sure, in his last 30 at-bats against right-handed pitching, he has just a .214 average and .553 OPS, but across his last 90, he owns a .440 SLG, .777 OPS, and .343 wOBA.

In addition, in 95 elite ratings over the last three seasons, Muncy has cleared this prop 53.68% of the time, hitting it in five of his last 10 elite-rated spots.

With how poorly Vásquez has been against lefties, I think this is a strong price to back Muncy. I would not play it past -115.

  • Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: MLBN
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
  • Prop picks: 251-481, -20.2 units

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Bill Simmons heard Jaylen Brown trade after anesthesia, 'I think I'm dead'

Count Bill Simmons among the Boston Celtics fans who were stunned by how the little the team got when they traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. But what Simmons was going through at the moment the transaction went down made for a one-of-a-kind reaction.

Simmons, a longtime Boston sports supporter, gave his first thoughts on the move during a live recording of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" on Thursday, July 2, and revealed that he found out Brown had been traded from his wife after finishing a colonoscopy at a medical facility around 3:20 p.m. PT. She then told Simmons the details, which featured the Celtics receiving Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks from the Sixers.

"I'm not really coherent ... and I'm like, I think I'm dead. I think I died," Simmons said on the broadcast. "The anesthesia killed me and now I'm a dead person."

Simmons had advocated on social media in recent days for the Celtics and Brown to attempt a reconciliation after Brown's name surfaced in trade talks this offseason. Brown was initially made available when Boston attempted to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Simmons said later in the podcast that he was hopeful the less-than-expected haul from the Brown trade would be a precursor to another potential trade for the Celtics. The move has been met with initial skepticism given Brown's outsized role this past season and George's sketchy health history.

Brown played 10 seasons for the Celtics and won NBA Finals MVP when they won a championship in 2024. He has three seasons remaining on the five-year, $304 million contract he signed in 2023.

Brown had the best regular season of his NBA career in 2025-26, earning second-team All-NBA honors while leading Boston to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Simmons heard Jaylen Brown trade after anesthesia, 'I think I'm dead'

Wild Acquire Blake Coleman, Olli Maatta From Calgary

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild has acquired forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames for defenseman Jake Middleton.

After a quiet first day, the Wild have made a big splash.

The move creates another significant change on Minnesota's blue line. Middleton was entering the second season of a four-year contract carrying a $4.35 million cap hit. 

Coleman has one year left at $4.9 million, but the Flames are also retaining half of that contract. Maatta has two-years left at $3.5 million.

This trade came not even a full day after Guerin said, "We've been involved in a lot of different things. Some didn't work out. Some we backed out of. Some we don't know yet."

BREAKING: Wild Trade Defenseman Jake Middleton To CalgaryBREAKING: Wild Trade Defenseman Jake Middleton To CalgaryMinnesota ships the rugged top-pairing blueliner to the Flames, shedding significant salary and ending a fan-favorite tenure to accelerate a defensive overhaul during this transformative NHL offseason.

Coleman, 34, had 20 goals last year and 35 points in 69 games for the Flames. He has recorded 170 goals, 155 assists and 325 points in 693 career NHL games.

He was with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two seasons and won back-to-back Stanley Cups. In his career, Coleman has four 20-goal seasons and has a career-high of 30 in 2023-24 with the Flames.

His first four NHL seasons was in New Jersey under current Wild head coach John Hynes. He coached Coleman for all four years.

Maatta, 31, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012. Not only was Hynes around him for rookie camps and development camps, but Bill Guerin had him for five years when he was in Pittsburgh.

The 6-foot-2 defenseman had two goals, 12 assists and 14 points in 22 games with the Flames last year after he was traded from Utah in the MacKenzie Weegar trade.

He is a stud defensivly. This proves to be a tremendous trade by Guerin and the Wild.

The final trade:

To Minnesota: Blake Coleman and Olli Maata

To Calgary: Jake Middleton, 2027 third round pick, 2028 fourth round pick and a 2029 second round pick.

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Dodgers vs Padres Prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for July 2

The Dodgers (56-31) and Padres (43-42) meet in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium for a four-game series. Los Angeles leads the season series 4-2.

San Diego has lost five straight games with a beatdown by the Cubs on Wednesday, 23-3, being the cherry on top. The Padres finished June with a .235 batting average (22nd) and tied for the fourth-fewest home runs (28) to go along with a 11-15 record and 3.98 ERA (8th).

Los Angeles had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 7-1 loss to the Athletics. The Dodgers are 11-4 over the past 15 games and finished June top five in batting average (.271), OBP (.359), hits (254), and runs scored (147) over 27 games (18-9 record). The Dodgers have scored 38 runs in the last five games.

Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Padres at Dodgers

  • Date: Thursday, July 2, 2026
  • Time: 10:10 PM EST
  • Site: Dodger Stadium 
  • City: Los Angeles, CA
  • Network/Streaming: MLB TV

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Padres at the Dodgers

The latest odds as of Thursday:

  • Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-198), San Diego Padres (+162)
  • Spread: Padres +1.5 (-126), Dodgers -1.5 (+105)
  • Total: 9.0

Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Dodgers

  • Thursday's pitching matchup (July 2): Randy Vasquez vs. Roki Sasaki
  • Dodgers: Roki Sasaki 

2026 stats: 72.0 IP, 3-5, 4.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 72 Ks, 30 BB

  • Padres: Randy Vasquez

2026 Stats: 81.0 IP, 6-6, 4.44 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 60 K, 26 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not

  • The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is hitting .291 with 88 hits, 18 home runs and 50 RBI over 302 at-bats
  • The Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker is hitting .239 with 70 hits and 72 strikeouts over 293 at-bats
  • The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .280 with 92 hits, 5 home runs, and 33 RBI over 328 at-bats
  • The Padres’ Jackson Merrill is hitting .211 with 67 hits and 86 strikeouts over 317 at-bats

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Dodgers

  • The Dodgers are 42-45 ATS
  • The Padres are 46-39 ATS, ranking sixth-best
  • The Dodgers are 46-41 to the Under, ranking ninth-best
  • The Padres are 46-38-1 to the Under, ranking fourth-best
  • The Dodgers are 16-24 ATS at home, ranking sixth-worst
  • The Padres are 21-18 ATS on the road, ranking ninth-best

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Dodgers and the Padres

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday's game between the Padres and the Dodgers:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Dodgers on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Dodgers at -1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 9.0

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Excitement might be scary, but the Jaylen Brown trade was a no-brainer

BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics talk after the game during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

This is one of those moments in your fandom you might remember forever — where you were when you found out the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Jaylen Brown.

For me, I was on my couch, taking a few bites of the dinner I had just made and settling in. Then, a notification on my phone from X popped up. The Sixers had traded Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks for Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.

My first reaction? “No f*cking way.” I actually said it out loud, to my phone screen, alone in my living room.

And I meant it with all sincerity. I double-checked to make sure it was actually ESPN’s Shams Charania, and not Scams Charania or Slams Charania or some other fake troll username. Nope, it was the real Shams. Then I took a moment to wonder if he had been hacked by a troll somehow. Unlikely, and would be especially cruel, but it would be the sort of thing to happen to the Sixers.

I think that’s why this feels so monumental. I didn’t think this franchise could surprise me anymore, in a good or bad way. From The Process through Collargate, to crushing repeated injuries, to player drama around the likes of Ben Simmons and James Harden, to seemingly freakish occurrences like Kelly Oubre Jr. getting hit by a car or Markelle Fultz forgetting how to shoot, to a Paul George drug suspension, to the highs of drafting a player like VJ Edgecombe to the lows of the 2024-25 season… and that’s just naming A FEW of the headlines from the last decade or so.

I didn’t think this franchise could surprise me ever again, honestly.

Until they did. Boy, did they ever. And I love it.

Now, as someone who has covered this team for years now and was a fan of them long before, there is a certain level of fear and apprehension that comes with anything seemingly good happening to the franchise. At times, I’ve almost been convinced the team was cursed by some unknown force in the universe. I’ve often pondered if the Camden practice facility had accidentally been built on a sacred burial ground.

But, today, I’m going to let myself be excited, as a Sixers journalist and as a fan. The reason for that is simple: I love this deal. This was a good deal. A great deal, even. A no-brainer. Hindsight will always be 20/20. Views on the deal could sour in the future if Brown suffers some freak Sixers-esque injury or PG experiences some late-career resurgence in Boston… but it still will not change the fact that this is a deal you do right now 100 times out of 100 if you are Philadelphia.

Let’s look at it practically. The Paul George contract was one widely regarded as one of the worst in the league for its length and cost. Brown makes a similar amount, with one season added, and is 6.5 years younger than PG. Brown is in his prime, much more available — Brown playing 134 games across the last two seasons compared to PG’s 78 — and is simply a better player than PG by a fair margin.

Just look at last season for a small example. Brown played nearly twice the amount of games George was able to (due to injuries and the drug suspension) and averaged a career-high 28.7 points as well as 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 contests. George had his moments across his 37 games, but averaged just 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Brown was an All-Star, as he’s been for the past four seasons in a row. George hasn’t been an All-Star since 2023-24.

If you don’t want to listen to me, to the stats, or to your own eyes, maybe you’ll take it from Ringer, who has Jaylen Brown at No. 14 in their Top 100 NBA Players for 2025-26. George was ranked No. 66.

Next up is what they gave up in addition to PG. Boston was reportedly asking for the likes of VJ Edgecombe, George and five first-round picks, per Charania. By the time the deal was made, they got just three of those seven asks, with the Sixers keeping the young standout Edgecombe and giving up just two first-rounders — the 2028 (Clippers) of which feels like the biggest loss, if you can even call it that. It is a smaller haul of assets than an injury-prone, 35-year-old Kawhi Leonard just garnered.

I’m not sure how Mike Gansey did it. Perhaps just taking advantage of what felt like a questionable desperation from the Celtics, but welcome to Philly, Mike!

None of this is to say I’ve never criticized or said a bad word about Brown. He’s not infallible, nor am I. I’ve said his Twitch stream antics complaining about flopping and officiating after Boston’s playoff exit was lame. I thought it then, I still do now. I have absolutely personally complained about his forearm push-off method on offense. Now, you’ll also see “reports” from mysterious “league sources” about his personality or his locker room presence being this negative thing.

Not only is Brown a good enough player on his own to outweigh those things, but what the Sixers franchise gets from doing this deal even moreso outweighs all of it by a fair margin. Now, the Sixers have the opportunity to — especially with maybe a little more support pieces down the bench — make an actual contending push with Joel Embiid and Brown for the next few seasons. Even if nothing ends up coming from it and their contracts both end without a championship, you reset in a few seasons with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe at the helm instead. That’s really not a bad spot for the franchise to be in.

All in all, the reality is time will tell what will ultimately come of this blockbuster between the Sixers and Celtics. Maybe all of my writing and posts about this will join the hall of freezing cold takes in a few years. But again, hindsight will always be 20/20! Right now, at the time the deal is being made, this was an absolute no-brainer for Philadelphia.

And I love that they did it.

Sources: Wild Sign Former KHL Standout Maxim Shabanov On One-Year Deal

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild appear to have quietly added another intriguing forward.

After one season in the NHL, Maxim Shabanov became a free agent. The Wild have agreed to a contract with the winger.

Shabanov, 25, arrives after spending last season with the New York Islanders, where he recorded five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 44 NHL games.

Before making the jump to North America, the 5-foot-8 winger starred in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk, posting 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points in 65 games during the 2024-25 season, establishing himself as one of the league's most dynamic offensive players.

The Islanders declined to extend Shabanov a qualifying offer earlier this week, making him an unrestricted free agent. It didn't take long for him to seemingly find a new home.

If finalized, the addition gives the Wild another skilled, creative forward following the departures of Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson earlier this offseason.

While Shabanov isn't the biggest player, he has built a reputation for his elite puck skills, vision and offensive creativity. Perfect guy for Kirill Kaprizov and Danilla Yurov.

The contract is a one-year deal at $1.6 million.

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LeBron James sweepstakes down to two teams: Warriors and Cavaliers

LeBron James in a yellow Lakers uniform on the basketball court.
LeBron James has reportedly narrowed his free agency search down to two teams.

The biggest question in NBA free agency is where LeBron James will go next.

The four-time NBA champion informed the Los Angeles Lakers he would not return for the 2026-27 season. The news officially kickstarted a new era in LA, but also caused a league-wide stir given James’ desire to find what could be his final destination before retirement.

LeBron James has reportedly narrowed his free agency search down to two teams. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

James has reportedly narrowed down his decision to two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Warriors insider Nick Friedell reported an update on the 41-year-old.

“It’s about a 50/50 right now. It’s Golden State and Cleveland,” Friedell said. “I just don’t see another team that makes that much sense.

The San Antonio Spurs were previously considered a potential contender in the LeBron sweepstakes, but the rumor was shut down Wednesday. Friedell made his case as to why James would fit so well with the Warriors, but noted the storybook ending would be with Cleveland.

“LeBron is looking for basketball happiness at the end. There’s no better place to do that than here, flatly. He’s got a chemistry with Steph. He knows Draymond for all these years. He knows what Steve Kerr’s all about. They lived it and won a gold medal together in Paris at the Olympics.

“The Warriors, on top of all that, and I think this has gotten lost in the shuffle. They let their players be who they are. Look at Jimmy Butler.”

James began his career in Cleveland and returned for four more seasons before signing with the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season.

James is looking for complete happiness in the twilight of his career and only he knows where he can find it.


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Padres vs Dodgers Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game

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The Los Angeles Dodgers look to stay hot when they open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres tonight.

The Dodgers (-178) come into the contest as the clear favorites over the Padres (+170), and I’ll break down why the hosts will run up the score against some shoddy pitching.

Read my full Padres vs. Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks below.

Who will win Padres vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -1.5 (+114)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 11-4 over their last 15 games and firing on all cylinders offensively. The hosts are hitting .283 as a team over that span while averaging 5.5 runs per game.

The San Diego Padres are sending Randy Vasquez to the hill tonight, which will only make things easier for Los Angeles. Vasquez sits in the fourth percentile in pitching run value, as well as the bottom percentile in xERA (7.05).

Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki hasn’t been great, but he owns a solid 3.50 ERA at home, holding opposing batters to just a .228 average at Dodger Stadium.

Playable to +100.

Covers COVERS INTEL: Vasquez is 0-3 with a 5.57 ERA in five career appearances vs. the Dodgers.

Padres vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+119)

L.A. has loved facing right-handed pitching this season, leading the majors in runs scored (348), batting average (.272), and wRAA (68.5). Vasquez has a massive 7.84 ERA over his last five starts, so expect the Dodgers to put up plenty of offense.

Sasaki last faced San Diego on Friday, giving up three runs in just four innings, so the Padres will be capable of scoring some runs as well.

The Over is 3-0 in each of the last three starts for both pitchers.

Playable to +110.

Chris Faria's 2026 Transparency Record
  • ML/RL bets: 4-1, +2.05 units
  • Over/Under bets: 1-4, -3.12 units

Padres vs Dodgers weather

It'll be a fairly cool night in Los Angeles (67F), but hitters will get a slight bump with winds blowing out to right-center at 8 mph.

Padres vs Dodgers odds

  • Moneyline: San Diego +170 | Los Angeles -178
  • Run line: San Diego +1.5 (-117) | Los Angeles -1.5 (+113)
  • Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+122) | Under 9.5 (-127)

Padres vs Dodgers trend

The Dodgers have covered the first five innings (F5) run line in 27 of their last 45 games (+5.80 Units / 10% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Padres vs Dodgers and game info

LocationDodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
DateThursday, July 2, 2026
First pitch10:10 p.m. ET
TVPadres.TV, SportsNet LA
Padres starting pitcherRandy Vasquez
(6-6, 4.44 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcherRoki Sasaki
(3-5, 4.88 ERA)

Padres vs Dodgers latest injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Is Jaylen Brown for Paul George the worst Celtics trade of all time?

BOSTON - FEBRUARY 27: Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7) has an animated second quarter conversation with head coach Brad Stevens, left, as teammate Kyrie Irving comes over and joins in. The Boston Celtics host the Portland Trail Blazers in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 27, 2019. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images

Today is a tough one, Celtics fans. It’s the day after what’s being viewed as potentially one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, and we’re on the wrong end of it.

We’re not used to being in this position. The Celtics are the franchise that wins those trades and turns them into banners. Consider Boston’s greatest hits.

  • 1956, Red Auerbach trades two future Hall of Famers, Ed Macauley and draftee Cliff Hagan to the then-St. Louis Hawks for rookie Bill Russell. Eleven championships ensue.
  • 1980, Auerbach sends two first-round picks (no. 1 overall plus no. 13) to the Golden State Warriors for center Robert Parish and overall pick no. 3, which became Kevin McHale. Parish and McHale win three titles on their way to the Hall of Fame.
  • 1983, Auerbach roasts the Phoenix Suns, acquiring Dennis Johnson and a first-rounder for back-up center Rick Robey. DJ wins two rings with Boston.
  • 2007, Danny Ainge gives up young star center Al Jefferson, four other expendable players, and a pair of first-round picks for all-time great Kevin Garnett. Banner 17 follows.
  • 2013, Ainge tops himself by shipping a package of players and picks – headed by two aging superstars, Garnett and Celtics legend Paul Pierce – to the Brooklyn Nets for a bunch of players and first-round picks. Two of those picks result in nine seasons of The Jays, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, becoming arguably the best duo in the league.
  • 2017, the Celtics win the draft lottery thanks to the Nets trade, and Ainge completes his masterful trade trilogy. Confident that his draft target, Tatum, will be available at no. 3 overall, Ainge sends the top pick in the draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for the third pick plus a future first-rounder. The Jays win Banner 18 together.

Now the Sixers might have their revenge. The NBA world certainly thinks so. Reaction has been pretty much unanimous.

Even frequent Celtics critic Kendrick Perkins got this right.

This appears to be the first time the Celtics have traded away an all-NBA talent who’s undeniably in his prime. To be fair, we don’t yet know why the Celtics took this deal. Was it a financial decision because Brown is in line for a massive contract extension? Also, why could they not get a better return? We can only hope there’s a second trade lined up that will take the sting out of this one. But until more is revealed, all we can do is compare this deal to the most notable trade failures.

  • Paul Westphal – Auerbach drafted the athletic point/shooting guard in 1972, and two years later Westphal helped the Celtics win their first title since Bill Russell had retired. However, a year later, possibly because Westphal was up for a new contract, Red traded him to the Phoenix Suns for guard Charlie Scott, who was on the downside of a Hall of Fame career. The Cs won one title with Scott, but he was gone less than two years later. Meanwhile, Westphal hit his prime, made all-NBA four times, and also was voted into the Hall of Fame.
  • Joe Johnson – Like Westphal, Johnson was drafted by Boston, who already had Paul Pierce. They might’ve become the precursor to The Jays, but Johnson didn’t even last his rookie year before being shipped to the Suns by impatient general manager Chris Wallace. The Celtics received rotation players Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers, but Johnson played 18 seasons and scored more than 20,000 points.
  • Chauncey Billups – Yet another young talent traded too soon. Billups was the third overall pick in 1997, but Celtics president Rick Pitino gave him just a half-season in green before exiling him to Toronto for point guard Kenny Anderson and others. Billups ultimately played for seven teams, but he also was named multiple-time all-NBA and all-defense, plus a Finals MVP with the Pistons.
  • Kendrick Perkins – At the 2011 trade deadline, Danny Ainge gambled and lost. The Celtics were leading the East with a 41-14 record when Ainge surprisingly sent Perkins to Oklahoma City for short-term rental Nenad Krstic and talented wing Jeff Green. The justification was that Boston had enough other bigs (including the aging Shaquille O’Neal) to continue their run – but that backfired. The deal disrupted team unity, Shaq missed virtually the entire second half of the season with various hip and leg injuries, and the post-trade record was just 15-12. The Cs fell to third in the East and suffered a second-round playoff exit. Green also missed the entire next season due to a heart condition.
  • Bob McAdoo – In 1979, the Celtics were rebuilding, and they had a new owner, the volatile John Y. Brown. Auerbach had collected three first-round picks for that year’s draft, but Brown impulsively traded them to the New York Knicks – without consulting Red – for the high-scoring McAdoo. Problem was, the forward-center didn’t hide that he had no interest in playing for Boston. Ultimately, McAdoo appeared in only 20 games in green and white, and the Celtics finished with what was then their worst record ever, 29-53. Fortunately, Auerbach salvaged the bad trade by sending McAdoo to the Detroit Pistons for the draft picks that became Parish and McHale, as described above.

That brings us back to Jaylen Brown.

All of this happened so quickly. It was just a few days ago when the Milwaukee Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, rendering moot the speculation that the Celtics had offered a trade package led by Jaylen. The basketball arguments against trading Brown for Antetokounmpo included Giannis being two years older, his injury history, and not wanting to see JB suit up for a conference rival.

But what’s come to pass is worse on each of those levels. Paul George is seven years older than Brown, has played more than 56 games just once in the past seven seasons, and now Brown will be on the side of Boston’s oldest and most bitter divisional rival. The fact that this comes just after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead and lost to Philly in the playoffs for the first time since 1982 makes the situation infinitely worse.

While this deal has similar vibes to the McAdoo trade, it remains to be seen if Stevens can imitate Auerbach and find a way to turn this L into a W. If he can’t, the unfortunate judgment here that this trade will indeed turn out to be the worst one in the 80 seasons of Boston Celtics history.

Celtics roster reset: Depth chart, contracts and more after Jaylen trade

Celtics roster reset: Depth chart, contracts and more after Jaylen trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The 2026-27 Boston Celtics will be almost unrecognizable to those who have followed the team closely over the last decade.

After 10 memorable seasons with Boston, superstar Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in exchange for Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-rounders. The move was met with stunned reactions across the NBA world as Brown will continue his career with a storied Eastern Conference rival — one that ended Boston’s season in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.

The Celtics also were criticized for bringing in George, who turned 36 in May and will be owed about $57.7 million in 2026-27. It’s hard to believe Boston couldn’t have gotten a better return for someone of Brown’s caliber.

Nonetheless, the C’s will move on without their 2024 NBA Finals MVP and with a new-look roster already taking shape. They addressed their need for frontcourt depth by signing ex-New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson in free agency and added guard depth with veteran Mike Conley Jr.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Celtics’ roster, contract situations, and more following the Brown trade:

Updated depth chart

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A Celtics depth chart without Jaylen Brown will take some getting used to. Paul George replaces Brown in the C’s projected starting lineup.

Mitchell Robinson gives Boston much-needed frontcourt depth behind Neemias Queta. Mike Conley will provide the Celtics with guard depth behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, while bringing a respected veteran voice to the locker room.

Draft picks Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell will almost certainly spend the season in Maine.

Contracts

  • Jayson Tatum: $58.5 million for 2026-27 (contract expires after 2028-29; includes player option for 2029-30)
  • Paul George: $57.7 million (player option for 2028-29)
  • Derrick White: $30.3 million (expires after 2027-28; player option for 2028-29)
  • Mitchell Robinson: $15 million (expires after 2028-29)
  • Sam Hauser: $10.8 million (expires after 2028-29)
  • Payton Pritchard: $7.8 million (expires after 2027-28)
  • Ron Harper Jr.: $3 million (expires after 2028-29)
  • Hugo Gonzalez: $2.9 million (team options for 2027-28 and 2028-29)
  • Luka Garza: $2.8 million (expires after 2026-27)
  • Dalano Banton: $2.8 million (expires after 2026-27)
  • Baylor Scheierman: $2.7 million (team option for 2027-28)
  • Neemias Queta: $2.7 million (expires after 2026-27)
  • Jordan Walsh: $2.4 million (expires after 2026-27)
  • Mike Conley Jr: $2.4 million (expires after 2026-27)
  • Amari Williams: Two-way

George’s contract includes a 15 percent trade kicker, bumping his $54.1 million salary for 2026-27 up to the 35 percent max of approximately $57.7 million. His bloated contract makes acquiring him in exchange for Brown even more of a head-scratcher, as Boston’s cap situation remains virtually unchanged.

Harper re-signed with the Celtics on a three-year, $9 million contract. Boston exercised Banton, Queta, and Walsh’s team options.

Robinson signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract in free agency. Conley joined on the veteran minimum.

Rookies

  • Chris Cenac Jr. (27th overall pick in 2026 NBA Draft)
  • Dillon Mitchell (40th overall pick in 2026 NBA Draft)

Cenac and Mitchell are expected to sign two-way contracts and begin the 2026-27 season with the G League Maine Celtics.

Unrestricted free agents

  • Max Shulga
  • John Tonje

Shulga, a 2025 second-round pick, didn’t get his team option picked up and is now an unrestricted free agent. The VCU product appeared in 11 games for Boston last season.

Tonje was acquired by the Celtics in exchange for Chris Boucher and a future second-round pick at the NBA trade deadline in February. He signed a two-way contract with the C’s on March 1.

Tonje appeared in six regular-season games for the Celtics, including a season-high 13 points against the Magic in the regular-season finale. Boston didn’t pick up his team option this summer.

Draft picks and TPEs

Future first-round draft picks

  • 2027: Own
  • 2028: Top-1 protected first-round pick swap with Spurs
  • 2028: Most favorable of Sixers or Clippers
  • 2029: Traded away (will go to Blazers or Wizards)
  • 2030: Own
  • 2031: Own
  • 2031: Unprotected Sixers pick

The Celtics received a 2028 first-rounder and a 2031 unprotected first-rounder from Philly in the Brown trade. They also acquired two second-round selections.

Notable traded player exceptions

The Celtics created a huge $27.7 million TPE in the Anfernee Simons trade, which expires at the 2027 trade deadline.

They also have an $8.4 million TPE from the Georges Niang trade and a $4.7 million TPE from the Jrue Holiday trade.

Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In July

Jun 26, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn (35) throws against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Another month down, and June was a bit of a letdown for the Athletics. The club only managed to go 12-15 against what looked like an easier portion of the schedule. They escaped getting swept by anyone but only won three series. They avoided getting swept, but they’re now lower in the standings than they were at the beginning of the month, and with more teams ahead of them too. We’re almost halfway through the regular season schedule and the A’s are hovering around playoff contention. What can we expect to see from the Green & Gold in the upcoming month, one that’ll determine the direction of this team for the final few months of the year?

1. Will we see any limitations on the young arms?

The club currently has three young starters that for all intents and purposes are rookies (though technically only in Gage Jump’s case). Righties J.T. Ginn, Jack Perkins and the lefty Jump have all made multiple starts during these past few weeks and if the A’s are going to make a push for the playoffs they’ll need each of them to pitch to their maximum potential. But more importantly, to pitch at all.

The problem for manager Mark Kotsay is that all three pitchers might be, need to be, or should be on some sort innings limit this season. Ginn is at 94 1/3 innings already while his career-high including minor league innings is 102 in 2024. Jump hit 112 frames last year in his first professional season split between Single and Double-A; he’s currently at 78 between Triple-A and the majors. Perkins might be in the best shape vis-à-vis innings as he’s only tossed 58 2/3 with a career-high of 107 2/3… back in 2023. The right maxed out at 78 and 86 innings pitched the last two years, respectively, so it’s not like he’s ready to fire off 150+ innings.

It’s not an easy position for Mark Kotsay to be in. Now in his fifth seal at the helm, he’s made progress in the win department every year but this year expectations were raised. With a bullpen as shaky as the A’s have, it can’t be easy for the manager to balance between removing his young starters early but saving their health, versus riding them another inning to ensure an extra win here and there with the playoffs on the line. He’s signed through ‘28 but his long-term position isn’t fully secure. If the club under him doesn’t show major progress before the move to Las Vegas, the front office may decide to start the Vegas years with a brand new voice leading the club.

It hasn’t helped matters that Luis Severino is currently on the IL with no set timetable for a return. If the A’s are still in contention come trading season adding a veteran starter could be a two-fold addition: allow the A’s to continue to be competitive this season, while preserving the arms and making sure we don’t blow out an elbow over the final few months. These three guys will all be critical to the Athletics over the coming seasons and how Kotsay handles them in these early days could lay the groundwork for their career arches. Is he going to be cautious, or ride them until the wheels fall off?

2. Can any of the young stopgaps step up in place of an injured regular?

The Athletics are going through a bit of a rough patch regarding injuries right now. The club is currently missing four of the lineup regulars: left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, shortstop Jacob Wilson, DH Brent Rooker and super-utilityman Zack Gelof are all on the shelf for various reasons and timelines (along with Opening Day center fielder Denzel Clarke). Before yesterday one could have argued the most serious of that group was Wilson and his shoulder injury. He’s reaggravated the shoulder dislocation he suffered earlier this year and we’re all hoping he hasn’t done anything serious to it. Baseball fans have seen every type of timeline from this injury in the past: from weeks, to months, to a full season or offseason worth of time on the shelf (most recently Gelof, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last September). Any sort of shoulder surgery would almost certainly end his season and deprive the Athletics of one of their best hitters and a real glue guy for the lineup.

Now the A’s are certainly going to miss Brent Rooker after the news yesterday that he’d be undergoing the knife on that bulky left knee of his. Even though he wasn’t off to the best start this season, he was still already at double-digit home runs and a real threat in the lineup that opposing pitchers had to consider and deal with. Losing him for the final three-plus months of the season is going to hamstring the Athletics’ lineup, and now the team has a decision to make: stick with the guys we have, or go after a trade?

Turning our attention to our starting left fielder, all indications are that Soderstrom is facing a relatively minor absence due to the hip impingement he suffered last weekend. Still, that means it’ll likely be weeks until we see him back on the field for the big league squad, and we still don’t have confirmation that we’re looking at that shorter end of the timeline for his return. It could end up being a situation where we don’t know he needed surgery until a few weeks have passed. Luckily for the A’s, they have someone ready to step into his spot in Colby Thomas.

It’s easy to forget, after two seasons of a small amount of unsuccessful big league action, that Thomas was considered the club’s #3 prospect as recently as last year. The 25-year-old proved everything he has to in the minors. He has plenty of power in his bat, is an adequate fielder in a corner, and has cut down on his swing-and-miss tendencies here in his second year in the big leagues. But the strikeouts are still around to a degree and he’s still allergic to walks, which has made everything much harder on himself when facing big league pitching. Perhaps this is the chance that he’s been waiting for. It’s not easy to ride the bench as a rookie and succeed when called upon when you’re not getting those everyday at bats. If there’s one positive to Soderstrom’s injury, it’s that Thomas will get those everyday chances. It’s up to him to make the most of those, and hopefully help the A’s while Sodey is on the shelf. We should be getting an answer one way or another on Thomas soon enough.

The player most likely to make his return soonest is also the one who is the most versatile in Gelof. And honestly, the A’s can probably play him just about anywhere on the diamond or in the grass save for perhaps shortstop and catcher. The club has used Alika Williams at shortstop and also have former first-rounder Max Muncy, but now the A’s have added a new young guy to the infield mix in Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Gelof is still on the shelf for a bit and might need a couple games to get back in the swing of things, but if Kuroda-Grauer or Muncy or Williams can prove they’re capable at their respective positions, that’d allow Kotsay to get Gelof’s bat into the lineup at some other spot of need. We’ve gotten middling production out of Muncy so far, and now it’s time to see what we have in the 23-year-old Kuroda-Grauer, who burst onto the scene with a three-hit debut.

3. Buy, sell, or standing pat?

The A’s looked like surefire buyers earlier this year when they were atop the AL West standings. They never ran away with the division but also seemed to have finally grown into a team that could make a legitimate push for a playoff spot, even if it came a year or two before many expected. The A’s had a 2 1/2 game lead in the division in late May. The starting pitching had work to do but Ginn was pitching well and Jump was set to join the rotation. And for the most part, the A’s position player group was healthy. Everything was going well for the most part.

June has put a damper on the buying prospects of this organization. The club wasn’t awful but a 12-15 record in June was enough to drop the Athletics to where they are now, 3 1/3 games out of first in the AL West with three other teams to jump. It’s not much better in the Wild Card race as the club is in the same position, but with four teams ahead of them for the final Wild Card spot.

The next few weeks will be critical to determining how the A’s proceed around the August 3rd trade deadline. Should the A’s rattle off a few wins before and after the All-Star break, that might be enough to convince the front office to pony up some minor prospect capital to bolster this young and upcoming group. Starting pitching would be atop the list, as well as obviously relief help. In a perfect world, maybe the club swings a trade for someone like Luis Arraez to be the DH for the rest of the season. There’s a lot of paths the A’s could go if they wanted to give the roster a boost for the final playoff push.

Now, if the opposite happens and the A’s drop farther and farther in the standings, the team will have some tough decisions to make. Some of those decisions could hinge on health updates regarding Wilson, Soderstrom and Gelof. If the A’s find out that one or more of those guys will join Brent Rooker on the season-ending IL, that could push them more in a sell direction. Should the A’s go that route, guys like Jeffrey Springs, Aaron Civale, Jeff McNeil, and pretty much any reliever in the bullpen that any other team has interest in would be available. The jury is still out on if the front office would consider a deal involving Langeliers but one would think they’d need more than a king’s ransom to pry him from our grasp.

Or the team could just say, “Let it ride” with this group and hope for the best. Not the boldest strategy in the world, but for a young team like the A’s they just don’t have many attractive trade pieces that are close to free agency. One doesn’t have to make a deal simply to make a deal. If the A’s are fringe contenders and other clubs are trying to give them a bad deal on a player, then walking away and keeping our chips should absolutely be an option on the table.

Bonus: Will any other Athletics join Shea in Philadelphia?

The club will almost certainly send the starting catcher for the American League to this year’s Midsummer Classic. Backstop Shea Langeliers is having a borderline MVP-caliber season, hitting .265/.330/.497 with 20 homers while catching five out of every six games. That production alone has kept the A’s from being a bottom-dweller this year, making him perhaps the most logical MVP candidate in the league. Seriously, he’s been that important to the team.

A’s fans will be treated to seeing Langeliers catching whoever starts for the AL in the upcoming All-Star Game. Now A’s fans will begin to wonder if any of his teammates will join him fighting for the Junior Circuit.

The most obvious candidate to join the catcher is first baseman Nick Kurtz. The reigning Rookie of the Year has had a great first-half in his sophomore season. After a semi-slow start he’s batting .279/.422/.516 with 19 home runs. He’s second in the entire sport in OBP behind only first-half MVP Yordan Alvarez. He leads baseball in both RBI’s and walks. Oh and let’s not forget about that epic 48-game on-base streak he had earlier this year. In a just and fair baseball world Kurtz would be the starting first baseman for the American League but thanks to fan voting giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. the nod (he of four total home runs), Kurtz will have to rely on another way to make his first All-Star Game.

Among A’s pitchers there’s really only one candidate on the roster: J.T. Ginn. It’s pretty remarkable considering how he began the year: initially on the outside looking in on an Opening Day roster spot, struggling through a tough camp, being a surprising selection for Opening Day, starting the year in relief, and then getting a shot to start in mid-May. Since then he’s been a revelation for the Green & Gold with a 2.87 ERA in 16 starts. He likely doesn’t have the name recognition, and with Langeliers already on the team there’s no “need” for another Athletic to satisfy the “one player per team” stipulation in the All-Star festivities. A’s fans know what Ginn has meant to this club though and no one would be surprised if Ginn ends up being selected to what would be his first All-Star Game in his second season.

Game Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers (53-31) vs. Cincinnati Reds (39-46)

Jun 19, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) check in with umpire Tom Hanahan (69) after the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Brewers will go for a rare four-game sweep this afternoon as they wrap up their series with the Reds, but that’s not the headline. This game will feature one of the most exciting pitching matchups of the season, when Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski faces off against Cincinnati’s Chase Burns.

Misiorowski and Burns are two of the most exciting young players in the game. They’re both flamethrowers; Misiorowski’s fastball is untouchable at an average of 100.3 mph, but Burns is in the 93rd percentile at 97.9. Miz, at 24 years old, is a year older than Burns. Both have some of the nastiest stuff in the league; in FanGraphs’ Stuff+ metric, Misiorowski and Burns rank first and fourth, respectively. They’re first and sixth in ERA. They’re both in the top eight in pitching WAR via Baseball Reference and the top six via FanGraphs. Simply, they are two of the most thrilling young pitchers the game has seen in some time, and given that they’re division rivals, this will likely be the first matchup in what could become a real rivalry.

The teams, though, are going in opposite directions. The Brewers, at 53-31 on the season, have won eight of their last 10 — a stretch that includes a 6-0 record against the Reds. Cincinnati, on the other hand, is floundering: they’ve won just two of their last nine games and are just 9-18 since June 1.

After a day off yesterday, Christian Yelich is back in the leadoff spot for the Brewers. Garrett Mitchell is also back in the lineup after his big day yesterday. Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio join Mitchell in the outfield, while David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers make up the infield. William Contreras is doing the catching.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network. The Brewers then jump on a plane to Phoenix, where they’ll start a series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow night.