Stokes and Gus Atkinson left out for Oval Test after curfew breach
McCullum speaking to Stokes daily, not pushing him to return to cricket
Brendon McCullum has spoken of his concern for Ben Stokes’s wellbeing as the England captain sits out this week’s second Test against New Zealand as a result of his breaking the team curfew after the first Test at Lord’s.
The fallout from Stokes and his teammate Gus Atkinson deciding to spend the early hours of last Monday morning at a Chelsea nightclub rather than the team hotel has dominated the week between the two matches. While McCullum, the England head coach, admitted he initially had a strong negative reaction to learning about the curfew breach, he said this quickly changed. He has spoken to Stokes every day since the story broke, and said those conversations had left him feeling worried.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Isaiah Evans shoots the ball during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you’re Cameron Boozer, you can more or less relax in the run-up to the draft, because you almost certainly won’t go any lower than #4, and there’s a chance you could go #1.
For anyone outside of the projected lottery picks though, you have no certainty whatsoever. Some guys are going to slip while others are going to rise, and there’s often one guy who got invited to the Green Room who just sits and waits. The saddest example of this may be Florida’s Dwayne Schintzius. Expected to go early in the 1990 draft, he lingered until the 24th pick, finally taken by San Antonio, just one pick ahead of Duke’s Alaa Abdelnaby (keep in mind there were only 28 picks, and that he nearly fell out of the first round).
Since former Blue Devil Isaiah Evans is expected to go somewhere after the 20th pick, there’s just no way to begin to know where he will end up, and of course, he could always be part of a draft-night trade.
For any player, the most important thing is not necessarily how high you are picked, but rather being picked by a stable franchise that has a plan for you.
This story links to a Boston Celtics-focused podcast that talks about Evans being a possible pick for the C’s. Really, that could be a great situation or him. First, he already knows Jayson Tatum, who of course is Duke’s Chief Basketball Officer. He could be an excellent mentor for Evans.
Secondly, Brad Stevens is one of the smartest executives in the league and the Celtics are consistently one of the better teams in the league.
Thirdly, Joe Mazzulla has emerged as an excellent coach, and finally, Boston loves the three-point shot which is Evans’ calling card. He could be a great fit.
The former Vancouver Canucks defenceman was part of the Carolina Hurricanes squad that rode a dominant performance through the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to win their first championship since 2006, doing so by taking down the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Carolina capped off their remarkable 16–3 post-season run with a 3–0 win in Vegas, with goaltender Brandon Bussi backstopping them to the victory only three games after he officially took the starting role after Frederik Andersen sustained a knee injury in Game 2 of the series. The 22-save shutout was his first of the post-season and third all-time in the NHL.
The journey to the Hurricanes franchise’s second Stanley Cup began after suffering three Conference Final losses through the prior seven seasons, during all of which they made the playoffs.
This year’s run began with a quick sweep of the Ottawa Senators in the first-round, during which former Canuck Chatfield recorded one assist in the team’s series-winning Game 4. Carolina went on to also sweep the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring three or more goals in each of their games against Philadelphia. Chatfield scored his first goal of this year’s post-season in Game 3 of this series.
The Hurricanes met with the Montréal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final — their fourth in the past eight seasons. Despite a dominant Game 1 performance for the Canadiens that saw Montréal put five goals past Andersen, Carolina continued rolling, winning four straight to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since their 2006 championship win. This was the third time the Hurricanes made the Final since relocating.
Vegas put up a valiant effort, but ultimately, Carolina was able to take the win in this year’s Stanley Cup Final. Both of the Hurricanes’ losses were separated by only one goal, with a thrilling Game 1 ending in a 5–4 score, and Game 3 featuring a shocking 4–0 comeback from Carolina cut short by an overtime goal scored by Shea Theodore.
Jun 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes players celebrate the win against the Vegas Golden Knights in game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Offensively speaking, Chatfield hit another gear during Carolina’s 2025–26 playoff run. The defenceman recorded a career-high of seven assists in a single post-season and doubled his previous points-high by recording eight in 19 games. He was also relied on heavily by his team through this run, recording a career-high average of 22:32 minutes played per game.
Chatfield’s time with the Canucks was spent mostly in the AHL. The defenceman played in a total of 18 games with Vancouver, recording his first-career NHL point with the team, before he was not extended a qualifying offer and became a free-agent. In his first season with the Hurricanes organization, the defenceman won the 2022 Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves. He has since powered his way to a full-time NHL role with Carolina.
Carolina’s Stanley Cup win officially makes Chatfield a champion at the NHL, AHL, and OHL level, as he also won the Memorial Cup in 2017 as a member of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
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NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 15: A fan takes their seat during the Rothesay County Championship Division 1 match between Nottinghamshire and Somerset at Trent Bridge on June 15, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hickory starter Evan Siary went four innings, allowing five runs, striking out one and walking one while allowing a pair of homers. Owen Proksch gave up a run in an inning of work. Michael Trausch walked one and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Geury Rodriguez struck out both batters he faced.
Angel Arredondo was 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Daniel Flames was 2 for 4 with a double. Yolfran Castillo had a hit, two walks and a stolen base.
Hub City starter D.J. McCarty threw six shutout innings, striking out eight and walking two.
Malcolm Moore was 2 for 5 with a double. Hector Osorio had a hit and a pair of walks. Maxton Martin homered. Paxton Kling had a walk and a hit by pitch before leaving the game for Chandler Pollard after the HBP. Pollard had a hit, a walk and a stolen base. Yeison Morrobel had a hit and a pair of walks.
Dylan MacLean started for Frisco, throwing 6.1 shutout innings, striking out five and walking one. Joey Danielson struck out both batters he faced. Josh Trentadue allowed three runs in 0.2 IP, striking out two and walking one. Eric Loomis allowed three runs in 0.2 IP, including a walkoff homer.
Ian Moller homered and walked. Rafe Percih had a hit and two walks.
Round Rock starter Josh Stephan allowed three runs in 5.1 IP, striking out five and walking three. Wilian Bormie struck out three and walked one in 1.1 IP, allowing one run. Gavin Collyer walked two of the three batters he faced. Alexis Diaz retired the one batter he faced. Luis Curvelo retired the two batters he faced, one via strikeout.
Rehabbing Josh Smith was the DH and went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks. Jarred Kelenic had a hit and a walk. Blaine Crim had a hit.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 08: Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sixers fans weren’t quite sure what to expect when the organization first signed Kelly Oubre Jr. very late in the 2023 offseason. Ultimately, at just a veteran’s minimum salary, it was a home run deal for Philadelphia, as Oubre went on to start in 52 of his 68 regular season appearances that season, plus all six playoff games against the New York Knicks. Oubre’s season earned him a two-year, $16.3 million deal to remain with the Sixers. Although his status as one of the few middle-of-the-road contracts on the roster earned him plenty of spots in hypothetical trade machine scenarios, Kelly has remained a rotation fixture these past couple years.
The perception of Oubre’s game upon arriving in Philadelphia was a good stats on a bad team type of gunner, formed largely from his previous two seasons in Charlotte. Having to accept a veteran’s minimum deal that 2023 summer seemed to awaken something in Kelly. He has since reinvented himself as a complementary, two-way wing. Over the past three seasons, Oubre has defended well across multiple positions, often taking on the toughest perimeter defensive assignment. He rebounded adequately for his position and showed a real knack for finding seams as an off-ball cutter offensively. His “gunner” past also came to serve as a feature, not a bug. During the many occasions when the team was beset by injuries, Kelly was able to scale up his offensive usage to assume more of the scoring burden.
The wrinkle in Oubre’s player profile is his inconsistency as an outside shooter. To his credit, Kelly had the best three-point shooting season of his career last year, finishing 36.0 percent from behind the arc. However, that average mark belied a high level of streakiness to his game. Oubre has a tendency to go through some severe cold spells, something which became an issue during the Boston series this past postseason when he shot 16.0 percent across the seven games and the Celtics defense continued to give him more and more space in order to limit drivers. Whether the Sixers feel there’s still room for Kelly to improve his shot or if they’re willing to live with the inconsistency will be large factors in any decisions to re-sign him.
With Oubre hitting unrestricted free agency, he’ll be one of the more impactful early decisions for Mike Gansey and the new Sixers front office. More than likely, the open market will dictate how the Sixers act. If another team opts to blow their budget to bring Kelly aboard, Philadelphia may be content to let him go and try a younger option with a higher shooting upside. However, if the Sixers can sign him for somewhere around the mid-level exception, it seems like a low-risk move to bringing him back. The team is already thin on the wings even with Kelly, he gets along well with the current group, and meets Gansey’s criteria as a competitive guy who wants to be in Philadelphia. I certainly feel Oubre is a fountain, not a drain.
Kelly is an interesting personality and I admired his ability to do some serious self-reflection and adapt his game to carve out a more sustainable NBA career for himself. We’ll see how the market for him plays out, but I’m hoping he and the Sixers can come to terms to keep him in red, white, and blue.
How about you? Are you ready to part ways with Oubre or hoping he remains a Sixer heading into next season? Let us know in the comments.
When Sergei Bobrovsky decided that he didn’t want to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets any longer, fans were gutted. How could the best goalie to ever wear the Union Blue want to leave? He owns just about every organizational record there is for goalies, including games played, wins, goals-against, saves, shutouts, minutes played, and points scored.
Well, we soon got our answer. GM Jarmo Kekalainen came out publicly and stated that Bobrovsky came to the front office and said he was done with the organization. But why? Was it money? Was it Torts? Was it the city itself? Seems to be a combination of all of the above, and some fans were not happy.
And then, after the CBJ swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, that was it; he was gone. But let’s be honest: the time he spent there was historic in terms of team records, and it was fun to watch.
On June 15, 2013, Sergei Bobrovsky won his first and two Vezina Trophy following the 2012-13 season.
Bobrovsky played in 38 games, compiling a record of 21-11-6. He had 4 shutouts, the first of 33 in his CBJ career. His GAA was 2.00 with a save % of .932. The man played stellar.
But he had shown flashes in the previous two seasons with the Flyers. And with the 2012-13 season being shortened due to a labor dispute, he played for SKA St Petersburg of the KHL. He did really well there too, going 18-3-2 with a sub-2.00 GAA. And with all of that, the Jackets missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. They finished with 55 points, tied with the Minnesota Wild. They went 24-17-7 and deserved to be in the playoffs that year, in my opinion.
John Davidson revealed that Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause leading up to the 2019 NHL trade deadline. Davidson made the following comment about Bobrovsky, who left Columbus to sign a 7-year deal with the Florida Panthers.
"I know that with Bobrovsky, he didn't want to waive his no-trade, so we couldn't trade him. And I get that; he had every right in the world. That's nobody's fault. It's just what it is.
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Fans have always thought that the Jackets just held on to Bobrovsky and Panarin and went "All-In." But it very well could be that since Sergei Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause, Columbus had no choice but to go for it that year. It worked out, and it didn't.
Sergei Bobrovsky, still a topic of conversation among Jackets fans. Some good. Some bad. But in the long run, he was one of the greatest players ever to wear a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey.
Bob has also cemented himself as one of the NHL's all-time great goalies by winning playing in three straight Stanley Cup Finals, and winning two straight Cups.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Kyle Higashioka #11 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammates after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 6, Red Sox 4
And…the Rangers don’t get swept!
Yeah!
(fist pump)
Nathan Eovaldi once again comes to the rescue, giving the Rangers a Quality Start to break a losing streak.
Eovaldi gave the Rangers seven innings, and when it came to Red Sox hitters other than Willson Contreras, things went very well for him.
Contreras hit a pair of solo homers off of Eovaldi, accounting for two of the three runs he gave up in the game.
The first of the two was a Fenway special, a high pop fly to left field that is a fly out just about everywhere else but that the dimensions of the Green Monster turn into a homer.
Per Statcast, the only other stadium it would have been a homer in is whatever they are calling the stadium in Houston nowadays.
I’m just going to go back to calling it Enron Field.
The other one was legit, though.
Nonetheless, Eovaldi’s homer tendencies this year are a bit problematic. He has now allowed 17 homers so far this season, the fourth most he’s allowed in any season in his career. Given we are just halfway through June, that’s not what you really want to see.
His six strikeouts leave him just one behind Bronson Arroyo and Jim Whitney, who are currently tied for 210th on the all time strikeout list. Rick Porcello is right behind Eovaldi.
After uncharacteristically walking three batters his last time out, Our Man Nate issued just a single walk on Sunday, indicating the restoration of balance in the universe.
Jakob Junis was supposed to finish out the eighth but ended up getting just two outs and allowing a run in before being pulled for Jacob Latz with two outs in the inning, though it should be noted that another Jake Burger pop fly misadventure on a foul ball contributed to Junis’s problems.
Latz handled things, though, retiring all four batters he faced, so it was all good.
The Rangers started things off with a bang, in the form of a Wyatt Langford leadoff homer in the first, this of the legit variety. Kyle Higashioka hit a three run shot in the second to give the Rangers all the runs they would need in the game. The final two runs came on a Brandon Nimmo bases loaded double, with Nimmo hopefully dispelling the bases-loaded curse the offense has been laden with.
Everyone’s favorite 2020 Rangers draft pick, Justin Foscue, had a 3 for 3 game before Skip Schumaker opted to use offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez as a pinch hitter for him once a righthander came into the game. Foscue is now slashing .268/.321/.451 on the year. That’s pretty good.
And because the Mariners lost, the Rangers are back within a game of first place in the American League West, despite being a game below .500. The Rangers also remain tied with the A’s for WC3, because the American League as a whole hasn’t been all that.
Nathan Eovaldi’s sinker maxed out at 96.2 mph, averaging 94.0 mph. Jakob Junis hit 94.6 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball touched 97.4 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s home run was 106.8 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.6 mph double and a 100.9 mph groundout. Kyle Higashioka had a 104.4 mph single and a 100.2 mph home run. Jake Burger had a 104.3 mph double. Justin Foscue had a 104.3 mph single.
Back home now, for a six game homestand that features a weird off day on Wednesday because of the World Cup.
Jun 14, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets outfielders Mj Melendez (1), Carson Benge (3) and A.J. Ewing (9) come off the field after defeating the Atlanta Braves 8-1 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
With little in the way of problems or roadblocks, the Mets continued New York’s good weekend with a win on Sunday and a series victory over those dastardly Braves.
The Marlins nearly sent Paul Skenes’ ERA up to 3.00 as they left Pittsburgh with a 4-2 win and extended Max Meyer’s season-long winning streak to 15 starts.
Miles Mikolas pitched seven shutout innings and eight different Nationals scored runs in their 10-1 battering of the Mariners.
Doing what they can to help Jacob Misiorowski’s Cy Young case between starts, the Brewers scored four runs off Cristopher Sanchez and handed the Phillies a 4-0 loss.
Jun 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Blake Perkins (16) is dunked buy center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) following the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Welcome to week 12 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (43-26); 3-3 this week; 95.7% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers hold their lead atop the division with a 3-3 week that felt both much better and much worse. They dropped two of three to the Athletics in a Las Vegas slugfest before winning two of three against the Phillies in Milwaukee over the weekend.
Jackson Chourio raked this week, leading the team with 13 hits, including five homers, driving in 10, scoring eight runs, and slashing .448/.452/.966. Jake Bauers added a pair of homers, while six other players had a homer apiece. William Contreras, who had one of those homers, added a pair of doubles as part of a nine-hit week. Andrew Vaughn went 6-for-14 with a homer, two doubles, and five walks to one strikeout.
Jacob Misiorowski continues to dominate, as he put together one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever witnessed. In a complete game shutout against the Phillies on Friday night, Miz allowed just one hit and struck out an incredible 15 batters on just 95 pitches. Kyle Harrison, who got roughed up in Las Vegas to begin the week, bounced back to toss six shutout frames against the Phils on Sunday to get the win. Grant Anderson, Coleman Crow, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling nine innings with 10 strikeouts.
The Brewers get the day off on Monday before hosting the Guardians for three games. They’ll then head east to visit the Braves and Reds beginning Friday night in Atlanta.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (38-31); 3-3 this week; 45.8% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals also put together a .500 week, taking two of three in New York against the Mets but dropping two of three to the Twins in Minnesota over the weekend.
Alec Burleson slugged five homers for St. Louis this week, adding a double and driving in eight. Iván Herrera tied with JJ Wetherholt for the team lead with eight hits, and Herrera slugged two homers to go with two steals. Jordan Walker drove in a team-high nine thanks to two homers and two doubles.
Dustin May put together the best start of the week for St. Louis, earning the win as he went six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Andre Pallante allowed two runs and struck out five over six innings in a winning performance, while Matt Svanson led the bullpen with 4 2/3 perfect innings across three appearances, striking out four.
The Cardinals return home for a quick three-game set with the Padres before heading to Kansas City to take on the Royals over the weekend, with an unconventional off day on Saturday thanks to the World Cup, which will host a game at GEHA Field (formerly Arrowhead Stadium) right across the street from Kauffman Stadium that night.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (36-36); 2-4 this week; 38.3% chance to make postseason
The Pirates had a rough homestand this week, dropping two of three to both the Dodgers and Marlins as they were outscored 42-26 across the six games.
Tyler Callihan, Brandon Lowe, and Bryan Reynolds all had two homers this week, as Reynolds tied with Jake Mangum for the team lead with eight hits. Overall, Reynolds slashed .333/.407/.708 with three doubles and a pair of walks. Spencer Horwitz, Ryan O’Hearn, Nick Gonzales, and Jared Triolo each added five hits on the week.
It was a rough week for the Pittsburgh pitching staff, including ace Paul Skenes, who allowed two runs across six innings in both of his starts, though he still struck out 17 to bring him to 99 for the season. Bubba Chandler allowed two runs and struck out six over 5 2/3 innings, and Braxton Ashcraft allowed two runs and struck out four over five innings. Isaac Mattson, Mason Montgomery, Yohan Ramírez, and Dennis Santana all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling eight innings with six strikeouts.
Pittsburgh is now headed west, as they’ll visit the A’s (in Sacramento) and Rockies with an off day scheduled for Thursday.
4. Chicago Cubs (37-35); 3-3 this week; 42.9% chance to make postseason
The Cubs were on the West Coast this week, as they dropped two of three against the Rockies before taking two of three in San Francisco against the Giants for a .500 week.
Michael Busch and Ian Happ both homered twice this week, while Pete Crow-Armstrong led the offense with nine hits, including a homer, three doubles, and a triple. Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman both homered, as Bregman put up seven hits and Suzuki added six.
Javier Assad and Shota Imanaga led Chicago’s rotation this week, as Assad went six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and Imanaga went five scoreless with seven strikeouts. Ryan Rolison went 3 2/3 scoreless innings across three appearances (including as an opener), striking out three. Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, and Caleb Thielbar were also scoreless for the bullpen, totaling 9 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.
Chicago will now host the Rockies for their second series in a week before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then welcome the Blue Jays to town for a three-game set this weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (33-37); 2-4 this week; 4.8% chance to make postseason
The Reds continue to struggle, as they dropped two of three against the Padres in San Diego before losing a weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks.
Noelvi Marte slugged three homers and a double, though he had just three RBIs for the week. Eugenio Suárez homered and tied Marte for the team lead with six hits, while JJ Bleday added two homers and two doubles. Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer also homered.
All of Cincinnati’s starting pitchers put together a solid week, as Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, and Rhett Lowder totaled 33 1/3 innings across their six starts (Abbott made two starts), allowing 11 runs (2.97 ERA) and striking out 34. Unfortunately, none of those starts resulted in a win, as they combined to go 0-1, with the lone loss attributed to Abbott. Sam Moll and Tony Santillan were both scoreless for the bullpen.
Cincinnati wraps up the homestand to begin the week with three games against the Mets. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll head to New York to face the Yankees.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks is defended by Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets during the second half at American Airlines Center on January 03, 2026 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. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are expected to make some improvements to the roster this offseason, but it remains to be seen which methods they will use to accomplish that.
The Rockets can make some moves in free agency, but the trade market would bring a bigger splash. Bleacher Report contributor Grant Hughes suggests the trade that would send Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Tari Eason, and a 2027 second-round pick to the Wizards for Anthony Davis.
“Houston adds another veteran star to a timeline that officially pivoted to “win now” when Kevin Durant came aboard while also preserving its ability to put immense size and elite rebounding on the floor at all times. The fit between Davis and Alperen Sengün would be fascinating, even if spacing would be a concern,“ Hughes wrote.
In this hypothetical deal, the Rockets and Wizards would turn this into a sign-and-trade since Eason is a restricted free agent this offseason. Overall, the value isn’t a massive blow to the Rockets. Eason might leave in free agency and Finney-Smith failed to play up to expectations in his first season in Houston. The real loss would be Smith Jr., who was the number three overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
Smith is one of the rising defenders in the league, and at just 23 years old, he still has a lot of room for growth in his game. Losing him would be a blow, but if the Rockets feel like they are in win-now mode, swapping him for Davis could be a move that helps Houston in the long run.
Davis’ injury history lessens the value Washington can get in a potential trade, but a healthy version of AD would push the Rockets in the right direction. Davis and Sengün would be a strong pair inside with Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson holding down the perimeter.
TDS community, do you like the idea of trading for Davis? Let us know in the comments section below.
There is a lot of smoke surrounding LeBron James and the Warriors this offseason.
But with NBA free agency still weeks away, it’s unclear if Golden State will successfully recruit arguably the greatest player of all time to the Bay Area for the end of his illustrious career.
While some, including NBC Sports Bay Area’s Warriors insider Monte Poole, who reported Thursday, citing a source, that there at least is curiosity on both sides about a potential union, have been reluctant to predict a change of scenery for James this offseason, others, including The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, believe the 22-time All-Star will join Golden State this offseason.
"Before we get to Giannis, LeBron, what happens with that is a good one. This one is a really fun one because the Warriors is really in play now, like for real. I really feel like if I had to bet my life on a team, I'd think I… pic.twitter.com/5TE7bulDKJ
“LeBron, what happens with that is a good one,” Simmons told Zach Lowe on the latest episode of his podcast. “This one is a really fun one because the Warriors is really in play now, like for real. I really feel like if I had to bet my life on a team, I’d think I would bet on them . . . I think that would be the move for me.”
James and his longtime Klutch Sports agent, Rich Paul, have not given any public indication as to which path the 41-year-old might take this offseason as he decides whether he wants to either return to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he has spent the past eight seasons, join a new team, like the Warriors, or potentially retire.
It’s no secret that Golden State, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy, will search high and low for roster upgrades this offseason, and with a handful of NBA stars potentially available this summer, perhaps James might be the most intriguing.
Jun 7, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler (36) pitches the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been slipping over the last week of the season. The Bucs are just 3-7 in their last 10 games and have slipped back to hovering around .500. This might be the time where the team needs to make some aggressive changes, and I think one of those changes should be in the starting rotation.
Bubba Chandler has been very inconsistent this season for Pittsburgh. In an appearnce against the Atlanta Braves, he pitched 5 1/3 innings. He only allowed 1 hit and 2 earned runs and seven strikeouts.
In that game, we saw something we haven’t seen all season and that was Chandler not starting the game. The 23-year-old pitcher came into the game in the second inning, with Mason Montgomery getting the start.
On Saturday, Chandler started agains the Marlins and went for 5 2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts. He didn’t get the win.
With the recent inconsistencies that Chandler has had, maybe fresh changes like that is exactly what he needs. Chandler is just 2-7 on the season and has a 4.76 ERA. He has also struggled with walks this season with 41, which is the most by any pitcher on the Pirates pitching staff.
We saw the right-handed pitcher come out of the bullpen last season when he was called up, and he threw well. I think moving Chandler to the bullpen and giving Carmen Mlodzinski his starting rotation role back could be beneficial.
Mlodzinski has shown a lot of promise this season in his 13 games played. The 27 year old pitcher is 4-3 on the season with a 4.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.40.
I think Chandler has a lot of potential, but the pitching across the board has been a problem for the Pirates over the last couple of weeks. Making some changes like this could light a fire under Chandler and make him a better pitcher.
I don’t think the young pitcher has lived up to his high expectations yet, but this is just his first full season in the majors. If Chandler can be better utilized in relief than as a starting pitcher, the Pirates ought to consider the adjustment. It has the chance to help both the rotation and the bullpen.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 13: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox takes the field for the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on June 13, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I feel like I’m been pretty negative over the last few weeks of Brushback articles. I need to change up my mentality a lil’ bit.
This 2026 Red Sox season, as we all know by now, has been tragic thus far. Not enough offense, the pitching isn’t enough to carry them to victory on most nights in spite of their best efforts, the front office seems completely aimless, yada yada yada. These are things that you haven’t already read before on OTM, be it from me or from any of my colleagues. Frankly, these are themes you’re likely gonna continue to see as the summer progresses as well. The Craig Breslow question isn’t going away anytime soon—well, unless FSG decides to give him a pink slip in the coming days—and even after a series win against the Texas Rangers at home (wait, we’re allowed to win multiple games at Fenway????), the dreams of seeing the Sox qualify for postseason ball seem to be just that at the moment: dreams.
But we’ve got nothing but precious time to complain about all the shit that’s going wrong for Boston. The organizational soap opera will continue, and I frankly don’t want to sit here and repeat the same talking points/complaints each and every week that I sit down to write about this stupid team. I’m sure you don’t want to read the same article over and over and over again, either. What’s the point of essentially copying and pasting the same Brushback article all the time at this point? We’ll have weeks—maybe even months—to perform an autopsy on this season, how poorly the roster was constructed, all that fun stuff. Our regularly scheduled bellyaching will continue long into the dog days, short of something astonishing happening in Boston over the next few months (I’m not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened; after all, the Knicks just won a championship).
So while I can’t sit here and tell you that my entire outlook on the Red Sox is positive—because it clearly isn’t—I at least wanted to shake up the mojo a little bit and shine a light on a guy who I haven’t given enough credit to here on the website: Ceddanne Rafaela.
It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.
What a year that Boston’s center fielder is having, folks. Through his first 66 games he’s logged a 2.2 fWAR; he’s on pace to smash the career high of 3.8 he set last season. The numbers leading into Saturday’s game don’t lie, as Jake Iggy of BoSox Talk pointed out on The Everything App:
A lil’ bit of traditional stats if you prefer the old school, a lil’ bit of nerdy stats if you don’t like Manny Machado. Either way you slice it: he’s been a productive hitter, as evidenced by the 127 OPS+ he’s notched leading up to Sunday’s finale against Texas.
Now if I told you I was gonna write 1,000-ish words about a guy with a .291/.346/.457 triple slash leading up to that Sunday night matchup at Fenway, you might scratch your head a little. “Sure, that’s a very solid output,” you may think to yourself, “but why are we focusing on him entirely here?”
Well, two things:
Again, I’m trying something positive here to distract myself from the rest of the dumpster fire that is this season, and
Not all 127 OPS+ outputs are created equally
We all knew that Ceddy had some juice in the bat, but the big question with him had been consistency; he’s got a bit of JBJ in him due to his defensive wizardry and his affinity to switch between hot and cold in a jiffy.
One word jumps out at me when looking under the hood when trying to figure out Rafaela’s progression in 2026: competitiveness.
The major issue I had with Ceddanne’s plate approach in the early stages of his career was that he gave up too many ABs too easily. Chasing after junk, not working counts, making bad swing decisions, etc. Even when you are making contact, an approach like that is going to throw you off-kilter when you’re stuck in between.
Now, even when you’re just watching him, Ceddy looks much more comfortable at the plate compared to where he was when he first started in the bigs. Of course, some of that comes with time, but it’s quite noticeable to me nowadays. If you don’t trust the good ol’ eye test: the simple fact that he’s cut his whiff rate by nearly 10 percentage points since the 2024 season, per Savant, should do a lot of the heavy lifting here. He’s not getting fooled as often and that’s allowed him to deal more damage at the dish.
To take it a step forward and to play with my keyword for Rafaela: as of Sunday morning, he ranked within the top 75 (just barely—he was number 75 exactly) of competitive swings across MLB this season. A fancy dancy Statcast metric, a competitive swing is defined as “the fastest 90% of a player’s swings, plus any 60+ MPH swings resulting in an exit velocity of 90+ MPH.” For reference: Ceddy had 1,080 and 1,104 competitive swings in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Rafaela put the ball in play through 31.6% of those competitive swings in 2024 and 36.3% in 2025.
This season, that rate is 38.3%. It’s a marginal improvement, yes, but it’s one that I think speaks to the improved plate approach. A better approach with improved plate discipline leads to fewer whiffs, which leads to more competitive ABs in general, which leads to more competitive swings, which leads to profit.
None of this even mentions the knack Rafaela has to deliver a clutch knock, by the way, which is a trait that he’s certainly shown during his big league tenure.
I don’t know if he’ll get there, but Ceddanne Rafaela deserves to be in Philadelphia this summer. pic.twitter.com/0YuvUn0AbZ
Now, granted, Rafaela might be the beneficiary of some BABIP luck thus far in 2026. His xwOBA and xSLG metrics are both below the 30th percentile leaguewide, and his expected batting average is only around .250 as I’m writing this Sunday morning. The signs of continued progression are there, however, so I’m not totally spooked by those analytics. Improvement isn’t always linear, and he’s still a relatively young guy. There’s more room for growth, and that starts with the game-to-game approach that Ceddy’s implementing in the better’s box.
All of this is to say that Ceddanne Rafaela has to be an All-Star. He probably doesn’t start the game over Byron Buxton, sure, but who else has an obvious claim to an outfield position over him this season? The only guy I can think of who would steal a spot over Ceddy is probably Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners due to his power numbers and his star status, but I’ll take the guy who’s OPS is 50 points higher and is a platinum glove type of fielder. Get Ceddanne to the Midsummer Classic, baby.
Is the team bad? Yes. Is this going to be a long summer in Boston? Probably. Is the future unclear? I’m too scared to answer that question in earnest. But do we have Ceddanne Rafaela patrolling center? Yes, yes we certainly do. So we got that going for us, which is nice.
Meanwhile there was high drama at Wantage Road, where Calvin Harrison blazed 92 from 100 balls to give Northamptonshire a seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire with just 13 balls to spare
Mostly positive, with sunny spells, though there are some showers moving north and east. At Wantage Road, they’re starting to mop up.
A huge wicket! Joe Clarke is bowled by Jake Ball, who was substituted in half way through the game because of Gregory’s hamstring. Delight for Somerset, despair for Clarke who was done for pace. Notts 51-4,
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at the TD Garden on October 28, 2024 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. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Citi used to have a student loan management operation headquartered here in Sioux Falls.
Some years ago, they announced they were getting out of the student loan business, and that put a big question mark around the people in that department.
Citi hadn’t announced layoffs—in fact they hadn’t announced anything.
At one point, I asked a friend of mine who worked in that department if she’d heard anything.
Her response: “I don’t listen to what people are saying, because the people who know what’s going on aren’t talking.”
But here we are, talking once again about Giannis for Jaylen.
I’d love to put my friend’s advice to work here—and indeed, I suspect that most of the people talking are talking through their hats—but I can’t because these rumors have become the story to cover, and I am, as a fan, caught up in all this.
I have no insight whatsoever into what’s actually going on—an admission that I wish more talking heads would make before they repeat unsourced rumors.
What we’ve got is a situation where once again, we’ve collectively put Jaylen Brown on the trading block.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the Boston Celtics Victory Event & Parade following their 2024 NBA Finals win at TD Garden on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And, honestly, this is a weird place to be as a fan — at least those of us who are fans of Jaylen Brown. The guy has always been a polarizing figure among Celtics fans, which is probably why these trade rumors catch fire whenever they crop up.
There’s a subset of fans who are positively eager to see him gone. One or two of them might even chip in on the cost of moving van rentals. I’ve never understood these fans.
I like JB. I think that he struggled a bit with maturity on the court early on — he might have benefitted from a couple extra seasons of college ball — but he’s grown up into a valuable member of the team both in terms of what he does for himself, but also in terms of what he does for his teammates.
The C’s seem to have given up on designating team captains, but JB has basically taken up that mantle in all but name.
So it’s uncomfortable for me as a fan to think about trading him to another team in exchange for a superstar who might be on the verge of having his body break down on him (I can’t help but think of Kemba Walker when I look at Giannis’ age and the nagging injuries that he had all last season) — and who can walk at the end of next season if he wants to (shades of Kyrie).
It’s uncomfortable to be a Schrödinger’s fan when it comes to Jaylen — and Giannis. Am I supposed to look forward to JB’s contributions to the C’s next season, or am I supposed to get excited about seeing what Giannis can do?
It’s pretty hard to try to steer a middle ground through this. In fact, I’d say that it’s about as impossible as having an atom simultaneously be in a state of stability and decay. Ambiguity doesn’t work in some cases. Either we want Jaylen on the team next season or we want Giannis. I don’t think we can logically want both.
Adding further to the quandary is the fact that we have zero say in what actually happens. No matter how much we like Jaylen or doubt Giannis’ ability to contribute at a high level for the next few years, if Stevens is going to pull the trigger on this trade, he’s going to do so based on input from people who aren’t us.
All we want is certainty, and certainty is the last thing that’s on offer at the moment.
So here we are… Caught between two possible outcomes and trying to find solid footing on the shifting, slippery, oozy foundation of unsubstantiated rumors.
Frankly, I tend to have my doubts about the rumors that have been swirling for a month now simply because they’ve been swirling for a month now.
Again, I don’t know how Boston’s front office works, and I don’t know that they’ve done anything other than kick the tires on a Giannis deal—which any responsible front office needs to do. But this lingering chatter, these leaks, this doesn’t feel like the way Boston does business.
It doesn’t take that long to hammer out a deal.
It feels like Milwaukee is trying to drive up the return for a player who’s got only one year guaranteed, some nagging injuries, and a growing reputation as a malcontent.
I don’t know that Boston made an offer for Giannis back when these rumors started, but I’d be very surprised if that offer was an open-ended one. I don’t think Boston put an offer out as soon as their season ended with the idea that it would just sit with no expiration date while Milwaukee used it in an attempt to solicit better deals from other teams.
I always ask myself what people who leak rumors like these gain by leaking them. I mean, either these rumors are coming straight from the horse’s mouth or they’re being exaggerated somewhere down the line, by people who are distorting what they’ve heard for their own particular ends, ends that have nothing to do with objective reporting.
But here’s the thing. I may have my suspicions that these rumors are being started in bad faith, but there’s no certainty to these suspicions.
My skepticism has no more firm a foundation than the credulity of someone who believes that this is all smoke, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
But this is where I find myself as a fan.
I have an outcome that I would prefer—that Jaylen remains with the Celtics—and I’m constructing a rationale to justify it.
I don’t like living in this space.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – JUNE 13: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after the victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Congrats to the Knicks
When the Knicks came back and beat the Jaylen Brown-less Celtics in game 80 of the regular season, I remember quipping to my brother, “Gee, you’d think they won the Finals.”
Well, whaddya know.
The important thing, as Celtics fans, is that we overreact to the Knicks, put them on a pedestal, and assume that only a major overhaul of the Boston roster will be sufficient to catch up with them.
