MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton admitted to feeling a little added pressure before Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was his bobblehead day, meaning the first 10,000 fans to walk through the gates at Target Field would receive a replica of Buxton doing his “Buck Truck” home run celebration.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous before the game started, just knowing it was bobblehead day,” Buxton said. “Obviously you want to come out and do something good.”
Buxton did more than something good. He became the first player to hit for the cycle at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010, helping ignite the Twins to a 12-4 win over the Pirates.
It was the 12th cycle in Twins history and the first since Jorge Polanco had one in 2019.
Buxton had three hits through three innings — a single in the first, a triple in the six-run second and a double in the third. After singling again in the fifth, he had one more opportunity in the bottom of the seventh.
Buxton, who will participate in next week’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta, crushed a 427-foot solo homer off Pirates reliever Andrew Heaney with two outs in the seventh to make it an 11-3 game and complete the cycle. That brought the Target Field crowd to its feet, many of which celebrated with Buxton bobbleheads.
With his team holding a comfortable lead, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli almost took Buxton out of the game before his final at-bat, he admitted afterward. Thankfully for Baldelli — and Buxton — a few coaches reminded the skipper what was at stake.
“He was 4 for 4 at the time. But with everything going on during a game, sometimes I’ll be the one that might miss on a hitting streak or something that’s going on with a particular player,” Baldelli said. “But once they reminded me of that, he was going to stay in the game. He was going to get another at-bat, regardless of the score, and give him a chance to do something great.”
The homer was Buxton’s 21st of the season, tied for fifth most in the American League. With two runs driven in Saturday, Buxton now has 55 RBIs on the season — just one shy of his single-season high. He boasts an OPS of .921 and is 17 for 17 in stolen bases.
“It’s one of the greatest first halves I’ve ever witnessed,” Baldelli said.
Buxton was replaced in center field after the seventh inning, but not before getting a standing ovation curtain call from Twins fans. He also received a Gatorade bath courtesy of teammate Ty France, who was headed to the clubhouse before realizing that nobody had doused Buxton yet after the game.
“It’s special,” Buxton said. “To be able to come out on bobblehead day like this and have a day like this is something I won’t forget.”
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge didn’t just become the fastest player to hit 350 home runs, he did it in 192 fewer games than Mark McGwire.
“I just think he’s playing in a different league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Judge’s ninth-inning drive in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Judge homered to right-center on a high 0-2 fastball from Brad Keller, a two-run shot a couple of rows into the right-center field seats.
He reached 350 in his 1,088th game. McGwire hit No. 350 in his 1,280th game, against Detroit’s Brian Moehler on June 2, 1997, bettering Harmon Killebrew in his 1,319th game.
“Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game, and he’s definitely a legend,” Judge said.
Judge, who turned 33 in April, debuted with the Yankees at age 24 in 2016. The two-time AL MVP also doubled twice and is hitting a major league-leading .358 with 35 homers and 81 RBIs.
“Would have been great if we got a win today,” Judge said. “I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great teammates, been on some good teams, so they really put me in the best position to go out there and perform at my best.”
McGwire finished in 2001 at age 38 with 583 homers, currently 11th on the career list. He admitted in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs and has been denied entry to baseball’s Hall of Fame.
The Yankees captain has spoken with McGwire.
“I think it started with when I broke my first rib,” Judge said. “I think his son was kind of going through the same thing, so he was first asking me how did I heal? What do we do? So I kind of gave him some tips on that. And then we just kind of chit-chatted a little bit and kept in contact.”
Of course he would take the guaranteed money, more than anyone else in the league besides Brooklyn could give him.
Of course he would stay in Los Angeles, where son Bronny sits on the bench and his home sits on a hill and his myriad businesses are sitting pretty.
Of course, of course, of course … but …
Bronny James (9) leaves the court ahead of father LeBron after a win over Minnesota, during which they became the first father and son to play together in the NBA on Oct. 20, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Wait a minute. There was a catch.
For the first time since James arrived here seven years ago, there was no second or third or fourth year attached to his contract.
The Lakers didn’t offer him an extension. They refused to guarantee him a spot here after next spring.
For the first time in his Laker career — actually, the first time in his entire 23-year career — James will thus play this season on an expiring contract.
In NBA speak, that means two words.
Trade bait.
Except James has a no-trade clause, and it’s unimaginable he would agree to go to another team that would have to gut their roster to match his salary.
So for the first time, the wiley, elusive, flexible LeBron James is stuck.
He’s stuck on a team clearly catering to the needs of a different superstar in Luka Doncic.
He’s stuck on a team that might be viewing his contract not as an asset but an albatross.
He’s stuck on a team that might be looking to get rid of him but can’t.
He’s stuck on a team where he said he wants to end his career, but where that ending might eventually be out of his control.
He could perhaps free himself by thinking about Nov. 29, 2015.
That is the date that Kobe Bryant, a month into his 20th season, officially announced his retirement.
You remember it, right? What happened next was the most surprisingly delightful farewell season-long tour in the history of sports.
“I thought everybody hated me,” Bryant said at the time. “It’s really cool, man.”
Hate him? America loved him, and showed him that love in every NBA arena across the country, standing ovations from coast to coast as he cruised his way toward that stunning 60-point career finale.
The Lakers were generally terrible, the hobbled Bryant was mostly awful, but the nights were wholly magical, the stone-faced bad guy opening himself up to a national respect and admiration that he never knew existed. It was important that he saw this before he retired. It became infinitely more important that he saw this before he died.
LeBron James flexes for the crowd during a game against the Hornets. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
At the end of the tour I wrote, “... a final act that, in typical Kobe Bryant fashion, was unlike any other in the history of American sports. Opening up to a world he never trusted, becoming accessible and embraceable after years of stony intensity, Bryant used the last five months to flip the narrative on his life and career, erasing the darkness of a villain and crystallizing the glow of a hero.”
Bryant had said before the season that he would never do a farewell tour, that he didn’t want to be lauded like baseball fans lauded the prolonged retirement journey of the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter.
"We're completely different people; I couldn't do that," he said.
Yet saddled with an expiring contract just like James, Bryant ultimately wanted to do something that James might consider, giving the organization a head start at rebuilding while controlling his own narrative.
Before Bryant’s decision could be leaked, he announced it himself in an open letter to basketball that was so touching it became an Oscar-winning film. He even arranged for a copy of the letter, sealed in an envelope embossed with gold, to be placed on the seat of every fan attending that night’s game at then-Staples Center against the Indiana Pacers.
Not exactly a T-shirt, huh? It was elegant, it was classy, it was perfect, just like the tour, initially criticized in this space as being selfish before your humbled correspondent finally realized that Bryant was right, it was really, really cool.
"It's fun. I've been enjoying it," Bryant said. "It's been great to kind of go from city to city and say thank you to all the fans and be able to feel that in return."
You hear that, LeBron?
This is not a call for James to retire, but a call for James to begin considering how that will happen, and how the classy Lakers would nail it if it happened here.
Lakers star LeBron James battles three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets for rebounding position during a playoff game in Denver. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Granted, the James and Bryant situations are not comparable. Even though James is 40, and Bryant was 37, James is still one of the league’s best players while Bryant was statistically one of its worst. And while James is still physically powerful, Bryant never fully recovered from his torn Achilles and was battered and broken.
James might have more gas in the tank while Bryant was clearly done.
But James himself has indicated that he probably has, at most, two years left. And every season his injuries become more insistent and debilitating.
And now that the Lakers are under new ownership with no ties to James, and now that current management has already given this team to Doncic, James doesn’t have much of a future here.
He has made noise about going back to Cleveland, and maybe after this season he’ll want to return to where his career started.
But if he’s even thinking about retirement after this year — a legitimate option for the first time — he shouldn’t wait to do so while walking off the court following an early-round loss by a mediocre Laker team.
Nobody does retirement tours like the Lakers. And nobody has ever done one like Kobe Bryant.
Decidedly in the twilight of his career, LeBron James can learn from both.
Sanders blasts players who wear their pants too short: "I think there should be a fine implemented for that stuff, and let's have more respect for this tremendous game."
Ballon d’Or winner becomes the latest veteran, after Kevin De Bruyne, to be pulled in by Italian game’s leisurely pace of life
Luka Modric will turn 40 in September. He has played 930 games over the course of a career and has won seven league titles and six Champions Leagues. He even broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly to claim the Ballon d’Or after inspiring Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018.
He rarely lasts a full 90 minutes these days, didn’t start a game during the Club World Cup and was spared the indignity of coming on for his Madrid farewell with the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain long since lost. He could have retired five years ago and still been one of the most respected players in the history of the game but, his eyes on next summer’s World Cup, when his contract at Real Madrid expired Modric chose to join Milan.
Lakers guard Bronny James drives to the basket during L.A.'s 94-81 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in NBA Summer League play in New Orleans on Saturday. (Ryan Stetz / NBAE via Getty Images)
The crowd inside the Thomas & Mack Center began to stir a few seconds before the Lakers took the court, the buzz caused by LeBron James strolling into the arena to see his son play.
The elder James took a baseline seat as Bronny James and the rest of the Lakers took the court for warmups ahead of Saturday night’s NBA Summer League game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
There was a point early in the second half when LeBron James began to offer advice to Bronny — the kind of encouragement that helped Bronny put up a solid performance during the Lakers’ 94-81 win.
He had 14 points on five-for-11 shooting. He made one of four three-point attempts and also had three assists and two steals.
Bronny's defense was solid as well.
“Yeah, we want him to play on the ball,” said Lindsey Harding, Lakers assistant coach and Summer League coach. “Especially in tight moments, I like the ball in his hands and I want him to make those decisions. You can go through as many drills as you want, but nothing beats live.
Lakers star LeBron James sits courtside during the team's NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas on Saturday. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
"So even after this, he will sit with his coach and watch his reads. Some are great, some can be better. ... But it comes with confidence and even this game, whether he made the shot or not, that’s not what it’s about. It’s about making the right read.”
A few possessions after Bronny got the crowd cheering by driving the length of the court and scoring on a left-handed layup, LeBron started instructing him.
“More. More. Get downhill more,” LeBron told him.
On his next play, Bronny did just that, driving in for a layup.
Early in the fourth quarter, Bronny drove baseline and threw a pass that was tipped out of bounds.
“Pull-up,” LeBron told him. “Going right, that’s a pull-up.”
When a pass was thrown ahead to Bronny in front of the Lakers' bench in the fourth quarter, LeBron yelled, “Knock it down!”
Bronny did, drilling a three-pointer. He did this despite nursing a sore hip after falling hard to the court earlier in the quarter.
Having coached up his son enough, LeBron left with about five minutes remaining.
Late in the first quarter, Darius Bazley blocked a shot and took off down court.
“Go Baz,” LeBron James uttered. “Go Baz.”
And Bazley did, finishing with a dunk.
Bazley had a complete night, producing a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five blocked shots.
“I guess I would show all my shows are on the defensive end,” Bazley said. “I’m trying to prove that I can switch one through five. I can be in the right spots, protect the rim, all that type of stuff. Offensively, just doing what’s asked — offensive rebounding. Like you said, being a screener, creating advantages for other guys.”
Even with a sore ankle that was taped after the game (Harding said he would be fine), Bazley left an impression.
“Bazley is an amazing defender,” Harding said. “He can guard on-ball. He can guard the point guard. He can guard the center. He does a great job off the ball. Sometimes defenders are great on-ball and not on-ball and vice versa, but he can do everything. He’s long. We need him for every position and they were huge blocks.”
Etc.
Dalton Knecht, who said he suffered cramps in both his legs during Thursday night’s game against the Mavericks, didn’t play Saturday.
ATLANTA (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes will start his second straight All-Star Game for the National League and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will open for the American League on Tuesday night at Truist Park.
Major League Baseball made the announcement Saturday night.
Skenes will become the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star Games since Washington’s Max Scherzer and Boston’s Chris Sale in 2017 and ’18. Sale started three in a row beginning in 2016.
Skenes and Skubal are 1-2 in average four-seam fastball velocity among those with 1,500 or more pitches this season, Skenes at 98.2 mph and Skubal at 97.6 mph, according to MLB Statcast.
Skenes worked around Juan Soto’s walk in a scoreless first at Arlington, Texas, last year, throwing at up to 100.1 mph. He made the start after just 11 major league appearances, the fewest for an All-Star.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, with five appearances, could take over that mark Tuesday if he pitches.
Skubal pitched a perfect second inning in his first All-Star appearance last year, following Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes to the mound.
A 23-year-old right-hander, Skenes is 4-8 despite a major league-best 2.01 ERA for the Pirates, who are last in the NL Central. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has 131 strikeouts and 30 walks in 131 innings.
Skubal, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 153 and walking 16 in 121 innings.
Mets prospect Jett Williams continues to shine down in Double-A.
The youngster accounted for most of Binghamton’s offense as they fell to Altona on Saturday.
Williams was called out on strikes during his first at-bat but he was locked in from there, leading off the bottom of the third with a double to deep center.
Two innings later, he led off the fifth with a well struck single to right, and immediately worked his way into scoring position with his 26th stolen base of the season.
He lined another single right back up the middle with one out in the seventh, but then grounded into a force out in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Williams put together his second straight three-hit showing, finishing 3-for-5 with two singles and a double.
The speedy first-round pick is now hitting .289 with five triples, eight homers, 24 doubles, 31 RBI, 48 walks, and a .894 OPS on the season.
He also continues to showcase his strong versatility defensively -- logging appearances at shortstop, center, and second thus far this month.
22-year-old outfielder Nick Morabito also stayed hot at the plate, extending his hitting streak to six games with a single in the third.
He also picked up his team-leading 33rd stolen base of the season.
The Mets have won a pair of challenges on Royals stolen base attempts late in the game during each of the first two contests of this weekend’s set.
With Kansas City trailing by a run in the eighth on Friday, pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert appeared to swipe second, but after a Mets challenge the replay revealed that he popped off the bag and was called out.
Saturday’s call was just as close, but much less conclusive.
Again with Kansas City trailing by a run in the eighth inning, All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was called safe after seemingly beating the throw and tag -- setting up the heart of the order with a chance to tie the game.
However, after a lengthy review, it was determined that Witt had popped off the bag at some point during his slide while Francisco Lindor was applying the tag and he was called out -- ultimately ending the threat.
Kansas City’s dugout immediately erupted in frustration.
“I think it was a joke,” second baseman Jonathan Indiatold reports postgame. “I mean, yesterday’s was a joke too, I don’t think that’s right -- I think he was safe, there was not enough evidence to overturn that there.”
“Witt beat the throw there clearly, that part wasn’t in dispute,” manager Matt Quatraro added. “Those guys do a good job keeping the tag on, I can see why they overturned yesterday’s call, but I don’t see why they overturned this one today.”
Whether you agree with it or not, it went down as an out in the books.
It proved to be a big one for the Mets too, as it not only eliminated the eighth inning threat, but it also allowed them to keep All-Star closer Edwin Diaz out for a second inning of work.
Carlos Mendoza was sure to give credit to Harrison Friedland, the team's Replay Analyst.
“Huge one there by Harrison, back-to-back days with it,” the skipper said. “Yesterday was the same thing, I thought yesterday it was a lot clearer -- watching it on replay today I’m just going to rely on him there.
“I thought we were just taking a chance when [John Gibbons] told me to review it, and then I asked him and I was like call back, and Harrison was pretty sure he came off the bag -- that was a big play there, assist to him.”
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has left the door open for further additions to the team through trades, as just about every impactful free agent player has been re-signed by their respective clubs or otherwise traded/signed in the cases of Mitch Marner and K'Andre Miller.
Yzerman spoke about his desire to add a top-six forward and a top-four defenseman, especially the latter.
"The most important thing is to find players that fit," he said. "What we could use right now is a defenseman, a top four, and preferably a right shot. That would be our biggest potential need.”
The good news for Detroit is that there is a right-handed defenseman who is rumored to soon be on the move that fits the bill perfectly.
Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, a right-handed shot with the Calgary Flames, has been on the trade block for the last several weeks. He's also about to enter the final year of his current contract which carries a reasonable $4.55 million cap hit.
As it currently stands, the Red Wings have approximately $12 million in cap space to utilize toward future additions after acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks and signing a handful of new players through free agency.
Andersson has averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time patrolling the Calgary blue line in each of the last three seasons, and reached double-digits in goals in two of those three campaigns (11 goals in each in 2022-23 and 2024-25, while scoring nine in 2023-24.)
The Red Wings only have two right-handed defensemen at the NHL level, Moritz Seider and Justin Holl, the latter of whom isn't going to be in Detroit's long-term outlook.
More space would be opened up on Detroit's books when Holl's contract expires next offseason, while the salary cap is also expected to rise.
At 28 years old, Andersson still has lots of hockey in him. Not only would he help to offset some of the defensive load that Seider carries, he also plays in all situations - even strength, power play, and penalty kill.
While talking about his club in late June, Flames general manager Craig Conroy couldn't guarantee that Andersson would still be with Calgary when Training Camp rolls around in September.
“You gotta look at it - Ras has got another year on his contract. I talked to Ras this morning and we’re all good," Conroy said. "If he’s a Calgary Flame in September, he’s a Calgary Flame."
As they would for a potential acquisition of an impact forward, the Red Wings have the draft capital and a multitude of prospects to offer as trade bait, as well as the cap space to accommodate a player like Andersson to fill the need on their blue line.
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Francisco Alvarez appears to have found his power stroke in the minors.
The Mets’ young backstop lifted a home run for the second straight game, cutting into Syracuse's late-inning deficit with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth on Saturday night.
He jumped on a first pitch fastball and punched it 412 feet the other way with an exit velocity of 110 mph.
Alvarez would strike again just one inning later, this time crushing a 3-1 fastball down in the zone to dead center for a three-run homer with Syracuse down to their last out.
The 23-year-old finished the night 2-for-4 with two homers and five RBI.
He’s now left the yard seven times and has an .878 OPS in 12 games since being sent back down.
With Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger not offering much offensively, you have to figure Alvarez may be back at the big league level when the second half kicks off next week.
Top prospect Drew Gilbert has also been making a strong case for a potential promotion.
Gilbert left the yard earlier in the game, too -- cutting the lead in half at the time with a no-doubt two-run homer deep over the right-field fence.
He picked up a single a few innings later, and then drove in the scorching hot Pablo Reyes with a double down the right field line in the bottom of the ninth.
The lefty-hitting outfielder came into the night with a .272 average and .880 OPS since the beginning of June, and only saw those numbers go up as he picked up three more knocks.
With the Mets still looking for someone to take hold of the strong side of their center field platoon, perhaps we could see him receive a shot to show what he can do ahead of the trade deadline.
Not much went right for Syracuse on the pitching side, but one of the lone bright spots was Brooks Raley.
The left-hander put together another easy appearance as he draws closer to his big league return.
With another punchout, Raley now has 13 across 9.0 scoreless innings during his minor league rehab stint.
Carlos Mendoza said this week that the next step is for him to pitch in back-to-back games, so we could potentially see him back out there Sunday, and if all goes well, he may return for the start of the second half.
Getting Raley back would be a massive boost for a bullpen that was tremendous on Sunday, but has proven to be extremely leaky as they've dealt with injuries the past few weeks.
With free agency beginning to die down, the hockey world was left anticipating what the Dallas Stars might do to address their cap situation, as they were more than $1.5 million over the cap limit going into Thursday.
That all changed on Thursday, as the Stars traded defenseman Matt Dumba - along with a 2028 second-round pick - to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok. Dumba, 30, had one year remaining on a contract that pays him $3.75 million annually, so sending him to Pittsburgh gave the Stars the cap relief they needed to be compliant.
As for Pittsburgh, the acquisition of Dumba brings about some questions that may need to be addressed before the 2025-26 season starts. Combining the Dumba trade with the deal that brought defenseman Connor Clifton to Pittsburgh - in conjunction with the signings of Parker Wotherspoon and Alexander Alexeyev as well as prospects Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke knocking at the door - there has been a bit of a logjam created on the back end for the Penguins on both the left and the right sides.
And this is where things start to get interesting with Penguins’ top defenseman Erik Karlsson.
It is well-known at this point that Karlsson, 35, is on the trade market for the Penguins. Acquired in a blockbuster deal during the summer of 2023 from the San Jose Sharks, the three-time Norris Trophy winner has failed to help Pittsburgh get back to the playoffs in consecutive seasons, rendering the initial reasoning for the trade a moot point as the team mires itself in a rebuild.
It hasn’t been all bad for Karlsson in Pittsburgh, as he still registered 11 goals and 53 points this season for the Penguins and has been the primary driver of offense - and, really, nearly the only driver of offense - from the blue line. He has put up 22 goals and 109 points in two seasons for the Penguins, and this was after his third Norris campaign, when he had a whopping 25 goals and 101 points with the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23.
Anyone who expected that much from Karlsson in Pittsburgh was probably expecting too much. However, his level of production, oftentimes, hasn’t outweighed his mistakes, especially on a team like the Penguins that lacks defensive structure as it is. At the end of the day, Pittsburgh is not a particularly good hockey team right now, and a high-ceiling, low-floor player like Karlsson is probably not what they need right now for the stage they’re in.
So, when the Penguins traded for Dumba, they created an even bigger logjam on the right side than they had previously. The right side of their blue line - including Karlsson - now occupies $23.18 million of combined cap space, and it features four players who have pretty much played full-time NHL minutes for the past several seasons.
With eight defensemen already rostered - not including Pickering, Brunicke, and roster hopeful Jack St. Ivany - there are too many defensemen for too little spots. If the Penguins truly want to put an emphasis on development - and, even, on the hope that they can flip Dumba and/or Clifton at the deadline for picks - keeping four full-time NHL defensemen on the right side doesn’t make much sense.
Given all of the above factors, it stands to reason that the Dumba move was, perhaps, a precursor to the eventual departure of Karlsson.
Of course, a lot has to happen in order for Karlsson to actually leave Pittsburgh. He has a full no-movement clause, meaning he has full control over if and where he goes. Also, the Penguins owe him $10 million of his $11.5 million AAV for two more years, which - even with the cap rising - is a hefty contract for a contending team, likely against the cap, to take on.
In other words, there would have to be retention on any deal, and there has to be a will and a want from the player to vacate Pittsburgh in favor of another city. It has been rumored that Karlsson is willing to waive his no-movement clause to go to a contender, but part of the problem is that most contenders literally can’t afford him - even with retention.
Perhaps the Carolina Hurricanes are interested in replacing Brent Burns. Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs are willing to send a contract to the Penguins in return so they can bolster their right side. Maybe the Ottawa Senators are interested in a reunion and will perform some gymnastics to make it happen.
And, if you’re the Penguins, this is probably the hope. But they also aren’t just going to give Karlsson away for nothing. They know the value he brings to their blue line in terms of offense and how he is capable of driving play almost entirely on his own. They’ll want fair value in return, and retention will only up the price.
If the Penguins have it their way, Karlsson will, likely, be in a different uniform to begin the 2025-26 season, and they’ve made moves - like the Dumba trade - that indicate that it’s their intended direction.
But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to what Karlsson wants. Now the Penguins - and the hockey world - await what’s next.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in multiple new players so far this off-season. This includes forward Anthony Mantha, as the Penguins signed the veteran winger to a one-year contract that carries a $2.5 million cap hit. It also comes with an extra $2 million of potential performance bonuses.
While this was not necessarily one of the biggest moves made this NHL off-season, it has the potential to be a solid, low-risk one for the Penguins. Mantha has shown during his career that he can be an impactful offensive contributor, and he should get the chance to play in Pittsburgh's top six when looking at their roster. Thus, he will be in a position to succeed with the Penguins.
The main reason why the Penguins were able to get Mantha at such a reasonable cap hit is that he missed most of this past season due to ACL surgery. In 13 games with the Calgary Flames in 2024-25, he posted four goals, seven points, 16 hits, and a plus-6 rating. Overall, he was well on his way to having a good campaign before it came to an abrupt end.
When looking at Mantha's past offensive success, there is reason to believe that he could be a strong addition to the Penguins' roster. The 6-foot-5 forward has recorded at least 20 goals and 40 points three times in his career, so he is capable of making an impact. This includes during the 2023-24 season, as he had 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games split between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights.
If Mantha can stay healthy and produce solid offense for the Penguins, he will be a nice pickup for the Metropolitan Division club. It will be fascinating to see what kind of campaign he has from here.
New Penguins Defenseman Is Sneaky Good AdditionThe Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in several new players this off-season. One of them is Connor Clifton, as the Penguins acquired him and the 39th pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau.
It's been a good summer for Fred VanVleet. The veteran point guard got a new two-year, $50 million contract with the Houston Rockets, a team that has loaded up and will enter next season as a title contender.
Now he has also been elected the new president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA, the players' union).
"It's truly an honor to be elected as President of the NBPA by my peers and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the best interest of all the members," said VanVleet. "With a deep appreciation for the complexities and challenges players face on all levels of their NBA journeys, I am committed to approaching this role with the passion, dignity, and dedication every player deserves."
VanVleet takes over for CJ McCollum, who guided the NBPA through the last CBA negotiation with the league.
VanVleet is the kind of respected veteran player who is well-suited to lead the union —a level-headed person who can push back against the league when necessary. It wasn't just VanVleet who was elected, so was the full board. Here are the other officers:
• Grant Williams, First Vice President • Mason Plumlee, Secretary-Treasurer • Jaylen Brown, Vice President • Jaren Jackson Jr, Vice President • Donovan Mitchell, Vice President • Garrett Temple, Vice President • Karl Anthony Towns, Vice President • Gabe Vincent, Vice President
LAS VEGAS- In a battle that featured three 2025 lottery picks, the anticipation didn’t outweigh the on-court production.
The No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg played much better than he did against the Lakers on Thursday, which was a welcomed sight for Dallas fans. He finished with a game-high 31 points in the Mavericks' 76-69 loss to the Spurs on Saturday. Flagg continued to facilitate well, but he only ended up with one assist after having four against the Lakers, and he was once again impactful on the defensive end.
Despite a dramatic jump in scoring, it never felt like Flagg was forcing shots, which Mavericks coach Josh Broghamer was complimentary of.
"I think he just continues to make the right plays,” Broghamer said. “Whether it's drive by the guy who's pressuring him or, we used him a little bit more as a roller and off the ball a couple of times, just to kind of get him some easier catches... But again, he just continues to make the right plays and do the right things."
Flagg’s two-way impact was on full display at the end of the third quarter. He drove through the middle of the paint and dunked the ball with a few seconds left and followed that up by blocking a last-second three-point attempt.
Though Flagg shot far more efficiently, life still wasn’t easy for him, especially early on. Carter Bryant, who San Antonio selected with the No. 14 pick in the draft, was a big reason for that. He matched up with Flagg almost every single time they were both on the floor, and his defensive ability that made him a lottery pick was evident.
When Flagg wasn’t on the floor, Bryant spent a few possessions guarding Ryan Nembhard. There is a huge difference between guarding an undrafted, six-foot guard and a 6’9” forward that was taken with the first pick, but Bryant was effective in both roles. He has the upside to be an elite defender in the NBA from day one, though he does tend to find himself in foul trouble. He had four fouls in 27 minutes against Dallas, and he averaged 4.3 fouls per 36 minutes as a freshman at Arizona last season.
Bryant didn’t have much success on the other end, missing all seven of his shot attempts. However, he wasn’t bothered by his poor shooting performance.
“The shot’s gonna fall, and the shot’s not gonna fall,” Bryant said. “At the end of the day, I’ve been shooting the basketball the same exact way since I’ve been four or five years old. It’s gonna fall, I believe I’m gonna be one of the best shooters in this league. You know, an 0-for-7 performance, I think I shot like 1-for-6 in the last game, like that’s not gonna define what I am as a basketball player. So, being able to have other things to fall back on, to be able to affect the game positively outside of making shots and scoring the basketball is just my main focus.”
Of course, Dylan Harper, who San Antonio added with the second pick last month, made his Summer League debut after missing their first four games with a minor groin injury. He played a little less than 20 minutes, which was by design. There was no reason to make him play heavy minutes in an exhibition game.
During his time on the floor, he was effective on both ends. Harper finished with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in the win. He displayed the ability to create shots for both himself and others, which was why he was drafted so early. However, his defensive production stood out.
"I think if you don't play defense, you're not going to be able to play on the court,” Harper said. “So, just trying my best, just learning new stuff, how to go over screens, guard the ball, stuff like that. It's definitely an area I look to grow and just keep on getting better at."
Bryant was complimentary of Harper’s block, saying “he looked like me a little bit.”
The future combination of Harper and Bryant on the perimeter is scary enough, but having Victor Wembanyama sitting behind them as well is going to make this team quite difficult to score on, especially in the playoffs.
Harper also was effective as the primary ball handler and in an off-ball role. On a team that also has De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, it’s encouraging to see Harper make an impact in a role that he could play a lot during his rookie year.
The best part of this for fans is that the Mavericks and Spurs will face off at least four times every season, so this entertaining matchup could develop into one of the best divisional rivalries in the league over the next few years.
"It was a good game,” Harped said about his matchup with Flagg. “I had a good game. We kind of just showed the NBA world what we're about... I mean, we're going to play him a lot this year. So, I mean, the future battles are going to be great."
