HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Houston Rockets during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Everyone is wondering what LeBron James’ decision will be this summer. As an unrestricted free agent, LeBron has all career options available to him. He can return to the Lakers, join another team, or retire from the game.
While we don’t yet know which way he’s leaning on any of those pathways, one thing being said is that LeBron taking a massive pay cut to return home is unlikely.
On an ESPN Cleveland radio segment, Brian Windhorst said that, to his knowledge, LeBron isn’t prepared to join the Cavs if all they can offer him in this exact moment is a little over $3 million.
LeBron has taken pay cuts before. He did it back when he joined the Heat and also took less than the max with the Lakers back in 2024, so LA could avoid the second apron.
Still, it’s one thing to take a bit less and another to decrease your salary by approximately 94.7%. LeBron might not be the player he once was, but he’s still an All-Star who led a team to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
A pay cut like that to join a team that was just swept in the Eastern Conference Finals wouldn’t make much sense, unless all that mattered to LeBron was returning home.
And based on his words during the “Mind The Game” podcast, part of his decision will be about where he can compete for a title.
Free agency season is loading for @KingJames, but not until after Memorial Day.
At this point, it’s hard to argue the Cavaliers are much closer to a championship than the Lakers, and it’s even tougher to make that an enticing proposition when the amount you can pay is only $3 million.
A lot can happen between now and free agency. Perhaps the Cavs can make deals that open up cap space so they can offer LeBron something closer to his market value.
However, as things currently stand, the Lakers seem to be in a good spot if they want LeBron back.
They have plenty of cap space, and depending on the moves they make to strengthen their roster, LA might have everything LeBron wants, which includes a decent salary, a place he loves to live and his best chance at winning his fifth ring.
President Trump indicated Wednesday he plans to attend a NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden after his hometown Knicks made the championship series for the first time since 1999.
“I was invited to. I was going to go on Wednesday [Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed it out very quickly. They’re great, and Jim Dolan’s a great guy — he’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year,” Trump told The Post during a cabinet meeting.
“Boy, what a team! They win all their games,” the president added. “They really have some great players. I think I’ll be going to one of the games, yeah. I was invited by numerous people, and Jim, and I think it’s great. Great to see it. The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years and they’re doing right now very well.”
Trump and Melania at the Knicks Vs Miami Heat game in 2005. Anthony J Causi for NY PostPresident Trump speaks to reporters on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. REUTERS
As Trump spoke, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — a Long Island native and major Knicks fan — pumped his first repeatedly as the rest of the cabinet chuckled at his enthusiasm.
The Knicks last won the NBA title in 1973, one month before Trump, now 79, turned 27 years old.
New York swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight games to make the Finals, precluding Trump’s attendance at the World’s Most Famous Arena Wednesday night.
MSG CEO James Dolan, who owns both the Knicks and the arena’s other primary tenant, the NHL’s New York Rangers, is a longtime friend of Trump — even getting married at Mar-a-Lago in January 2002.
“I support him as a friend,” Dolan told ESPN.com of Trump in a December 2018 interview. “And you don’t have to agree with everything that he’s doing in order to support him. And he’s, by the way, our president, and I don’t understand people who wish our president to do badly. Why would you wish your president to do badly? It’s like wishing that your milkman will bring you sour milk.”
The Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals.
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Trump would be the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game after he became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl in February 2025.
Due to security considerations, the president is unlikely to be seated courtside on “Celebrity Row,” where the regulars include actors Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller, comedian Tracy Morgan, film director Spike Lee, and “Law & Order” star Mariska Hargitay.
The Knicks will host the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs for Games 3 and 4 of the Finals on Monday, June 8, and Wednesday, June 10. Game 6, if necessary, will take place at MSG Tuesday, June 16, when Trump is due to be in France for the G7 summit.
The day before Trump is due to depart for Europe, he is expected to take in a special UFC card on the White House South Lawn to mark America’s 250th birthday.
"We jumped a barrier that we were stuck on, second round, stuck on that," Atkinson said, referencing exits in the previous two playoffs in the second round. "We made the jump again with a roster we're trying to figure out in two-and-a-half months to get ready for the playoffs. So, with not great preparation time to put it together on the fly, it says a lot about the guys in the room, so I consider it a success."
It didn't feel like a success watching the Eastern Conference Finals. There was a clear gap between Cleveland and New York — and the Knicks aren't going anywhere in the East. They will be back next season with the same core. Plus, there will be an improving Detroit team that could see additions to its core, a healthy and improved Boston team that has won a ring before, and a healthy and dangerous Indiana squad that gets Tyrese Haliburton back and an upgrade at center with Ivica Zubac (even if the pick price was steep).
What does Cleveland do to vault past those teams? Do they even need to do much?
It sounds more like Cleveland is running its core back.
Atkinson to return as coach
That running it back starts with the head coach: Kenny Atkinson will return for a third season in the big chair, according to multiple reports including The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and ESPN’s Shams Charania. There are not going to be front office changes, either, and there is significant support for Atkinson in the front office, according to reports.
Atkinson also has the backing of franchise star Donovan Mitchell, who called the idea of replacing the coach "ridiculous" in his exit interview.
Donovan Mitchell with a really good answer on the hot seat talk around Cavs HC Kenny Atkinson
Called it "hilarious." Says "People are gonna be people. People probably criticize me just as much, and James. But I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny. And ultimately that's… pic.twitter.com/xx88mABymG
Atkinson led the team to 64 wins last season and the conference finals this season — they have been good under him. It's fair to ask who the Cavs could get to replace him that's better? Either way, that question appears to be moot.
Mitchell, Harden extensions
Cleveland had the highest payroll in the NBA this season, and now its two biggest stars — Mitchell and James Harden — are extension eligible.
Both also said they want to stay in Cleveland.
Mitchell has one year at $50.1 million left on his contract (plus a player option after that at $53.8 million, which he likely does not pick up). Because he's reached 10 years in the league, he is eligible for a 35% of the cap extension this summer: Four years, $272 million. Mitchell is in his prime and would be age 34 when that contract ends.
In his exit interview, Mitchell talked about his love for the city of Cleveland and feeling like there was "unfinished business." While there was hope in some corners of the league that a frustrated Mitchell would try to force his way out this offseason, that does not appear to be the case, and he is expected to get an extension and sign it.
Harden wanted out of Los Angeles after the Clippers front office was hesitant to give him the extension he wanted. There is no way he and his representatives worked out a trade to Cleveland without a handshake agreement on an extension. It's a done deal.
Haden has a $42.3 million player option for next season, the expectation is he will decline that for two years (maybe two and an option) for more money total. Two years, $60 million? That lowers the Cavaliers' short-term bill and gives Harden some security at age 36.
Harden made it clear he wants to stay.
"[I'm] coming into my 18th year. I don't have no pride, I just want to win," Harden said at his exit interview.
Bold move for Antetokounmpo? Bring back LeBron?
What was clear from the Western Conference Finals was that Cleveland has to do something to take a step forward with the roster.
There has been speculation linking Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Cavaliers, but that trade would only happen if Cleveland is willing to include 24-year-old, recent Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley in the deal. Is Cleveland's front office willing to get that much older (Antetokounmpo turns 32 before next season) to upgrade for a run the next couple of years? Antetokounmpo is going to demand a max extension from whatever team trades for him, a deal that could well be an anchor by the end of it. Expect to hear rumors, and the Cavaliers have to consider them, but it would take multiple teams to pull this off, given the Cavaliers' cap situation. Is that the move they want to make?
For a lower-level move, there has been a lot of talk about LeBron James returning for one year to finish his career where it started. It has a nice poetic ring to it, and LeBron showed this season he is still an All-Star-level player who can help a team. He could slot in as a third option.
The question is money — all the Cavaliers could offer LeBron is the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, and it seems unlikely he'd take that kind of pay cut (he made $52 million this past season). Cleveland could work out a sign-and-trade for a more reasonable sum, but that means the Cavaliers are sending a player of some value out West (Max Strus at $16.6 million)?
A lot of people around the league see Cleveland as the most likely landing spot for LeBron outside of Los Angeles, but how badly he wants that to happen remains the big question.
Maybe the Cavaliers pivot another direction, trying to trade Jarrett Allen for a desperately needed two-way wing. Maybe it's something else, but it's clear the Cavaliers need to do something this offseason, because just running it back sounds like a recipe for disaster.
After ducking the media following a tough Game 5 loss to the Thunder, Victor Wembanyama is likely saving his response for tonight's high-stakes Game 6.
With his teammates publicly calling for him to take over the offense, the pressure is squarely on the 7-foot Frenchman to keep San Antonio's season alive.
As 3.5-point home favorites with their backs against the wall, our Thunder vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks look for Wembanyama to rise to the occasion and clear his scoring prop on Thursday, May 28.
UPDATE: Added prediction for who will win & +825 SGP.
Thunder vs Spurs Game 6 prediction
Who will win Thunder vs Spurs Game 6?
Spurs: For the sake of basketball fans everywhere, can we please get a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals? San Antonio is a 3.5-point favorite on its own floor in this do-or-die contests.
The Spurs continued to stymie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (at least from the field) and OKC’s role players haven’t performed well on the road in this series.
As for San Antonio, getting back home should help warm up its chilly shooters – providing a better all-around effort on offense - and cut down on turnovers that upended them in Game 5.
Thunder vs Spurs best bet: Victor Wembanyama Over 27.5 points (-125)
Victor Wembanyama didn’t take his first shot of Game 5 until 3:15 of the first quarter.
That passiveness trickled down into a 5-for-15 night. Wembanyama didn’t run the floor, wasn’t attacking mismatches, and, like everyone’s car with these gas prices, was running on fumes.
“He has to take more than 15 shots,” stated coach Mitch Johnson.
“We need him to be aggressive,” pleaded guard Stephon Castle.
San Antonio will get Wemby going early and often in Game 6, because it simply no longer has a choice. Projections call for 27 points with 18 field-goal attempts. I forecast at least 22 shots.
COVERS INTEL: Looking back at the last 21 times Wembanyama took 15 or fewer FGAs (without injury impact), he’s followed those quiet efforts by averaging 28 points in the next game. He’s topped 30 points in nine of those outings.
Thunder vs Spurs Game 6 same-game parlay
San Antonio continues to contain SGA, hoping the Oklahoma City Thunder’s role players take a step back on the road. The Spurs benefit from some home cooking after a disjointed Game 5 offensive effort.
San Antonio is excellent at returning serve, with a 20-6 straight up record when coming off a loss this season, including 5-1 SU in those scenarios in the playoffs.
The Game 5 final score blew the closing total of 216.5 out of the water. San Antonio wants to get out and run in transition, and with OKC’s other scorers waking up (hello Chet Holmgren), this series is trending into the shootout category.
Before the WCF, the Thunder and Spurs produced regular-season totals above 230 points. I like another higher-scoring finish on Thursday.
Thunder vs Spurs SGP
Spurs moneyline
Over 218.5
Victor Wembanyama Over 27.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Walk Tall
After skipping out on the Game 5 press conference, Wembanyama needs to have the game of his life and force a Game 7. And that has to happen on both ends of the floor.
Wemby can top his scoring total and send several shots back, especially with this series leaning toward high-scoring finishes. Tempo and shot volume leads to another Over in Game 6.
Thunder vs Spurs SGP
Spurs -3.5
Over 218.5
Victor Wembanyama 27.5 points
Victor Wembanyama Over 3.5 blocks
Thunder vs Spurs odds for Game 6
Spread: Thunder +3.5 | Spurs -3.5
Moneyline: Thunder +130 | Spurs -155
Over/Under: Over 218.5 | Under 218.5
Thunder vs Spurs betting trend to know
The Spurs are 20-6 SU and 18-8 ATS when coming off a loss on the season. Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Spurs.
How to watch Thunder vs Spurs Game 6
Location
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
NBC/Peacock
Thunder vs Spurs latest injuries
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Four seasons, two rebrands, two top-five picks and one worst record in the league have transpired, and now, the Utah Jazz have come through the other side of the rebuild with a team that looks ready to compete in 2026-27.
But the fruits of this rebuild have not stopped blooming. Not even close. In 2028 and 2029, the Jazz could add multiple top draft picks to their roster, and it’s all thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jazz fans should keep their eyes on the Cavaliers for the next two seasons. It could be well worth their while.
What picks do Cleveland owe Utah?
In 2028, the Utah Jazz own the most favorable of their’s and Cleveland’s draft picks (a pick swap in other words). Essentially, if the Cavs are worse than the Jazz, the pick will go to Utah. This comes from the blockbuster Donovan Mitchell trade that happened in the 2022 offseason.
The Jazz also own the most favorable and the second most favorable picks between Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah in 2029.
In the last week, these potential picks have gotten incredibly interesting for Utah. It seems things have plateaued for Donovan Mitchell and Cleveland. On Monday, the Cavs lost by 37 points to the Knicks, losing the series in only four games. The previous two games were also blowouts, and game one saw the Cavs blow a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter in one of the worst choke jobs in NBA playoff history.
In game four, Mitchell could be seen yelling at his teammates in the huddle, trying to get them to lock in, even though viewers around the world could tell that Cleveland had already given up.
In a season where Boston and Indiana were not at full strength, Cleveland still was not remotely close to winning the Eastern Conference title. Even though it made the conference finals, it’s record in the playoffs was statistically the worst possible record a team could have after three playoff series, going 8-10 across three rounds. Cleveland’s season easily could have ended against Toronto or Detroit.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up,” that James Harden was “going to be a Cav next year.”
“He’s going to sign a new contract, in all likelihood. He’s going to opt out of his contract and sign a new deal, and that new deal will probably be structured in a way that will allow the Cavs to dip below the second apron. And once they’ve done that, it can bring in the availability of them to make a major trade.” -Brian Windhorst on James Harden signing a new deal to stay in Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell has also expressed interest in returning to Cleveland, saying he had “unfinished business” after Monday’s loss.
Not only do their backcourt duo of Harden and Mitchell plan on returning, but sources told ESPN that Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson will be back next year too.
So the Cavs will bring their core players and coach back, but with the potential of making a big-time trade.
Obviously, anytime there is a big trade possibility, the first name that gets thrown around is Giannis Antetokounmpo. To make a trade like that work, Harden’s contract would have to be restructured in a way that is much lower than what the star guard is used to, or — and this seems the most likely scenario — Evan Mobley would have to be involved in the trade. However, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reported the Cavs have “shown no interest” in trading Mobley for Antetokounmpo.
All signs point to Cleveland going all in yet again next season, but what going “all in” looks like varies. The Cavs could bring everybody back, make a franchise-altering trade for Antetokounmpo, or possibly even make a trade to reunite with LeBron James — there’s been whispers of this. Faint whispers, but whispers nonetheless.
But let’s say Cleveland has another disappointing, heartbreaking, reality check of a playoff defeat in 2027. What if that is the final straw that breaks the camel’s back and sends the Cavaliers into a new rebuild era. That 2028 pick could be much higher than anticipated, and the Jazz could find themselves with another lottery pick on their roster. Even if it doesn’t happen by 2028, who’s to say it won’t happen in 2029?
Cleveland’s next few seasons have now become that much more intriguing for fans in Utah.
LAS VEGAS — The tempting comparison, given the Golden Knights’ unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final, would be to the team that shocked the NHL in 2018 by playing for the championship as a first-year franchise.
But the more apt comparison might be to three years ago when Vegas — in not nearly as much of a surprise — won the Stanley Cup.
Carolina or Montreal, who are playing in the Eastern Conference Final, will have a lot to say whether the Golden Knights complete the task and win another Cup.
But Vegas is back for the third time in its nine seasons to cement itself as potentially the greatest expansion franchise in North American sports history. The Golden Knights got there by beating Colorado 2-1 for a stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche.
This team, like the one in 2023, has won with depth scoring, bruising defense and a hot goalie.
“I think we’ve always built our teams with good depth at the forward position, defensive position and goaltending position,” captain Mark Stone said. “I guess the similarities are that’s just the way we build our teams.”
On the 2023 team, 18 players scored goals in the playoffs and 12 had at least 10 points over 22 games. So far through 16 games this postseason, 15 players have scored goals and six have produced 10 or more points.
The depth showed itself in the clincher against the Avalanche when both goals came from the third and fourth lines, with Cole Smith scoring the decisive goal with 5:45 left.
“The third and fourth lines, the five- and six-D, that’s how you continue to move in the playoffs,” coach John Tortorella said. “Those are very important pieces as you go through these series. I’m happy for Smitty. I was going to kill him; he’s taking so many penalties.
“But I’m happy for him and (Dylan Coghlan and Kaedan Korczak). I mean, how well did they play. Playing against that team with the amount of speed that they bring, they weren’t intimidated by a thing.”
Coghlan and Korczak form the third pairing on the Golden Knights’ defense, which shut down an Avalanche offense that averaged a league-high 3.63 goals per game during the regular season and in the first two rounds upped that to 4.11. It was 1.75 against Vegas.
Colorado went the final 14:23 of the second period in Game 4 without a shot on goal and more than 25 minutes with just one shot.
The Golden Knights spent the series blocking one Avalanche shot after another, and for the postseason, four of the top nine players in blocked shots play for Vegas, topped by Shea Theodore’s 46. Four of the top five in 2023 were Golden Knights, including leader Alec Martinez with 57.
And then there’s the goalie play.
Adin Hill shined in 2023, coming off the bench in the second round and then going 11-4 with a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average. Hill remains on the team, but has been watching from the bench as Carter Hart has taken hold of the position. Hart is 12-4 with a .924 percentage and 2.22 GAA during the postseason.
“Hartsy’s been amazing this whole series, whole playoffs really,” Mitch Marner said. “Made some massive saves throughout all these games and again tonight. Made some massive ones for us to keep the game where it was. Hell of a game by Hartsy again.”
LOS ANGELES — Kiké Hernández likely is headed to the injured list with a strained left oblique just two days into his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 34-year-old utility man homered in his first at-bat, then doubled in his second before leaving a 15-6 win over the Colorado Rockies after his at-bat in the fourth inning.
“It’s not a season-ending thing, so that’s something to be hopeful with,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “But yeah, it’s just a bummer.”
Hernández was off to a hot start after missing the first 53 games of the season while rehabbing from left elbow surgery during the offseason. He went 4 for 4 with two doubles and the homer in his first two games.
A chastened Hernández admitted he tweaked his oblique during batting practice, shortly before telling the media that he was pain-free.
“I was embarrassed because it didn’t even happen in the game,” he said. “I thought it was just weird tightness. Never done an oblique before, so I didn’t really know what I was feeling. Compared to some of the things I’ve played through in the past, it was nothing.”
He received treatment and believed he could start and bat ninth in the lineup.
“The homer swing felt awful. The next at-bat I went out there, I swung and missed on the first pitch and didn’t feel great,” Hernández said. “After that I went into survival mode.”
Roberts talked to him in the dugout during the game, urging him to keep his head up.
“Honestly, at that point I was kind of not there, so I’m not necessarily sure everything that he said to me,” Hernández said. “I feel pretty defeated right now. Hopefully, we get somewhat good news tomorrow.”
Initially, he said he only felt pain when he was swinging.
“That’s kind of why I thought I could play,” Hernández said. “When I hit the double, it didn’t just hurt to swing, it also hurt to run, so I knew that it was time to stop.”
Teammate Mookie Betts sustained a right oblique strain in early April while running the bases. The 33-year-old shortstop missed 36 days before being activated on May 11.
“It sucks,” Betts said. “We saw as soon as he came he brought life to us, but we’ll just see how the rehab and whatnot goes. He’ll be back.”
The Vegas Golden Knights have officially become the first team to advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
After taking down both the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks in six games, Vegas swept the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final to bring themselves four wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.
For two former members of the Vancouver Canucks organization, Vegas’ playoff run this season is not the first time they have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Ex-Canuck and now-Golden Knight Ben Hutton won the Stanley Cup with Vegas back in 2023, with this being the team’s first time winning the championship and second time advancing to the Finals. The defenceman missed the first bit of the Golden Knights’ current playoff run, but skated in all six games of the team’s series against the Ducks. He played in one game against Colorado and tallied one assist.
Former Canucks head coach John Tortorella has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals once in his coaching career — when he won the championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. Prior to this year, since that cup run in 2004, Tortorella had only made it as far as the Conference Finals. The ex-Canucks bench boss infamously joined Vegas at the end of March, taking the place of former Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.
May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nicolas Roy (10) and center Brock Nelson (11) congratulate Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) and center Nic Dowd (26) after the loss in game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Unlike his fellow former Canucks on Vegas, Nic Dowd will be taking part in his first Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights’ series win. Prior to this year, his entire post-season career was spent with the Washington Capitals, with his longest playoff run being last year’s 10-game run against the Montréal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. This year, he has put up four points in 16 playoff games, including two against the Avalanche.
Vegas will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Final — one of Montréal or Carolina — for the Stanley Cup. As it stands, the Hurricanes currently lead the series 2–1.
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 25: econd baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a double during the 9th inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 25, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming into the 2026 season, it felt like this was the year that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would leap into superstardom. After a tantalizing 2024 that saw him post 2.3 WAR with the Yankees in just 46 games, he posted a 30-30 season to go with a 126 wRC+ in 2025, solidifying his status as one of the best second basemen in the game. With better health and a bit more consistency, it really felt like Chisholm would challenge Ketel Marte for the title of the best 2B in MLB.
So far, that hasn’t happened. Through Monday’s action, Jazz’s seasonal batting line sits at .247/.324/.389, good for a 104 wRC+. That’s far from disastrous – see Wells, Austin and McMahon, Ryan if you want a really bad time – but it’s a clear step down from last year. The defensive metrics like him enough to prop his WAR up to 1.3, but it feels like he’s had more than his fair share of foibles in the field too. I mean, who could forget this game-costing play from April against the Rays?
Given the high expectations and underwhelming results to date, it’s hard not to feel frustrated with Chisholm. However, I would advise fans to not lose sight of the bigger picture with him. Even the current version of Jazz is a solid player and a worthy regular. He doesn’t need to be a superstar to be a perfectly useful piece for the Yankees.
First, about Chisholm’s performance to date. There’s no denying that his bat has been underwhelming so far, but it’s important to keep in mind that despite his struggles he’s managed to maintain a league-average line. The lack of power and hard contact is concerning, yes, but Chisholm draws just enough walks to keep his bat from completely cratering even when the homers aren’t coming.
Will the homers ever come, though? Given that Chisholm hit 55 homers over his past two seasons, it seems easy to say yes, but his lackluster contact quality metrics for this year – a paltry .276 xwOBA and (excluding 2020) a career-low 28.5% hard hit rate – do give me pause. But Statcast tells us he still has above average bat speed, and his swing path has actually followed the ideal attack angle more often than in previous years. All of this suggests to me that Chisholm’s power shortage has more to do with timing and swing decision issues rather than erosion of his core skills. While the latter is irreversible, the former issues are definitely fixable through coaching, although it might take time. I fully expect that Chisholm will be able to regain his power eventually.
On the other side of the ball, Chisholm’s defense is certainly a polarizing topic, with proponents pointing to his stellar metrics, and detractors pointing to his mistakes and misplays. This is to be expected; there’s less certainty with defensive metrics as with offensive stats, leading to the eye test occupying an outsized role in conversations. And while the eye test, especially when the scouting is done by an experienced professional, can be invaluable, it is also easily sullied by cognitive biases, chief among them our tendency to latch on to negative experiences rather than positive ones. This complicates things, especially when evaluating a player like Chisholm, who is capable of both sparkling web gems and boneheaded miscues.
I’m not here to definitively declare whether Jazz is defensively Good or Bad. What I will try to do is provide some perspective. If you’re of the opinion that Chisholm is a liability in the field, maybe you’re only remembering the bad stuff. But for every lowlight, there is a highlight.
Here’s an example of Chisholm’s nice lateral range:
Again, my point isn’t that Chisholm is good just because of these three plays. It’s that Chisholm has demonstrated the capacity to be great defensively as shown by these plays, and that these should factor into the discussion just as much as his mistakes. You have to take the good with the bad, and in my humble opinion, Jazz provides enough in the first category to live with the times when he delivers something in the second one.
All things considered, even the current, underwhelming version of Jazz provides league average offense with a high defensive ceiling. That’s a valuable player to have on your ballclub! And when you zoom out further, he becomes even more attractive – since joining the Yankees in July 27, 2024, only Nico Hoerner and Ketel Marte have posted more WAR as a 2B. If he can just get his bat back to where it was last year, the title of best second baseman in MLB is still well within Jazz’s reach.
BALTIMORE — Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Griffin Jax is day to day with a bruised lower back after leaving his start in a 6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles a few batters after being hit by a 107.2 mph line drive in the second inning.
After the game, Jax told reporters he was “100% confident” he would feel good enough to make his next start.
“Arm feels great. Body feels great,” Jax said. “Just going through some basic movements, don’t feel too limited. It’s all in all scary, but I think it was a safe place to be hit.”
With a runner on first base after a fielding error by Jax and the Rays leading 1-0, Leody Taveras hit a liner that struck the pitcher in his back. Jax immediately went down near the mound while the ball bounced to third baseman Junior Caminero, who couldn’t make a diving play. Second baseman Richie Palacios recovered it, but Taveras was safe with a hit.
Meanwhile, Jax grabbed at the right side of his back while on the ground as head athletic trainer Joe Benge and manager Kevin Cash rushed to check on him. After a few moments, Jax was helped back to his feet, he threw a warmup pitch and stayed in the game.
After giving up a single to Jeremiah Jackson to load the bases, Jax struck out Colton Cowser for the first out. Blaze Alexander reached on a fielder’s choice grounder that Palacios bobbled after it took a bad hop off the second base bag, tying it at 1. Jackson Holliday followed with an RBI single and Taylor Ward’s sacrifice fly made it 3-1 before Jax got Gunnar Henderson on a flyout for the final out.
Garrett Cleavinger replaced Jax, who said his back was tightening with every pitch, to start the third inning. Jax (1-3) took the loss after allowing three runs — none earned — and three hits with three strikeouts on 26 pitches in his two innings.
With the first three legs already completed, the user is only two Spurs wins away from their $1.7-million prize. Unfortunately, the likelihood of obtaining that is now much smaller than it was just 24 hours ago.
The Spurs' 127-114 loss Tuesday means they need to win each of the next two games, one at home and one on the road, to advance to the NBA Finals. They are 1-1 at home and 1-2 on the road in the series.
After DraftKings saw their $502,583.66 cashout turned down before Game 5, the offer dropped 41.6% to $293,273.26 for the customer to hand in their wager.
A DraftKings employee told Covers the bettor said they will not accept the offer.
Will the offer improve?
The Thunder have been the NBA championship odds favorites since they won last year’s championship. They’re -450 to beat the Spurs and get their shot at defending their title against the New York Knicks, although they’re expected to lose Game 6 on Thursday.
DraftKings installed the Thunder as +3.5 underdogs with +136 moneyline odds on the road for the elimination game. The Spurs’ -162 moneyline odds suggest they have a 61.8% chance of winning the contest.
Parlay cashout values can fluctuate greatly game to game, as seen by the near $210,000 change between Games 5 and 6. Holding on to the ticket until Game 7, assuming the Spurs win the all-important Game 6, would likely place the parlay’s cashout close to what was offered earlier in the week.
The Spurs have shown they can beat the Thunder, winning at home and on the road in the series after taking four of five regular-season meetings.
However, history is strongly on the side of the series favorite. Teams that win Game 5 in an NBA playoff series tied 2-2 have gone on to win the series more than 82% of the time.
Betting splits posted on DraftKings Network show that 74% of bets and 79% of the handle in the spread market are on Spurs -3.5 ahead of the matchup. Despite that, 54% of bets and 50% of money are on the Thunder moneyline.
Finals odds
The Thunder sat around +110 in odds to win the NBA Finals before Game 5. The win shortened them to -140, while the Spurs lengthened to +550.
The Knicks - who are riding an 11-game winning streak and the most dominant stretch of play in NBA playoff history - are +205.
Hypothetical Finals odds posted on DraftKings have the Spurs as -235 favorites and the Knicks as +190 underdogs. The Thunder would be -280 favorites, and the Knicks would be +225 underdogs in a series between them.
The NBA’s owners are expected to meet Thursday to approve new “anti-tanking draft reform” via a “3-2-1 lottery.” I just know they’re the type of people who love a good board game — one with rules that take a half-hour to explain, by which time their guests’ eyes have glazed over.
Think they’ll get the hint if someone asks, “Y’all got any Clue instead?”
Actually, I’d prefer to turn on the basketball game, that nuanced, ever-evolving sport that’s beautiful for its simplicity: make or miss.
What’s wild is that a league that brings together the world’s best shooters keeps missing so badly on draft reform — unless it’s actually their feet that they’re aiming at.
Still, this reported new proposal — which would start next year and expand the lottery from 14 teams to 16 and penalize the three worst teams with poorer draft lottery odds than teams with the fourth- through 10th-worst records — might benefit the … Lakers?
You know those first-round picks they’ve been holding on to so that, come draft night, they’ll have three to offer in a deal? To use as bargaining chips for either a big name like the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo or, better yet, to acquire important foundational pieces to retrofit the roster around Luka Doncic?
Well, those three first-rounders should be much more valuable if other teams are disincentivized to trade their first-rounders, seeing how even middle-of-the-pack teams will have a shot at winning the lottery.
And not only will first-round picks be a rare commodity on the trade market going forward, but also the Lakers’ picks could prove more practically valuable than previously imagined.
Without this reform, no one would expect the Luka Lakers to be a lottery team. But under the new proposal, all it would take would be, say, their star missing 30 games and the Lakers sliding into the eighth seed, which would give the team holding that pick a 2.7% shot at the No. 1 overall selection.
And hold on, wait a minute: Will that give Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and his growing cast of front-office colleagues pause this offseason? Imagine how it would look if they dealt away a pick that turns into one of the top guys in a future draft for a 3-and-D role player on a team that, for whatever reason, slips into eighth? It wouldn’t look good! It wouldn’t feel good.
But would it stop the Lakers from doing what they need to do this offseason? It shouldn’t. But it could! But it shouldn’t! No, really, it shouldn’t: Because after draft night, the Lakers’ next two tradable first-round picks will be in 2031 and 2033 — and, per ESPN, this week’s draft reform proposal will include a sunset provision that would allow it to expire after the 2029 draft.
At that point, if they’re smart, the owners would scrap it. Of course, they’ll probably make it even more onerous so they can feel smart?
No wonder the Lakers went and hired Rohan Ramadas — the guy with an astronautical engineering degree from USC — as an assistant general manager.
But what are we doing here? All this variance and randomness, all these rules on top of regulations, none of it is exactly arbitrary, but neither is it fair. Since the draft lottery odds were flattened in 2019, the team with the worst overall record has not once lucked into the No. 1 overall pick.
The NFL would never! Oh, that plucky little league. With its antiquated worst-picks-first draft system? Seems to be going OK.
The worst thing about what the NBA is up to is how much work it has made it to follow along at home. You’ve heard of fan service? This league trades in fan disservice.
The league already ceded its regular season to the offseason, leaning into free agency drama as a driving source of year-round intrigue, letting team-building trump teamwork.
It already asked fans to bone up on contract law to be able to spell out the differences between the NTMLE (non-taxpayer mid-level salary exception) and RMLE (room mid-level salary exception).
Then the NBA introduced rules that incentivized stars to avoid free agency and to try, instead, to get traded — except then the league added a first and second apron to make it harder for teams to trade.
So the possibility of a dream sign-and-trade that has fans fired up? Odds are it won’t happen because it can’t; sign-and-trades are not permitted if the player acquired keeps a team above the first apron.
Perfectly clear? No?
Well, this won’t help: Let’s slather on another thick layer of basketball bureaucracy. To discourage tanking. (And encourage mere mediocrity! Middling is about to be the NBA’s new sweet spot.)
Let us proclaim that, oh, teams can’t land back-to-back No. 1 picks.
Unless they can. Unless it’s Team A, by virtue of selecting first using Team B’s pick the previous season, that is eligible to pick first in consecutive seasons. Team B, though, it’s out of luck the next year, no matter what goes wrong.
Don’t forget, class, that some picks won’t be able to be protected. No, not the top few picks — there will be no protections on Nos. 12, 13, 14, or 15.
Yes, that appears actually to be a caveat of the proposed new system. Which, yes, is actually designed to sell Advil.
Fans can figure this stuff out, but at some point soon, they’re not going to feel like it. At some point, everyone’s eyes are going to glaze over and it’s going to be 3-2-1, turn the TV off!
LAS VEGAS — Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s decision to replace goaltender Scott Wedgewood with Mackenzie Blackwood for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final wasn’t a bad idea, if only the backup netminder had gotten goal support.
The Vegas Golden Knights completed a 4-0 series sweep of the top-seeded Avalanche with a 2-1 win and will return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their nine years in the league.
The Avalanche now prepare for a long offseason. They had a dominant regular season, tying for the sixth-highest points by a Presidents’ Trophy winner with 121, going 8-1 in the first two rounds of the postseason while averaging 4.1 goals per game, and then falling flat in the conference final by averaging just 1.75 goals per game.
Though Blackwood dropped to 0-5-1 in six career appearances against the Golden Knights, he said he thought his performance was “good enough to probably get the win” after stopping 24 shots and holding the Knights to just one goal until the third period.
“Obviously, (expletive) sucks no matter how you do it,” said Blackwood, when asked if it is harder to accept being swept. “I think losing like that stings a little more. Yeah, that’s going to be pretty frustrating. We are going to have a tough pill to swallow.”
The Avalanche, who were held to one goal for just the third time during the postseason and second time in this series, didn’t get a shot on goal for more than 25 minutes over the second and third periods, as the Golden Knights were deliberate with their checking.
Offensive star and assistant captain Nathan MacKinnon, who led the team with 15 points in the playoffs, finished the series without scoring one goal after netting at least one in six previous playoff games.
Martin Necas, who was second on the team with 12 points during the postseason, just had two assists against Vegas and only one goal during the entire postseason.
Gabriel Landeskog scored for Colorado, cutting Vegas’ lead in half with 2:03 left in the game.
The Avalanche managed just one shot on goal after that, from MacKinnon, but Vegas goaltender Carter Hart continued his brilliant postseason by making his 20th save of the night.
“We run into a buzz saw in Vegas ... it’s a really good hockey team, and they won,” Bednar said. “They deserve the credit, you know. It’s not a knock on our guys. I just think we played hard and didn’t find enough solutions to what they were doing in order to win the series.
“Humility is certainly a word you use for it. I think that’s sports in general. I think you’re going to run into that a lot on any given day on any given year, and especially in the playoffs, right? So, yeah, losing sucks and losing four straight is worse.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Arizona third baseman Nolan Arenado left the Diamondbacks’ 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning because of groin tightness.
Arenado was replaced at third base by Jose Fernandez to start the bottom of the seventh after going 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. The Diamondbacks announced Arenado was removed with tightness in his right groin.
“I told (Arenado) let’s be smart about this,” manager Torey Lovullo said after the win. “He’s day to day, so we’ll see how he feels tonight and tomorrow morning. We feel like he’s going to be OK, feel like he’s in a good spot.”
In the locker room, Arenado said he felt his groin tighten in the second inning while running from first to home. He then felt it worsen in the sixth after beating out a grounder to reach first base.
“Obviously, a little tight right now, but I didn’t feel a pull or anything,” Arenado said. “It was more precautionary than anything.”
Arenado will not undergo imaging on his right groin.
The 10-time Gold Glove winner and eight-time All-Star is hitting .271 overall with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in his first season with Arizona. Arenado was acquired from St. Louis along with $31 million in January for right-hander Jack Martinez.
In 2023, during an NBA Today discussion on ESPN about the Knicks being stuck in purgatory, Becky Hammon shared a hot-button take about Brunson's ceiling. Hammon asserted New York didn't have "a dude" or true No. 1 superstar to win a championship. Analyst Kendrick Perkins pushed back, saying the Knicks had Brunson, but Hammon didn't agree.
The Aces coach argued the 6-foot-2 guard was "too small," citing examples such as John Stockton, Steve Nash and Allen Iverson. Hammon mentioned Stephen Curry as the lone exception to the rule. With the Knicks now in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, Hammon's comments have resurfaced. The Las Vegas coach appears to be catching some heat from fans, but remains unfazed.
"The two best teams are probably in the West, but I'm up for being proven wrong," Hammon said. "And that's the other thing. I think Jalen Brunson's a hell of a player. A hell of a player. I'm speaking historically on the NBA with what I said ... I stand by it."
In response to the recent online backlash, Hammon didn't understand why her comments had resurfaced when it's been over two years. A media member said they were giving Hammon a chance to "clear the air," but she didn't subscribe to that notion.
"There's no air to be cleared. I said what I said. (If) he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong," she said. Hammon, who spent time in the NBA from 2014 to 2021 with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach, emphasized again she believes the two best teams in the league were in the Western Conference.
"You know who I'm cheering for," Hammon said, smiling.
COVERS INTEL: Looking back at the last 21 times Wembanyama took 15 or fewer FGAs (without injury impact), he’s followed those quiet efforts by averaging 28 points in the next game. He’s topped 30 points in nine of those outings.
