For the past few days, Knicks and Spurs fans have had to dream up hypotheticals and play out the most important series of the season in their heads. But tonight, we finally get to see the teams take the court and throw all of that out the window. But before they do, with the NBA Finals just hours away, let’s take a final look at who the experts are picking to win the title.
On ESPN.com, 10 of the 13 writers picked the Spurs to win. Bobby Marks picked them to win in five games, and everybody else who had the Spurs winning picked them to do so in six or seven games. Ramona Shelburne, Justin Tinsley, and Ohm Youngmisuk were the three who picked the Knicks to come out on top, predicting the Knicks to win in seven games, six games, and seven games, respectively.
Over on Sports Illustrated, three of their five writers picked the Spurs. Chris Mannix picked the Spurs to win in six games, “maybe five,” citing the Spurs’ backcourt defense and Victor Wembanyama’s dominance. Meanwhile, Blake Silverman and Dan Lyons picked the Western Conference representatives in six games due to Mitchell Robinson’s injury concern and their belief that Wembanyama will ultimately be the best player in the series.
The Athletic bucked some of the aforementioned trend, though, with the most popular outcome being Knicks in six. Of their 26 votes, said result got 10 votes, with Spurs in seven and Spurs in six getting five votes each, and Knicks in seven getting three votes.
Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today Sports picked the Knicks in seven games largely due to the Knicks’ experience and additional rest advantage, while Prince J. Grimes picked the Spurs in seven games, raising questions surrounding whether the Knicks really are a dominant team, or whether the strength of their Eastern Conference opponents — or lack thereof — played a role in their road to the Finals.
As you can see, while the experts are slightly leaning towards the Spurs, there really isn’t a foregone conclusion. If anything, the only consensus is that the series should be close and could easily go the full seven games. The books, on the other hand, seem to disagree. The Spurs came out as pretty heavy favorites after they advanced to the Finals and currently sit at -188 odds over on FanDuel, while the Knicks sit at +158, which equates to about a 38.76% chance.
While Knicks fans may feel like their team is getting slighted, it may play to the Knicks’ advantage. Every time the Knicks have been eliminated in the postseason during the Jalen Brunson era, it has been to a lower seed. Not that the team needs any extra motivation, but seeing and/or hearing about them being counted out may further feed into their focus on playing with a level of desperation.
Recently, AJ Dybantsa was on the “Gilbert Arenas Show,” a podcast with the former Wizards star. Contrary to previous rumblings that he preferred to stay in Utah because he went to Brigham Young, Dybantsa answered questions about him as a potential Wizards player, including which number he would want to wear.
If they draft me, I do need 3, Trae [Young]. If they draft me. We’re going to see in like five weeks.
AJ Dybantsa says Trae Young will have to give up No. 3 if he’s drafted by the Wizards 😅
“If they draft me, I do need 3, Trae. If they draft me. We’re gonna see in like 5 weeks”
Young wears No. 3 for the Wizards, though he previously wore No. 11 for most of his career. The No. 11 is retired by the Wizards in honor of Elvin Hayes, so this appears to be a taller task for Dybantsa. After all, if Young gets traded to the Wizards and doesn’t demand No. 11, then Dybantsa probably should be more coy about that.
All of that said, jersey numbers are a very small part on why a player should or shouldn’t be acquired. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Since my last article looking at hitting prospects had such a warm reception, I thought I’d take a look at a few more hitters in the Diamondbacks farm system who have either hit well all season, or have been hot over the last 30 games. All four of these players are easily in the top 10 of the Dbacks prospects, but Kayson Cunningham should be consider the team’s top prospect with Ryan Waldschmidt and Tommy Troy in the big leagues now. I’ve linked to each players MLB Pipeline profile, along with their Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference player pages.
The D’Backs first pick in the 2024 draft, taken just two picks before Ryan Waldschmidt, got off to a very slow start in 2026, hitting just .143/.365/.157 for the month of April, and getting just 10 hits in 70 at bats. In spite of those hitting struggles, Caldwell still managed to get on base at a decent rate thanks to walking twenty times and five hit by pitches, which he took advantage of by stealing eight bases (while only getting caught stealing once) Apparently, and I say that because I only learned this via Jack Sommers a few week ago, Caldwell suffered a herniated disc back in 2025, and wasn’t at 100% until the end of April, which explains a lot of the struggles down the stretch in 2025, his early struggles in the 2026. Caldwell actually being at full health is reflected in just how hot Caldwell was in the month of May, going 25 for 83 with five doubles (four more than in April) and his first two homeruns of the 2026 season or a triple slash line of .301/.448/.434. It wasn’t all positive though, as Caldwell struck out 34 times versus the 25 times in April, while also walking 19 times compared to the 20 he had in April. On the season, Caldwell is hitting .223/.400/.299 with a .353 wOBA, which works out to a 108 wRC+ or 8% better than league average. I wouldn’t normally include Caldwell in an article like this, but I think how well he has hit in May and the fact that he’s finally healthy merits discussion.
Taken 18th overall, the Diamondbacks first pick in the 2025 draft was widely regarded as the best pure hitter out of the high school bats. Cunningham didn’t exactly impress in his handful of games after signing in 2025. In those 11 games, Cunningham hit just .255/.308/.277 with a .292 wOBA and 68 wRC+, while striking out 28.8% of the time. This year Cunningham has absolutely destroyed the A ball level California League’s pitching. In his 39 games playing for Visalia, he’s hit .377/.471/.509 with ten doubles, four triples, and the first homerun of his pro career. He cut his strikeout percent from that 28.8% down to a much more respectable 17.5%, and increased his BB% from a middling 5.8% to very solid 14.8%.
I expect Cunningham to stick at shortstop, which is probably a good thing, since his 5’10 frame doesn’t end itself to projecting power development going forward, making him much less valuable as you move down the defensive spectrum. That said, his superb contact ability, above average plate discipline, and speed on the base paths should more than make up for the lack of HR power.
While he’s seen his hot hitting teammates either get promoted or go on hot and cold streaks, Lujames Groover has been a consistent presence in the AAA level Aces lineup. This season in 54 games, Groover is hitting .327/.425/.460 which works out to a .406 wOBA and a 119 wRC+ in the hitter friendly PCL. (His xwOBA stat, however is not nearly as impressive at .305.) Looking at how he did last season those numbers are right in line with the .309/.399/.434 triple slash, .389 wOBA, and 120 wRC+ he put up for Amarillo in 2025. Groover has seen his strikeout% jump from 14.4% in 2025 to 17.3% in 2026, but that’s also been accompanied by his walk% increasing from 11.5% to 14.5%.
Originally a below average fielder at third, Groover defense has improved enough to be acceptable at the hot corner. The one area that I’d like to see Groover work on is finding a better launch angle or approach at the plate to better harness his ridiculous bat speed. Groover has put up exit velocities of 110 MPH+ this season, while having just three homeruns. Considering how well Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt have handled MLB pitching since being called up, and the fact that most of Groover’s underlying metrics are better, I think he’d be a safe bet to succeed if called up. I don’t expect the Dbacks to call up Groover anytime soon unless Arenado gets injured for any real length of time. There are probably ways to get Groover on the roster now and give him playng time, for example, shifting Arenado to 1B/DH and then playing Groover at third base, but I don’t think that or any other scenario is plausible and makes sense at the moment. With all that said, I expect Groover to be the D’Backs starting third baseman in 2026.
JD “recursive acronym” Dix was drafted by the Dbacks with the 35th overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft out of Whitefish Bay Highschool in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, the very same high school that 2001 World Series hero Craig Counsell attended. (Coincidentally, Dix likely will end up teammates with Craig Counsell’s son Brady, who’s currently assigned to the A+ level Hillsboro Hops). As a second baseman, Dix’s combination of plate discipline, power, and speed on the basepaths makes him quite intriguing, especially if he can become more polished defensively as he progress through the minors.
Dix made his pro debut in 2025, playing in the Arizona Complex League for 39 games, where he hit .342/.421/.493 with a .427 wOBA and 147 wRC+, though influenced by an insane .425 BABIP. Having conquered the Complex, the Dbacks promoted Dix to the A ball level Visalia Rawhide, where he played in 50 games to close out his 2025. In those 50 games, Dix saw his numbers drop down to .261/.391/.335 with a .368 wOBA and 114 wRC+. Interestingly, while Dix’s strikeout percentage increase from 19.1% to 22.2%, Dix’s BB% also increased from 11.2% to 16.55. He also was much more successful on the basepath after being promoted. While he was in the Complex, Dix stole nine bases and was caught stealing four times. While he was still caught stealing four times in the California League, he was able to steal 10 more bases in just 11 additional games.
The Dbacks assigned Dix back in Visalia for 2026, where got off to a slow start to begin the year. At the end of April, JD Dix was hitting just .187/.292/.307 with a double, a triple, and a pair of homeruns. He was still the same menace on the basepaths, arguably even better with seven stolen bases without getting caught stealing. In May, he hit .289/.438/.651 with seven doubles, a triple, and seven homeruns, while stealing 11 more bases without getting caught in just sixteen more plate appearances. Altogether, Dix is hitting .241/.371/.487 with a .385 wOBA and 115 wRC + in 40 games for Visalia. The only real red flag in Dix’s 2026 season is a slight downtick in BB% from 16.5% down to 13.8%, though his strikeout 22.1% is right in line with the 22.2% he posted in Visalia in 2025.
Assuming he hits similarly to how he has the last month, I’d expect Dix to be promoted to Hillsboro by the Allstar Break.
Final Thoughts
Which of these Diamondbacks prospects are you most excited for? Are there other prospects who you think I should have talked about instead? Is Kayson Cunningham the team’s top prospect in the minors right now? Do you think LuJames Groover deserve a callup? If so, who do you send down and how do you give him regular playing time? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 6: Kade Anderson #13 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during a Spring Training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on March 6, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On the monthly update of Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list, the Mariners joined rarified air as an organization with three top ten prospects leaguewide. Colt Emerson (#3), Ryan Sloan (#7), and Kade Anderson (#9) made up the elite trio topping the list, though both Lazaro Montes (#57) and Luke Stevenson (#98) made the cut in this month’s update.
It’s no surprise to see Emerson heading this group after a torrid start to his big league career. Having already produced many memorable moments across his first handful of games, Emerson has provided a much needed jolt for the Mariner lineup and looks every bit of a long-term mainstay on the infield. He’ll soon graduate from this list, but his final hurrah as a prospect looks on him in an understandably positive light.
Ryan Sloan was unreal tonight. Final line: 6IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 11K, 18 whiffs, 61 pitches, 46 strikes. That was a pleasure to watch. pic.twitter.com/VTNI0OBGPG
Sloan, who jumped rotationmate Kade Anderson this month, has started to settle in at the Double-A level after a month long adjustment period. Recently twirling his best start as a professional, Sloan has built up some tremendous momentum and is being looked upon as the best pitching prospect in baseball. The 20 year old has immense potential and should be a candidate for a big league promotion some time next year.
The aforementioned Anderson has had one of, if not the most dominant starts to the 2026 season in all of minor league baseball. The lefthander has diced up his opposition in all but one inning this year, commanding the zone as well as anyone and striking out the world along the way. He’s been as advertised in his inaugural season.
The final two entrants on the list, Lazaro Montes and Luke Stevenson, carry varying degrees of pedigree. Montes, who’s long graced this list and has been considered one of the premium power prospects for several years now, is not much of a surprise, though Stevenson’s addition comes with slightly more intrigue. After an outlandish start to the season, the young backstop has come back down to Earth a bit, producing a slashline that’s far more human than what he initially laid claim to. Less about his addition to the list and more so about the timing of when they chose to include him, Stevenson is more than deserving of a top 100 nod and looks to be yet another premium prospect the Mariner brass has identified.
Mark Vientos is a bad player that the Mets should DFA at the earliest opportunity. End of article.
*taps earpiece* I’m being told I actually need to substantiate this opinion. I’m not quite sure why—it’s one of the more obvious things that can be stated about the current Mets’ roster—but alright, here it goes.
Mark Vientos is not a particularly good hitter and hasn’t been for some time. He’s currently batting .219/.254/.380 with a 78 wRC+. His .320 xwOBA might suggest he’s been a bit unlucky to date and he’s actually pulling more balls in the air than he ever has previously, but he’s also managing a paltry 15.8% line drive rate. There’s a lot of hard hit grounders and lazy fly balls that turn into outs here that xwOBA is likely not fully accounting for.
In terms of plate disciple, Vientos has a 6th percentile SEAGER, 14th percentile chase, and 25th percentile in-zone contact (numbers courtesy of Rob Orr’s app). All of these marks are going in the wrong direction relative to 2025, when Vientos was already a below average hitter. He’s had exactly one above average offensive month (August 2025) by wRC+ since the start of last season.
Then there’s the glove, which is somehow even worse than Vientos’s bat. Per OAA, only four first baseman have been worse at the position to this point in 2026: Rhys Hoskins (posting a 108 wRC+), Curtis Mead (135 wRC+), Jake Bauers (137 wRC+), and Bryce Harper (142 wRC+). To reiterate, that’s a probably-cooked 33-year-old and then three of the better hitters in baseball, all of whom do at least something positive to justify their place on the roster. Vientos’s complete inability to make even the most simpleofplays or to make routine plays look dramatic (*insert one of the many clips of Keith groaning about his footwork*) is glaringly obvious. He’s fallen all the way down the defensive spectrum and still isn’t a viable defender.
As if being a short-side platoon DH who can’t hit wasn’t enough, Vientos does a bunch of other things that make him even worse, both to watch and in terms of on field value. You can’t be one of the slowest players in the league, run through a stop sign, and get thrown out by 20 feet. You can’t go out there immediately after making a brutal error and going 0-for-4 and say you deserve a pat on the back for working hard (it’s the major leagues my man, everyone should be working hard). You can’t gripe about no one believing in you when, to be blunt, you’ve been bad for the majority of your major league career. This stuff paints the picture of a guy who could generously be described as extremely tone-deaf in ways that are directly detrimental to the team.
Now, to be fair, a lot of the blame for this situation rests on the Mets’ front office. Yes, Vientos’s role has become outsized due to Jorge Polanco’s injury, and yes, it’s probably unfair to criticize the team for not bringing in another expensive player (e.g., Ryan O’Hearn, Wilson Contreras) to fill this role given their current payroll (though they probably should’ve allocated Bo Bichette’s money towards one of those players instead). At the same time, their insistence on hanging on to a player of Vientos’s quality is frankly baffling.
For reference, here are a couple other first basemen that could’ve been had in the last calendar year:
Ty France: signed a 1-year, $1.35M contract with the Padres; currently has a 137 wRC+ and elite 1B defense (5 OAA) in 39 games / 112 PA
TJ Rumfield: acquired by the Rockies in exchange for Angel Chivilli; currently has a 117 wRC+ and 2 OAA at 1B over 59 games / 233 PA
Spencer Steer*: 124 wRC+, average defense at 1B, flexing across both corner OF spots and 2B as well
Curtis Mead: acquired for backup catching prospect Boston Smith in March; 135 wRC+
*Caveat here is that Steer hasn’t changed teams, but he appeared to be available this offseason
Hell, even a player like Eric Wagaman, who the Mets claimed after he was DFA’d by the Twins, might be better than Vientos at this point. Wagaman’s presence on the roster drives home the point; it’s generally very easy to acquire players of this quality or better for next to nothing. Yet the Mets have seemingly been unwilling to pass Vientos through waivers or trade him somewhere else for a marginal return.
The 2026 season has been a disaster. By and large, I would still defend most of the Mets’ offseason—they did reasonably well considering the options available to them—but failing to critique the decision to hang on to Vientos more harshly is a clear miss. Nothing about his poor performance to date in 2026 is particularly surprising, and rolling into the year with an out-of-options, most likely bad player who is something of a malcontent that you are unwilling to cut was a horrible decision.
That’s a mistake the Mets should rectify at the next available opportunity, hopefully at the latest when Jorge Polanco returns in a week or two. To summarize in meme format:
George Lombard Jr. of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reacts during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
A large part of the Yankees’ success through the first two months of the 2026 season has been based on their homegrown talent. The way that Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler have taken the next step from good supporting cast players to bona fide stars at their respective positions has greatly improved the team’s future outlook, and when you add in the supporting value they’ve gotten from players like Will Warren, Austin Wells (defensively anyway), and even the brief cameos of Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez, it’s a pretty promising young crop.
But as you look towards who could join this group, many fans’ eyes gravitate towards George Lombard Jr., the organization’s top prospect and one of the best in all of baseball. The newly minted 21-year-old got off to a blistering start in Double-A Somerset, prompting an aggressive move from the organization to promote him to Triple-A on April 29th, just as they did in 2025 when he got off to a hot start in High-A.
So far, the results have been mixed. Through 28 games entering Tuesday night, he’s slashing just .196/.360/.299 with an 88 wRC+, but his numbers look much better under the hood, yet there are clear areas of improvement he still needs to make. He’s played multiple positions as well, increasing his defensive flexibility beyond the six.
The ultimate question that’s on everyone’s mind is how quickly Lombard can get himself in the big-league conversation. After all, the Yankees have viewed Triple-A as more of a stepping stone for top prospects in recent years, and there’s an obvious position for him to play right away with Ryan McMahon’s offensive struggles at third base. We don’t have a clear answer on that yet, but it’s safe to say there’s still some work to go, even if things look encouraging for a debut at some point this year.
Potentially his biggest calling card as a hitter right now is his plate discipline. Lombard has always had a good eye and has never posted a walk rate below 10 percent at any level, but the fact that he’s walking in a fifth of his plate appearances is eye-opening. The best part might be that his strikeout rate has been almost identical since being promoted at 21 percent, indicating that he’s not any more overmatched against more experienced pitching.
If there’s anything to nitpick here, it might be that Lombard has been too passive. He’s only swinging at 57.5 percent of pitches in the strike zone, nearly 10 whole percentage points below MLB average (67.1%). He’s swinging at under 40 percent of the total pitches he sees, also considerably below average. That, coupled with an 80th-percentile chase rate, likely contributes to his huge walk rate.
This seems to be more of a feature than a bug of Lombard’s game, however, and that might cap his ceiling as a hitter. While more complex pitch-level data is only available in Low-A and Triple-A, the overall percentage of pitches he’s swinging at has remained consistently low throughout his minor-league career. He’s managed to get good results for the most part in spite of it, but it’s something that’s worth monitoring.
Expanding to batted-ball outcomes, he’s consistently hitting the ball hard, ranking in the 80th percentile or better in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, but most of that contact is on the ground, which is why he’s sitting below the Mendoza Line. Lombard’s ground-ball rate has spiked from 34 percent to 44 percent since being promoted, his highest rate since he was in A-ball in 2024.
That isn’t to say he hasn’t had his moments driving the ball in the air.
Lombard’s still pulling the ball at a high rate and has had some loud outs to the warning track in left field, which has caused him to slightly underperform his xwOBA (.333 vs. .315 wOBA). He’s starting to find his slug considerably more, hitting two home runs last week and smoking a single 111 mph last night, so this might just be a case of waiting and seeing.
If I had to pick one thing to watch going forward, though, it’s the platoon splits.
The right-swinging Lombard has had a big disparity there all season, hitting to a .969 OPS against left-handed pitching compared to a .726 mark against righties, but you also have to look under the hood to see if the swings and at-bats are as stark as the slashlines indicate. With him in Triple-A, we have that data.
The difference is stark. He’s able to drive the ball considerably better against lefties, particularly to the pull side, while swinging at significantly more strikes and chasing less. Against left-handed pitching, Lombard is analytically one of the best hitters in Triple-A, but against righties, he’s struggling. This is his biggest obstacle to making the jump to full-time major leaguer at this current point in time.
Defensively, Lombard is getting more reps at second and third base than he was getting before his promotion. He’s mostly shifted back to shortstop since Volpe was promoted a few weeks ago, but has played 13 total games at second or third base on the season.
With Volpe and José Caballero seemingly having shortstop accounted for and the uncertainty regarding McMahon’s struggles and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pending free agent status, the team seems to be preparing Lombard to assume one of their positions when he’s promoted, despite profiling as one of the best true defenders in the minor leagues. He’s looked quite comfortable at third, however.
So where do we stand after his first month in Triple-A? Lombard still has a ways to go before we see him in the Bronx, but I can’t imagine the Yankees could’ve expected much more from him entering June. He was only able to legally buy a beer yesterday and he’s on the doorstep of the major leagues, something he reached sooner than Volpe in a similar situation as a first-round shortstop drafted out of high school.
I do think they might leave him down longer than he truly needs to in order to make sure he’s truly ready after throwing Volpe into the fire in 2023 without much experience at the level. His glove is absolutely MLB-ready, but the team isn’t lacking defensively in the infield on most nights (Amed Rosario starts notwithstanding).
With Lombard, they need to make sure his bat is able to at least be playable by the time they promote him and give him everyday reps. He seems like he could come up and be a nice platoon bat soon enough with how he’s smashed lefties, but the Yankees have that base covered without even factoring in that it would be a poor way to break in a top prospect to the big leagues.
What Lombard does over the next two months will be crucial in how the Yankees conduct the trade deadline. If those platoon splits start to even out and he starts to perform better at-bats against same-handed pitching, the team might view third base as an area that doesn’t need external reinforcements. There’s a world that exists where he’s donning the pinstripes for this team in October, but it’ll require him to continue progressing on schedule as time goes on.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 28: Victor Wembanyama #1 and Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs on the court during game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 28, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs have once again emerged as a force to be reckoned with, reaching the 2026 NBA Finals after six years without a playoff berth and nine years without a series win. A storied franchise that had previously never missed the playoffs in back-to-back years has come out of their worst stretch in team history with one of the youngest rosters to ever reach the Finals.
While their Finals opposition, the New York Knicks, have successfully relied on major trades and the absolute bargain that was the free-agent signing of Jalen Brunson, the Spurs are nearly the polar opposite. Aside from last season’s De’Aaron Fox trade, their core pieces have come through the draft.
The NBA Draft lottery has repeatedly broken the Spurs’ way
It’s hard for the rest of the league not to be envious looking at San Antonio’s last three first-round picks:
2023: Victor Wembanyama, No. 1 overall
2024: Stephon Castle, No. 4 overall
2025: Dylan Harper, No. 2 overall
Wemby by himself is franchise changing, and he’s on his way to being one of the greats. Castle and Harper already look like ideal guards to pair him with for years to come.
Famously (and, for conspiratorial-minded NBA fans, suspiciously), moving up in the lottery has been a rite of passage for the Spurs. Every time the Spurs have had top eight odds, they’ve moved up, including for Tim Duncan and David Robinson at No. 1 overall. The Spurs rose two spots to win the Wemby sweepstakes, improved their position by one for Castle, and vaulted six places to the No. 2 pick off a 34-48 season to get Harper. Not a bad consolation for narrowly losing out on Cooper Flagg.
File this stretch away in the history books, because this trio may be the last of its kind.
NBA Draft lottery reform makes it impossible to replicate the Spurs
In a supposed effort to curb tanking/reduce the number of G-League players getting significant minutes in March and April, the NBA sought major reform to its draft lottery. Last week, they approved something so convoluted that it makes the salary cap rules seem easy to comprehend.
Among the many changes set for the 2027 through 2029 drafts, no team is allowed to have the number one overall pick in back-to-back years, nor can it pick in the top five in three consecutive years. Had this been implemented sooner, Harper would’ve never been a Spur.
These restrictions will apply only to each team’s own pick without regard to whether that pick has been retained by the team or traded to (and thus held by) another team.
The Memphis Grizzlies, who themselves are picking third overall in this month’s draft, hold the most favorable of the 2027 first-round pick from the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, or Cleveland Cavaliers, as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr trade. Utah picks second this year and picked fifth last year, so if the Jazz end up in the lottery again next season, the pick is ineligible to be higher than sixth. Memphis, of course, was the lone team to vote against the reform.
In effect, the NBA could end up punishing teams, whether they’re “tanking” or not, who’ve acquired potentially high-value draft picks through trades.
It’s not just high lottery picks that have made the Spurs a powerhouse again
Sixth Man of the Year winner Keldon Johnson, rookie Carter Bryant, and starting forward Devin Vassell were also first-rounders, but those three were respectively picked 29th, 14th, and 11th overall. Johnson and Vassell endured the back-to-back 60-loss seasons, as did other starting forward Julian Champagnie, who was claimed off waivers when the Philadelphia 76ers desperately needed to open up a roster space so that Mac McClung could be in the dunk contest. Champagnie is one of their top three-point shooters and hasn’t missed a game in over two years.
Backup center Luke Kornet was San Antonio’s major free agent signing at just over $10 million/year, and while he may not be having a particularly strong postseason, his block on Isaiah Hartenstein in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals symbolically slammed Oklahoma City’s championship repeat shut. De’Aaron Fox has not been at his best in the playoffs and has otherwise been dealing with an ankle sprain, but the former Kings star has proven to be a stabilizing force at point guard. Stephon Castle’s early turnover issues against the Thunder as the primary ball-handler (20 TOs in Games 1-2) significantly subsided after Fox returned in Game 3, after which he had just 12 TOs combined.
The Spurs are well coached, seemingly unflappable, and the roster is poised to get better with more experience and veterans like Kelly Olynyk and Harrison Barnes eventually off the books. It also helps a hell of a lot when the ping pong balls bounce your way and you can land franchise cornerstones at three positions. Starting next year, the new rules will see to it that no team can even have a shot at the same good fortune as San Antonio.
After four NBA titles, two MVP awards, the all-time 3-pointers made record and 12 All-Star appearances, it might seem like Steph Curry doesn’t have many more accolades to attain.
However, with his new reported 10-year, $400 million partnership with Li-Ning, Curry is proving he isn’t ready to slow down a bit.
Draymond Green is plenty excited for his long-time Warriors teammate, and recently explained what went into Curry’s decision to sign with the shoe company.
“Well, number one, Li-Ning is one of the fastest growing shoe brands in the world,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show”. “Number two, the opportunity for him to grow Curry brand globally, the market in China, life after basketball for him. This deal checks all of those boxes and I’m happy as hell for him. I think this is groundbreaking.”
In November 2025, Curry and Under Armour ended their partnership that had been ongoing since 2013 – before the future Hall of Fame shooter had achieved any of the honors listed above.
“To sign a $400 million plus sneaker deal, allegedly, at 38 years old is unheard of,” Green said. “Which just lets you know the weight that the name Steph Curry carries, which lets you know that the presence that Steph Curry has, who he is, what he is, what he stands for, that they’re willing to sign this a 10-year deal.”
Green also mentioned the fact that the 17-year veteran likely has “two or three more years” left in the NBA, something that stands out given the length of the contract.
“Amazing, absolutely insane,” Green added. “So, shout out to 30. Incredible. Another one. Incredible to see, man. Congratulations, brother. Job well done.”
The deal will also give Curry the freedom to sign male and female athletes, will feature a golf line and also will introduce “Curry Brand” retail stores in the United States and China.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 12: Noevli Marte #16 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by TJ Friedl #29 after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 12, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Colorado 4-3. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The seemingly neverending shuffle of the Cincinnati Reds outfield got another significant round on Wednesday afternoon. This time, it featured the demotion of a player nobody, if polled in the offseason, would have expected would be off the active roster just 60 games into the 2026 season.
The Reds made a straight swap, optioning former leadoff man and everyday CF TJ Friedl to AAA Louisville and recalling Opening Day RF Noelvi Marte in his stead.
The #Reds today recalled from Triple-A Louisville OF Noelvi Marte and optioned to Louisville OF TJ Friedl (post-game 6/2).
This is the TJ Friedl who posted a robust .364 OBP in 685 PA atop the Reds lineup at the big league level just last year. This is the TJ Friedl who posted a nearly ~4 WAR season in 2023 when he hit .279/.352/.467 with 18 homers and 27 steals. This is the TJ Friedl who, aside from 7 games rehabbing, has been out of AAA and at the big league level full-time since the middle of the 2022 season.
Rather, this is merely some version of what’s left of that TJ Friedl.
So far in 2026, Friedl’s the owner of a meager 44 wRC+ in 178 PA. There have been 235 MLB players who have logged at least 140 PA so far this season, and only Lawrence Butler of the A’s (43) owns a lower mark than Friedl’s. It’s been a decline so rapid that the Reds seemingly struggled to truly grasp it, with TJ still regularly starting and playing entire games as recently as two weeks ago despite those struggles.
Ultimately, it became too much to continue to try to hide, especially with Marte knocking the cover off the ball again at AAA and getting regular run as the CF of the Bats in the process. That paired with the solid performances by Blake Dunn and the almost profile-perfect pinch hitting by Will Benson meant it was Friedl’s spot on the roster – not one of the other OFs who’ve been on the shuttle bus between Cincinnati and Louisville – that was on the line.
The only question now is just how much of a ‘regular’ the Reds choose to make Marte. The infield injuries and shuffling have rendered Spencer Steer more of a regular in a corner OF spot, while NL Player of the Month JJ Bleday has a stranglehold on the other corner. That means CF is the one spot where there’s more of a track to playing time, though each of Dunn, Dane Myers, and Benson have a claim to some time there, too. I don’t get the impression that the Reds would actively recall Marte just to have him sit bench more often than not, though, so it will be interesting to see if he’s given a shot to claim the regular CF spot with a consistent spate of playing time in the coming weeks.
Build it and they will come. | NHLI via Getty Images
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman used his traditional Stanley Cup final media availability to crow about growing revenues and TV ratings — fuel to increase the next rights fee contracts and boost revenues further — and brag that the game’s never been better.
And with the dramatic back-and-forth between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights in Game 1 of the final, it’s hard to claim he’s wrong.
It was also an occasion to unveil the format for next season’s All-Star weekend, which takes place on Long Island after this year’s was postponed due to Olympics participation.
With the conference-vs.-conference format a thing of the past, the league will lean into the international theme again by holding a five-team, 10-game mini tournament of round-robin, 3-on-3 games. That means teams representing the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Finland…and then “the World,” which would include any Putin apologists and targets who are otherwise currently banned from international competition due to their country of origin.
Islanders News
Isles business head Kelly Cheeseman calls the All-Star thing a “tentpole” event, notes that the building has now been open five(!) years. [NHL | Isles]
As the Leafs coaching search continues, reportedly they have interviewed ex-Isles coaches Patrick Roy and Peter Laviolette. [Dreger on Twitter]
Who could or should be moved to clear up Islanders cap space? [THN]
Elsewhere
After the Ehlers-fueled Canes burst out to a 2-0 lead in Game 1, Vegas came back and got the last goal in a back-and-forth classic. [NHL]
Brandon Bussi was a revelation this season at age 27, now he’s patiently playing the part of loyal backup for Carolina. [NHL]
Stan Fischler: It’s a “gentler” John Tortorella behind the Vegas bench. Sure. [NHL]
Yes, Russians but not “Russia” can participate in the All-Star thing. Interestingly, they had polled players about the matter. [Sportsnet]
Manny Malhotra has earned trust by coaching through highs and lows to win the Canucks job. [Sportsnet]
And the Avalanche have graciously allowed Chris MacFarland to leave to become GM of the Predators, and closer to his family. [NHL]
Brendan Gallagher knows his days in Montreal are done, and it hurts. [Sportsnet]
Jun 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jonah Tong (21) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Ahead of their series finale against the Mariners, the Mets have optioned Jonah Tong to Triple-A. To take his place on the roster, the club has recalled right-hander Joey Gerber.
Tong was brought up recently due to the mounting injuries to the club’s pitching staff and has experienced mixed results while primarily serving as a reliever and a bulk arm behind an opener. His first appearance was strong, as he shut out the Marlins through three innings to close out a 2-1 loss at loanDepot Park. What was especially encouraging is that he limited the traffic on the basepaths, walking one and not allowing a hit while needing just 28 pitches to complete his three innings of work.
Since then, he has struggled with his command. He earned a win in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds while serving as the bulk pitcher, though the underlying numbers weren’t encouraging. He walked four and allowed three hits in those 3 2/3 innings, though he was just charged with one unearned run. Yesterday’s outing was his worst, as he was tagged for five runs (four earned) on five hits, with two walks in 3 1/3 innings. Overall, he walked seven and struck out seven in ten innings. Tong was very much not ready when he was called up and will go down for some more work at Triple-A, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 38 innings across his nine starts before coming up to the majors.
With Kodai Senga potentially on the way back as early as next week, sending Tong down makes sense in any event, since he’ll likely slot right into that role in the rotation. For now, the club is in need of some relief help, as they’ve used a lot of pitchers over the past two days given that both were, essentially, bullpen games. Gerber made one appearance for New York back on April 13, where he pitched the final two innings of the team’s loss to the Dodgers and struck out five while allowing two hits and walking one batter. In Triple-A, the righty has allowed 15 runs (14 earned) with ten strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings, which amounts to an 8.89 ERA on the year.
Milwaukee (37-21) dominated game two of the series versus San Francisco (23-38), winning 8-3, after a 16-2 throbbing in the opener. This will be the third of a four game series, so a Milwaukee win would clinch a series victory for the Brewers.
The Giants' offense leads the MLB in batting average over the last five games (.326) and in the past 15 days (.286), yet that hasn't translated to wins. San Francisco is 1-7 over the last eight games and 3-11 in the previous 14. The Giants are in a slump and even with Logan Webb on the mound, they've lost four straight starts and six of the previous seven.
The Brewers have won seven out of the last eight games and are 21-7 since the start of May. Milwaukee is one of the hottest teams in the MLB and has scored 24 runs in the last two games and 46 in the previous eight. It's not all about the offense though, in the past 12 games, the Brewers pitching rotation has a 2.83 ERA (2nd) and the second-best OBA (.191).
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Giants at Brewers
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Time: 7:40 PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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Odds for the Giants at the Brewers
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Milwaukee Brewers (-156), San Francisco Giants (+129)
Spread: Brewers -1.5 (+139), Giants +1.5 (-168)
Total: 8.0
Probable starting pitchers for Giants at Brewers
Wednesday's pitching matchup (June 3): Logan Webb vs. TBA
The Giants’ Jung Ho Lee is hitting .307 with 61 hits and 86 total bases over 199 at-bats
The Giants’ Matt Chapman is hitting .231 with 52 hits and 56 strikeouts over 225 at-bats
The Brewers’ William Contreras is hitting .293 with 63 hits and 85 total bases over 215 at-bats
The Brewers’ Garrett Mitchell is hitting .238 with 36 hits and 66 strikeouts over 151 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Giants at Brewers
The Giants are 25-36 ATS, ranking fifth-worst
The Brewers are 35-23 ATS, ranking fourth-best
The Giants are 30-26-5 to the Over
The Brewers are 30-27-1 to the Under
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Giants and the Brewers
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Brewers and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Brewers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Brewers at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.0
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SAN ANTONIO — When news broke that Knicks reserve center Mitchell Robinson fractured a finger — it turned out to be his hand — and had surgery to repair it, there were understandable doubts he would be able to get healthy enough for Game 1. This is the kind of injury that usually takes more than a month to heal.
This is not a surprise. Robinson had been pushing to return to play but remains officially "questionable" for Game 1, a status unlikely to change until the hour before tip-off. However, he practiced with the team on Tuesday with just a wrap on his hand, and the expectation has been that if he could play, he would.
New York needs Robinson and his physicality to help defend Victor Wembanyama, an assignment he will draw for much of the series. In the Knicks' NBA Cup Finals victory over the Spurs back in December, Robinson had 10 offensive rebounds and was a force on both ends of the floor.
Robinson suffered the hand injury at home, not during Game 4 against the Cavaliers or at the Knicks' practice facility (it is still not clear exactly what caused it). Robinson fractured his fifth metacarpal, which is the bone that connects the little finger to the wrist.
Because it's a hand injury, it can be wrapped and padded to protect it on the court. How that impacts his ability to catch a pass or pull down a contested rebound remains to be seen.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: Dave Roberts #30 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on during introductions prior to the 95th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The current ballot setup involves two phases, with fan voting for starting position players from June 3-25. From there, the top two players at each position, and the top six outfielders will move into the second phase, with voting totals reset and that vote open from June 29-July 2.
Here are the Dodgers on the ballot this year
DH — Shohei Ohtani
C — Will Smith
1B — Freddie Freeman
2B — Hyeseong Kim
3B — Max Muncy
SS — Mookie Betts
OF — Andy Pages
OF — Kyle Tucker
OF — Teoscar Hernández
A reminder that pitchers are not voted on by fans. So let’s stick with position players today. In total, 20 position players will make the National League All-Star team — nine starters voted on by fans, then nine players voted on by the players, and two others chosen by the commissioner’s office. Often those last spots include a team’s only All-Star, to satisfy the requirement that all 30 MLB teams have at least one All-Star.
Today’s question is simple: Which Dodgers position players should be All-Stars in 2026?
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is expected to be available for Wednesday’s Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the Spurs after having hand surgery for a broken right hand, according to ESPN.
The 7-foot Robinson — who sustained a fracture of the fifth metacarpal, as first reported by The Post’s Stefan Bondy — was a full participant in practice Tuesday.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson prepares to shoot during practice at media day during the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Robinson wore a sleeve on his right hand and appeared to be moving well while shooting.
Although it is unclear exactly how Mitchell was injured, ESPN reported that it occurred at his home during New York’s off week following a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson puts up a shot during practice at media day during the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The Knicks had nine days off before Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night in San Antonio.
The 28-year-old big man has been a reliable backup for starter Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson shared that he was “fighting to get back on track” with his mental health and taking a break from social media amid the Knicks’ playoff run.
