SEATTLE — Even after hitting his first career home run, Robert Hassell III didn’t have much time to hang around the clubhouse and talk about it.
His girlfriend was waiting.
Eager to meet her at the team hotel, Hassell hustled onto the Washington bus and — with the help of a Nationals staffer — fielded questions from reporters via cellphone.
“I don’t want to have her waiting too long,” Hassell said. “My apologies.”
Playing his sixth major league game, Hassell had three hits and two RBIs for the Nationals in a 9-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The 23-year-old prized outfield prospect was drafted eighth overall by San Diego in 2020 and traded to Washington — along with James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — for Juan Soto and Josh Bell in a blockbuster deal at the August 2022 deadline.
Hassell began the night batting .118 (2 for 17) with one RBI since making his debut. Before the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez pulled Hassell aside and advised him to focus on the present rather than allowing himself to become over-amped.
“You want to try to do a lot,” Martinez said. “But, this game is tough enough. It’s tough enough.”
Hassell responded with by far his best performance yet. He hit an RBI single in the fourth inning and a solo homer in the eighth that made it 7-0.
The sweet-swinging lefty tried to focus on hitting balls to the opposite field. But when he got a pitch to jump on, he turned on a four-seam fastball from Mariners right-hander Blas Castano and drove it over the right-center fence for what Hassell called the best home run of his baseball career.
“This is the best one,” he said. “Something I’ve been waiting for, and you imagine what it’s like and all that, and it finally happened and I feel blessed.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker sees value in expanding the NCAA Tournament by a handful of teams and wants to reach a decision on the matter in the next few months, he said Thursday.
The Florida Panthers not only are the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they also represent the best-built organization in the National Hockey League.
"They are the gold standard," says defeated Canes' coach Rod Brind'Amour.
For local consumption, The Cats From Dixie should offer the Rangers organization ideas on how to lift the Blueshirts out of their NHL morass and into the big league hockey mainstream. The following are tips for Chris Drury:
COACH: The Panthers' Paul Maurice is a genius. Period! Unlike other retreads, Maurice has learned how to refresh his style – remember that's why he quit the Winnipeg Jets – and adjusted his coaching to the present.
Mike Sullivan now has the same opportunity and we'll only know whether it works once the season starts. Part of the equation is extreme smarts and a unique personality. The Maven is not so sure that Sully has those qualities.
GOALTENDING: To defeat Florida, Sullivan employed two different goalkeepers – both from mediocre to average – a longtime Carolina bugaboo that never gets the Canes over the hump. Nor did it this time.
Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky continues to display elite. clutch puck-stopping. The Rangers are paying Igor Shesterkin to play as well as Bob but Iggy has not been up to the challenge yet. Good for him; Shesty has the years and the loot to show that he still can do it. (We're waiting, pal, we're waiting.)
THE DEFENSE: Drury-Sullivan now have the same opportunity to build a better defense to match Carolina's. But that will require deft wheeling-dealing and there's no assurance that Drury's even close to being up for the task.
THE OFFENSE: Florida plays a smart, simple, creative "If You Can't Beat 'Em In The Alley,
You Can't Beat 'Em On The Ice" style. Key: The Panthers have the personnel to make it work and added Brad Marchand just to be sure. Drury has minimal muscle and must find a couple of Sam Bennett-types to regain a measure of respect that is egregiously not there now. Good luck to Drury.
SPIRIT: As Joe Micheletti emphasizes, "lack of spirit" was the most glaring Ranger weakness. It's funded by a lineup that last season was pockmarked with quitters. The Champs have nothing of the kind.
Now you know why Drury-Sully have the challenge of a lifetime on their hands! They might learn more if they pay attention to the Cup Final.
German produces powerful finish for struggling Red Bull
GC riders ten minutes adrift with Yates still in third spot
Nico Denz surged to victory on stage 18 of the Giro D’Italia, offering some respite for his struggling Red Bull team.
The German produced a powerful finish to take the win at Cesano Maderno, a much-needed injection of good news following the injury withdrawals of general classification hopefuls Jai Hindley and Primoz Roglic.
It’s unfair to expect Roman Anthony to save the Boston Red Sox. But as MLB’s No. 1 prospect continues to tear it up at Triple-A Worcester, it’s fair to wonder why he isn’t on the next flight to Atlanta for the club’s weekend series vs. the Braves.
Anthony could bring much-needed thump to the middle of Boston’s lackluster lineup. The 21-year-old is slashing .318/.450/.528 with eight homers and 23 RBI through 49 games in Worcester this season. He’s ready for The Show.
“We need to be mindful of the environment that Roman would be coming into, and the pressure that we’d be putting on a 21-year-old in the midst of a losing streak — to come up and save the team,” Breslow said. “Roman’s time is coming, and I don’t think there’s any question about that. So we have to figure out what is best for the organization and what is best for him.”
The biggest roadblock on Anthony’s path to the majors has been Boston’s outfield logjam. With Jarren Duran in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and Wilyer Abreu in right, finding ways to keep Anthony in the lineup would be challenging.
“We want to make sure when he comes up, not only is he ready, but there’s runway for him to play,” Breslow added. “You don’t wanna bring up a 21-year-old and have him play sporadically. He needs to be in the lineup every day.”
That explanation may have sufficed a month ago, but the Red Sox’ situation has changed. Injuries to first baseman Triston Casas and third baseman Alex Bregman have shaken things up, as have the ongoing struggles of shortstop Trevor Story and rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell.
Theoretically, Anthony could play left field with Jarren Duran sliding to center. The Red Sox could take advantage of Rafaela’s defensive versatility, mixing him in at second and shortstop. They’d lose some defensive upside in the outfield, but that would be outweighed by Anthony’s impact on the inconsistent offense.
At this stage, it’s fair to wonder whether Breslow and the Red Sox are manipulating Anthony’s service time. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan laid out, now is the time of year when prospects are called up and become “Super Twos.”
That label is given to players whose time on a big-league roster is in the top 22 percent of their service class. Super Twos are awarded an extra year of arbitration beyond the standard three, so they can earn more than the major league minimum before their third full season. Boston could also lose a year of control if Anthony wins the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Still, with the big-league club trending toward another letdown season, there is no valid excuse for holding Anthony back. The kid has nothing left to prove in Worcester, and the best projected Red Sox lineup features him in the middle of it.
He isn’t the savior, but he’d provide a spark that Boston and its restless fanbase so desperately need.
Ben Stiller has an incredible Hollywood resume as an actor, producer, director, and writer. But first and foremost, he’s a Knicks fan.
A staple at Madison Square Garden throughout the regular season and playoffs, Stiller has also been cheering on his Knicks on the road during the postseason, as he was in the building in Indiana for Game 4 against the Pacers, sitting next to fellow actor and diehard Knicks fan Timothée Chalamet.
Stiller and Chalamet have become quite the tandem when it comes to cheering on the Knicks, and Stiller explained on The Putback with Ian Begley, how he and Chalamet have formed a bond over their beloved team.
“We met each other over the years a few times and I’m a fan of his, he’s a great actor, always seemed like a nice guy,” Stiller said. “Saw him at some Knicks games and then we were at the Detroit series and were both looking to go to Detroit, so we decided to go together and got to know each other.
“Genuine Knicks fan through and through. New Yorker, New York kid, and has a true appreciation of the game and no trouble calling out the refs during a game, too.”
While sitting courtside in Indiana, Stiller and Chalamet, along with Spike Lee, were the subject of a WWE-style roasting by TV personality and former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee.
"We got some bigwigs from the big city in the building. Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here. Let’s send these sons of bitches back to New York with their ears ringing," McAfee said to pump up the crowd during the fourth quarter of Game 4.
Stiller was able to get a good laugh out of it, though, saying on The Putback that Indiana had an ‘amazing, amazing atmosphere,’ and that McAfee should head to the Big Apple for Thursday night’s Game 5.
"I have to say, I was not familiar with his game. I did not know that was coming," Stiller said.
"I did know that Timothée has been on his show and I was like 'Oh, that’s your boy, that’s your guy,' so then when that happened I was a little bit like 'Whoa, okay.' But the WWE aspect, I get it. It’s just not the way it happens in New York.
"He should come to the Garden for Game 5. They’ll put him up on the screen and they’ll show him punting the ball, and everybody will give him a nice cheer. That’s how we do it in New York.
"But I get it. It was fun. I feel like he was just trying to get the crowd riled up. It was a little bit out of the blue… it just seems a little cartoonish, but then again it goes with the WWE."
Knicks fans can certainly expect to see Stiller and Chalamet on Thursday night at Game 5, as the Knicks look to stay alive and flip the momentum in the series, with Indiana up 3-1 in the best-of-seven set.
Any chance we’ll get to see the two actors mic’d up during the game?
"They don’t want to do that," Stiller said with a laugh. "I’m telling you."
You can watch Stiller's full appearance on The Putback by clicking here.
Rafael Marchan shined Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Phillies’ split doubleheader with the Braves.
The backup catcher was a central figure in the Phils’ dramatic 5-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning hit by pitch.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings. His final line was seven hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts.
Sanchez walked two Braves in the second inning and threw balls on 14 of his first 27 pitches. His sinker, slider and changeup all induced regular whiffs in the early innings, though.
In contrast to Sanchez, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver began the day with 18 of 20 strikes. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup then broke through.
Brandon Marsh managed a seven-pitch walk. Marchan ripped a hanging curveball just over the right-field wall and on the good side of the foul pole to put the Phillies up 2-0. The home run was Marchan’s first of the season and his first hit of any kind since May 14.
Smith-Shawver soon headed back to the Braves’ dugout. Bryson Stott rocketed a liner that struck Smith-Shawver’s lower leg on its way to center field. The righty came out of the game following Trea Turner’s fly out to deep left.
The Phillies were inches away from a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. After one-out singles by Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos against Braves reliever Scott Blewett, Michael Harris II robbed Max Kepler of a three-run homer, reaching over the center-field fence and nabbing his 403-foot fly ball.
Marchan registered another highlight in the fourth when he nailed Stuart Fairchild trying to steal second base. He also tallied the Phillies’ third run, working a fifth-inning walk and coming around to score on a Turner infield hit.
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy singles in the sixth inning produced Atlanta’s first run of the series. Sanchez’s outing ended with two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered and Ronald Acuna Jr. lined an RBI hit over Turner’s head, trimming the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
With assistance from a leaping Turner snag, Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh. The Phillies got a little cushion in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a mammoth Kyle Schwarber dinger. Acuna didn’t move in right field for Schwarber’s 19th homer, which easily landed in the second deck and officially traveled 438 feet.
The Phillies’ advantage went down the drain in the eighth inning. Murphy crushed a solo shot vs. Matt Strahm and two-out doubles by Acuna and Harris evened the contest at 4-4.
Castellanos cracked his fourth hit of the afternoon on the first Daysbel Hernandez pitch the Phillies saw in the eighth inning. They then exploited Hernandez’s wildness to regain the lead.
Kepler walked, Sosa executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Marsh walked to load the bases.That set the stage for Marchan, who trotted to first base after apparently being nicked in the foot by a 2-2 slider. Following a Braves challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jordan Romano conceded a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies, but Marchan rifled a beautiful throw to second base for his second caught stealing of the day. The Braves then filled the bases with walks by Marcell Ozuna and Murphy and an Olson single.
Romano ultimately sealed the deal, striking out Eli White looking.
Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-3, 3.36 ERA) will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. Wheeler preferred the nightcap, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson.
“He just called me back,” Thomson said, “and he said, ‘Hey, is it too late to switch? I’d like to pitch the night game.’ “I said, ‘Yeah, whatever you want. You’re Zack Wheeler.’”
Rafael Marchan shined Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Phillies’ split doubleheader with the Braves.
The backup catcher was a central figure in the Phils’ dramatic 5-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning hit by pitch.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings. His final line was seven hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts.
Sanchez walked two Braves in the second inning and threw balls on 14 of his first 27 pitches. His sinker, slider and changeup all induced regular whiffs in the early innings, though.
In contrast to Sanchez, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver began the day with 18 of 20 strikes. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup then broke through.
Brandon Marsh managed a seven-pitch walk. Marchan ripped a hanging curveball just over the right-field wall and on the good side of the foul pole to put the Phillies up 2-0. The home run was Marchan’s first of the season and his first hit of any kind since May 14.
Smith-Shawver soon headed back to the Braves’ dugout. Bryson Stott rocketed a liner that struck Smith-Shawver’s lower leg on its way to center field. The righty came out of the game following Trea Turner’s fly out to deep left.
Atlanta placed Smith-Shawver on the 15-day injured list with a strained right elbow postgame.
The Phillies were inches away from a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. After one-out singles by Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos against Braves reliever Scott Blewett, Michael Harris II robbed Max Kepler of a three-run homer, reaching over the center-field fence and nabbing his 403-foot fly ball.
Marchan registered another highlight in the fourth when he nailed Stuart Fairchild trying to steal second base. He also tallied the Phillies’ third run, working a fifth-inning walk and coming around to score on a Turner infield hit.
“Really impressed,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Marchan. “I’ve been saying all along this kid is really a player. There’s not many numbers there, but he’s really given us good at-bats.
“He understands the strike zone. He’s very disciplined. He can really throw, obviously. Calls a great game; he was coming off two shutouts. … He does a great job. It’s just a huge day for him.”
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy singles in the sixth inning produced Atlanta’s first run of the series. Sanchez’s outing ended with two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered and Ronald Acuna Jr. lined an RBI hit over Turner’s head, trimming the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
With assistance from a leaping Turner snag, Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh. The Phillies got a little cushion in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a mammoth Kyle Schwarber dinger. Acuna didn’t move in right field for Schwarber’s 19th homer, which easily landed in the second deck and officially traveled 438 feet.
The Phillies’ advantage went down the drain in the eighth inning. Murphy crushed a solo shot vs. Matt Strahm and two-out doubles by Acuna and Harris evened the contest at 4-4.
Castellanos cracked his fourth hit of the afternoon on the first Daysbel Hernandez pitch the Phillies saw in the eighth inning. They then exploited Hernandez’s wildness to regain the advantage.
Kepler walked, Edmundo Sosa executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Marsh walked to load the bases.That set the stage for Marchan, who trotted to first base after apparently being nicked on the foot by a 2-2 slider. Following a Braves challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jordan Romano conceded a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies, but Marchan rifled a beautiful throw to second base for his second caught stealing of the day.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Marchan said of the moment. “You feel like a kid when you do something good. You’re really excited, you’re really hype. A lot of emotion.”
The Braves then filled the bases with walks by Marcell Ozuna and Murphy and an Olson single. Romano ultimately sealed the deal, striking out Eli White looking.
Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-3, 3.36 ERA) will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. Wheeler preferred the nightcap, according to Thomson.
“He just called me back,” Thomson said, “and he said, ‘Hey, is it too late to switch? I’d like to pitch the night game.’ “I said, ‘Yeah, whatever you want. You’re Zack Wheeler.’”
“We need to get more production out of that position, there’s no question,” Posey told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “LaMonte [Wade Jr.], I think, you know it was nice he got a big hit yesterday in the game and we’re hopeful he can get that going but at this point we are going to need some more production and I think that’s the way that we’re kind of looking at this right now is some sort of time share.”
Wade went 2 for 3 in Wednesday’s loss to the Detroit Tigers, however, and has boosted his average from .133 to where it currently stands since the start of May while hitting .233 on the month.
Posey said the team will be looking at three players to potentially shore up the position.
“With [Jerar] Encarnacion coming back, he’ll mix in some, [Wilmer Flores] might mix in some, [Casey] Schmitt might mix in some,” Posey said.
Additionally, Posey didn’t indicate the Giants have any plans to rush top prospect Bryce Eldridge to the big leagues. The 20-year-old, who just so happens to play first base, is slashing .294/.361/.532 with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.
“We’re really happy with the way he’s progressing,” Posey said. “He’s hitting in a tough league. Still has a lot of work to do defensively. He’s making strides, he’s putting in the work and that’s all you can ask for.”
For now, the Giants will have to find a first-base solution with the guys who have big-league experience.
Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox since the calendar flipped to May. They’ve gone 10-16 this month to fall to 27-31, 9.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
The blame pie can be sliced several ways. The offense has been inconsistent, the rotation has struggled behind ace Garrett Crochet, and the team is 6-15 in one-run games. Several key players are in the middle of brutal month-long slumps.
So, who needs to turn it around for the Red Sox to get back above .500? Which players have been bright spots during the disappointing stretch?
Here’s our updated “Stock Up, Stock Down” with June looming.
Stock Up
Carlos Narvaez, C
The Red Sox acquired Narvaez in an under-the-radar offseason trade with the New York Yankees. The assumption was that he would serve as Connor Wong’s backup throughout the 2025 season, but he already has a firm grip on the starting catcher role amid a shockingly impressive start to the campaign.
In addition to being one of the game’s best defensive backstops, Narvaez has been one of Boston’s most consistent hitters. The 26-year-old rookie entered Thursday slashing .289/.357/.465 with five homers and 17 RBI. He ranks fourth on the team with a 1.8 fWAR, trailing only Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Rafael Devers.
Devers refusing to play first base wasn’t the best look, but it’s easy to look past when he’s in the midst of a career year at the plate.
The three-time All-Star is hitting .287/.409/.523 with 12 homers and an American League-leading 50 RBI. He recorded the first walk-off homer of his career on May 17 against Atlanta and a grand slam on May 23 against Baltimore.
Since starting the season 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts, Devers has hit .315 with a 1.005 OPS.
The way Devers has raked as the designated hitter, it’s easy to see why the Red Sox have refrained from asking him to move back to third base in the wake of Bregman’s injury.
Jarren Duran, OF
Duran is heating up after a subpar start to the season. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP has hit .377 with two homers and 11 RBI in 13 games since May 16. He leads the majors with six triples.
Duran took his game to another level in June of last year and finished eighth in AL MVP voting. While it’s unfair to expect him to duplicate that success, it’s encouraging that he appears to be on the same trajectory as his All-Star season.
Brennan Bernardino, RHP
Bernardino has been the Red Sox bullpen’s unsung hero. The 33-year-old righty is tied for the MLB lead with 14 appearances in May. In those appearances, he has amassed an 0.75 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over 12 innings.
He has been a bright spot throughout Boston’s abysmal stretch.
The 22-year-old is hitting .120 with a .335 OPS through 20 games in May, and he was partly responsible for Boston’s demise in Wednesday’s series finale vs. Milwaukee with a brutal defensive miscue in the 10th inning:
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 28, 2025
Credit where it’s due: Campbell has willingly taken practice reps at first base despite never playing the position in his professional career. But at this stage, it’s fair to wonder whether the best course of action is to let him figure things out at Triple-A rather than throw him into the fire at a new position during a brutal slump.
Campbell ascended quickly through the minor-league ranks, cracking Boston’s Opening Day roster one year after playing at High-A. The raw talent is undeniable, but he hasn’t looked like a big-league player for the last month.
Story is slashing .218/.263/.318 in 54 games this season. Since May 6, he’s hitting .132 (10-for-76) with a .369 OPS. His fielding hasn’t made up for those offensive struggles as he’s in the midst of arguably the worst defensive season of his career.
Wong has never shined behind the plate, but he had some solid offensive stretches as the Red Sox’ starting catcher in 2024. That has not been the case this season.
The 29-year-old, who will forever be remembered as one of the key pieces in the infamous Mookie Betts trade, is hitting .157 with no homers and a .402 OPS in 22 games. It didn’t take long for him to lose the starting catching gig to Narvaez.
While the Red Sox aren’t regretting their offseason deal for Garrett Crochet, they may be kicking themselves for parting ways with top catching prospect Kyle Teel. It’s been a disastrous year for Wong, even by a backup’s standards.
Tanner Houck was placed on the injured list after a nightmare start to the season, Walker Buehler has been up-and-down and also spent time on the IL, Brayan Bello hasn’t looked the part, and Lucas Giolito isn’t anything close to his 2021 self. Hunter Dobbins looked sharp to start his rookie campaign but has come crashing back down to earth over his last few appearances.
The Red Sox rotation was expected to take a significant step forward in 2025. Instead, it has remained one of the club’s biggest weaknesses.
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
Based on the conversation in an "Inside Coverage" podcast episode, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab have mixed views about how the Tennessee Titans are handling rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Schwab is baffled by the Titans’ approach to splitting reps between Ward and Will Levis.
“Why? What’s the point in all this? ... We all know Cam Ward’s starting Week 1," Schwab said. "I find this stupid.”
Schwab suggests the Titans are playing games and should focus on getting their No. 1 overall draft pick ready to be the starter.
His main argument: It’s pointless and disingenuous for head coach Brian Callahan to be splitting first-team reps or framing the starting QB job as something Ward has to "earn," especially since everyone knows Ward is the starter from Day 1 unless he gets hurt or something very unexpected happens. These types of mind games are “stupid," so why are the Titans even bothering with this charade?
This is reminiscent of the Urban Meyer/Trevor Lawrence situation in Jacksonville, a QB competition that wasn't real.
Does anyone — inside or outside the Titans — really believe there’s a QB battle happening? The pretense in Nashville is unnecessary.
The Titans selected Cam Ward to be their franchise quarterback. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
There's value in making Cam Ward 'earn' the job to lead the Titans
Robinson disagrees and feels there’s real value in letting Ward “earn” the starting job, even if the competition isn’t entirely authentic. He compares it to his own (albeit high school) experience of being announced as a starter and how meaningful that was for his growth and confidence. It's beneficial for a young player to have a sense of accomplishment and momentum by going out and winning the job in camp, even if it’s a bit of theater. He argues that being “given” the starting job outright, simply because of draft status, takes away that motivational aspect. Some level of competition is a longstanding football tradition and a useful bit of preseason theater.
There's recent NFL history to back up the approach. Robinson references head coach Sean Payton running a similar “open competition” with Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham in Denver, which everyone knew wasn’t true, but he insists there’s still some intangible value to being publicly anointed as the starter at the end of a process, even if the process is a bit of a facade. The “theater” is part and parcel of football culture.
Even a staged competition can help a young QB’s mentality and buy-in, allowing Ward to feel like he’s achieved something, which has value for the player and locker room.
Even though all signs thus far indicate Jonathan Kuminga likely will leave the Warriors this summer, the finances could make that tricky.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater noted a few interesting wrinkles to the situation and why he believes the best possible outcome for all parties would be for Kuminga to remain in the Bay.
First, with Kuminga expected to earn at least a 20 percent raise as a restricted free agent, a new deal would put Golden State over the cap. But the incoming salary would only count as half of Kuminga’s outgoing salary, as noted by the “base year compensation” rule in the CBA.
So, as Slater notes, if Kuminga’s new deal starts at $30 million, which is what his next team would absorb it as, the Warriors would look at a $15 million incoming match.
As a restricted free agent, Kuminga could sign with Golden State or sign an offer sheet with a team with cap space. The Warriors would have the right to match.
A sign-and-trade is also a possibility. But as Slater pointed out, the base-year rule in addition to the first-apron cap “significantly limits” the number of realistic sign-and-trade opportunities for the Warriors.
“The Warriors’ front office, Kuminga’s representatives and the league are expected to explore all options into July,” Slater wrote. “But team sources have been hinting that, because of these market and financial restrictions, there’s a likely world where the most obvious and prudent path is for them to bring Kuminga back and figure the rest out later.”
After numerous DNPs-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) to begin Golden State’s postseason run, Kuminga re-emerged into Steve Kerr’s rotation when Steph Curry went down with an injury and reminded the Warriors and the rest of the league of his talent and athleticism.
And that talent and athleticism might be on a one-way trip back to the Warriors.
