It’s been a wild run of Cubs baseball over the last few days. The Cubs put an exclamation point on a 16-10 June with a 23-run barrage against the Padres before promptly giving up 17 runs against the St. Louis Cardinals, because baseball. The bats have been hot generally, but one player in particular is in the midst of a historic hot streak: Dansby Swanson. I mean, just check out the three home runs he clubbed on July 1 against the Padres [VIDEO].
It’s a remarkable turnaround, and you really don’t have to look further than Dansby’s splits before the hot streak and during it to see how big of an impact he’s had during the last three weeks for the Cubs. Baseball is such a random game of hot and cold streaks that I don’t generally recommend pulling cherry picked streaks in this way, however, what Dansby is doing right now is so noteworthy I think it’s helpful. Below you can see Dansby’s numbers on the season through June 16 compared to the absolute heater he’s been on since June 17:
Dates
PA
HR
RBI
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
Thru 6/16
268
7
28
.175
.281
.306
67
6/17-7/5
65
9
29
.328
.354
.852
219
Select offensive stats
I mean, the home run and RBI totals alone are mind-blowing stats. Dansby has had more long balls and runs batted in during this 65 plate appearance stretch than he’s had during the first two and a half months of the season. It’s been an unbelievable span of production. In fact, in the 150-year history of the Chicago Cubs only two other players have put up more RBI in a 16-game span than Dansby Swanson: Sammy Sosa and Hack Wilson.
Sammy Sosa had one 16-game span where he had 32 RBI and 15 home runs. I’m sure you remember it well, it was the summer of 1998 starting May 25 and ending June 15, part of his historic June that ultimately saw him club a record 20 home runs. Hack Wilson had an unbelievable run through late July and the end of August in 1930 en route to setting the all time single season RBI record of 191, that season included multiple 16-game spans that saw him post 30+ RBI. Next up on the list is Dansby Swanson.
Kiki Cuyler also had a span of exactly 29 RBI in a 16 game span, tying Swanson’s mark. Intriguingly, Cuyler’s mark maps almost perfectly calendar-wise on Dansby’s current streak. Cuyler built his run from June 19, 1930 to July 4, 1930.
One fun fact about all of the numbers above, because spans start and stop on different days, Dansby should have a handful of shots between now and the All Star Break to pad those numbers and potentially pass Sosa and/or Wilson. He’ll lose two RBI next game as the Cubs contest with the Orioles replaces a June 17 game against the Rockies where he went 1 for 4 against the Rockies with a home run and two RBI, he’ll lose another RBI the day after that as he replaces the June 19 game against Toronto that saw him go 1 for 6 with an RBI. Given the hot streak he’s been on, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see him put together a performance worth more than an RBI or three over the next two games.
Here’s hoping Dansby stays hot so the Cubs can keep their winning ways going as they head into the All Star break. He won’t really start to lose the core of his current streak until the doubleheader from June 24 against the Mets falls out of the span. That day he notched 11 RBI across two games, going a combined 5 for 9 over two games with two home runs and a triple. Let’s check out the seven-RBI affair that started it all one more time [VIDEO].
In the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman and host Kyle Bukauskas discuss, among other things, a couple of potential trade targets for the Montreal Canadiens. The Sportsnet insider reports that Kent Hughes is leaving no stones unturned in his quest to add a top-six young talent (in their 20s) to the squad, but it’s proving to be a tough task despite the GM being very aggressive. Friedman mentioned that Kirill Marchenko would have been a possibility, but it’s been reported that he isn’t moving right now. As for the big trade offer that has been discussed, he adds that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, suggesting that what Montreal considered a great offer might not have looked so great to the other team.
He also reports that Montreal hopes Zachary Bolduc can give more than he has so far, and that they could still work with Oliver Kapanen to develop the center further, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the Finns had been included as part of the package offered. That in itself is not surprising, especially since Hughes has shown in the past that he is willing to move young talent if he believes that makes his team better. Alexander Romanov and Emil Heineman were both traded that way. He also threw an idea out there:
Someone else told me, you know who they thought might be a good fit in Montreal? And I have no idea if it’s even possible: one of those two Pittsburgh wingers, Rust (Bryan) or Rakell (Rickard). I think those guys would have to approve, but he looked at Montreal and said: “I thought with another scorer like one of those two guys, they might look pretty good”.
According to Puckpedia, Rakell has an 8-team no-trade list modified no-trade clause but Rust has no trade protection. While the idea is not silly, Rust put up 65 points in 72 games last season, and Rakell had 48 points in 60 games; I think that would be a plan D or E for Hughes. Both of these wingers are significantly older than the Canadiens’ core; the former is 34, while the latter is 33, and Hughes has repeatedly stated that he wasn’t looking to add veterans who would impede the development of his younger players.
If it gets very late in the offseason and Hughes cannot find a dance partner that would allow him to have a top-six twenty-something player, that may be an option he would turn to, but it definitely wouldn’t be his preference. They could be good stopgap options as they both have two seasons left on their contract, but stopgap to what?
Who in the Canadiens’ system could be ready to step into a top-six winger role by then? Alexander Zharovski? Perhaps his KHL contract will run out at the end of the season, but will he be ready to jump into such a high-profile role right away? That’s not guaranteed. And then there’s also Michael Hage, who should join in the Spring, once the Michigan Wolverines have (hopefully) won the Frozen Four.
Would it be wise to put two green rookies on the top six right away? Some would argue that it wouldn’t be, but that’s precisely what Montreal did this past season with Ivan Demidov and Kapanen, and it worked quite well until the playoffs at least. Would the two be as NHL-ready as Demidov and Kapanen were? At this stage, it appears somewhat doubtful…
Back to Rust and Rakell, though, it remains to be seen if they could be as productive in Montreal as they have been riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. They do have plenty of offensive talent though.
Every player from the Lakers’ Game 1 starting lineup versus the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is officially gone.
The entire Lakers starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason — LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Luka Kennard and Deandre Ayton — will all be playing for different teams next season.Getty Images The entire Lakers starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason — LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Luka Kennard and Deandre Ayton — will all be playing for different teams next season.Getty Images The entire Lakers starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason — LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Luka Kennard and Deandre Ayton — will all be playing for different teams next season.Getty Images The entire Lakers starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason — LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Luka Kennard and Deandre Ayton — will all be playing for different teams next season.NBAE via Getty Images The entire Lakers starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason — LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Luka Kennard and Deandre Ayton — will all be playing for different teams next season.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Head coach JJ Redick went with an alternative lineup in the series opener due to the injuries of Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić in the postseason. Redick deployed Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton in Game 1 against the Rockets.
While there have been many departures in LA, the Lakers have also added a number of free agents on the market. General manager Rob Pelinka is under immense pressure to improve the roster and made several signings in the first few days of free agency.
The Lakers signed Walker Kessler to a four-year, $130 million deal. The contract is considered an overpay, but it answered Luka Doncic’s request to give the team an elite rim protector.
Guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton as well as big man Sandro Mamukelashvili will wear the purple and gold for the 2026–27 season. Despite the roster overhaul, many believe the Lakers’ moves aren’t enough to make the team legitimate contenders.
The Lakers’ biggest needs remain a versatile wing defender and a backup center after Ayton was traded to the Washington Wizards last week.
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“The Warriors, I have already been told it’s a guy they will look into at some point in the coming days, especially if they do not get LeBron James,” Slater said on SportsCenter.
🤔 Where will DeMar DeRozan sign? 🏀 Yaxel Lendeborg and Darius Acuff Jr.'s debut in Summer League@anthonyVslater joins SportsCenter to discuss the trending topics in the NBA pic.twitter.com/WPEJ3TSG7F
Slater also mentioned teams like the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors as other potential DeRozan suitors – the latter two being more due to their “heartwarming” nature.
The 17-year veteran is from Compton, Calif., just 20 minutes away from Inglewood, where the Clippers play and played his first nine seasons with the Raptors after being drafted No. 9 overall by Toronto in 2009.
DeRozan will turn 37 next month, but has proven the last two seasons with Sacramento that he’s still a bucket-getter.
“The reality is he should be coming at such a bargain that really any team in the league that just needs some bench scoring should be looking at him,” Slater said.
The six-time All-Star averaged 18.4 points per game with the Kings last season and proved to enjoy his mentorship role for the young players as the team’s mentality shifted from contending to rebuilding during his tenure.
In 2025-26, DeRozan’s points per game were the lowest for his career since the 2012-13 season, but that was largely because of the team’s shift and his minutes per game (31.2) and usage percentage (22.8) being reduced to the lowest since his rookie season in the NBA.
While James remains the Warriors’ top target, adding an efficient scoring wing doesn’t seem to be too bad of a fallback.
CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 26: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a call during the second half against the Chicago Bulls on January 26, 2026 at...
Teams reportedly interested in the four-time NBA champion aren’t optimistic about their chances of landing James, according to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst.
LeBron James has yet to make a decision in free agency this summer. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“I’ve talked to people in Philly, and I’m like what do you think? Everybody I talk to is like, ‘we’re afraid it’s Cleveland,'” Windhorst said on the Pardon My Take podcast.
“Nobody seems like they have optimism.”
Brian Windhorst on conversations he's had regarding LeBron James:
"Everybody I talk to is like, 'We're afraid it's Cleveland.' Nobody seems like they have optimism to be honest."pic.twitter.com/KUxpzfJcBP
Returning to Cleveland was always the storybook ending for James since he began his career with the Cavaliers.
At 41 years old, James is still a productive player as he is coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists. He shot 51.5% from the field and 31.7% from beyond the arc in 60 games with the Lakers.
The 2025–26 campaign marked the first time James had missed opening night for the first time in his 23-year NBA career because of a sciatica injury. Despite missing the start of the season, James played a crucial role for the Lakers down the stretch after Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves sustained injuries in the final weeks of the regular season.
James spearheaded the Lakers’ postseason run, which ended in the second round of the NBA playoffs after the Oklahoma City Thunder swept LA in four games.
The Game 4 loss to OKC marked James’ final game in a Lakers uniform.
Now, it appears the next chapter for James may be a poetic one as Cleveland appears to be the winner of his free agency sweepstakes.
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Los Angeles, CA - June 15, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer (33) delivers during the first inning of an MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Monday, June 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kyle Freeland against Eric Lauer as the first-place Dodgers host the last-place Rockies is the matchup for the start of a series that represents the last Colorado visit to Los Angeles this season. Anyone’s feelings of déjà vu will be validated with this specific matchup because it has taken place once already this season; in fact, it was the duel for Lauer’s Dodgers debut.
A little over a month ago, the veteran left-hander was making his first start as a Dodger, and to be frank, his performance that game was nearly irrelevant to the result, with the Dodgers’ offense scoring 15 runs and cruising towards a blowout win. A similar type of game could very well happen again, even without the effects of Coors Field; after all, one cannot stress just how poorly this season has gone for Freeland, the pitcher with the worst ERA in baseball for anyone who has thrown at least 60 innings, at 7.25.
On a broader note, while it is easy to overlook Lauer’s contribution, one should not trivialize what he’s been able to accomplish since coming over to the Dodgers—making adjustments, including throwing his cutter far more than he was doing in his time as a Blue Jay. Between Lauer’s own terrible numbers early in the year with Toronto, Freeland’s performance, and that of several other veterans, it’s easy to illustrate the difficulty in putting together a run of starts as productive as Lauer’s after moving to a new club. The veteran southpaw is leading the Dodgers to a 6-0 record with a sub-3.00 ERA in 34.1 innings.
The New Jersey Devils traded Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames earlier in the offseason. He was an RFA looking for a major pay raise, and New Jersey saw it best to unload him to make more room on their cap sheet and blue line.
Trading Nemec to Calgary was the first big player move that Sunny Mehta made since becoming a first-time NHL GM. Since then, he has had a solid off-season, and more may be on the horizon.
On Monday, the Flames announced a contract extension for Nemec, who locked in a five-year deal with a cap hit of $7.25 million. This is a deal where the Flames are paying for the player that they hope he becomes, rather than the player that he is right now.
Nemec is a former 2nd overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, so the pedigree is there. He can create offense if he’s in the right situation, but he must work on his defensive game if he’s ever going to truly drive a pair in any of the three zones.
In 155 games played, Nemec has 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points. He had somewhat of a breakout last year, as he had 11 of those goals to go with 15 assists for 26 points in 68 games played.
A lot of his ice time in the NHL has been in the shadow of guys like Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. In Calgary, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do with more opportunity. If he reaches his true potential, his contract will then look like a bargain.
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This is one of the strangest and also weakest drafts in recent memory. Just as the impacts of the COVID draft and season have finally worked their way out of the system, the draft is now confronted by a staggeringly mediocre pool of prospects and the new reality that this is likely the last draft of its kind, as the new CBA is likely to significantly alter the way the draft functions, in many meaningful, impactful ways.
Introduction
It’s that time of year again. It’s that time when all teams turn their eyes momentarily from the various storylines surrounding division standings, all-star antics, and likely trade deadline scenarios and instead affix their attention on the newest crop of potential all-stars and epic busts. This year, the MLB draft will be held over a two-day window. The draft will begin on Saturday, 11 July at 10:00 MST, with rounds 1-4. The second day goes by much faster and will encompass rounds 5-20. The viewing schedule for the draft this year is as convoluted as MLB’s many various broadcasting deals for regular season games. It’s mind-boggling that MLB hasn’t figured out yet that this does not help their draft ratings. Nor is MLB’s draft ever going to rival the NFL draft. So maybe, just maybe, they could stop trying to pretend it can. Anyway…
Here is the broadcast schedule for this year’s draft: Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)
For at least one final season, the draft is largely defined by the draft pool, as determined and allotted by draft position. Arizona picks at #15 in the first round. The Diamondbacks were originally positioned to pick at No. 10 but slipped five spots during the Draft Lottery. Leading up to the draft, notable prospects linked to Arizona in expert mock drafts include Virginia outfielder A.J. Garcia and highly-touted high school infielder Tyler Bell.
Here is the final draft pool and selection order, along with the bonuses allowed for each of the first round picks. Bonus pool overages only apply to the first 10 rounds. If the team has any money remaining from that pool, the team is free to spend it on rounds 11-20.
Additionally, the Diamondbacks have the 31st pick in the draft, thanks to their inclusion in Competitive Balance Round A.
31. $3,118,300
The Diamondbacks then join the standard order of selections for the second round.
53. $1,848,200
Finally, after Competitive Balance Round B and the Free Agent Compensation picks are made, Arizona will select in rounds 3-20.
88. $915,100 116. $670,900 There are three more Free Agent Compensation picks between rounds four and five. 148. $491,700 177. $377,000 206. $297,100 236. $237,800 266. $209,500 296. $196,500
Conclusion
The Diamondbacks are on the cusp of adding 11 new names to the farm system. There are a number of outside considerations for this draft that will impact the team’s ability to find some true impact talent. We’ll be taking a look at some of that over the next few days. Stay tuned for the next segment where we discuss the pitching side of things.
Phoenix Suns General Manager Brian Gregory is keeping his right-hand man around for the foreseeable future, as Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein is finalizing a new extension to keep him working with the team on the business and basketball side, according to ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania.
Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein is finalizing a new extension, further cementing the partnership with owner Mat Ishbia to shape business and basketball operations of both franchises, sources tell ESPN.
With the extension being announced, Suns Governor Mat Ishbia gave Bartelstein high praise in a statement he gave to ESPN.
“From day one, I knew Josh was the right person to help build the culture and organization that I envisioned in Phoenix – on and off the court. He is my trusted partner in every aspect of our basketball (Suns and Mercury) operations and business side as well. His knowledge of basketball, care for our players, and the strong relationships he has across the NBA and WNBA have been invaluable in building our success and will continue to shape our future. His leadership has elevated our entire organization.
“He is one of the best CEO’s in all of sports, and happens to be one of the youngest too, and I’m excited to keep working next to Josh as we continue to build on our success.”
A former college basketball player at the University of Michigan, Bartelstein, who’s been with the Suns since 2023, played a major part in the team trading for Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic in his first year working with the team. With his father Mark being Beal’s agent, much was made about the relationship Josh had with his father to negotiate the trade, along with his buyout last offseason.
However, after a season in which the team surprised many by increasing its win total by 9 games and making the playoffs after missing them the season before, Ishbia and company rewarded Bartelstein with an extension. The Phoenix Suns have already had a busy offseason by resigning many of their free agents, trading for Miles Bridges, signing Luke Kennard and Pat Spencer, making a deal to draft Koa Peat with the 30th pick, and now extending Bartelstein.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 05: Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the third inning during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, July 5, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup has given opposing pitchers nightmares all season, but that still doesn’t excuse the Washington staff after allowing 23 runs in just 3 games, resulting in a series loss. The Phillies and Marlins remain red-hot, and the National League Wild Card race isn’t getting any weaker, making this upcoming series against the Astros, and the rest of the month of July for that matter, all the more important.
Houston is sitting on the bubble of a playoff spot and has been playing some much better baseball after a few dreadful stretches during the first half of the season. They still find themself 2 games under .500 and 3rd in an inconsistent American League West, but one series could change the landscape of the entire division.
Game 1 – Monday 6:45 PM EST
WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (2-7, 5.44 ERA)
HOU: RHP Mike Burrows (4-8, 5.58 ERA)
This is where the conversation surrounding Mikolas continues to get controversial. A dazzling month of May and portion of June had him looking like a potentially impactful piece in the patchwork Washington rotation, but 2 of his last 3 starts have seen him allow 5 or more runs. He enters this next appearance with a full week of rest, and the Nats will hope that the veteran can get himself back on track.
On the flip side, Burrows had just 2 outings in June where he allowed less than 4 runs, with one of those coming in a 1-inning relief spot. The righty has yet to put together a stretch of starts that has looked anything close to adequate, making him the perfect starter for the Nationals to jump on early and set the tone in this weekday series.
Game 2 – Tuesday 6:45 PM EST
WSH: LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-1, 3.05 ERA)
HOU: RHP Tatsuya Imai (5-4, 6.14 ERA)
It’s odd for a starter who has yet to work into the 6th inning to be labeled as a “rotation savior”, but that’s essentially what Alvarez has been for the Nats. He rarely gives up any substantial amount of runs, and while it won’t always look the prettiest, the results speak for themselves. The southpaw has also seen an uptick in his whiff rates as of late, making him one of the more important arms on the roster as it stands.
The transition to MLB has been rocky at best for Imai, who signed a large contract with Houston over the offseason as one of the premier Japanese pitching talents to come overseas in recent years. He’s forcing whiffs, but hitters are rarely chasing his pitches and squaring up anything and everything that’s in the zone. The Washington power bats could have a field day on Tuesday night, and elevating the baseball is once again an ideal way to succeed.
Game 3 – Wednesday 6:45 PM EST
WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (9-2, 2.87 ERA)
HOU: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 3.81 ERA)
Griffin has remained steady into the month of July, and I don’t think it’s crazy to say that the lefty is making a case for being one of the most productive arms in the entire National League. He’s lowered his ERA to a sub-2.90 mark, and his WHIP is teetering on dipping below 1.00. One of the biggest breakout arms in MLB, Griffin’s next start could be a crucial one, depending on how the first two games of the series go.
The Nats will hope to see the June Arrighetti rather than his initial July form on Wednesday evening. The righty was tagged for 25 runs in 25.0 innings across 5 June appearances, but settled down and allowed just 1 run and 2 hits over 6.0 innings against Tampa Bay to open his month of July. The matchup heavily favors Washington, but it will be a battle of finesse pitchers in the series finale.
The Jaylen Brown trade between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers became official Monday afternoon, and it has caused quite a reaction around the basketball world since it was first reported last week.
The C’s traded Brown, who they drafted No. 3 overall in 2016 and won a championship with in 2024, to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
A few hours after the deal was made official, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and team owner Bill Chisholm held a press conference. The theme was “optionality.” This was a word Stevens used many times when responding to questions about this trade.
“I think when you use the term ‘optionality’, you’re talking about just length of contract and assets,” Stevens said. “So that’s where the increased optionality comes from.”
George’s contract is shorter than Brown’s, and the C’s got four picks in this trade that they can use to make other roster additions.
You can watch the entire press conference in the video below. And under the video player, we highlighted the best moments from the event.
Two stars taking up 70 percent of the salary cap
The current CBA makes it very challenging to build out a roster with enough depth if you have two superstars on max contracts that take up 70 percent of the salary cap. Stevens noted that when the C’s won the NBA Finals in 2024, Tatum and Brown made up 47 percent of the cap combined.
“When I looked at our team, and I looked at where the league was heading, looked at the way that we’ve finished the last couple of years and also looked at the unbelievable way we’ve played in the regular season in the last couple of years, the path looked a little bit more challenging to me,” Stevens said.
“I might be wrong. I’m not going to stand up here and be defensive about that. But the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players.
“And the reality in this era, and in this day and age of the NBA, and you could see it, obviously, with the last couple of champions and some of the teams that were at the very top of the league, when it was all said and done at the end of this year is that, you have to do a great job and you have to have the optionality to do a great job of building out depth that can hopefully replace the irreplaceable individual. And that’s not an easy thing to do, right?
“And we get that. And that’s absolutely nothing against Jaylen, right? If you have Jaylen Brown on your team, you should feature him. You should use all those possessions, and you should approach things that way. But I think the importance of depth, and then obviously, we have to continue to work on ways to diversify our attack overall. All that being said, still would not have made a move unless we thought the right opportunity presented itself.”
Paul George is not as good as Jaylen Brown. George also is 36 years old and, mostly due to injuries, has played more than 60 games in a season only once since 2019. But he is still a good player. George, when healthy, remains a quality scorer and a reliable defender. He played fantastic in the Sixers’ first-round upset over the Celtics this past season.
“We like Paul,” Stevens said. “Paul’s a really good player. We’re not very far removed from all sitting in our series against Philadelphia and watching Paul be a guy that could carry you, for portions of a quarter or a half, but also play a complementary role on both ends of the floor at the highest of levels. He’s excited to come to Boston. He actually already came in this weekend, and we’re excited to get a chance to work with him.”
The two first-round picks the Celtics got from the Sixers in this trade could end up being the most useful assets for Boston. It can be hard sometimes for fans to get really excited about draft picks years down the road, but the more first-rounders you own, the more options you have in the trade market.
“From the draft assets, I get it. I’m a fan first and foremost,” Stevens said. “When I was a kid, I could care less about what picks came back, right? Especially second-round picks. I get it. But the draft assets in this whole deal, the way we looked at it was there are two potential premium assets.
“And so, the quality of the assets, both the 2031 Philly (pick) and the super complicated 2028 pick, which we don’t really need to go into here, both offer potential, who knows, big swings at the apple. And then the second-round picks are sweeteners that you can use in deals to do things to put your team over the top, or maybe draft Jordan Walsh or Dillon Mitchell or somebody you’re really excited about.
“At the end of the day, those guys aren’t Jaylen, but I understand that ultimately, there’s a lot of small steps that it’ll take to build out the depth in the team that we ultimately want to.”
Trading Brown to a rival such as Philadelphia
It’s not easy to trade a great player to a longtime rival that also happened to beat you in the most recent NBA playoffs. But at the end of the day, the job of the front office is to make the best possible trade.
“The Philly part, that is a hard thing, to trade a guy that you, first of all, care so much about, but secondly, have so much respect and admiration for, to a team that just beat you in the playoffs, and that you’re gonna literally play six times before the playoffs next year with our two preseason games,” Stevens said.
“But I do think that ultimately, when you do a deal, you have to be thinking about you first and the optionality it creates for you. If I was being honest, if that exact deal came from a team out west and you were comparing the two, then you’d probably take the team out west, but that’s not the way it was working.”
Stevens made it clear he did not ask for Tatum’s, or any other player’s input, about the trade.
“I have a real hard, fast rule: I don’t ask other guys about other guys because it’s not — I don’t want to put them in that position, and so he had none,” Stevens said.
“The mandate here is to win”
Celtics owner Bill Chisholm made it clear that the goal for the Celtics is to win, and that the team is not afraid to spend money to make that happen.
“This was all about trying to win and really trusting in our process,” Chisholm said. “We have, I think, the best front office in the NBA, and they put in their work and they came to the conclusion this was the best way for us to win. The mandate is to win. And I just have to keep saying that. We’ll spend whatever it takes to do that. The mandate is to win.”
Analytics has been a popular talking point in regards to this trade, especially on social media and the comments from a Bobby Marks interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio last week.
Stevens considered analytics a “small” part of the process here.
“You take in every angle and every ounce of information that you have, and you put it all together, right? For me, and Mike and his staff might get mad at me — they do every day — I would say that was a small piece of information for me,” Stevens said.
Next moves
There’s been some debate over whether the Celtics have another move lined up. Stevens didn’t suggest there’s anything coming soon.
“We’re open, and we’ll be open. I don’t anticipate anything in the very near term,” Stevens said. “We do like the team we have. We might be able to add to it, but at the end of the day, we like the group we have.
“We like the people that we think will be able to officially sign. We’re cognizant that we have a lot of work to do.”
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 5: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 5, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today included in his Sunday Notebook four potential Astros trade targets:
Today, former MLB GM Jim Bowden of The Athletic gave us four targets of his own, 3 new ones and one that was also included by Nightengale in Mickey Moniak:
From former MLB GM Jim Bowden:
The Astros are searching for a left-handed hitting outfielder with pop to better balance their lineup. There are not a lot of players available who fit that profile, but a few significant ones they should target include Jarren Duran, Kerry Carpenter, Ryan O’Hearn and maybe even Mickey Moniak.
Best fit: Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox
Duran needs a change of scenery and would thrive in the Astros’ strong clubhouse environment.
Jarren Duran
Duran, 29, is having the worst season of his career, clearly impacted by the mass of trade rumors that surrounded him all offseason and the tumult around the Red Sox to this point in the year. Duran this season is batting just .197 with a .259 OBP and .620 OPS.
It should be noted that his previous 2 season, he combined to post a 14.9 WAR, has led the AL in triples both seasons, led the AL in doubles in 2024 (in which he finished 8th in AL MVP).
Duran, between 2023 and 2025, batted .273 with a .339 OBP, .812 OPS and 122 OPS+. He also stole 82 bases during that time, with a season high of 34. It stands to reason he is a terrific ‘buy low’ candidate, but clearly there is risk involved, if his production doesn’t return this season.
He has played all 3 outfield positions, but has primarily played LF and CF, at near equal rates. He grades much better defensively in LF than he does in CF.
Duran is on a 1 year, $7.7M contract, and has 2 years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Kerry Carpenter
Carpenter, 28, is traditionally a low average, low on-base, higher OPS guy because of his power. He is batting .234 this season with a .306 OBP and .790 OPS. Carpenter has 13 HR and 36 RBI in 67 games (192 AB).
For his career he is a .263 batter with a .319 career OBP and .823 OPS. He will provide power, but his other numbers seem to go against what the Astros have shown a desire to add to the lineup, which is the ability to get on base and control the strike zone.
Carpenter is primarily a RF, but has experience in LF as well.
Carpenter is on a 1 year, $3.275M contract, and has 2 years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Ryan O’Hearn
O’Hearn, 32, is having a solid offensive season in his first year in Pittsburgh, batting .284 with a .344 OBP and .807 OPS. He has 13 HR and 51 RBI in 285 AB to date this season.
O’Hearn has primarily been a 1B, but has experience in both corner OF spots. He is a below average defender at all 3 positions.
Over his most recent 3.5 seasons (going back to 2023), O’Hearn has batted .278 with a .343 OBP, .795 OPS and 119 OPS+. He has been the most consistent offensive player of the bunch, but the worst defender.
O’Hearn is in the first year of a 2 year, $29M deal, and will make $15M next season.
Mickey Moniak
Moniak, 28, is a former 1st round pick in 2016 drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was brought up at age 22 the first time, and again at age 23 for a brief time as well, and struggled badly. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline in 2022 for Noah Syndergaard.
2023 finally led to a breakthrough season for Moniak, who hit .280 with 14 HR and 45 RBI after being called up May 12. He posted an .802 OPS, but only a .307 OBP because he walked just 9 times in 323 PA.
In 2024 he would regress, batting just .214 with a .266 OBP and .686 OPS. The Angels released him March 25, 2025.
The next day, he signed a 1 year, $1.25M deal with the Colorado Rockies. His first year in Denver, Moniak hit .270 with a career-best 24 HR and 68 RBI. He again posted a strong OPS (.824) despite a weak OBP (.306).
So far this season, Moniak is batting .282 with a .333 OBP and .945 OPS with 15 HR and 37 RBI in 55 games.
Moniak is not known as a strong defender, with limited range and a weaker arm. He would likely be a left fielder on the Astros.
Moniak is signed to a 1 year, $4M contract and still has one more season of arbitration eligibility.
While a decision on his playing future is anxiously anticipated, a reunion between the Philadelphia Flyers and former captain Claude Giroux still remains a distinct possibility, five days on from the start of NHL free agency.
Giroux, 38, remains one of the best remaining free agents around the NHL, even in his advanced age, still without a new contract from his Ottawa Senators.
According to a new report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, that will remain the case for some time, as the former Flyers captain weighs his options ahead of what is widely assumed to be his last NHL season.
"Sources close to Giroux told the Ottawa Citizen late Friday that 'he hasn’t made his decision yet' on where he’s headed," Garrioch reported. "The Toronto Maple Leafs have also spoken with Giroux’s camp and remain keenly interested, while the Edmonton Oilers made a pitch, but well-respected Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector says they’re no longer involved."
That leaves two horses left in the race for Giroux: the Flyers, and the Senators, who have undergone a considerable roster shake-up this offseason already.
Added Garrioch: "After spending the last four seasons with the Senators, it feels like Giroux has a foot out the door, and the sense in league circles is a return to the Flyers is inevitable. The belief is Giroux wants to take some time to make his decision because this will likely be his final season in the NHL."
A potential Giroux reunion with the Flyers could hinge on the outcome of the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, which would tie up a whopping $18 million of cap space and leave the Flyers needing to move out some money to make any further additions and comfortably re-sign free agents Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Nikita Grebenkin.
The Flyers remain interested in Giroux with or without Carlsson, but ultimately, the decision lies with the player, a veteran of 1,345 regular season games who has earned the right to choose the way he goes out.
At the time of this writing, PuckPedia shows the Flyers having $29.5 million in cap space, not including Carlsson's pending $18 million cap charge, leaving $11.5 million for Giroux, Zegras, Grebenkin, and Drysdale
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a pretty active this off-season, as they have brought in new some players and lost others.
When looking at the Penguins' current roster, it is clear that they should not be done making moves yet. One specific area that they should be looking to improve this summer is the left side of their defense.
The Penguins traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights and lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency this summer. With this, it is clear that they could use another left-shot defenseman before the new season is here.
A few left-shot defensemen who are still on the free agent market include Logan Stanley, Carson Soucy, Mike Reilly, and former Penguin Matt Grzelcyk. While none of these players would necessarily be major additions, signing one of them would help Pittsburgh's depth.
There are also some left-shot defensemen who have come up in the rumor mill this summer as trade candidate. Morgan Rielly, Alexander Nikishin, and Mason Lohrei are a few examples.
It will be interesting to see if the Penguins bring in another left-shot defenseman this summer, but it is something that they should consider after losing two solid blueliners in Shea and Wotherspoon.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames signed defenseman Simon Nemec to a five-year contract worth $36.25 million on Monday.
Nemec will count $7.25 million against the salary cap through the 2030-31 NHL season. Calgary acquired his rights and winger Maxim Tsyplakov from New Jersey last month for a second-round pick this year, two conditional first-rounders and prospect Etienne Morin.
“I just felt like the return that we got from Calgary was just kind of too good to pass up," Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said on a video call with reporters last week. "They kind of stepped up with their offer to get him, and I just thought it was ultimately the right thing for the organization to move on.”
Nemec skated in 159 combined games in the league since the Devils took him with the second pick in the 2022 draft, averaging roughly 19 minutes of ice time. Mehta denied that Nemec asked for a trade and said after a candid conversation that he felt it best for the 22-year-old Slovak to get a fresh start elsewhere.
“He just wants a path," Mehta said. “He wants a path to develop and a path to grow into the role that he foresees for himself.”
