Among them is a record-setting group of seven players under contract with the Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions: Cedric Desruisseaux, Logan Nijhoff, Jacob Paquette, Wyatt McLeod, Emmett Serensits, Jacob Dion, and Vincent Duplessis.
Back in North America, Desruisseaux will be attending his third American Hockey League camp. He previously participated in the Rocket’s camp in 2021, in addition to receiving an invitation to the Montreal Canadiens’ camp that same year. The following season, he joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ camp.
The forward from Warwick also suited up for the Lions in 39 games during the 2021-22 season.
Nijhoff will be taking part in his second camp with the Rocket. This will mark his fifth consecutive AHL camp, after previous stops with San Diego in 2021 and 2022, Rockford in 2023, and Laval in 2024.
Nijhoff signed a new contract with the Lions at the end of the summer. He finished last season tied for first in team goals with 25, alongside Jakov Novak and Anthony Beauregard.
This will also be Paquette’s second camp with Laval. Over the course of his career, the defenseman from Ottawa has also attended Nashville Predators’ camps in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie camp in 2019.
Paquette is set to begin his second full season with the Lions after finishing sixth in the ECHL last year in plus/minus with an impressive +32 rating.
For McLeod, this marks his second AHL camp. In 2024, he was invited by the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, before joining the Lions at the start of their training camp.
The 6-foot-3 blueliner signed a new deal with Trois-Rivières at the beginning of September.
Serensits, Dion and Duplessis will all be attending their first AHL camps. Emmett signed with the Lions at the end of last season and suited up for 10 regular-season games under head coach Ron Choules, while Dion is preparing to make his professional debut with the Lions.
Chris Wilder sent off for kicking a ball into the crowd
Middlesbrough stay top after goalless draw with Stoke
Ross Stewart’s second-half double sealed for Southampton a 2-1 comeback win at Bramall Lane and consigned Sheffield United to a seventh league defeat of the season.
Stewart cancelled out Tyrese Campbell’s first-half opener for the Blades early in the second period and arrowed a stunning winner into the top corner seven minutes later as the Saints clinched their first league win on the road this campaign.
The Ottawa Senators wrap up their back-to-back neutral-site preseason games in Quebec City on Tuesday night, taking on the Montreal Canadiens. The Sens are coming off a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and will hit the ice again at 7 p.m., with English TV coverage available (hopefully) on TSN2, RDS, and TSN5.
The Sens line combinations won't be quite like they were at the game day skate this morning. As mentioned earlier in this space, game-day skates in the preseason aren't always a predictor of how things will align for the game. According to Coming in Hot's Brent Wallace, who's in Quebec City, we'll see this instead:
In one way, you could look at this as a battle for the backup goalie job. In another way – a much more accurate way – Merilainen will be Linus Ullmark's understudy this season.
The Sens' bottom six forwards are all duking it out for one or two forward jobs – always a weird vibe to be competing both with and against your linemates. Carter Yakemchuk and Donovan Sebrango are also hoping to land a spot on the NHL roster and will both be paired with experienced players.
The Sens are 2-1 in the preseason so far and still have 31 players in camp. They dressed a lot of their opening night regulars in their game on Sunday afternoon against the Devils, and in their exhibition opener versus Toronto the Sunday before.
The Habs are 3-1 with 29 guys still in camp. They held a morning skate at the CN Sports Complex before leaving for Quebec City on Tuesday. The Sens will get their first main camp look at 19-year-old Ivan Demidov, who will likely give them trouble in the Atlantic for the foreseeable future. They also get a double dip of Xhekajs, who don't mind causing trouble of a different kind.
Here’s the Canadiens projected lineup for tonight’s matchup:
Bolduc-Dach-Gallagher Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov Veleno-Beck-Laine F. Xhekaj-Evans-Anderson
Matheson-Engstrom A. Xhekaj-Hutson Struble-Carrier
Dobes Kahkonen
With the infusion of travelling Montreal fans, we're likely to see a bigger crowd for this one, and as Travis Green says he expects, a game that feels more like the regular season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Lucas Giolito doesn’t appear to have structural damage to his right elbow but is unlikely to pitch for the Boston Red Sox during the postseason.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Giolito was left off Boston’s roster for the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees because of elbow pain and was examined by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Dugas repaired the ulnar collateral ligament in Giolito’s right elbow with internal brace surgery on March 12 last year.
“From everything I am hearing there’s no structural damage, which is great, right? There’s a slim chance he can pitch,” manager Alex Cora said before Tuesday night’s series opener. “I think from a personal standpoint, those are good news for him, right? Kind of like hard to have surgery going into the offseason, all of that.”
An All-Star in 2019, Giolito was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts this season. He also had Tommy John surgery with Dr. Lewis Yocum on Sept. 13, 2012.
Giolito is 71-66 with a 4.30 ERA in nine major league seasons.
They will host the Sabres on Wednesday before going to Buffalo on Friday for what will probably be the "dress rehearsal" game. The Penguins released their roster for Wednesday's game, and it's similar to the rosters they've used for other preseason games.
2025 first-round pick Benjamin Kindel is set to play in his fifth preseason game after he was the best player on the ice against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. He opened the scoring in the first period after starting the breakout in the defensive zone before showcasing his release when he cut to the middle of the offensive zone. He continues to look more comfortable in each game he plays in.
Ville Koivunen, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, Filip Hallander, Owen Pickering, and Harrison Brunicke are also on the roster and are battling for opening-night roster spots. Forward Noel Acciari, who has been injured during training camp and most of the preseason, is on the roster, too.
Here's the full roster:
Forwards
Filip Hallander
Robby Fabbri
Joona Koppanen
Sam Poulin
Tristan Broz
Ville Koivunen
Danton Heinen
Blake Lizotte
Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Philip Tomasino
Noel Acciari
Ben Kindel
Avery Hayes
Defensemen
Jack St. Ivany
Ryan Shea
Matt Dumba
Ryan Graves
Owen Pickering
Harrison Brunicke
Philip Kemp
Goaltenders
Arturs Silovs
Filip Larsson
The Penguins will have a morning skate in Cranberry on Wednesday before hosting the Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. Fans in the Pittsburgh area can watch the game on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ron Washington will not return for a third season as the Los Angeles Angels manager, The Athletic reported.
The Angels hadn’t publicly announced their decision Tuesday on Washington, who missed roughly half of the current season after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery. Interim manager Ray Montgomery also won’t be the Angels’ next manager, according to the report.
The 73-year-old Washington was the oldest manager in the majors during his two seasons with the Angels, who hired him in November 2023. Los Angeles had the worst season in franchise history in 2024, going 63-99 after the free-agency departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels went 72-90 this season and finished last in the AL West for the second straight season under Washington and Montgomery, the bench coach who stepped up in late June after Washington was sidelined by his health issues. Washington was back around the Angels in uniform at the close of the season, but he didn’t resume managerial duties.
Washington repeatedly said he hoped to return as manager next season, but owner Arte Moreno has decided to make yet another change to a franchise that has endured 10 consecutive losing seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons — both the longest active streaks in the majors.
Washington had success during his tenure as Texas Rangers manager from 2007-14, reaching two World Series while making three playoff appearances and posting five straight winning seasons. He moved on to coaching roles in Oakland and Atlanta, and he won a World Series ring with the Braves in 2021.
But he couldn’t save the long-struggling Angels despite remaining popular with his players and Orange County fans. The Halos will have their fifth full-time manager in eight seasons since the departure of Mike Scioscia, who managed the club for 19 years and won its only World Series title in 2002.
After years of free spending on veteran players by Moreno, the Angels have built the start of a young core with shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, outfielder Jo Adell and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. That rising talent hasn’t led to an improvement in the standings.
The Angels also paid $38.5 million this season to third baseman Anthony Rendon, who didn’t play in 2025 due to a lingering hip injury. Rendon, who hasn’t played more than 58 games in any of his six seasons with Los Angeles, still has one year left on one of the most disastrous free-agent contracts in major league history.
CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back homers, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series.
Chicago also got a perfect performance from its bullpen in the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2017 National League Championship Series. The Cubs were swept by Miami in the wild-card round in 2020 during their last postseason appearance.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is back at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Suzuki opened the fifth inning with a 424-foot drive to left-center off Nick Pivetta, tying it at 1 and sending a charge through a towel-waving crowd of 39,114 on a picturesque afternoon. Pivetta had retired 11 in a row before Suzuki extended his homer streak to five games going back to the regular season.
Kelly followed with a towering shot that drifted just over the wall in left-center. The catcher and Chicago native held his right arm in the air as he rounded first base.
It was the MLB postseason debut for both Suzuki and Kelly, who combined for the franchise’s first set of back-to-back homers in the playoffs since Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler went deep on Oct. 15, 2016, against the Dodgers.
Pivetta struck out nine in five solid innings, but San Diego’s lineup was shut down by Matthew Boyd and four relievers.
Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts produced an early lead for the Padres with back-to-back doubles in the second. Bogaerts advanced to third on center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s throwing error, but he was stranded there when Boyd retired Ryan O’Hearn (grounder to shortstop), Gavin Sheets (popup to third) and Jake Cronenworth (grounder to shortstop).
San Diego put runners on the corners with one out in the fourth, but Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson made a nice running catch to help Boyd escape again.
Boyd exited after Freddy Fermin’s one-out single in the fifth. As shadows started to creep across home plate, Daniel Palencia retired each of his five batters for the win, including strikeouts of Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.
Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Kittredge each got three outs for Chicago before Brad Keller handled the ninth for the save.
Up next
Dylan Cease takes the mound for San Diego on Wednesday. Chicago was waiting until after the series opener to announce its Game 2 starter.
Cease went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts this season. The 29-year-old right-hander was drafted by the Cubs in 2014, but was traded to the White Sox in July 2017.
“I definitely have no hard feelings towards them, but yeah, it feels like a lifetime ago,” Cease said.
The NHL saw several players hit the waiver wire on Sep. 30. While none were current Chicago Blackhawks players, a few former ones have been placed on waivers. This is because Isaak Phillips, Matthew Highmore, and Josiah Slavin have all been placed on waivers by their current clubs.
Phillips was traded by the Blackhawks during this past season to the Winnipeg Jets. Following the trade, he posted three goals, eight points, and a minus-11 rating in 39 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose.
Phillips played in 56 games over four seasons with the Blackhawks, recording two goals, 12 points, and 31 penalty minutes.
Highmore was placed on waivers by the New York Islanders and signed with them this past off-season. He played in 73 games over three seasons with the Blackhawks in 2017-18, 2019-20, and 2020-21, where he recorded four goals, 10 points, 69 hits, and a minus-10 rating.
As for Slavin, he has been placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks' 2018 seventh-round pick played in 15 games for Chicago during the 2021-22 season, where he recorded one assist. He has solely played at the AHL level since.
The pre-season is in its final days, as the 2025-26 NHL regular season kicks off on Oct. 7.
NHL teams that have players signed to professional tryouts (PTOs) will soon need to decide if they plan to sign them for the season or not.
The Carolina Hurricanes recently released defenseman Oliver Kylington and forward Kevin Labanc from their PTOs, but there are still a good number of players around the league on their tryouts.
Due to this, let’s check in on a handful of players on PTOs.
Robby Fabbri, C/LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Robby Fabbri recorded eight goals, 16 points and a minus-6 rating in 44 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season before signing a PTO with Pittsburgh.
The Penguins have a lot of forwards fighting for NHL spots, so Fabbri has plenty of competition to earn a contract. The former first-round pick has one goal and six shots on goal in three games, so if he ends the pre-season on a high note, it could be enough for him to get a contract.
Conor Sheary, LW, New York Rangers
After mutually terminating his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer, Conor Sheary signed a PTO with the New York Rangers. With the way he has played this pre-season, there is no question that he is making a case to earn a contract.
Sheary has one goal and three points in two games, including two assists against the New York Islanders. He also has seven shots on goal and four high-danger chances, according to naturalstattrick.com. With this, it is fair to wonder if he could get a deal for the season, whether that is with the Rangers or another team.
Milan Lucic, LW, St. Louis Blues
Milan Lucic is looking to earn a contract with the St. Louis Blues and play in the NHL for the first time since the 2023-24 season. It has not been a smooth training camp for Lucic, however, as he suffered a groin injury and was forced to miss time.
Lucic has since returned to practice and will now be looking to impress during this final portion of the pre-season. The clock is ticking, but he still could get a contract if he finishes training camp strong.
"He's got to make an impression to make the team," Blues coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. "He understands that. Whether he plays the last three games or the last two, we want to put himself in the best advantage so we can evaluate him at his best."
Matt Grzelcyk, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Matt Grzelcyk, who recorded 40 points last season, is still looking to earn a contract for the season with the Chicago Blackhawks. That said, he's only gotten into one game so far, recording one shot. He was on the ice for 20 chances-for and 15 chances against, according to naturalstattrick.com.
With the Blackhawks having several young defensemen fighting for NHL spots, a contract for the Massachusetts native with Chicago is not guaranteed.
Yet, the Blackhawks could sign Grzelcyk if they want another veteran to help mentor their young defensemen. Either way, the Blackhawks have a big decision to make with him. If they don't sign Grzelcyk, it is hard to imagine him not getting a contract from another club at some point.
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Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series between the Guardians and Tigers was all about the dominance of Tarik Skubal. The presumptive Cy Young winner was outstanding in the series opener allowing just a single run while striking out a Wild Card record 14 over 7.2 innings as Detroit took Game 1, 2-1 over Cleveland.
Gavin Williams was nearly as good as Skubal allowing just two unearned runs over six innings with eight strikeouts.
Detroit's manager, A.J. Hinch, played small ball with his ace on the mound. With the score tied at one in the top of the seventh and runners on the corners, Zach McKinstry delivered a sacrifice bunt to score Riley Greene which ultimately was the difference on the scoreboard. The ultimate difference in reality, though, was Skubal.
With Game 2 being a potential elimination game and less than 24 hours away, lets dive right into the matchup that pits Casey Mize on the bump for Detroit against Tanner Bibee for Cleveland.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Game 2 between the Tigers and the Guardians
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 1:08PM EST
Site: Progressive Field
City: Cleveland, OH
Network/Streaming: ESPN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for Game 2: Detroit at Cleveland
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Detroit Tigers (+100), Cleveland Guardians (-121)
Spread: Guardians -1.5 (+155)
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Tigers at Guardians - Game 2
Pitching matchup for October 1, 2025: Casey Mize vs. Tanner Bibee
Tigers: Casey Mize (14-6, 3.87 ERA) Last outing: 9/26 at Boston - 6.1IP, 2ER, 6H, 0BB, 8Ks Key Stat: Mize has struck out 8 in 3 of his last 4 starts
Guardians: Tanner Bibee (12-11, 4.24 ERA) Last outing: 9/24 vs. Detroit - 6IP, 1ER, 5H, 2BB, 5Ks Key Stat: Bibee has not allowed more than 2 earned runs in any of his last 4 starts while pitching at least 6 full innings in each
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 Tigers at Guardians - Game 2
The Guardians lost 2 games in a row twice in September with an overall record of 20-8
Riley Greene was 1-3 in Game 1 and is now 7-29 (.241) with 2 runs scored in 8 career playoff games
Jose Ramirez was 1-3 in Game 1 and is now 39-162 (.241) with 18 RBIs over 43 career playoff games
Will Vest's save in Game 1 was his second career save in 7 appearances
Javy Baez was the only player from either team to collect more than 1 hit in the game collecting 2 singles in 3 trips to the plate
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Game 2 between the Tigers and the Guardians
Rotoworld Best Bet
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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 2 between the Tigers and the Guardians:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Detroit Tigers +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) gets a fist bump from catcher Ben Rortvedt (47) after recording his 12th strikeout against the Phillies on Sept. 17. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In the hours leading up to the Dodgers’ Sept. 10 game against the Colorado Rockies, Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt was taking a nap.
After the previous week, it was a well-deserved rest.
A 28-year-old journeyman backstop who’d been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Dodgers at the deadline, Rortvedt was called up from the minors and thrust into emergency duty in the middle of a tight division race. In the span of three days from Sept. 3-5, both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing had been injured. And in Rortvedt’s first three starts with the Dodgers after that, he’d twice helped take a no-hitter into the ninth while offering unexpected contributions with his bat.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Rortvedt said then. “But this gets you battle-tested.”
By Sept. 10, however, Rortvedt’s time in the majors appeared to be ticking. The previous night, Smith had returned to the lineup a week after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand. Rushing was also working his way back from the injured list after fouling a ball off his leg five days earlier. And in what appeared to be one of his final days on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, Rortvedt went for a pregame nap.
And three weeks later, he will start behind the plate for the Dodgers in Game 1 of their National League wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
In the lead-up to that Sept. 10 game, Smith’s hand swelled up on him, forcing him to be scratched from the lineup and ultimately go for further testing that revealed a fractured bone where the team initially believed there was only a bruise.
Rushing, meanwhile, never found a groove with his bat or his game-calling upon returning to the active roster a few days later, enduring more rookie growing pains that had plagued him all year.
Rortvedt, on the other hand, just kept on contributing, providing a steady presence behind the plate for the pitching staff, improved defense on balls in the dirt, and subtly useful offense with a .224 batting average and three sacrifice bunts.
It was enough for manager Dave Roberts to effectively name Rortvedt the team’s primary catcher in Smith’s absence, saying he would get the “lion’s share” of playing time if Smith wasn’t back for the start of the playoffs.
And though Smith was included on the Dodgers’ wild-card roster Tuesday, after making enough progress with his hand to take live at-bats during a team workout the night before, he still wasn’t ready to resume full starting duties. For this series, he will likely be only a pinch-hit option off the bench.
Rortvedt, meanwhile, will get playoff starts not even he could have seen coming a month ago.
“I’ve just been really grateful to get another chance [in the majors],” Rortvedt said last week. “And a chance like this is an amazing opportunity.”
A former second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins coming out of high school in Wisconsin in 2016, Rortvedt has struggled to carve out a consistent major-league role in his nomadic professional career. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Twins but hit just .169 over 39 games. He was traded to the New York Yankees the following spring as a minor piece in a Josh Donaldson/Gary Sánchez deal, but spent most of that year injured.
After another disappointing 32-game stint in 2023 with the Yankees, when he hit .118, Rortvedt finally found some success in 2024 following another trade to Tampa Bay. Through mid-May, he was hitting over .300 and earning consistent starts behind the plate. And though his numbers faded the rest of the way, he finally seemed to be cementing his place on a big-league roster, entering this season confident that some offseason swing tweaks would lead to an even stronger year.
“I thought I was in a really good space to have a good year,” Rortvedt said.
Instead, it all fell apart.
In 26 games over the season’s first two months, Rortvedt had just six hits in 63 at-bats. He was relegated to backup duties, then ultimately the minor leagues. In late May, when he was designated for assignment, he traded emotional goodbyes with his Rays teammates on his way out of the clubhouse.
“The beginning of the year was a big down for me,” he said. “I messed around with a little too many things [in my swing], and I never got comfortable coming out of spring training.”
At the trade deadline, Rortvedt was on the move again, getting roped into a three-team deal with — coincidentally — the Dodgers and Reds that saw Los Angeles effectively use him to replace Hunter Feduccia as their third organizational catcher.
“As one door closes, another opens,” Rortvedt said. “And especially with the organization here, with the reputation, the job they do in all aspects of the game, I was extremely grateful to be in this kind of place.”
That didn’t mean his transition over the last month was easy. After being thrust into starting duties, Rortvedt spent most of his hours catching bullpens, talking with the team’s pitchers about their tendencies, and devouring film of the staff each night on his iPad to learn each one’s pitch mix.
“That’s really, really hard,” Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann said. “But his personality and the way he goes about things shows that he cares. It’s evident in his work and his meetings and talking to the guys, and putting defense first when he’s supposed to.”
Despite the whiplash nature of his return to the majors, Rortvedt found all-around success.
He has gone 11-for-49 at the plate with two doubles, a home run and an on-base-percentage above .300, posting a higher OPS than Rushing on the year. He has overseen a dominant run from the rotation, with Dodgers pitchers posting a 2.89 ERA in the 18 games he has caught.
“For him being new to the team, he’s just had a really good energy,” Dodgers Game 1 starter Blake Snell said. “He’s been very clutch for us offensively, very clutch for us defensively. I just attribute it to how much he wants to catch and how much he wants to be back there. His excitement, it’s contagious. And it’s helping the pitchers pitch good.”
The Dodgers, of course, are still hoping to get Smith back to full-time starting duties at some point this October. They still have Rushing as a long-term piece of their future puzzle.
But for now, Rortvedt has been the right guy at the right time to help the team navigate its sudden catching problems. And Tuesday night, he’ll get his first playoff start.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Rortvedt said of his brief but influential Dodgers tenure. “But it’s definitely been better than sitting around.”
The longest, driest summer in Golden State Warriors history ended Tuesday, eight days into autumn.
It took 92 days for the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga to find conditions that will allow both sides to unclench their fists, shake hands and exchange smiles. The negotiations that dragged on since June, really, ended in the only place they could, with both parties making compromises with which they coexist.
Kuminga gets exponentially more money, $48.5 million over the next two seasons, than he would have with the $8 million qualifying offer. Bigger paychecks than he’s ever known. The 22-year-old forward could explore the unrestricted free agent market in 2027, if not sooner.
Kuminga does not get the starting role he covets, nor the ability to veto any trade that would have been in place had he signed the qualifying offer. He also will not get the 30 or so minutes per night he expected elsewhere.
Recognizing the urgency of the moment, Kuminga’s agent, the cheeky Aaron Turner, shaved away some of their requests for the sake of conclusion.
The Warriors, by keeping the team option, retained the flexibility they wanted most. By dodging the NBA’s qualifying offer quicksand, they get the substantial salary slot that aids in building future rosters. They also avoid the egg that would have been on the faces of the front office next July had Kuminga bolted as an unrestricted free agent.
General manager Mike Dunleavy and CEO Joe Lacob can take satisfaction in knowing they are in position to get a return on their investment.
By never flinching on the team option, there also is the possibility – or probability – they could move Kuminga during the three-week window between Jan. 15 and the NBA trade deadline set for noon on Feb. 5, 2026.
What the Warriors do not get is a full summer they lost. The one with the simplified roster and the peace of mind that would have come with the clean break they sought in July, when it quickly became clear they were willing to part with Kuminga.
Most significant, given that this agreement comes one day into training camp, is that the Warriors on Wednesday can fill a roster that on Tuesday was the thinnest in the NBA.
Players camped in the waiting room for almost three months – Seth Curry, Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton – finally can sign contracts that completed months ago.
Horford is set to receive a two-year contract that begins at Golden State’s $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception. That’s a lock, and he’s scheduled to participate in practice Wednesday.
The situation with Seth Curry and Melton is a bit cloudy. Both will sign veteran-minimum deals with relatively light cap hits. But salary cap reasons – and the looming second apron – will prevent the Warriors from adding both immediately. One will come aboard as the 15th man, as early as Nov. 12.
The Warriors could sign Melton immediately, but he still is in the late stages of rehabilitating from ACL surgery last December. That comes with risk, as he might not be cleared until November or later.
Or they could sign Curry. That seems the more logical route, as he is fully healthy and can take the floor immediately.
By mid-November, coach Steve Kerr could have the roster he and Dunleavy in July sold to veteran leaders Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green. Horford is projected to start at center. Once Melton is fully cleared, he’ll compete to start in the backcourt alongside Stephen Curry.
Should Melton regain the starting role he lost due to injury last season, Golden State projects to have a formidable bench: Seth Curry, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Quinten Post and, of course, Kuminga.
Would such a roster, considering the cutthroat competition within the Western Conference, be strong enough avoid the NBA play-in tournament by snagging one of the top six playoff seeds?
The answer is rife with “ifs.”
The Warriors have a chance, if:
Stephen Curry, who averaged 72 games over the past two seasons, stays healthy enough to exceed that figure. He turns 38 next March.
Butler, who has not appeared in more than 65 games since 2018-19, can exceed that figure. He turned 36 this month.
Green, who has not appeared in 70 games only once since 2017-18, can exceed that figure. He turns 36 next March.
Horford, who averaged roughly 64 games over the past four seasons, can exceed that figure – while averaging 24-28 minutes per game.
Melton can regain the mojo he displayed last November and average 24-26 minutes over 65 games.
The Warriors now know who they have, and at least an idea of what they can become when healthy. If Kuminga plays at a level commensurate to his contract, they should be able to compete with any team in the league.
The Chicago Blackhawks set their roster for their preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, early in the day. It didn't include Kevin Korchinski, as he practiced with the healthy "non-game group" alongside Nolan Allan, Sam Lafferty, Louis Crevier, Lukas Reichel, and Landon Slaggert.
Korchinski was in a four-man battle for the final roster spot on the blue line. Well, that was until Tuesday, as he was sent down to the Rockford IceHogs. He will head to the AHL to join their camp and continue his development.
It is a bit surprising that this decision came as early as it did, with two more preseason games to go after this one against the Red Wings. Kyle Davidson, Jeff Blashill, and the decision makers clearly see more value in Korchinski playing more AHL games.
With this move, the Blackhawks roster now sits at 29 players, including 16 forwards, 10 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders.
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