The Chicago Blackhawks have officially reached July. The draft is in the rear-view mirror, and NHL teams only have free agency and trades left to improve their franchises.
On Monday, the last day of June, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the news that the Blackhawks have extended qualifying offers to Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, and Arvid Soderblom. All of them remain restricted free agents.
Philipp Kurashev did not receive one and will become an unrestricted free agent. This will likely end his five-year tenure in Chicago, the team that drafted him.
Kaiser and Crevier are defensemen who will likely rotate in and out of Chicago’s lineup during the 2025-26 season. They are both solid and deserve playing time. Each of them may even get some games in the AHL to stay fresh. Chicago has a lot of serviceable defenders, which is a good problem to have.
As for Soderblom, unless the Blackhawks make a move on an established veteran goalie, an extension would likely mean an opportunity to be Spencer Knight’s backup in 2025-26.
Soderblom had an outstanding year in different roles for Chicago. Whether he was the number one, the backup, or splitting time at any point in the year, the Hawks knew that they had a reliable player between the pipes.
As for Kurashev, he fell out of favor with the current folks in charge. After a strong 2023-24 season that saw him have 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 75 games, he took a major step back with just 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points in 51 games in 2024-25. He was mostly a healthy scratch down the stretch.
Kurashev will find work elsewhere. Another team will give him a chance based on his good moments in the past. Kyle Davidson and his staff are much more focused on players that they brought into the organization.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz is staying at home.
The 29-year-old forward was trekking the back nine of a golf course on Monday afternoon when he agreed to a three-year, $4.05 million contract with an annual average value of $1.35 million. Lorentz was creeping towards the open market, with less than 24 hours until free agency, though he knew he'd always remain in Toronto.
"There was no doubt in my mind that I'd be back in Toronto again. It definitely has been a process, and maybe it went a little bit longer than I'd hoped, but that's part of being unrestricted," Lorentz said Monday evening.
"In my heart, I knew I wanted to come back. I knew that I wanted to stay, I didn't want to go anywhere else, and I'm just so proud and happy to be able to get it done, and I'm already looking forward to next year."
After basking in being a Maple Leaf this past season, Lorentz will now have three more years to go into battle with Toronto in hopes of bringing the historic trophy back home.
"Honestly, that's what I wanted more than anything, was just the longevity. I would love to play my whole career here in Toronto. Last year was even better; it exceeded expectations," he said.
"Just being able to wear the Leaf with pride and being able to play at home, with friends and family, and trying to bring a cup to a city that's been longing for it for so long, and it deserves it...
"We still have that goal that we want to be the hardest-working team. We want to be the best team. We want to be the team that comes out on top in June. It was kind of a no-brainer, working out the contract details and stuff like that."
Bursting onto the scene with his puppy-like personality at training camp last September, Lorentz and the Maple Leafs agreed on a one-year, $775,000 contract after the preseason. He had just won a Stanley Cup a couple of months earlier with the Florida Panthers and wanted to return home so that he could do the same here.
"I've tried (to imagine winning the Stanley Cup in Toronto)," Lorentz said with a grin last September. "This is such a hockey city, and it's no secret it would just be mayhem if the Leafs were ever to do it."
Ultimately, after a 19-point season, which tied a career high, plus two assists in the playoffs, Toronto was ousted in the second round by the very same team that he won with the year prior. The year didn't finish how he and many others would've liked it to, but what it means to be a Maple Leaf isn't lost on Lorentz.
"I don't think I'll ever forget skating out for Game 1 of playoffs," he grinned.
"I remember looking at [Scott Laughton] on the bench, just a couple of local boys, and we're like, holy you know what, this is sick. I still remember the first 10 minutes and we came out flying. That's something I don't think I'll ever forget, so that's one that sticks out, but there was so many (memories).
"Little things on the ice, off the ice, in the community, at practice, it was a blur, but I don't think there was a bad day, minus the day we lost out. It was just so disappointing, but it was such a fun year, and like I said, it's such a great group there, and I wouldn't really want to go to war with anybody else."
Lorentz is already feet-first into his offseason work, skating with several players from the Kitchener-Waterloo area. There's one thing, though, left to tick off his summer bucket list: getting married to his fiancée, Erin.
And after that, it's back to Maple Leafs land—with a three-year extension in his hands—to begin the quest of bringing hockey's ultimate prize back to Toronto for the first time since 1967.
"My head's kind of still buzzing right now," he smiled.
"It's been a crazy couple of weeks in just trying to get this thing done, but more than anything, I'm just excited, and like I said, it's such a great group that, it didn't take a lot of decision-making. I knew my heart was here."
(Top photo of Lorentz: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
On the eve of free agency, it was the deadline for teams to
submit qualifying offers to their pending RFAs. For the Montreal Canadiens,
that meant goaltenders Jakub Dobes and Cayden Primeau, forwards Rafael
Harvey-Pinard, Sean Farrell, Xavier Simoneau, and defensemen Jayden Struble,
William Trudeau, Gustav Lindstrom, and Noel Hoefenmayer.
In Lindstrom’s case, it matters very little since the right-shot
26-year-old blueliner has already signed a five-year deal with Djurgårdens in
the SHL. Considering his age and the length of the agreement, it would be
surprising to see him return this side of the pond.
As for Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who had made the most of his
opportunity when the Injury Ninja hit the Canadiens hard during the 2022-23
season when he recorded 20 points in 34 games with the Habs and turned that
into a 2-year deal with a $1.1 M AAV, he did not receive a qualifying offer.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done in Montreal; they could still sign him
as a free agent, but it does mean the Canadiens weren’t ready to offer him
$1,000,000, which was his qualifying offer.
Simoneau and Hoefenmayer didn’t receive an offer either. Simoneau
is a 5-foot-7, 24-year-old left-shot center who had a rough season with the
Laval Rocket this year. In 58 games, he could only muster 21 points, down from 38
in 2022-23 and 37 in 2023-24. He was a sixth-round pick by Montreal at the 2021
draft, and in nine playoff games this postseason, he notched three points.
As for Hoefenmayer, he was obtained in a trade with the
Oilers in December in which the Canadiens sent Jacob Perreault their way. The
26-year-old left-shot defenseman was a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes
at the 2017 draft. In 32 games with the Rocket this season, he recorded 14
points in 32 games but was only dressed in six of the Laval outfit’s playoff
games.
Photo credit: Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player in league history to be named regular season MVP and Finals MVP while winning the title in the same season. He earned the latter award after leading the Thunder to their first championship in the OKC era, defeating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series.
The three-time All-NBA guard led the NBA by scoring 32.7 points per game during the regular season as the Thunder rolled to a 68-14 record.
He became the first player in 25 years to win the scoring title and lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the same year and the fourth player ever to complete a trifecta of scoring title, regular season MVP and championship.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined the Thunder in 2019 after spending his rookie season with the LA Clippers. He was dealt to OKC as part of the blockbuster trade that paired Paul George with Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, a trade that also gave the Thunder the draft pick they used to select forward Jalen Williams.
With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge, the Thunder went from a 24-win team to NBA champions in a three-year span.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player in league history to be named regular season MVP and Finals MVP while winning the title in the same season. He earned the latter award after leading the Thunder to their first championship in the OKC era, defeating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series.
The three-time All-NBA guard led the NBA by scoring 32.7 points per game during the regular season as the Thunder rolled to a 68-14 record.
He became the first player in 25 years to win the scoring title and lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the same year and the fourth player ever to complete a trifecta of scoring title, regular season MVP and championship.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined the Thunder in 2019 after spending his rookie season with the LA Clippers. He was dealt to OKC as part of the blockbuster trade that paired Paul George with Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, a trade that also gave the Thunder the draft pick they used to select forward Jalen Williams.
With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge, the Thunder went from a 24-win team to NBA champions in a three-year span.
As of 1 July, the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh is leading MLB in home runs with 33.Photograph: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
It’s the dream of every kid who picks up a baseball bat. The score is tied, 1-1. It’s the bottom of the ninth inning. With one swing, you have the chance to make history. That’s the situation Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh found himself in on 30 September 2022. His manager called him up to bat with the game on the line. If his team won, they’d end a 20-year playoff drought. So, what did Raleigh do? He smacked a full-count, pinch-hit, walk-off dinger deep to right field. Cue: the victory music.
After he rounded the bases, Raleigh’s teammates swarmed him, lifted him on to their shoulders and crowned him with a plastic bubblegum bucket. The Pacific Northwest had new baseball royalty and it was about time. For a franchise that had long been promised the next great prospect – from Justin Smoak to Dustin Ackley – it seemed as if the 26-year-old Raleigh was delivering in real-time. No one wanted to jinx it, but many in Seattle crossed their fingers and toes.
This kind of stuff isn’t supposed to happen in Seattle. While the city has ardent baseball fans, the Mariners have, in large part, long been underwhelming. To date, the Mariners remain the only squad in Major League Baseball never to play in a World Series. Save a few stints in the mid-1990s and early-2000s, the Mariners have mostly been irrelevant on the baseball map. What they have had though, is some excellent individual players, including MVPs in Ken Griffey Jr and Ichiro Suzuki. But who knew their fortunes in 2025 would live and die on a catcher nicknamed “The Big Dumper”?
If you ask Raleigh, he’ll admit that he’s always had a large posterior. Throughout his life it’s been a topic of conversation, hence his nickname. Raleigh’s former teammate Jarred Kelenic spilled the beans about the name, which would make Seattleite Sir Mix-a-Lot proud. It was Kelenic who shared the “Big Dumper” name on Twitter in 2021 when Raleigh was called up to the big leagues. And while Raleigh’s mom wasn’t initially a fan of the term, the catcher told ESPN’s Mina Kimes that it’s “grown on her”.
Raleigh says he likes it, too. He told Kimes that he appreciates that fans have something, well, to “gravitate towards.” But along with the nickname, his reputation is growing, too. As of today, Raleigh was leading MLB in home runs. He has 33 while the two sluggers behind him – Aaron Judge and Shoei Ohtani – have 30 and 29 respectively. The switch-hitting Raleigh is also leading the sport in RBI with 71.
These stats, along with Raleigh’s recent Gold and Platinum Glove Awards, which were given to him for his outstanding fielding, inspire fans to regularly rain down “MVP” chants. The son of a baseball coach, Raleigh knows, however, not to pay much attention to all the praise. It’s early in the year and the Ms are in the middle of a postseason race. Besides, catchers are normally not the sort to seek extra limelight and Raleigh is cut from that same cloth. Still, fun is fun. That’s why he’s accepted a spot in this year’s Home Run Derby.
And who will be throwing meatballs for him to hit over the fence in the competition? His father. Born in Cullowhee, North Carolina, Raleigh went to high school in the Tarheel State. He attended college at Florida State University, and the Mariners drafted him with the 90th pick in 2018. He got his call to play in the majors on 11 July 2021, and he’s been improving steadily ever since. In 2022, which was his first full year with the M’s, Raleigh hit .211 with 27 home runs. Now, he’s raced well past those numbers.
Raleigh told Kimes that he found ways to improve his game by assessing his hitting like an opposing catcher. The backstop wondered, “How would I get myself out?” In that way, he’s not only worked on his strengths, he’s poked at his deficiencies to shore them up. But Raleigh doesn’t just hit and field well. As the team’s No. 1 catcher, he’s also partly responsible for the success of the team’s pitching staff, which has been one of the best in baseball of late. With a rotation featuring names like Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert, Raleigh has to keep their games in mind, too.
So far 2025 has been up and down for the Mariners. The team has endured a few losing streaks, but it’s also enjoyed several weeks leading their American League West division. Today, they are in prime position to earn a wildcard spot in the playoffs, but there’s still a lot of season left. Thankfully for Ms fans, the franchise is led by Raleigh. While the squad’s cool as ice center fielder Julio Rodriguez is the multi-time All-Star and $400m man, Raleigh, who’s under contract for six years and $105m, is the team’s most productive offensive player.
But both guys are helping to stoke the fires of hope for Mariners loyalists. While many in Seattle wanted more from the team after their brilliant 2022 finish, which saw them win a Wild Card game against Toronto and move onto the Divisional Series round, there is a sense that the Ms have momentum now. Though they have missed the playoffs every year since 2022, despite coming close several times, now, with the MLB home run leader behind the plate, the city’s hope for an extended 2025 seems especially valid.
Best of all for those in the Emerald City: The potential 2025 MLB MVP likes playing in Seattle. He says he wants to stay in the area and proved that in the offseason by signing a six-year, $105m extension to stay with the Ms. That contract will keep him in the city through 2030. “This place has always felt like home,” Raleigh said when he signed the deal, adding, “I won’t stop grinding until this city gets what it deserves, and that is a perennial playoff team and a World Series championship.”
For a region that knows a lot about songwriting, that’s music to many ears.
If you’re looking for some sort of light at the end of the tunnel as the Boston Celtics’ championship roster is stripped for parts to pay the rent on the 2024 title season, set your gaze toward the summer of 2027.
It says something about the joy that Kornet brought to Boston that the initial reaction from most Celtics fans was, “Hey, good for Luke!” before they bemoaned the loss of a third core member of Boston’s title team in the span of seven days.
Kornet deserves his payday — one the Celtics simply were not equipped to give him. He’s a great success story: Under-recruited by colleges and undrafted in the NBA, Kornet toiled in the G-League for multiple seasons before finding a home in Boston. Not only did Kornet blossom into a starter-caliber center and an analytics darling, he permeated joy and led the league in laughs created per 36.
The harsh reality is that Boston will enter the 2025-26 season without at least four of their top nine players from the 2024 title team. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were dealt in cost-saving moves, Kornet got his payday to join Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio, and Jayson Tatum could miss the entirety of next season while rehabbing from Achilles surgery.
The Celtics are probably not done tinkering, either. The team is still hugged up against the second apron, but there are pathways now to not only staying behind that roster-restricting line but getting out of the luxury tax completely.
That likely would involve eventually moving off newly-acquired guard Anfernee Simons and his $27.7 million expiring contract. The Celtics also must ponder the futures of Sam Hauser (whose $45 million extension kicks in this season) and new addition Georges Niang (who is making $8.2 million on an expiring contract) as well.
An offseason focused on math is no fun. But here’s the potential end game: If the Celtics avoid the luxury tax in each of the next two seasons, the team would be positioned to splurge in the summer of 2027. Boston could restock the pieces around whatever version of the Tatum/Jaylen Brown/Derrick White core that remains and spend at least two more seasons pursuing titles.
The new collective bargaining agreement is going to make this a new reality in the NBA. If you want to chase titles, you’re going to do it in short windows while being prepared to pivot (unless you have a treasure trove of young players and draft picks like Oklahoma City). The Celtics got ahead of the incoming crunch by trading for (and extending) Holiday and Porzingis.
But everyone knew those contracts would be untenable starting this summer. The acquisition of Banner 18 helps ease the pain of this offseason.
This isn’t to write off the next two seasons, either. But the reality is that once Tatum fell to the floor at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics needed to play a long game.
If Brown and White are the centerpieces of Boston’s roster next season, this team is still good enough to linger in playoff contention in the injury-ravaged East. But as teams like Atlanta and Orlando load up to start this summer, and as Cleveland and New York tinker after highly successful seasons, the pathway toward title contention remains full of obstacles.
Maybe the Celtics fill out their roster with enough talent to plod through. Maybe they pivot to a soft tank if things fizzle next season. The 2026 offseason is enticing, and Boston has a bunch of picks to help its maneuverability. Player development should be a greater priority, and it will be interesting to see if the team can mold some new superstar-in-their-role players in the same way that Kornet was hardly an eight-figure player when he first arrived.
Newly-signed big man Luka Garza should get every chance to show what he can do with greater opportunity. Simons, if carried into the season, gets a chance to show that he can be more than just a volume scorer.
But the key move in getting back to legitimate title contention might be as simple as avoiding the luxury tax over the next two seasons. That would reset the costly repeater penalties that had Boston staring at a $500 million total spend had it not stripped its roster this summer. The Celtics were on pace to pay $8.5 dollars (or more) for every dollar spent over the luxury tax line.
Reducing the bottom line has been no fun, but it had to be done sooner than later. So why not navigate it now before Tatum is back at the peak of his powers?
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The Celtics currently project to enter the summer of 2027 with only Tatum, Brown, White, Hauser, and Pritchard on the roster at a total of $176.3 million. Add in Baylor Scheierman, and their payroll will sit at roughly $181 million at a time the second apron could be closer to $244 million.
Boston could comfortably field a roster in the neighborhood of $300 million for two consecutive seasons without costly repeater penalties. Brown and White reach free agency at the end of that second season, creating a potential pathway to the next pivot in the summer of 2029.
Maybe Stevens has a different vision moving forward. Maybe the top end of the roster is simply too expensive to keep intact and a bigger swing awaits. But there’s a pathway to putting together a new core in the summer of 2027. There’s a chance for what’s left of this core and chase Banner 19 together again.
Waiting is painful. Not having someone like Kornet to ease the tension doesn’t help either. But there’s light at the end of this tunnel. Even if it doesn’t feel like it the past week.
The team reportedly will waive nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard in order to make room for free agent Myles Turner, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday, citing sources.
Turner, fresh off a Finals run with the Indiana Pacers, will sign a four-year, $107 million deal with a player option in the final year, Charania reported.
Lillard, who turns 35 this month, suffered a torn Achilles in April during the playoffs — putting his availability for next season in serious doubt. The Bucks will waive and stretch his contract, spreading out his remaining $113 million as dead money over the next five seasons.
The Bucks’ roster shake-up represents a massive shift as they hope to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in town. The Greek Freak reportedly was weighing his future this offseason after Milwaukee suffered its third straight first-round defeat.
Newly-extended general manager Jon Horst has responded to Antetokounmpo’s doubts with a busy week of transactions. Longtime center Brook Lopez signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, while the Bucks re-signed key rotation pieces in Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince.
With the Pacers looking at a potential gap year as Tyrese Haliburton recovers from a torn Achilles, Turner is leaving the team that drafted him way back in 2015. The 29-year-old big man has career averages of 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.
As for Lillard, the star guard will be forced to join a third team after an unsuccessful two-year stint in Milwaukee. His numbers remained consistent, but he was unable to bring the Bucks back to the big stage after being traded by the Portland Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday in 2023.
Now, Lillard joins a shrinking list of available free agents. It’s unclear what his market could be, given his age and the fact that he is unlikely to suit up next season.
The Kings are making moves early in NBA free agency.
With veteran guard Dennis Schröder reportedly agreeing to sign a free-agent contract with Sacramento on Monday, the Kings made another move on Tuesday morning, trading center Jonas Valančiūnas to the Denver Nuggets for big man Dario Šarić, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, citing sources.
The Sacramento Kings are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/D2Xmbm4DN1
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported, citing sources, that the trade is a 1-for-1 swap of Valančiūnas and Šarić and there are no additional terms in the deal.
Sacramento originally acquired Valančiūnas form the Washington Wizards in a deal before the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline, and in 32 games (nine starts) with the Kings, Valančiūnas averaged 8.7 points, 7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game on 55.6-percent shooting from the field.
Šarić, who was limited to just 16 games (four starts) with the Nuggets last season, averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 36-percent shooting from the field.
The team reportedly will waive nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard in order to make room for free agent Myles Turner, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
Turner, fresh off a Finals run with the Indiana Pacers, will sign a four-year, $107 million deal with a player option in the final year, Charania reported.
Lillard, who turns 35 this month, suffered a torn Achilles in April during the playoffs — putting his availability for next season in serious doubt. The Bucks will waive and stretch his contract, spreading out his remaining $113 million as dead money over the next five seasons.
The Bucks’ roster shake-up represents a massive shift as they hope to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in town. The Greek Freak reportedly was weighing his future this offseason after Milwaukee suffered its third straight first-round defeat.
Newly-extended general manager Jon Horst has responded to Antetokounmpo’s doubts with a busy week of transactions. Longtime center Brook Lopez signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, while the Bucks re-signed key rotation pieces in Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince.
With the Pacers looking at a potential gap year as Tyrese Haliburton recovers from a torn Achilles, Turner is leaving the team that drafted him way back in 2015. The 29-year-old big man has career averages of 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.
As for Lillard, the star guard will be forced to join a third team after an unsuccessful two-year stint in Milwaukee. His numbers remained consistent, but he was unable to bring the Bucks back to the big stage after being traded by the Portland Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday in 2023.
Now, Lillard joins a shrinking list of available free agents. It’s unclear what his market could be, given his age and the fact that he is unlikely to suit up next season.
Super League clubs are expected to increase the foreign quota from seven to 10 players next season. Should they?
Saturday night’s cracker between Castleford and Wigan at Wheldon Road was typical of Super League’s multicultural nature. The bulk of the away team’s points were scored by Australians; a Samoa international from Christchurch was the home side’s main creator; and a player born in Sydney with Maltese heritage was among the game’s outstanding performers. Castleford, with five overseas players, were narrowly beaten 26-20 by Wigan, who had four imports in their side.
Given that both teams are allowed seven overseas players, it seems strange that Super League clubs may vote next month to increase next season’s quota from seven players not trained in the European Federation to 10. Some clubs are already offering contracts based on the assumption that things will change.
The Giants might wake up on Tuesday morning feeling a little conspiratorial.
And for good reason.
In the top of the eighth inning of their 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at Chase Field, Giants infielder Christian Koss roped what initially was a game-tying home run just over the left-center field wall that evened the score 3-3.
However, upon review, the call was overturned because of possible interference from a Diamondbacks fan, and Koss was awarded a double, not a home run.
After Bob Melvin's challenge, this was ruled a double for Christian Koss due to fan interference 😳 pic.twitter.com/XnCVkz1ZYf
Shortly after the play, Diamondbacks fans on social media were quick to point out that the fan who leaned over the wall to catch Koss’ hit has been involved in not one, not two, not three, not four, but potentially five similar incidents.
The fan reportedly was escorted out of Chase Field after his latest incident on Monday night, and if he was involved in previous plays, as it appears he was, should further disciplinary action be taken?
Given he’s potentially robbed the Giants of two big home runs in recent years, San Francisco might have some thoughts.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player in league history to be named regular season MVP and Finals MVP while winning the title in the same season. He earned the latter award after leading the Thunder to their first championship in the OKC era, defeating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series.
The three-time All-NBA guard led the NBA by scoring 32.7 points per game during the regular season as the Thunder rolled to a 68-14 record.
He became the first player in 25 years to win the scoring title and lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the same year and the fourth player ever to complete a trifecta of scoring title, regular season MVP and championship.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined the Thunder in 2019 after spending his rookie season with the LA Clippers. He was dealt to OKC as part of the blockbuster trade that paired Paul George with Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, a trade that also gave the Thunder the draft pick they used to select forward Jalen Williams.
With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge, the Thunder went from a 24-win team to NBA champions in a three-year span.
Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) on XBlackhawks have given qualifying offers to Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier and Arvid Soderblom, per source.
They all remain RFAs. Crevier and Soderblom have arbitration rights. Kaiser does not.
Philipp Kurashev was not qualified and becomes a UFA.
