NBA free agency is here, and LeBron James is the name hanging over everything.
For the first time since 2018, James hits the market, and that opens the door to one of the wildest possibilities on the board: a run at Steph Curry and the Warriors. Rumors have already started swirling that Golden State could be plotting something bigger, and Draymond Green added fuel to that idea by declining a $27.7 million player option in a surprising contract decision.
That’s enough to get people talking, but the real question is whether the Warriors rumors have any real weight. Robby Kalland thinks there’s reason to believe the smoke is real, especially if Golden State is serious about bringing in both James and Anthony Davis.
"There’s more than just a little smoke right now regarding the Warriors' plans to bring in LeBron and Anthony Davis. Perhaps there's some 4D chess at play here, but I'm inclined to believe this, largely because I find it hard to imagine any other team has real reason to pursue Anthony Davis as aggressively as the Warriors. Reuniting with AD and playing with Stephen Curry would be extremely appealing to LeBron, and they can all relive the glory days of Team USA's past while trying to chase one last postseason run."
If James and the Lakers do split, Bronny becomes part of the conversation too.
LeBron is the biggest name on the market, but he’s far from the only player who could be moving. The Jalen Duren sweepstakes are picking up steam, and Zion Williamson is among the stars who could be on the trade block this summer.
Elsewhere across the league, Malik Beasley was indicted on illegal sports gambling charges. The U.S.
Attorney's Office had announced exactly one year ago that Beasley was under investigation for gambling, including placing prop bets on NBA games. That case now has led to indictments for Beasley and former NBA player Ed Davis.
They’re the fifth and sixth current or former NBA players to be indicted on federal gambling charges, with Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups among the others.
The NBA isn’t the only place where the biggest names are driving the day. On the PGA Tour, Victor Hovland beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to win the Travelers Championship.
The playoff lasted one hole, and Hovland finished it with a birdie after Scheffler missed a three-foot putt that would have kept things going. It was Hovland’s eighth PGA Tour win, while Scheffler was left with another frustrating finish in a season full of them.
There was also major movement in the MLB picture, where the Mets’ first half has been a mess. The Braves and Dodgers have rolled in the NL, but New York has gone the other direction. Mike Axisa said the Mets are near the bottom of the league offensively, the rotation has fallen apart in recent weeks, and even some of the team’s top minor league prospects have taken a step back.
"They're near the bottom of the league offensively. The rotation started out shaky and has completely fallen apart over the last few weeks.
Even some touted prospects in the minors have taken a step back. When Steve Cohen bought the team in 2020, he said he would consider it a disappointment if the Mets didn't win the World Series within 3-5 years.
Well, this is now Year 6 of the Cohen era, and they're going to have to sell at the deadline. An unmitigated disaster from the top on down."
The Yankees aren’t exactly cruising either. They’re 3-8 in their last 11 games, and the offense has completely disappeared. Aaron Judge can’t return soon enough.
On the soccer side, Paraguay delivered the shock of the day by eliminating Germany in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes. The four-time World Cup winner is out much earlier than expected, and Paraguay moves on to the Round of 16 to face the winner of France vs. Sweden.
It was a wild day overall in the World Cup. Brazil rallied past Japan with a dramatic winner in the 95th minute, and later the Netherlands and Morocco went to penalty kicks, with Morocco pulling off another round of 32 upset.
Elsewhere, the Lions released Terrion Arnold following his arrest on kidnapping and armed robbery charges. Arnold had become an important part of Detroit’s secondary over the last two seasons, starting 22 games and appearing in 24. He defended 18 passes and recorded an interception, and the Lions now have to sort through options to replace him, with Rasul Douglas and Tre'Davious White among the possibilities.
Tuesday’s sports calendar is loaded as well, with Wimbledon first-round action, World Cup matches including Ivory Coast vs. Norway, France vs.
Sweden, and Mexico vs. Ecuador, plus Tigers at Yankees and the Aces meeting the Liberty in the Commissioner's Cup championship.
In Other News...
Celtics Just Made A Quiet Offseason Call On Two Young Picks
The qualifying-offer window is one of those low-drama offseason checkpoints that still tells you a lot about how teams view their young talent, and Golden State used it to keep its options open. The Warriors extended a qualifying offer to Post, putting him on track to remain part of their roster picture as a restricted free agent, while also making two-way qualifying offers to Nico Mannion and Armando Bacot Armstrong to retain their NBA rights as they continue overseas.
Around the league, the same paperwork shuffle is producing very different outcomes, with the Knicks declining to tender Ariel Hukporti and sending him into unrestricted free agency. Boston, meanwhile, has been making its own quiet calls on young players as the offseason takes shape, and those decisions help frame the larger market for the Warriors as they sort through the next layer of roster depth. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face A Familiar Guard Problem Again
Golden States offseason is already taking on a familiar shape in the backcourt, and DeAnthony Melton is the latest name to push the Warriors into another guard search. After coming off a season in which he gave the team useful minutes in 49 games and averaged a career-high 12.3 points, Melton is now moving on, adding another layer to a summer that has already included Kristaps Porzingis coming back and Draymond Green opting out of his own deal.
The larger issue is the same one that has hovered over the roster for months: the Warriors still need to sort out who stabilizes the perimeter rotation around their core. With Melton set to test the market, Golden State is once again in the mix for outside help, and the list of possibilities has already stretched beyond one name. The challenge now is finding a guard who fits the timeline, the budget and the expectations that come with playing alongside Stephen Curry. [Read more 🡒]