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Good morning to everyone but especially to...
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA AND THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS
A new era for the Spurs unofficially starts tonight, and it has the NBA abuzz. French phenom and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama will make his Summer League debut against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Hornets in front of a sold-out crowd in Las Vegas.
Wembanyama has played in the United States twice, back in October 2022 when his French club, Metropolitans 92, faced off against G League Ignite and No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson (Wembanyama and Henderson will meet again Sunday, by the way).
We'll see just how much he plays tonight -- his Metropolitans 92 season ended less than a month ago, and the Spurs won't push him -- but even a few minutes of this potential generational talent will be exhilarating.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
Getty ImagesDAMIAN LILLARD AND THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
No more guessing needed. Damian Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, put it on record: "Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period." Goodwin also indicated that other teams trying to get Lillard would be acquiring an unhappy player.
This is a brutal development for Portland. Not only is arguably the best player in franchise history leaving, but his value league-wide may have plummeted thanks to Goodwin's words (which might bring a fine -- Anthony Davis was fined for his agent's remarks back in 2019).
The Trail Blazers have insisted they will take the best offer possible, though, and our James Hebert questions what, exactly, do the Trail Blazers owe Lillard?
Herbert: "Even if [GM Joe Cronin] would like to send Lillard to Miami, it is his responsibility to make decisions that are in the long-term interest of the franchise. In order to get the best possible trade package from the Heat, the Blazers need to leverage offers from other teams. If Miami has not yet offered everything it possibly can, then the Heat-or-nowhere strategy from Lillard's side could be backfiring. ... Now that Lillard has made his request, the Blazers owe it to him to try to find a trade that gives him a chance to win a title and sets them up as well as possible for the post-Lillard era. But that doesn't mean they must trade him on his terms."As our Sam Quinn notes, the Heat don't have a ton of attractive assets compared to what other teams could offer. A Miami deal could start with...
But Portland has already waited too long to trade Lillard, writes our Brad Botkin -- another team reportedly dropped out of trade talks Thursday -- and now there's a likely standoff incoming, one which nobody wins.
Not so honorable mentions
Final mock MLB Draft, plus redrafting 2013 and more ⚾
Getty ImagesThe MLB Draft begins Sunday night, and what a draft it could be. From the mystery surrounding who the Pirates will take No. 1 to the potential history for a pair of LSU teammates, there's a ton to look forward to.
Let's start with Mike Axisa's final mock draft. Here's the top five:
1. Pirates: OF Dylan Crews, LSU -- "Crews is seeking $10 million, which would smash the current bonus record of the draft pool era (Spencer Torkelson at $8.4 million). ... Just take the best player -- Crews -- and pay him."2. Nationals: RHP Paul Skenes, LSU -- "Skenes had a loud finish to the season in the College World Series and that positioned him well for this No. 2 pick."3. Tigers: OF Wyatt Langford, Florida -- "Langford is the best available college hitter in our mock draft and the best available college hitter in the draft class behind Crews."4. Rangers: OF Max Clark, Franklin HS (Indiana) -- "Whichever one of Clark or Walker Jenkins is willing to take the biggest discount could be the pick, allowing the Rangers to use any savings on other players later in the draft..."5. Twins: C Kyle Teel, Virginia -- "Recent draft history indicates Minnesota's model prefers college hitters, and they've been connected to Teel..."If Crews-Skenes (or Skenes-Crews) is indeed 1-2, it'll be the first time college teammates have been the first two picks of an MLB Draft. Though pitchers haven't fared well as No. 1 picks, the Pirates taking Skenes isn't out of the question, our R.J. Anderson notes. Here's what their history says they'll do.
R.J. also has finalized scouting reports for his top 30 prospects, so as soon as your favorite team makes its pick, be sure to have that handy.
Here's everything else to know:
Finally, I really enjoyed Mike's redrafting of the 2013 class, which has produced three different MVPs. But there's a clear should-have-been No. 1.
Axisa: "1. Houston Astros: OF Aaron Judge, Fresno State (Actual pick: RHP Mark Appel, Stanford) -- Appel stagnated in the minors and was later traded to the Phillies as part of the Ken Giles deal. ... Judge did not play his first full MLB season until 2017, his age 25 season, so he certainly didn't zoom up the minor league ladder. He's been worth the wait though, even with injuries costing him chunks of time in 2018, 2019, 2020, and now 2023. Judge's career 39.4 WAR leads the 2013 draft class by roughly 10 wins."
