Offseason Approach

Should do a full rebuild, will try a quick rest

Actual Cap Space

-$95.7 million

Practical Cap Space

-$93.9 million

Projected Luxury Tax Space

-$33.6 million

Under Contract (9)

Grayson Allen
Bradley Beal
Devin Booker
Ryan Dunn
Kevin Durant
Oso Ighodaro
Cody Martin (non-guaranteed)
Royce O’Neale
Nick Richards (non-guaranteed)

View Roster

Potential Free Agents (9)

Bol Bol (unrestricted)
Jalen Bridges (restricted – two-way)
Collin Gillespie (restricted – two-way)
Tyus Jones (unrestricted)
Damion Lee (unrestricted)
Vasilije Micic (restricted – team option)
Monte Morris (unrestricted)
Mason Plumlee (unrestricted)
TyTy Washington Jr. (unrestricted – two-way)

View Free Agents

Dead Cap (2)

E.J. Liddell ($706,898)
Nassir Little ($3,107,143)

Projected Signing Exceptions

None (can’t use due to being over second apron)

Notable Trade Exceptions

None

First Round Draft Pick

#29

Notable Extension Candidates

Bradley Beal (veteran extension)
Devin Booker (veteran extension)
Kevin Durant (veteran extension)
Cody Martin (veteran extension)
Vasilije Micic (veteran extension)
Nick Richards (veteran extension)

Analysis

The Phoenix Suns have hit a crossroads. The team clearly isn’t good enough to justify their massive tax bill. They have almost no draft capital moving forward. And Kevin Durant is reportedly ready for a trade, after the Suns shopped him at last season’s trade deadline.

Oh, and Bradley Beal is still on the books for two more seasons and nearly $111 million. And, in case you forgot, Beal has a full no-trade clause.

Yeah, things aren’t great in Phoenix.

This offseason is a big one for the Suns, but it’s hard to get a real handle on what they’re going to do. Most expect Durant to be traded. Even at his advanced age, and with only one year left on his contract, Durant should net Phoenix a decent return. In an ideal world, the Suns should look to break up Durant’s $54.7 million into a group of smaller contracts for rotation players. Acquiring a star the level of Durant’s is unlikely, so some salary flexibility for future trades, while filling out the rotation, should be the goal.

Beyond that, this offseason will largely look similar to the last offseason. Phoenix will have a first-round pick this year, so they can add a player at the draft. Considering they did well to draft Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro a year ago, keep an eye on the Suns adding another potential rotation guy this year.

Phoenix could look to re-sign a handful of their own free agents. Collin Gillespie played well and should land a standard NBA deal this summer. Jalen Bridges could return on another two-way deal. Tyus Jones, Bol Bol and Monte Morris will probably look for bigger/more consistent roles elsewhere.

Vasilije Micic is in an interesting spot. He’s got standing offers to return to Europe. He’d probably prefer that to being buried on an NBA bench. However, at $8.1 million, Micic’s deal is a nice piece of salary-matching for the Suns in potential trades. It’s also a big number to keep on the books as just potential salary-matching. Call this team option for Phoenix a true 50-50 decision.

Outside free agent signings will again be limited to veteran minimum contracts. Barring a trade of Durant bringing back far less salary, there isn’t a feasible way for Phoenix to get under the second apron to free up flexibility for anything but minimum signings.

The good news? Much like last summer, the Suns can offer rotation spots, as opposed to spots filling out benches elsewhere. That can be a deciding factor for a veteran, when deciding to play. The not so good news? This time around there’s not the same sell of catching on with a title contender. At least not one that any veteran free agent should take seriously.

It’s that lack of being a contender, along with the bloated payroll, that should have the Suns thinking differently about the offseason.

Phoenix could reset in a major way. They should still trade Durant, but they should also consider moving Devin Booker too. Even if the Houston Rockets are being truthful and won’t return picks to the Suns in a deal, Phoenix could replenish draft capital by trading with another team.

Now, that’s easier said than done. Booker is the team’s franchise player and he’s expressed no interest in moving to another team. But sometimes teams have to do what is best for themselves, without worrying about feelings.

As it stands now, Phoenix is trapped for at least two more years. In the summer of 2027, Beal will come off the books and the Suns should be able to reset. But by the 2027-28 season, Booker will be turning 31. Will he still want to be waiting it out for the Suns to build a contender?

Other trade options for Phoenix, whether they rebuild or retool, will be Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Cody Martin, as well as Micic, if the team picks up their option. While none of those guys are going to return a whole lot, the Suns could net some positive assets for Allen, O’Neale and possibly Martin.

This is an important offseason for the Phoenix Suns. New GM Brian Gregory has to set the team on a new path. First up, he needs to hire a new head coach. Then, Kevin Durant is probably gone. Getting some level of salary relief in that deal is key for the Suns. The Western Conference keeps getting better, especially with the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs jumping up in the Lottery. If the Suns have the courage, they could pivot towards a rebuild. But the more likely path is that Phoenix tries to retool around Devin Booker in an attempt to get back to the postseason as quickly as possible.

San Diego Wave FC and the Leichtman-Levine Family announced today that two-time World Cup Champion and former Club captain Alex Morgan has joined the Wave as a minority investor, taking an equity stake in the organization she helped launch as a player just three years ago. 

“San Diego is where I’ve built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career,” said Alex Morgan. “I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this Club has the power to change the future of women’s sports. I’m proud to invest in that future and not just as a player, but now as an investor.”

Morgan retired from her professional soccer career on September 8, 2024, as San Diego Wave FC’s all-time leading scorer and assist leader, with 28 goals and 11 assists. In the Club’s inaugural season, she won the NWSL Golden Boot with 16 goals, leading San Diego to become the first expansion team in NWSL history to qualify for the playoffs.

Ryan Fox wins ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. Fox earns $720k bringing his 2025 on-course earnings to $1.2 million and his career earnings to $4.57 million.

ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic Top 10 Payouts

Sepp Straka wins the Truist Championship. Straka earns $3.6 million bringing his 2025 on-course earnings to $6.7 million and his career earnings to $30.1 million.

Truist Championship Top 10 Payouts

Offseason Approach

Pick a path: Rebuild around youth, or add vets for playoff push

Actual Cap Space

-$47.3 million

Practical Cap Space

-$37.5 million

Projected Luxury Tax Space

$11.4 million

Under Contract (12)

Deni Avdija
Deandre Ayton
Toumani Camara (non-guaranteed)
Sidy Cissoko (two-way)
Donovan Clingan
Jerami Grant
Scoot Henderson
Kris Murray
Duop Reath (non-guaranteed)
Shaedon Sharpe
Anfernee Simons
Robert Williams III

View Roster

Potential Free Agents (6)

Dalano Banton (unrestricted)
Bryce McGowens (restricted – two-way)
Justin Minaya (restricted – two-way)
Rayan Rupert (restricted – team option)
Matisse Thybulle (unrestricted – player option)
Jabari Walker (restricted)

View Free Agents

Dead Cap (0)

Didi Louzada ($268,032)

Projected Signing Exceptions

Non-Taxpayer MLE ($14.1 million)
Bi-Annual Exception ($5.1 million)

Notable Trade Exceptions

Malcolm Brogdon ($6.8 million)

First Round Draft Picks (pre-lottery)

#11

Notable Extension Candidates

Deandre Ayton (veteran extension)
Toumani Camara (veteran extension)
Rayan Rupert (veteran extension)
Shaedon Sharpe (rookie scale extension)
Anfernee Simons (veteran extension)
Matisse Thybulle (veteran extension – if player option is picked up)
Jabari Walker (veteran extension – through June 30)
Robert Williams III (veteran extension)

Analysis

The Portland Trail Blazers were a much-improved team in the second half of the season. After going 13-28 to start the year, the Blazers went 23-18 in the second half of the season.

Normally, we’d celebrate that kind of improvement. Especially since Portland did it on the backs of most of their younger players, which should bode well for the future.

However, there’s a sinking feeling that the extra wins may have cost the Trail Blazers draft position in draft with terrific talent in the top part of the lottery. Maybe the Basketball Gods will reward Portland with some lottery luck, but we won’t know that until the Draft Lottery.

There’s also a worry that the Blazers front office might deem this group closer than they really are. Portland already rewarded general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups with new contracts. Could moves to chase a postseason spot be next?

More worrisome for Trail Blazers fans, the team could see the second-half improvement as reason to lock into this roster more than they should. Let’s start there, as that is what this offseason is about in Portland.

The Blazers remain a somewhat muddled mix of young players and a handful of mid-career vets. And that’s before you factor in 11-year veteran Jerami Grant, who doesn’t fit either description.

A quick look at things says that Portland should be building around a core of Shaedon Sharpe (who had his best season in Year 3), Scoot Henderson (who was much-improved in Year 2), Toumani Camara (who looks like the kind of Swiss army knife that all good teams have) and Donovan Clingan (who flashed a ton of potential, especially as a rim protector).

Around those four are a whole lot of question marks.

Grant remains a solid, versatile forward, even if this season was a complete mess shooting-wise. Grant spent too many possessions never getting inside the arc. He’s a solid three-point shooter, but half of his shot mix came from behind the arc. Grant isn’t that kind of sniper. That needs to balance back out moving forward. He’s also slipped defensively. Still fairly solid, but not someone who draws the opponent’s best wing anymore.

Deandre Ayton is entering the final year of his contract at $35.5 million. He remains a tantalizing offensive prospect and a better-than-you-think rebounder. But Ayton is still wildly inconsistent. One night Ayton looks like he has it all together. The next night, you barely know he’s on the court.

Anfernee Simons is a good shooter and a solid secondary playmaker. He’s decidedly not a point guard though, which limits him a bit. And his defense keeps him from being mentioned as a top-tier starting shooting guard, despite his playmaking and scoring abilities.

Matisse Thybulle returned late in the season. He showed enough that we’re comfortable saying that he’s a rotation guy again. The volume wasn’t much this year, but it was a third straight year of solid shooting with the Blazers. Defense remains Thybulle’s calling card.

Robert Williams continues to be incredibly exciting…when he plays. The issue of staying on the court carried over to this season for Williams, as he was only able to play 20 games.

Lastly, we have Deni Avdija. Avdija put together arguably his best all-around season. He did more scoring, especially off-the-dribble scoring, then we’ve seen before. Avdija also chipped in with the playmaking, hit the glass and was solid, if unspectacular, on defense.

Why did we call out that group of six players? They’re all under contract for next season with Portland for a combined $134.4 million. That group of six – all solid, but not great – are the reason why the Blazers are sitting just shy of the luxury tax for next season.

Now, that’s not the end of the world. Each player in that group out of Grant, Ayton, Simons, Thybulle, and Williams (we’re excluding Avdija because he could/should be part of the core now) has a tradable contract.

Ayton’s deal is probably the worst in terms of single-season size vs production, but it’s an expiring deal. Some team who needs a center may be willing to gamble on Ayton, especially if it means moving off some money themselves. Centers who are reliably double-double guys don’t grow on trees, and inconsistent as he is, Ayton provides that.

Simons is very tradable as a guard who can shoot and score. At worst, he’s a third-guard on a contender. And he’s probably more valuable than that to a lot of teams who really need offense.

Thybulle has value as a 3&D guy, and he’s also on a very tradable expiring contract. Williams is essentially the big man version of Thybulle, because he’s terrific around the rim on both ends and on a very affordable expiring deal.

Then we have Jerami Grant.

Grant’s deal isn’t nearly as toxic as some have suggested. Sure, he had a down season, but Grant is still a productive player. He’s overpaid, but not shockingly so. The challenge is that another team might use last season’s dip for forecast what’s to come. If so, then the contract becomes an issue.

So, where does that leave Portland? As one of the more interesting teams of the offseason!

This summer is going to be marked by trades. Almost no teams have spending power and the free agent class is fairly weak. If the Trail Blazers decide to lengthen out their rebuild around the younger players, they could cash in by trading any of their vets. They’ve also got the contracts, and some future draft assets, to move if they decide to make some swaps to push things forward this coming season.

If they decide not to move the vets, Portland might still be ok. In the summer of 2026, the Blazers could have as little as $74 million on the books, before extensions for Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara.

Those extensions might be the most important piece of business for the Trail Blazers as far as things go long-term. Sharpe is due for a rookie scale deal, while Camara is extension-eligible, but less likely to ink a new deal.

Sharpe’s upward ascension should have him in the range of signing a four-year, $112 million extension. That reflects his value now, while leaving some room for continued growth. You could even see things pushing a bit higher, if that’s what it takes to get a deal done.

Camara is in a different spot. He’s eligible to sign what we call the Dinwiddie Extension, which allows a team to extend a player on a salary that starts at up to 140% of the Average Player Salary. For next season, that projects to work out to a four-year, $89.3 million contract.

That’s probably right at the tipping point for Camara. He was one of the best defenders of forwards and bigger wings in the league last season, but toiled in the relative obscurity of the Pacific Northwest. He shot it well. Showed that he can create his own shot, and improved as a playmaker for others.

All of that means Camara could delay signing a new deal until the summer of 2026 instead. If that’s the case, expect Portland to decline their team option for 2026-27 to make Camara a restricted free agent. That way, the Blazers can control the process.

Of their free agents, there aren’t any monumental decision-point this summer for the Trail Blazers. The expectation is for Thybulle to opt in. Portland will probably pick up their team option for Rayan Rupert, because there’s still some untapped potential there.

That leaves Dalano Banton and Jabari Walker as the free agents of note. Banton has shown he’s an NBA-level guy and an elite garbage-time scorer. He could be back on a minimum deal to fill out the bench. Same with Walker, who has shown flashes at times, but hasn’t quite put it all together yet. Their places on the roster likely depend on what happens with trades for the veterans.

The Portland Trail Blazers will have a chance to land a rotation player at the draft, despite possibly picking lower than is ideal. They’ll be active in trade talks, because of all of the tradable veterans they have. How it all plays out makes the Blazers one of the most fascinating teams to watch this summer.

Updated Analysis Post-Draft Lottery:

Not a whole lot changed for the Trail Blazers. Per reports from the room where the actual lottery was held, they were one ping pong ball away from getting the first overall pick. That’s a tough break, but no use crying over that. Portland will have slightly more wiggle room under the tax by sliding back to the 11 th pick from the 10 th pick, but will still be in range to draft all the same players.

During the 2024-25 NWSL offseason there were 34 players whose teams renegotiated contract extensions. Here’s the top five most impactful players extended that would’ve become free agents at the end of the season (alphabetically):

Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign, Forward)

Previous contract: through 2025
New contract: through 2027

In December, Biyendolo (along with goalkeeper Cassie Miller) was traded to Seattle from Gotham for midfielder Jaelin Howell, an international roster spot, and $70,000 in allocation money. Although the four time NWSL Championship winner missed the opening three matches recovering from a lower leg injury, she played in the last four matches for the Reign, scored the game winning goal against Kansas City and assisted the game winning goal against Portland. 

Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Forward)

Previous contract: through 2025
New contract: through 2028

Giving the 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner a contract extension to keep her in Kansas City was truly a no brainer for the Current. In seven matches, Chawinga scored three goals in the first three matches of the season and assisted another. She’s tied with Debinha on goals in the run of play for the top of the table KC Current. 

Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals, GK)

Previous contract: through 2025
New contract: through 2029

In 2024, McGlynn was second in the league goalkeepers in PSxG-GA/90. With the international retirement of USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, McGlynn has gotten consistent call-ups to the USWNT camps and split playing time. Although the Royals are dealing with a lot of lynchpin players injured and are currently 13th in the table, McGlynn has helped keep them in matches.  

Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit, Defender)

Previous contract: through 2025
New contract: through 2027 + option for 2028 (exercised mutually in Jan)

McKeown has played every minute this season for the injury rampant Washington Spirit, who still have pulled out four wins and only sit three points out of the top of the table. In the offseason McKeown signed a new contract through 2027 with a mutual option for 2028, but in January, both sides exercised their part of the option, keeping McKeown in D.C. for the four seasons. She currently has 16 interceptions, 44 clearances, and  is fifth in the NWSL in percentage of dribblers tackled at 88.9%. 

Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC, Forward)

Previous contract: through 2025
New contract: through 2028

In just six matches for the LA-based club this season, the elder Thompson has scored three goals, and assisted two (including one to her younger sister Gisele). She currently is third in the league in Goals + Assists (5), fourth in carries into the penalty area (13), and fifth in progressive passes (47). Signing the 20-year-old to keep her in her hometown for the foreseeable future is a good move for Angel City as the new ownership looks to build a championship winning team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced the surprising release of WR Gabriel Davis, who had 2 years, $25.5M remaining on the free agent contract signed in March of 2024.

Davis was active for only 10 games in 2024, securing 20 catches (2 TDs) over that span. Jacksonville still owes the 26-year-old $11M of fully guaranteed salary for the upcoming season, factoring into $20.3M of total dead cap.

If the Jaguars designate this release a Post 6/1 move, they can split that dead cap into:
2025: $5.7M
2026: $14.6M

The $11M guarantee for Davis is subject to offset language, meaning the final cost for Jacksonville will be reduced by the amount Davis is able to earn elsewhere in 2025. He's likely to latch on with a new team at a league minimum $1.17M.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed on a trade that will send WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 3rd Round pick. The Steelers will also acquire Dallas' 5th round pick in 2027 in exchange for their 2027 6th round pick.

The 24-year-old secured 174 passes in 48 games with the Steelers, and brings a 1 year, $3.656M contract with him to Dallas. Now trenched behind CeeDee Lamb, Pickens projects toward a 4 year, $102M extension based on previous production and potential 2025 output.

Offseason Approach

Add talent for a playoff push around a returning Victor Wembanyama after jumping back up in the Lottery once again

Actual Cap Space

-$27.7 million

Practical Cap Space

-$27.7 million

Projected Luxury Tax Space

$27.3 million

Under Contract (10)

Harrison Barnes
Malaki Branham
Stephon Castle
Julian Champagnie (non-guaranteed)
De’Aaron Fox
Keldon Johnson
Jeremy Sochan
Devin Vassell
Victor Wembanyama
Blake Wesley

View Roster

Potential Free Agents (8)

Charles Bassey (unrestricted)
Bismack Biyombo (unrestricted)
David Duke Jr. (restricted – two-way)
Harrison Ingram (restricted – two-way)
Sandro Mamukelashvili (unrestricted)
Jordan McLaughlin (unrestricted)
Riley Minix (restricted – two-way)
Chris Paul (unrestricted)

View Free Agents

Dead Cap (0)

None

Projected Signing Exceptions

Non-Taxpayer MLE ($14.1 million)
Bi-Annual Exception ($5.1 million)

Notable Trade Exceptions

None

First Round Draft Picks (pre-lottery)

#2
#14

Notable Extension Candidates

Harrison Barnes (veteran extension)
Malaki Branham (rookie scale extension)
Julian Champagnie (veteran extension)
De’Aaron Fox (veteran extension)
Keldon Johnson (veteran extension)
Jeremy Sochan (rookie scale extension)
Blake Wesley (rookie scale extension)

Analysis

The San Antonio Spurs season was chugging along about as expected until the All-Star break. The Spurs were six games under .500, but within striking distance of the Play-In Tournament.

Then it was announced that Victor Wembanyama would miss the rest of the season due to a deep vein thrombosis. San Antonio went 11-19 the rest of the way and missed out on the postseason by a decent margin.

The good news? Wembanyama took some pretty big steps forward on both ends of the floor. He’s a super-duper-star and someone the Spurs can build around for years. The best news? It seems like Wembanyama’s clotting issue was caught early and he should make a full recovery, for next season and his full career.

With Wembanyama in place as a future perennial MVP candidate, San Antonio took a bit of a pre-agency approach at the trade deadline. The Spurs added De’Aaron Fox as Wembanyama’s long-term running mate, and did so without giving up any major pieces.

Now, the Spurs have to get the two All-Stars more help. They’re set up fairly well to do that this summer, despite being unlikely to have cap space.

San Antonio has roughly $140 million in guaranteed salaries on their books. That’s because of the acquisitions of Fox and Harrison Barnes in the last year, combined with extensions for Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. None of those guys are on a bad contract, not even close, but it does have the Spurs hitting the summer as an over-the-cap team.

That’s fine. Only the Brooklyn Nets project to have significant cap space this offseason. That means that San Antonio could be in the mix for a good player via use of their Non-Taxpayer MLE. The Spurs could use more frontcourt depth, and there are a lot of veteran centers and big forwards available in the NTMLE range. Think players like Clint Capela, Luke Kornet, Steven Adams, Guerschon Yabusele, Trey Lyles, or Larry Nance Jr.

San Antonio could also use more shooting. Available shooters this summer could include Malik Beasley, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., Luke Kennard, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Gary Harris.

Some of those players could be value signings for San Antonio as they build out their depth around Wembanyama and Fox. And that’s before we get to the Spurs re-signing any of their own free agents.

That list starts with Chris Paul. While Paul’s athleticism has slipped, he’s still coming off a really good season. Ideally, he’d transition into a high-minute backup role, or a very-managed starter role next season. If Paul stays with the Spurs, it’s probably the former, as the team should be looking to move to a starting backcourt of Fox and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.

There’s also the question of where Paul wants to play. While acknowledging he enjoyed his time with the Spurs, Paul referenced how far away from his family he was and how tough that was on everyone involved. He may look for opportunities on the west coast, as opposed to running it back, this time as a backup, with the Spurs.

That means it’s worth looking into backup point guard options for San Antonio too. There are a lot of cost-effective options available this summer, including Tyus Jones, old friend Tre Jones, Malcolm Brogdon, Cam Payne, Monte Morris and Spencer Dinwiddie.

As for the other Spurs free agents, Sandro Mamukelashvili seems most likely to return. He’s been effective as a backup big, despite inconsistent minutes. Charles Bassey and Bismack Biyombo could come back, but they’d be on veteran minimum deals for frontcourt depth. Same with Jordan McLaughlin in the backcourt.

Keep an eye on new two-way deals for Harrison Ingram and Riley Minix. Ingram shot poorly in the G League, but did enough else to get another year. Minix showed a ton of potential before suffering a season-ending injury on January 1.

Extensions will also be a major storyline this summer for the Spurs. Fox is of most interest on that list. He’s eligible to sign a projected four-year, $228.6 million max extension. Expect there to be some negotiation there. It sounds crazy, given he’s only got two years under his belt, but a max extension is already looming for Wembanyama. Teams are going to be cautious of committing the max to too many players. If the Spurs can get Fox to leave any money on the table, that would be a boon in the future years when Wembanyama is on his max deal.

From there, it’s the rookie scale extensions that need looking at. Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley are easy decisions. Neither player has shown enough to garner an extension that wouldn’t be incredibly team-friendly.

Jeremy Sochan is in a different spot. Sochan can’t shoot and the giant point guard experiment failed, but Sochan improved as a finisher and is the team’s best non-Wembanyama defender. He’s also good as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. Look for an extension in the range of the MLE, possibly starting as high as $15 million in Year 1. Given history, the Spurs will likely be creative in the structure of the extension, looking to give themselves maximum flexibility down the line.

Keldon Johnson still has years left on his deal, so no extension is coming for him. Harrison Barnes is also deep enough in his career, that extending him now doesn’t really make a lot of sense. That doesn’t mean Barnes will leave in the summer of 2026, but re-signing him then makes more sense than locking into an extension now.

At the draft, the Spurs will be hoping for some lottery luck again. They’ve got their own pick (8th pre-lottery) and the Hawks pick (14th pre-lottery). That’s a double dip of chances, but will need some good fortune to move up.

Even if they don’t move up, San Antonio is positioned to come away with helpful players. At both slots, the Spurs could add a shooter/scorer (Liam McNeeley, Kon Knueppel) or size (Derik Queen, Khaman Maluach). Hitting on these two picks would be huge for San Antonio, as it would give them cost-controlled young talent when other players start kicking in on bigger deals.

Of course, we can’t rule out trades this summer. The Spurs have a decent amount of draft capital built up, even beyond the 2025 Draft. They’ve also got tradable players on decent contracts, like Devin Vassell, Barnes and Johnson. If a veteran player hits the market and is open to playing alongside Wembanyama and Fox, expect San Antonio to be involved. That could be Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson or any other veteran that could be available this summer.

Lastly, but far from least, the Spurs will start next season with a new coach. Gregg Popovich retired from coaching and is moving into a front office role. San Antonio says Popovich will be very involved in his new role, and that seems likely. It’s probably best to start thinking of Popovich playing a role akin to the one Pat Riley has played for years with the Miami Heat. Popovich can now play lead recruiter and help to build out the roster around Wembanyama to bring the Spurs their next title.

It's been a couple of years of transition already for the San Antonio Spurs. They have two stars to build around in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. They like Mitch Johnson as their now-permanent head coach. They even got several months of Johnson leading the team while Gregg Popovich recovered. Because of Wembanyama, expect the Spurs to push things forward quicker than expected. That doesn’t mean they’ll be reckless, but San Antonio can add win-now pieces without worry, because Wembanyama is that good already.

Updated Analysis Post-Draft Lottery:

The Spurs did it again! San Antonio’s own pick jumped from the eighth spot in the draft to the second spot. That won’t get them Cooper Flagg, but they can draft Dylan Harper who is the consensus second-best player in this draft class. Is Harper a bit of a weird fit in the backcourt with De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle? Maybe. But the Spurs should be able to make it work. Harper and Castle both have the size to guard up a position, if San Antonio wanted to run a three-guard look.

Unless they trade the pick! Or trade Castle? Or put together some kind of crazy package for a veteran? Would playing alongside Victor Wembanyama in a super-sized frontcourt be intriguing to Giannis Antetokounmpo? Could the Spurs make a run at putting picks together with talented young players to chase someone like Devin Booker? Or Kevin Durant? The options are kind of endless for the Spurs, as they kick off a new era with Mitch Johnson on the sidelines permanently.

Today the NWSL Disciplinary Committee issued additional sanctions to Racing Louisville FC forward Ary Borges resulting from her actions after the final whistle of the club’s match against Portland Thorns FC on April 27. 

Following the conclusion of the match, Borges received a red card resulting in an automatic one-match suspension that was served during Racing Louisville FC’s subsequent game against the Washington Spirit on May 2. However, after further review of the altercation, during which Borges was found to have pushed the center official after receiving the red card, the Disciplinary Committee determined that her conduct violated Section 12.4.10, “Major Game Misconduct,” of the League Operations Manual.

As a result, Borges has been issued an additional three-match suspension, increasing her total suspension to four matches.

Borges will serve her three-match suspension over Racing’s next three regular season contests beginning on May 9 and continuing through May 24. Borges will be eligible to return from suspension for Racing’s June 6th match against Utah Royals FC.