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Good morning and happy Thursday, sports fans! We’re so close to Super Bowl weekend I can almost taste it. Until then, we have plenty to talk about. There were some major trades in both the NBA and NHL yesterday, the Phoenix Open tees off today and there was another big signing on the MLB free agent market.
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
🧙♂️ Five things to know Thursday
- The Mavericks shipped Anthony Davis to the Wizards. Davis’ tumultuous tenure with the Mavs came to an end on Wednesday when Dallas traded him to the Wizards in a rather surprising move. As part of a larger deal, the Mavericks received Khris Middleton and two future first-round picks. That said, don’t let those first-round picks fool you. They aren’t as good as they may seem, and that’s why the Mavs scored poorly in our trade grades. At least Dallas came out looking better than Washington.
- The Los Angeles Kings acquired star winger Artemi Panarin from the Rangers. It was only a matter of time before the Rangers found a dance partner for Panarin, and the Kings got it done with a conditional third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree. This deal was a slam dunk for Los Angeles, but it left a lot to be desired from the New York perspective, and the Rangers barely passed in our trade grades. As for the Kings, they now have the elite playmaker they’ve lacked for years.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined through the All-Star break. Very little has gone wrong for the Thunder over the last year, but they have been hit with some adversity in the form of Gilgeous-Alexander suffering an abdominal strain. The reigning MVP will be out at least through the All-Star break. Oklahoma City has just five games until then, meaning Gilgeous-Alexander is not currently in any danger of missing the 65-game awards threshold.
- Framber Valdez inked a three-year, $115 million contract with the Tigers. Just days before pitchers and catchers are set to report, the Tigers have beefed up their starting rotation by shelling out $115 million to sign Valdez. One of the league’s best starters in recent years, Valdez has posted a 3.23 ERA since 2020. His 61% ground ball rate since 2021 leads starting pitchers by a wide margin. Still, there were legitimate concerns that led to Valdez sitting on the market for so long.
- Top prospective NHL Draft pick Gavin McKenna faces a felony assault charge. McKenna, a star at Penn State and a consensus top-two prospect in the 2026 draft, has been accused of breaking another person’s jaw in an altercation at a State College bar. McKenna has been charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault. The alleged incident occurred just hours after Saturday’s outdoor game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.
🏀 Do not miss this: Revisiting the Davis-Dončić trade
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The Mavericks and their fans have been on quite the roller coaster over the last couple years. From reaching the NBA Finals to trading Luka Dončić … to trading the player they got in return for that superstar. Inevitably, when there are big deals like this, some people and teams will look better than others.
Let’s not bury the lede here. Jack Maloney put together winners and losers from the Davis trade, and former Mavs GM Nico Harrison is on the wrong end of that list.
- Maloney: “Less than a year after Dončić led the Mavericks to the Finals for the first time since 2011, Harrison shipped him out of town for Davis, who ended up playing 29 out of a possible 83 games for the Mavericks — a tremendous irony given that one of the reasons Harrison gave up Dončić was over concerns about his health and durability.”
While the initial reaction from the Davis trade might kick up those old negative feelings about the Dončić deal, it may actually help wipe the slate clean. Moving on from Davis was the right decision, and now Dallas can move forward with Cooper Flagg as the face of the franchise.
As the NBA news keeps rolling in over the next several hours — especially as it pertains to Giannis Antetokounmpo — stay locked onto our live trade rumor updates.
⛳ WM Phoenix Open preview
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It’s Super Bowl week, and that means another edition of the Phoenix Open. One of the most fun events on the golf calendar, players will go head-to-head for their share of a $9.6 million purse, and we have a comprehensive tournament preview to get you ready.
Scottie Scheffler has earned a cut of that purse a lot throughout his career, posting two wins, two top-10 finishes and a top-25 finish over his last five starts at TPC Scottsdale. Scheffler is the clear favorite to win this event with 23/10 odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Our own Patrick McDonald explains that Scheffler has separated himself from the rest of the field time and time again.
- McDonald: “Having gone on record that Scheffler threatens double-digits wins this year, there’s little choice but to consider this a must-win for Scheffler at his happy hunting grounds, which are bountiful. The world No. 1 has multiple wins at TPC Scottsdale, Augusta National, TPC Sawgrass, Albany GC, Muirfield Village and Bay Hill, and this season, he pushes those two-win venues to three. This is a place that rewards strategy and quality shots, which will only separate Scheffler more.”
Shortly before the ball was teed up at the Phoenix Open, PGA of America announced that Terry Clark has been appointed as its new CEO. Clark replaces Derek Sprague, who resigned in January.
🏈 Pete Prisco’s Super Bowl 60 selection
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We’re just a few days away from Super Bowl LX, and that means it’s time to make predictions and picks. Our own Pete Prisco has logged exact score predictions for games all season, and he’s got one more to make between the Seahawks and Patriots.
Because there is only one pick in the piece this week, I can’t just give it away for nothing. This is a business, after all. But I’m not cruel. I will give you a taste of how Prisco thinks the game will go when Drake Maye and the Patriots have the ball.
- Prisco: “The Seattle defense will make life hell for Maye and the New England offense. Let’s not forget the Seahawks have the best run defense in the league. If you can’t run it, all that does is turn the pass rushers loose.”
Prisco wasn’t the only one who submitted his Super Bowl selection on Wednesday. His NFL colleague John Breech also called his shot. Without giving away too much, they are in agreement on the winner, even if they think the game will be played in different ways.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
🏒 Olympics: USA vs. Czech Republic (W), 10:40 a.m. on USA Network
🏀 Penn State at No. 2 Michigan (M), 6:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Mississippi State at No. 3 South Carolina (W), 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 17 Duke at No. 6 Louisville (W), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Minnesota at No. 10 Iowa (W), 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 5 Texas at No. 4 LSU (W), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 13 Ole Miss at No. 21 Alabama (W), 9 p.m. on SEC Network
🏆 NFL Honors, 9 p.m. on NBC