The Brooklyn Nets may now be in the best position of any team entering the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
The franchise, thanks to a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday afternoon, now holds five picks in the opening round of the draft. The Nets will have six total, too, including their second-round pick. No other team in the league has more than two in the first round.
The Nets acquired Terance Mann and the No. 22 overall pick in the draft from the Atlanta Hawks, which was part of a three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks. The Nets gave up nothing in the deal, and only have to take on Mann’s three-year, $47 million deal.
That was, remarkably, the fifth first-round pick that the Nets will have. As of Tuesday night, the Nets hold:
It’s unlikely that the Nets will actually end up using all five of those first-round picks, though it would break an NBA record if they did. The Minnesota Timberwolves made four first-round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. Still, the Nets are undoubtedly in a great position to get just about whatever they want out of the draft. Outside of holding the rights to the No. 1 overall pick — the Dallas Mavericks are expected to take former Duke star Cooper Flagg in that spot on Wednesday night — the Nets are in the driver’s seat.
With how the franchise has been the last few years, that’s a good thing, too. The Nets went just 26-56 last season and missed the playoffs for a second straight year. Jordi Fernández just wrapped up his first season as the team’s head coach, too, though he’s the fourth head coach the team has had over the last three seasons.
It’s still unclear what the Nets will decide to do with all of their draft capital. But, as they have plenty of it, it’s sure to be a busy few days in Brooklyn. Whether it can help actually spark a rebuild and bring the franchise back from the bottom of the league, however, remains to be seen.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder got a hero’s welcome from their fans as they paraded the Larry O’Brien Trophy around Oklahoma City after winning the NBA title on Sunday.
In a grueling, seven-game series against the gritty Indiana Pacers, the league MVP led OKC to its first title since the franchise was moved from Seattle and rebranded in 2008.
On Tuesday morning, fans lined up on the streets of Oklahoma City to see their team just two days after their crowning moment at Paycom Center. During the parade, SGA and his teammates got up close with fans as confetti rained down on the streets.
Unlike many championship parades that feature star players on top of buses, rarely immersing themselves in the crowd, the Thunder’s biggest names walked on foot and presented the trophy for fans to touch. Gilgeous-Alexander was seen waving the team banner outside their home arena while wearing his native Canadian flag around his waist.
The parade route began on North 10th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, headed south and concluded outside Paycom Center, where the team and coaching staff addressed the audience. According to the Oklahoma Voice, around 500,000 people attended the celebration.
“Wow. … Thank you guys so much,” Gilgeous-Alexander told the crowd, per The Oklahoman. “Don’t ever forget this. Moments in life like this, they don’t come very often. … We love you guys.”
The franchise won the NBA title in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics before moving to Oklahoma City in 2007. The Thunder appeared in the Finals in 2012, led by Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. That team lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in four games.
After that trio vacated Oklahoma City, the team began a rebuild that included acquiring Gilgeous-Alexander from the L.A. Clippers in exchange for Paul George in 2019.
With a young core coached by Mark Daigneault, this season’s Thunder overcame the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to win the West and then beat the Pacers for their first banner.
That’s where the Nets come into play because they had oodles of cap space coming into the summer.
The Nets are taking on the contract of Terance Mann ($15.5 million), fully absorbing him into their available cap space and taking the 22nd overall selection in Wednesday’s NBA Draft from Atlanta as compensation for it.
So, let’s get into the motivations for each of the three teams.
We already outlined Boston wants to save money, which is certainly achieved here. The organization has seemingly managed to get under the second apron, meaning their tax bill will lessen dramatically.
The Nets are basically renting out their cap space for the 22nd pick and acting as the oil between the Celtics and Hawks. This gives the Nets a grand total of five first-round selections in Wednesday’s draft: Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27.
And, ah yes, the Hawks. They did this to get some legitimate size. While Onyeka Okongwu has fared admirably in the froncourt, they needed someone taller who can protect the rim better.
Enter Porziņģis, a 7-foot-3 unicorn who spaces the floor and shoots 3-pointers with ease — when healthy. The Latvian center will make a highly intriguing passing target for point guard Trae Young and should help improve their defense. But Porziņģis has averaged 52.5 regular-season games the past six seasons because of various injuries, and that’s buoyed by a 65-game season in 2022-23.
The Hawks have suddenly become a huge team. Outside of the 6-1 Young, they’ll be starting 6-8 Dyson Daniels at off guard, 6-10 Zaccharie Risacher at the three, 6-9 Jalen Johnson at the four and Porziņģis at the five.
That’s the allure for the Hawks. And to their credit, they identified a player who isn’t going to cost them a lot of future money. Porziņģis has an expiring contract, meaning the Hawks could try to extend him at a more reasonable number down the line.
No one came out of this looking desperate or relinquishing too much. Not a lot of long-term salary was involved, and the surrendered 22nd selection to Brooklyn is a late one.
This appears to be a solid round of business for all parties.
NEW YORK — Mets pitcher Sean Manaea complained of elbow discomfort following his most recent minor league rehab outing, and his return to New York’s injury-depleted rotation will be delayed.
Manaea had an MRI on Monday that showed loose bodies in his left elbow. He received a cortisone shot and was shut down from throwing for two to three days.
“They’re telling me that he should be fine for the rest of the year. But again, we’ll see what happens there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday.
New York’s top starter last season, Manaea has been sidelined since spring training by a right oblique strain. After a gradual progression, the left-hander pitched well for 5 1/3 innings last Friday at Triple-A Syracuse and was expected to come off the 60-day injured list in early July after making one more rehab start this week.
Instead, he was returned from his rehab assignment Tuesday and won’t pitch in the minors again until at least next week.
“After what just developed here after the last outing, we’ve got to take it one outing at a time,” Mendoza said.
The skidding Mets had been counting on Manaea’s impending return to help replenish a rotation minus ace Kodai Senga (right hamstring strain) and fellow right-hander Tylor Megill (elbow sprain). They are among nine Mets pitchers on the injured list.
The team did get a starter back Tuesday, when veteran right-hander Frankie Montas was reinstated from the 60-day IL to start against Atlanta in his Mets debut.
Right-handed reliever Chris Devenski was optioned to Triple-A following Monday night’s loss to the Braves, and designated hitter Jesse Winker (right oblique strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
The goal is for Winker to begin a minor league rehab assignment by the end of this weekend, Mendoza said. He’s been out since getting hurt on May 4.
The 32-year-old Montas, sidelined all season by a right lat strain, signed a two-year, $34 million contract as a free agent in December. He was roughed up consistently in six minor league rehab appearances, compiling a 12.05 ERA.
New York had lost nine of 10 heading into Tuesday night, dropping the Mets 1 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.
Francisco Alvarez‘s first game back with Triple-A Syracuse came to a premature end.
The catcher was removed after the top half of the first inning in Syracuse’s game at the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday night due to a heat/dizziness issue, SNY’s Andy Martino reported. He was replaced by Jakson Reetz behind the plate for the home half of the first inning.
The game time temperature in Rochester was 90 degrees.
Alvarez saw one pitch in his fist at bat – a 91.2 mph sinker off the outside corner – which he hit rather weakly (72.6 mph off the bat) into a 4-3 double play.
There’s one major reason the New York Rangers’ move to transfer their 12th overall pick in this year’s draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins and keep their 2026 first-round pick.
It’s a move that may be frustrating for fans in the short term but could pay dividends for the Rangers in the long term.
The Boston Celtics are finalizing a three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets that sends Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
Per the report, the Celtics are sending Porzingis and a second-round draft pick to Atlanta. The Hawks are sending Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft to the Nets. Atlanta will also send Georges Niang and a second-round selection to the Celtics. The Nets reportedly gave up nothing in the trade and gain a first-round pick while taking on Mann’s three-year, $47 million contract.
What are the Celtics doing?
The move is the second trade in two days for the Celtics after they dealt Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in exchange for a package that features Anfernee Simons and future second-round draft picks.
The Celtics are breaking down their roster in the aftermath of a 2024-25 season that ended with a disappointing second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks, a series in which they lost All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Kristaps Porzingis joins a Hawks team that’s seeking to move up in the East next season. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Alex Goodlett via Getty Images
The injury will sideline Tatum for most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season, a prospect that dampened Boston’s hopes of competing for another title next season, even prior to the ongoing offseason roster shakeup. The Celtics apparently concluded that operating above the second tax apron wasn’t worth it in light of the team’s diminished prospects.
Boston’s loss is Atlanta’s gain, as the Hawks saw an opportunity to improve their standing in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks finished ninth in the East last season at 40-42 and failed to make the playoffs after losing to the Miami Heat in the play-in.
Atlanta’s roster now projects to be much improved from the one that lost to Miami. Besides the addition of Porzingis, the Hawks are expected to return forward Jalen Johnson to the starting lineup.
Johnson, 23, was on a trajectory to make his first All-Star team last season before a shoulder injury ended his season in January. Johnson was not on the roster that lost to the Heat in the play-in.
Historically, Porzingis struggles to remain on the court. He played in 57 and 42 games, respectively, in his two seasons in Boston. But he’s a two-way force when healthy, and he averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks last season while shooting 48.3% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point distance.
As of now, Atlanta’s starting lineup projects to feature Porzingis, Johnson, four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young, last year’s No. 1 draft pick, Zaccharie Risacher, and Defensive Player of the Year finalist Dyson Daniels.
It’s a lineup that offers promise in Atlanta. Whether it can rise to the level of contending in a diminished Eastern Conference is yet to be seen.
They’re right to identify the problem. But Stearns was also correct on Tuesday in suggesting that internal fixes were coming.
More vexing for the season’s long-term outlook is the state of the Mets’ pitching.
On the hitting side, the current active roster is probably not strong enough to shake off the recent trend of frequently recurring flat games. But a lengthier lineup by mid-summer is easy enough to imagine — not tonight, not tomorrow, but soon enough to keep the Mets in contention to make the deep playoff run that until recently felt likely.
Mark Vientos should return from the injured list at the end of the week, and Francisco Alvarez is in Syracuse trying to get right. It’s not unreasonable to think that at least one of those dynamic young hitters will find himself over the next few months. Both have already proven that they can slug in the big leagues.
Jesse Winker, on the IL since May 5 with an oblique strain, will begin a rehab assignment next week. His return will help shore up the DH spot and further lengthen the lineup.
Beyond that, I expect the Mets to seek a center fielder at the trade deadline, with Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins and Boston’s Jarren Duran among those who might become available. Tyrone Taylor is a winning player, but another bat could push Jeff McNeil into the bottom third of the lineup, which is where he fits best.
It’s too early to say if the Mets will seek a third baseman. But let’s play fantasy baseball for a moment. If Arizona makes free-agent-to-be Eugenio Suarez available or Boston is willing to move Alex Bregman ($40 million this year, followed by an opt out or two more years at $40 million), the Mets could acquire one as a rental player and use Vientos at DH for the remainder of the year. Brett Baty’s swing would play at Fenway Park.
That is all speculative. Maybe the reality of tweaking the infield mix is more in the Jeimer Candelario category than the Bregman/Suarez lane. But the idea illustrates how many avenues, both internal and external, exist that could improve the offense beyond the continued excellence of Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
Jun 18, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck – Imagn Images
“We have some players who are getting healthy who I think will help there,” Stearns said Tuesday. “I also think the players who have struggled in our lineup over the last month largely are better offensive players than we’ve seen so far. They themselves have demonstrated that over periods of this season.”
It’s not as easy to see how the Mets address a pitching staff that suddenly seems shaky and tired — and which still leads baseball in staff earned run average, though likely not for long.
Most nights, the Mets simply aren’t able to match the ace-level opponents they have faced in recent series against Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Philadelphia. That makes it hard to end a losing streak, or kick off a winning one.
Manaea had a cortisone injection to address the discomfort, and the team still expects him to return shortly from the oblique injury that has delayed the start of his season. But Manaea is more hopeful than certain that the elbow issue will not impede him for the rest of the year.
Clay Holmes, moved into a starting role this year, has lately shown signs of fatigue. Tylor Megill struggled before injuring his elbow. The bullpen, asked to carry a heavy load, has seen its own share of injury and regression.
Looking for hope? David Peterson continues to develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter, and Kodai Senga (hamstring) will return. The Mets continue to employ one of the best pitching coaches in the sport, Jeremy Hefner, and a POBO who has done this before — including last year.
As the Mets try to find their way back to consistent winning, they are forced to do so with diminished pitching. They have prospects who might contribute in the future, but are not ready now. And just like at every trade deadline, most contending teams will be looking for impact pitchers.
It won’t be easy to find a way back toward enjoying the best pitching staff in the league.
Francisco Alvarez‘s difficulties behind the plate reached a crescendo in the days before the Mets sent him down to Triple-A Syracuse.
His inability to get in front of a ball in the dirt, and indecisiveness on a rundown play contributed to a loss early last week in Atlanta.
Then, on Saturday in Philadelphia, a passed ball on Alvarez led to a run.
The 23-year-old also mashed a 452-foot homer on Saturday night, showing the immense potential he still has.
Overall, Alvarez is hitting just .236/.319/.333 with three home runs and three doubles in 138 plate appearances over 35 games this season. And his struggles at the plate and behind it simply became too much for the Mets to ignore, resulting in his demotion on Sunday.
“Alvy’s a really talented player. He got to the big leagues at such a young age, performed at such a high level immediately that it’s difficult to remember sometimes he is still young,” President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said on Tuesday at Citi Field. “He’s an age that good prospects — industry-leading prospects — are still in Double-A. And he’s been playing in the big leagues for two-plus years.
“So this is not unusual. And I think getting him a little bit of a chance to reset, to work on both sides of the game — and we do think there are performance improvements that are needed on both sides of the game. Giving him an opportunity to do that in a less pressurized environment where he’s not doing it in front of 45,000 people every night, against really good pitching, catching pitchers with really good stuff. We thought this was the right time to do that, both for him and for the team as a whole.”
May 5, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Alvarez missed the first month of the season after needing surgery for a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.
It was the second time in as many years that he missed significant time due to an injury — Alvarez missed a chunk of time in 2024 after tearing a ligament in his left thumb.
While it’s possible the recovery from the hamate surgery has impacted Alvarez’s power a bit, it’s not an extra-base hit surge the Mets are seeking from him in the minors before calling him back up.
“There are certainly some goals, and yes, they’re not statistical,” Stearns explained. “And they’re on both sides of the ball. We want to see him get back to the level of player that we know he can be — that’s what he wants to do as well.”
Stearns also discussed Alvarez’s receiving difficulties, and whether or not he could be carrying his offensive struggles with him behind the dish.
“I think for any player, when you struggle on one side of the ball, sometimes it can impact the other side of the ball,” Stearns said. “And I don’t know if that is happening, but it would be natural if it would. Alvy’s really competitive. He cares a lot, and sometimes that level of emotion — that competitive spirit — can be tough to corral.
“There are things I think we can help him with — on both sides of the ball — receiving among them, to get him back to the level that we’re accustomed to seeing.”
