August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 138 of 162).

Guardians reliever Nic Enright, battling lymphoma, earns emotional first save

NEW YORK (AP) The first career save for Nic Enright was a particularly meaningful one.

Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-6 win over the New York Mets.

“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”

Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 – 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft.

After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May.

He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus.

The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for November.

“I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn’t going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life,” Enright said. “It’s something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, (it shows) I haven’t just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time.”

Enright made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation.

Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right.

“I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan (Jones) kind of keep running,” Enright said. “But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.”

Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room.

“I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,” Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. “I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.”

Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card.

“Really, really cool,” Enright said. “These last couple of years, especially, I’ve gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that’s gone on. And so for me, it’s being able to reflect on those in these moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down. Because it hasn’t exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.”

Why Your Fitbit Sleep Score Just Got Worse

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

If you’ve noticed your Fitbit sleep score taking a nosedive recently, don’t panic—and definitely don’t assume you’ve unknowingly developed insomnia. It seems Fitbit has quietly rolled out improvements to its sleep tracking technology. And while your numbers might look worse at a glance, you’re actually now getting a much more accurate picture of your sleep patterns.

How your Fitbit tracks your sleep

Your Fitbit Sleep Score is based on heart rate, the time spent awake or restless, and sleep stages. The tracker estimates sleep stages using a combination of movement and heart-rate patterns. For instance, when you haven’t moved for about an hour, your Fitbit assumes you’re asleep.

According to the Fitbit blog, the recent update—which the company addressed only after users complained about it—is “the first step in a series of upcoming improvements” to its tracking technology. The eventual goal is a more precise measurement of your sleep stages. And it turns out, increased precision often results in lower user scores.

Fitbit Charge 6

Fitbit Charge 6


$124.00
at Amazon
$159.95
Save $35.95

Why your sleep score dropped after Fitbit’s update

Here’s what’s happening. If your sleep score dropped from, say, 85 to 78 after the update, it doesn’t mean your sleep quality suddenly deteriorated. Instead, you’re now seeing a more honest assessment that accounts for:

  • Brief nighttime awakenings that were previously overlooked

  • Lighter sleep periods that might have previously been miscategorized as deep sleep

  • Natural sleep fragmentation that occurs in all healthy sleepers

  • More precise movement detection that can distinguish between restless sleep and actual wakefulness

Most people experience brief awakenings throughout the night—it’s completely normal and part of healthy sleep architecture. Your brain naturally cycles through different sleep stages, and brief moments of consciousness between these cycles are the norm, not the exception.

The old system essentially gave you a “rosier” picture by overlooking these normal sleep disruptions. While it may have felt good psychologically to see a “good” sleep score, the data you were getting about your actual sleep patterns wasn’t as useful or actionable.

The bottom line

Your Fitbit isn’t trying to make you feel bad about your sleep. A lower sleep score doesn’t mean you’re sleeping worse—it means you’re finally seeing the whole picture.

Don’t bother comparing your new, post-update scores directly to your old ones. Instead, use your post-update scores as your new baseline, and track changes from there. Another helpful tip is to focus on trends rather than an individual night’s readings. One night with a lower score isn’t cause for concern, but consistent changes over weeks might indicate something worth addressing.

And remember: Sleep quality isn’t just about the number on your wearable. How you feel when you wake up, your energy levels throughout the day, and your overall sense of well-being are more important indicators of good sleep.

Fitbit plans to continue iterating on its tracking technology—and perhaps it will reveal more about future changes at the upcoming Made by Google event on Aug. 20.

This Sony Karaoke Speaker Is on Sale for $400 on Woot! Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

If you’re looking to host more epic parties, you can get an unopened Sony SRS-XV800 Party Speaker for just under $400, which is less expensive than the Amazon price tag but has all the same impressive perks. Ideal for karaoke sessions and your favorite jams, this speaker has immersive sound plus LED lighting to set the mood. Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. (free shipping for Prime members; $6 for non-Prime members), and this speaker comes with the 90-Day Woot Limited Warranty.

Sony SRS-XV800 Party Speaker

Sony SRS-XV800 Party Speaker


$398.00
at Woot
$549.99
Save $151.99

Equipped with omnidirectional sound in front and back X-balanced speakers, the SRS-XV800 offers a combination of clarity and deep bass. It’s also a karaoke night essential, with multiple inputs for karaoke (because who doesn’t love a duet?) and guitar. While it’s not 100% waterproof, it does have an IPX4 rating, meaning it’s splash- and spill-resistant if a drink or a little pool water goes flying. The lighting options have different patterns, allowing users to choose between high-energy pulsating modes or more soothing shades for date night. Lighting and music can all be controlled from the Sony | Music Center app and the Fiestable app. 

This battery-powered speaker has 25 hours of battery life on a single charge, and its USB-C quick charging feature provides up to 3 hours of playback on just a 10-minute charge. Although it is on the heavier side at around 40 pounds (and perhaps a bit bulky if you live in a small apartment), it does have a built-in carrying handle and wheels that make it more portable. 

With many features that are similar to the JBL Partybox, the Sony SRS-XV800 Party Speaker from Woot is a cheaper alternative, though not quite as bass-heavy. Ultimately, if you want a party speaker with impressive battery life and sophisticated lighting to make your gatherings more memorable, this party speaker offers smart value.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now


Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023)


—
$29.99

(List Price $49.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Chicago Bulls bringing back historic pinstripe jerseys

How much of a statement their play will make next season is up for debate, but the Chicago Bulls’ statement uniforms are winners.

The Bulls are bringing back the pinstripes.

This design is inspired by the jerseys worn by the team during the Jordan comeback championship era from 1995-97, as well as in 2007-08 and 2012-13.

Chicago brought back Dennis Rodman to show off the vintage look jerseys.

The team will wear the jersey on select Statement Edition game nights, which will be announced at a later date (after the NBA releases the upcoming league schedule in the next few weeks).

I’ll tune into those games just to see the jerseys back on the court.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: JoJo Romero, Francisco Alvarez, and Tyler Locklear

The trade deadline has come and gone which offers us plenty of opportunity as fantasy managers. There are plenty of new closers for those seeking saves and major role openings for exciting position players across the league. Opportunity abounds for them and in turn, us.

Whether you’re trying to hold onto a top spot, pushing the leader, desperately trying to play catch up, or positioning yourself for the playoffs, reinforcements and upside are vital this time of year.

Most waiver wires have been picked over though and it’s difficult to find impact players readily available in most leagues at this point in the season.

Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers that help push us towards glory.

MLB Power Rankings: Brewers mash their way to the top, Red Sox surging in AL playoff race
The Brewers have scored more runs than any other team over the past 30 days.
  • D.J. Short

    ,

Here are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding.

If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his – he saw at Triple-A were thrown 95 mph or harder. He swung at 79, and missed 26 for a 32.9% whiff rate. He will see a higher rate of 95+ mph heat like that in the majors, so keep an eye on how he responds to it.

The De’Aaron Fox extension: Is San Antonio’s deal with the dynamic point guard as bonkers as it seems?

The San Antonio Spurs have given De’Aaron Fox a full max extension, totaling four years and $229 million, underlining their belief that the point guard will be able to return to All-NBA form while functioning as the secondary star next to Victor Wembanyama.

Let’s talk about it.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Even through the biggest lens of optimism, this extension comes with risk. Fox isn’t a natural long-range shooter whatsoever, and that’s a not insignificant shortcoming in 2025, especially when the Spurs in particular need to optimize the spacing around Wembanyama.

Furthermore, Fox at 30% of the cap could see his trade value decline in this new era of aprons, where every dollar is squeezed to its full potential, as to avoid being put in financial handcuffs.

There’s also the element of age. Fox is 27, a full six years older than Wembanyama, which means their long-term future as a duo could get, well, a bit messed up.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo spent years being surrounded by older players in the form of Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. They eventually aged out and became less effective, leaving the Bucks in a situation where they couldn’t replace them, seeing as money was tied up on them, and their trade values were diminishing by the year.

Fox still has some years left before the Spurs have to worry about that, but it’s worth remembering the Bucks example, just for future reference.

While there should be some long-term concerns from a roster flexibility perspective with Fox’s extension, it’s crucial to remember that he’s one of the most explosive and dynamic point guards in the NBA.

He’s a career 21.5-point scorer, an athletic blur, and his defensive capabilities were generally underplayed due to the fact he played in Sacramento for almost eight years.

Fox is also a real point guard, in the sense that he can set the table, run the show, defer when necessary, get certain players involved when they haven’t seen the ball for five possessions in a row, and he’s by all accounts an exceptional locker room presence who has historically been a tremendous communicator.

Not only will those leadership abilities help the Spurs on the floor, but they will also provide recent lottery pick Dylan Harper with a world of insight into what it takes to be a natural floor leader.

Finally, the presence of Fox does provide the Spurs with a high baseline of talent, as they can stagger him and Wembanyama, to make sure there’s an All-Star caliber player on the floor at every possible moment.

All in all, it’s fair to not like this contract, just as it’s fair to love it. Essentially, it comes down to how much you value financial flexibility and whether you think Fox is a player worthy of such a commitment.

There is a difference between superstars and fringe All-Stars, of which Fox belongs in the latter category with his just one nod, and most teams are keenly aware that paying top dollar for the non-superstar can prove problematic.

It’s also worth considering that the Spurs will also have to hand Wembanyama an extension after the conclusion of next season, one which triggers in 2027.

So, perhaps then, there is a plan in place to utilize the $24 million spent on backup centers this offseason, not to mention Keldon Johnson’s modest salary of $17.5 million, to make a play for something larger as the team nears the trade deadline.

The Fox extension could also be viewed as insurance, should outside teams eventually be willing to fork over assets for him, and view the fact that he’s on the books for so long as an asset in its own right.

Regardless, fairly or unfairly, expectations now lie on Fox to live up to this deal, and to prove he is the guy to help the Spurs level up.

The De’Aaron Fox extension: Is San Antonio’s deal with the dynamic point guard as bonkers as it seems?

The San Antonio Spurs have given De’Aaron Fox a full max extension, totaling four years and $229 million, underlining their belief that the point guard will be able to return to All-NBA form while functioning as the secondary star next to Victor Wembanyama.

Let’s talk about it.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Even through the biggest lens of optimism, this extension comes with risk. Fox isn’t a natural long-range shooter whatsoever, and that’s a not insignificant shortcoming in 2025, especially when the Spurs in particular need to optimize the spacing around Wembanyama.

Furthermore, Fox at 30% of the cap could see his trade value decline in this new era of aprons, where every dollar is squeezed to its full potential, as to avoid being put in financial handcuffs.

There’s also the element of age. Fox is 27, a full six years older than Wembanyama, which means their long-term future as a duo could get, well, a bit messed up.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo spent years being surrounded by older players in the form of Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. They eventually aged out and became less effective, leaving the Bucks in a situation where they couldn’t replace them, seeing as money was tied up on them, and their trade values were diminishing by the year.

Fox still has some years left before the Spurs have to worry about that, but it’s worth remembering the Bucks example, just for future reference.

While there should be some long-term concerns from a roster flexibility perspective with Fox’s extension, it’s crucial to remember that he’s one of the most explosive and dynamic point guards in the NBA.

He’s a career 21.5-point scorer, an athletic blur, and his defensive capabilities were generally underplayed due to the fact he played in Sacramento for almost eight years.

Fox is also a real point guard, in the sense that he can set the table, run the show, defer when necessary, get certain players involved when they haven’t seen the ball for five possessions in a row, and he’s by all accounts an exceptional locker room presence who has historically been a tremendous communicator.

Not only will those leadership abilities help the Spurs on the floor, but they will also provide recent lottery pick Dylan Harper with a world of insight into what it takes to be a natural floor leader.

Finally, the presence of Fox does provide the Spurs with a high baseline of talent, as they can stagger him and Wembanyama, to make sure there’s an All-Star caliber player on the floor at every possible moment.

All in all, it’s fair to not like this contract, just as it’s fair to love it. Essentially, it comes down to how much you value financial flexibility and whether you think Fox is a player worthy of such a commitment.

There is a difference between superstars and fringe All-Stars, of which Fox belongs in the latter category with his just one nod, and most teams are keenly aware that paying top dollar for the non-superstar can prove problematic.

It’s also worth considering that the Spurs will also have to hand Wembanyama an extension after the conclusion of next season, one which triggers in 2027.

So, perhaps then, there is a plan in place to utilize the $24 million spent on backup centers this offseason, not to mention Keldon Johnson’s modest salary of $17.5 million, to make a play for something larger as the team nears the trade deadline.

The Fox extension could also be viewed as insurance, should outside teams eventually be willing to fork over assets for him, and view the fact that he’s on the books for so long as an asset in its own right.

Regardless, fairly or unfairly, expectations now lie on Fox to live up to this deal, and to prove he is the guy to help the Spurs level up.

MLB Power Rankings: Brewers mash their way to the top, Red Sox surging in AL playoff race

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we look at the fallout from the recent trade deadline, Kyle Schwarber’s power explosion, the Red Sox and Yankees headed in different directions, Kyle Stowers’ emergence, hope for the White Sox, and much more.

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

Let’s get started!

2025 Fantasy Baseball Top 300 update: Shohei Ohtani clings to top spot, Aaron Judge back up to No. 2
Mason Miller and David Bednar plummet this week as trade deadline fallout leads to many Top 300 changes.

Note: Rankings are from the morning of Tuesday, August 5. 

1) Milwaukee Brewers ⬆️

Last week: 4

The Brewers have earned the No. 1 spot after winning two out of three from the Cubs, absolutely destroying the Nationals over the weekend, and winning the series opener with the Braves on Monday.

People keep asking what the Brewers’ secret sauce is when it’s quite obviously cheese curds.

2) Chicago Cubs

Last week: 2

It feels like the Cubs are a team where a couple of months from now we’ll be asking why they didn’t do more at the deadline. The team’s big rotation acquisition, Mike Soroka, is headed to the injured list after leaving his Cubs debut with shoulder discomfort.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬆️

Last week: 5

Max Muncy made his much-needed return to the Dodgers’ lineup on Monday after missing a month with a knee injury. Believe it or not, the club ranked last in the majors in runs during that time.

4) Toronto Blue Jays ⬇️

Last week: 1

A two-homer game from Bichette at Coors Field. I’ve seen this episode before.

After an injury-plagued 2024 season, Bo Bichette has returned to form this season. He’s leading the majors in hits and setting himself up for a nice payday this winter.

5) Detroit Tigers ⬆️

Last week: 6

The Tigers have righted the ship somewhat with six wins in their last eight games. Like many contenders, the Tigers prioritized their bullpen at the deadline, including new closer Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals.

6) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 7

Kyle Schwarber cannot be stopped. With a pair of blasts on Monday, the 32-year-old slugger has now 40 homers for the season and 10 in 16 games since the All-Star break. The pleas to re-sign him are only getting louder in Philadelphia.

7) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 11

The Red Sox are another team where you could argue they should have done more at the trade deadline, but that’s not stopping them from being the hottest team in baseball. Winners of six straight, they now hold the top spot in the Wild Card standings.

8) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 3

You can build a great back-end of the bullpen — which the Mets have done — but it’s still a problem if your starters can’t complete six innings on a regular basis.

9) Houston Astros ⬇️

Last week: 8

The Astros have lost eight out of their last 11 games, but the good vibes are still (mostly) flowing from Carlos Correa’s return.

Looking forward to seeing the reception when Correa plays his first home game back in Houston next Monday.

10) San Diego Padres ⬇️

Last week: 9

A.J. Preller, you beautiful maniac. Of course the Padres had to go crazy at the trade deadline, not just adding to a dominant bullpen with Mason Miller while trading their top prospect, but also upgrading their top-heavy lineup with Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano.

11) Seattle Mariners ⬆️

Last week: 12

The Mariners did exactly what they needed to do at the deadline, grabbing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez to strengthen their lineup and left-hander Caleb Ferguson to lengthen their bullpen. The club took three out of four from the Rangers over the weekend and should be considered a serious threat to take down the Astros.

12) New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 10

The Yankees did the right thing by prioritizing their bullpen at the deadline, but so far it has been nothing short of a disaster. Friday’s blowup was an all-timer, the bullpen came up short again on Monday against the Rangers as Devin Williams served up a game-tying homer in the ninth before recent acquisition Jake Bird gave up a walk-off homer to Josh Jung in the 10th. At least Aaron Judge is coming back?

13) Texas Rangers

Last week: 13

The Rangers are clearly betting on improvements from their offense, as they focused on their rotation (Merrill Kelly) and bullpen (Phil Maton, Danny Coulombe) at the trade deadline last week. Josh Jung, who hit a walk-off homer on Monday, is part of that bet. He’s hitting .382 (13-for-34) with three homers and eight RBI since returning from the minors.

14) Cincinnati Reds

Last week: 14

The Reds took on Ke’Bryan Hayes entire contract ($36 million from 2026-2019, with a $6 million buyout on $12 million club option for 2030) in their trade with the Pirates last week. There’s no doubt that Hayes can pick it at third base, but only Christian Vazquez has a lower OPS than Hayes (.574) among players with at least 500 plate appearances dating back to the start of last season.

15) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️

Last week: 18

Nic Enright secured his first save on Monday, a significant milestone for someone who is battling lymphoma.

16) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 19

The Royals were characterized as a buyer coming out of the trade deadline. And to a certain extent, they were. But the pitchers they acquired — Bailey Falter, Ryan Berger, Stephen Kolek — all come with multiple years of control. Adding in the extension to Seth Lugo and they are clearly thinking about both 2025 and beyond.

17) Miami Marlins ⬆️

Last week: 23

The Marlins swept the Yankees over the weekend and NL Player of the Month Kyle Stowers was right in the middle of it with a pair of homers.

18) San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 15

I could talk about the Giants’ trade deadline approach here, but the real headliner is the reality that the San Francisco Giants and the New York Giants really do get together for dinner.

19) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️

Last week: 16

Masyn Winn is tops in the majors in Outs Above Average, and if you watch this play from last week, you’ll know why.

20) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️

Last week: 21

Why are you the way that you are? The Angels actually bought at the trade deadline for some reason, acquiring relievers Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin.

21) Tampa Bay Rays ⬇️

Last week: 17

The Rays have been one of the worst teams in MLB over the past month, but they cooked up a cosmic gumbo of buying and selling at the trade deadline. Similar to what the Royals did with some of their moves, the Rays’ acquisition of reliever Griffin Jax is about now and future seasons.

22) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 20

While this season hasn’t worked out as hoped for the Diamondbacks, they did a nice job loading up on prospects while trading Merrill Kelly, Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, Shelby Miller, Jordan Montgomery, and Randal Grichuk.

23) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️

Last week: 24

A lost year for Grayson Rodriguez is officially in the books. The young right-hander is scheduled for elbow dibridement surgery next week and could be sidelined through the early part of next season as well. Figuring out the pitching side is of utmost importance for Baltimore going forward.

24) Atlanta Braves ⬆️

Last week: 26

Behold, the only trophy the Braves will be lifting this season.

Because the Braves’ season continues to be cursed, Austin Riley is headed back to the injured list with an abdominal strain.

25) Athletics

Last week: 25

Having a great closer is quite simply a luxury for a non-contender, so you can’t fault the A’s for trading Mason Miller and J.P Sears, especially when you get one of the game’s top prospects in return. It will be fun to see De Vries in Sacramento/Las Vegas/a destination to be named later in a couple of years.

26) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️

Last week: 27

The Pirates made some notable moves last week (Ke’Bryan Hayes, David Bednar), but it’s the ones they didn’t make (impending free agents Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tommy Pham, and Andrew Heaney) which were especially confusing.

27) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 22

If you were a Twin, you probably got traded last week. And that goes for Tyler and Trevor Rogers, as well. You have to feel for Twins fans. Hopefully there’s a soft landing with their sale situation in the days ahead.

28) Washington Nationals

Last week: 28

The Nationals have given up at least seven runs in each of their last five games. The Dog Days of Summer, indeed.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

This is what it’s all about for the White Sox right now.

Montgomery, in particular, has been the most exciting of late. He’s now homered seven times in his last 11 games.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

Not only did this three-run homer from Jordan Beck end Paul Skenes’ 18-inning scoreless streak, but it was also the first time Skenes had given up a home run of more than two runs in the majors. So the Rockies have that going for them, which is nice.

Cavaliers’ Darius Garland may not be ready for start of training camp after toe surgery

“I feel great. The recovery process is going well.”

That is all Darius Garland would say to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com about surgery on his big toe back in June after that injury severely limited him in the playoffs, a key reason for the Cavaliers’ early second-round exit. Fedor next asked Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson about Garland’s recovery and learned the All-Star point guard may not be ready for the start of training camp. Here is what Fedor said on the Wine and Gold podcast about talking to Atkinson.

And I asked him, I said, “You know, as a coach, you lost Ty Jerome and Darius Garland is obviously recovering from toe surgery. Are you anticipating Darius being ready for training?” And he said, “No, I don’t decide these things. It’s going to be up to Darius and the training staff led by Steve Spiro.” But he said, “I don’t expect him to, and I want him to take his time with this, and we’re not going to push it. We’re not going to rush it…

“We have Don (Donovan Mitchell). We have Lonzo (Ball). We have CP (Craig Porter Jr.). We are kind of covered. We also have Evan (Mobley), where we can throw it to him in a trail position and have him be a play-maker.”

The Cavaliers should not rush it. How important Garland is to the Cavaliers’ success was clearly evident in the playoffs — they need him fully healthy. Last season, Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 40.1% from 3. In the playoffs that fell off to 18 points and 5.2 assists a game, but he played in just five postseason games because of the turf toe injury and was far less efficient, shooting just 28.6% from 3.

Cleveland enters the season as the clear favorite to grab the No. 1 seed in the East this coming season, but they need to prove they can carry that over to the playoffs this time. Coming off a 64-win season and with a very deep team, Atkinson can afford to monitor and rest players more while still racking up plenty of wins to get the top seed. What matters more is a rested and healthy Cavaliers team heading into the playoffs, because that team has a legitimate chance to make the Finals. What matters is the big picture.

And if that means Garland misses some of training camp, that’s just fine.

Where Celtics’ roster stands after reported Niang trade, Boucher signing

Where Celtics’ roster stands after reported Niang trade, Boucher signing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics interrupted the NBA’s summer doldrums with a pair of interesting roster moves Tuesday afternoon.

First, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Celtics are trading Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard RJ Luis Jr.

Moments later, Charania reported that free-agent forward Chris Boucher has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with Boston.

By moving on from Niang and his expiring $8.2 million contract, the Celtics save about $4.9 million against the cap for the 2025-26 season. They’re now roughly $6 million below the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax, and about $5.4 million above the first apron. They’re also $13.4 million away from getting out of the luxury tax entirely.

!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}})}();

The Celtics acquired Niang — a Methuen, Mass., native — from the Hawks in June as part of a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta. But Boston’s goal throughout this offseason has been to get out of the second apron and trim salary, which made it likely that the team would re-route Niang if the right suitor emerged.

As for Boston’s additions, Boucher provides welcome frontcourt depth at a relatively low cost. The 32-year-old averaged 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with the Toronto Raptors last season and won a pair of NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors earlier in his career (2018 and 2019).

Boucher also has some, shall we say, “familiarity” with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.

RJ Luis Jr., meanwhile, began his college career at UMass (2022-23) before transferring to St. John’s (2023-25). The 22-year-old went undrafted in 2025 before signing a two-way contract with the Jazz in June.

It’s possible the Celtics aren’t done dealing even after the Niang and Boucher moves. Boston reportedly is “actively shopping” guard Anfernee Simons, who is making $27.7 million on the final year of his deal.