The Lakers wasted no time in doing exactly what we knew they were doing: Signing Bronny James to a contract. It just so happened that he became the first second round pick to sign, a four-year deal, and with the new CBA people saw the announcement and began to lose it.
Bronny James has agreed to a four-year, $7.9 million deal with the Lakers, a league source told ESPN. Team option on the fourth year.
On the surface this seems beyond ludicrous. To be fair, it is the largest contract of all time given to a second round rookie pick — but it has nothing to do with LeBron or nepotism; it’s just the new normal of the 2023 CBA. The minimum annual salary for a 4-year deal is exactly what Bronny received, which means the total money side of this had nothing to do with who his dad is. The truth is that revenues are rising, the salary cap is expanding — and that’s why we keep seeing new records for contracts, with the trickle down effect being that rookies are getting more money as a result.
Pelle Larsson, the first second-rounder to sign this year got a three-year, $5.4 million deal from the Miami Heat — and had they added a fourth year he would have been on the exact same contract as Bronny James.
Now, we can certainly argue about the nature of this deal. A second round pick with as many questions as Bronny getting a contract before Summer League is definitely a perk of being LeBron’s son — but in the grand scheme of things it’s really a minor issue. He’s the No. 55 pick, who probably won’t contribute much, and earning just under $2M a year is relative chump change, commensurate with what the majority of deep rotation guys will make this season.
In the end this is all no harm, no foul. LeBron is going to ride out his career in Los Angeles, play with his son, continue with business ventures in the city — and sail off into the sunset.
The news that Joey Chestnut was out of the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest rocked the world of competitive eating. Chestnut, who has claimed victory at the eight previous Nathan’s contests, still holds the record with 76 hot dogs eaten at the event and won the contest in 2020 by a whopping 33-hot dog margin.
But due to his partnership with Impossible Foods, Chestnut is out this year.
Who can emerge from the rest of the field to pick up the mantle?
It might be none other than Geoffrey Esper.
Esper has finished second to Chestnut in the last three years, including in 2023 when he finished second with 49 hot dogs consumed, 13 behind Chestnut. That was an improvement from his performance in 2022 when he finished second to Chestnut with 47 hot dogs consumed.
Esper, who teaches electronics at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton, Massachusetts, is the second-ranked competitive eater in the world. His list of records and accomplishments in the world of competitive eating includes some incredible feats, including eating:
9.75 pounds of SPAM at “SPAMARAMA at the Circuit of the Americas during the 2021 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in eight minutes;
95 two-ounce Market Street Tamales at the Lewisville Western Days Festival in ten minutes;
17.75 bagels with cream cheese in eight minutes, and;
23.75 pounds of strawberry shortcake at the Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival in eight minutes, which he accomplished last month.
Esper remains the world record holder in the strawberry shortcake category but in his mind, the Nathan’s contest is a much bigger challenge because it takes more than just a big stomach. “This isn’t as easy as other races like strawberry shortcakes where whoever has the biggest stomach wins,” he said recently. “You have to concentrate on what you are doing to eat so much.”
With Chestnut sidelined, Esper believes he finally has a shot at the title.“I definitely have a shot this year,” said Esper recently. But he knows the field is wide open without the returning champion.
“[With Chesnut] not there, it changes the dynamics of everything. It’s going to be a tight battle for first,” said Esper.
Perhaps finally the bridesmaid will get a chance to be the bride on Thursday.
Turkey is moving on to the quarter-finals at Euro 2024.
And they can certainly point to keeper Mert Günok as well as Merih Demiral as huge reasons why.
In Tuesday’s knockout match between Austria and Turkey, Turkey enjoyed a 2-1 lead in the closing minutes, thanks to a brace from Merih Demiral. Demiral’s first goal came just 57 seconds into the match, making it the second-fastest goal in Euros history. Turkey took a 1-0 lead to the break, and Demiral’s second goal, which came in the 59th minute, gave Turkey the two-goal advantage.
Michael Gregoritsch netted for Austria on this well-designed set piece in the 66th minute as the Austrians cut Turkey’s advantage to 2-1:
Both sides pressed on in the rain, trying to find either the goal to ice the game or, in Austria’s case, the equalizer. In the 95th minute, Christoph Baumgartner thought he delivered the equalizer for Austria, but that is when Günok delivered his hero moment:
Somehow, some way, Günok turned Baumgartner’s point-blank header aside. The save is certainly worth another look, as Günok goes full stretch to deny Baumgartner:
Turkey held on for the 2-1 victory, advancing to the quarter-finals where they will face Netherlands.
A Dodgers ball boy made the play of a lifetime on Wednesday when he made a bare-handed catch of a ball that was rocketing towards the bullpen — or perhaps more accurately, rocketing towards Shohei Ohtani’s head.
Ohtani hit the deck immediately, realizing that the errant ball was on a collision course with his face, a move that a majority of other players around him did as well. On this day the bat boy became a bat man, casually plucking it out of thin air and protecting the Dodgers’ $700M investment.
“Protecting the most important player in baseball” is right up there in the pantheon of amazing things a bat boy could achieve. If the team didn’t give this dude a bonus of a lifetime then what are we even doing here? It’s not outside the realm of possibility to think that if that ball actually made contact with Ohtani he would have missed signifiant time, but now we don’t need to worry about that.
After six years of serving the PGA of America as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, Seth Waugh has decided to step down.
Waugh, who previously served as CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, became the CEO of the PGA of America in September 2018, the same month Le Golf National in Paris hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. Of course, the PGA of America facilitates both the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship.
But now, a month before Le Golf National will host the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Golf Competition, Waugh announced in a statement that he will not renew his contract with the organization.
“I recently informed the board that I would not be renewing my contract that is set to expire on June 30, but I am honored to continue to serve the association as a Senior Advisor,” Waugh said.
Seth Waugh and Xander Schauffele at Valhalla.Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve as the CEO of the PGA of America for the past six years.”
Waugh has had quite a tenure. In May 2019, he helped lead the organization at Bethpage Black, which hosted the PGA Championship in May for the first time instead of its traditional August date.
Then, a global pandemic disrupted the entire world, which consequently led to a golfing boom among amateur players. People from all walks of life have begun to play the game as the sport continues to grow among younger, more diverse populations.
But the men’s professional game has been divided over the past few years thanks to LIV Golf’s prominence. Waugh and the PGA of America have mostly stayed out of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf fray, but he did say at Oak Hill in 2023 that “division is not good for the game.”
Nevertheless, the PGA of America invited numerous LIV Golf players to compete at Valhalla this year, hoping to create the strongest field in all golf.
On top of that, Waugh has repeatedly opined about rolling back the golf ball, which has sparked controversy over the past decade. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the R&A—the two governing bodies golf has—wanted to create a rule where professional golfers would use a limited-distance golf ball to combat the preposterous length players now have.
“We fear that the proposed changes could seriously interrupt the current momentum in the game and be fundamentally damaging and detrimental in the long run,” Waugh wrote in July 2023.
“It is something that we feel could lead to division and cause us to lose a very precarious characteristic of golf; the fact that we all play on the same course with the same clubs and balls. In our view, this dynamic should be preserved as a fundamental tenet.”
To respond, the USGA and the R&A decided that, instead of creating a different ball for pro circuits, all golfers must play with a newer limited-distance ball that will be instituted in pro events in 2028 and among the amateur game by 2030.
“The very best will figure out this new ball and how to hit it farther than I certainly do,” Waugh said at Valhalla in May 2024.
From right to left: Seth Waugh, John Lindert, and Kerry Haigh speak to the media ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship.Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images
“I think our biggest fear is for that part of the game that is growing, are you going to sort of disrupt that for one-half of one percent that are out there, right, and where do you draw the line of what’s elite and what’s not? Is a club championship elite or not? And so, we are glad it’s one rule, and the game will be bigger than any of this. We can all argue about it, but the game will be fine both recreationally and, I think, professionally, as well.”
Waugh has witnessed some incredible events play out during his tenure, too.
He saw Phil Mickelson become the oldest major champion at Kiawah Island. He also witnessed Justin Thomas win his second Wanamaker Trophy at Southern Hills in 2022. Then, Michael Block became an internet sensation at Oak Hill, jarring a hole-in-one on the 15th hole that golf fans will remember forever.
Plus, he watched the Americans win the Ryder Cup on home soil in 2021, when Steve Stricker captained Team USA to victory in his native Wisconsin.
However, a captain has yet to be announced for the 2025 competition at Bethpage Black. Luke Donald, meanwhile, will return as the leader of Team Europe after their resounding victory in Rome last fall.
Still, Waugh feels confident in his work and will continue to consult the organization as an advisor. PGA of America Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh will serve as CEO in the interim.
“The goal from the start was to leave the room better than we found it, and I believe that together, we have done just that,” Waugh added.
“I want to thank the membership, my colleagues, all the various board members, past presidents, our extraordinary partners, my peers at all the other golf bodies, as well as everyone who plays and loves our beautiful game for all the support and friendship during this journey. What a gift this has been.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
Saturday’s qualifying session at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix delivered one of the more thrilling hours in recent memory. A back-and-forth fight for pole position saw Max Verstappen put his RB20 on provisional pole in the closing seconds of Q3, but Lando Norris snatched P1 from his friend at the death, capturing pole position by just two-hundredths of a second.
How did Norris pull off the win, and what might Saturday’s results tell us about Sunday?
Let’s dive into the data a bit, thanks to our friends at F1-Tempo. First we can look at the “track dominance” map, highlighting where each car was faster on their final laps in Q3. As you might expect given recent history, the RB20 was faster on the straights — particularly the long straight coming out of Turn 14 and back to the start/finish line — while the MCL38 was quicker through some of the corners:
As you can see Norris — highlighted in the orange — was quicker particularly in Sector 1, which includes the initial chicane coming out of the long straight as well as the sweeping corner coming out of Turn 3 and heading into Repsol at Turn 4.
But on the straighter portions of the track, and the long straight itself, Verstappen was faster.
Verstappen also posted the highest speed on that long straight, a mark of 329 kilometers per hour. As you can see in this next image, that came near the end of the straight, heading into Turn 1. By comparison, Norris was 5 kph slower at that point:
Looking at the delta between the two cars at that point, Verstappen had an edge on the lap of 0.054 seconds per Norris at that point, coming out of that long straight:
Then as the cars hit Turn 1, Verstappen’s advantage was up to 0.125 seconds:
But as you can see from that above graph, Norris then built a lead as Sector 1 came to a close and Sector 2 began, and he held that lead throughout the rest of the lap, fending off a late challenge from Verstappen coming out of Turn 14 and back to the start/finish line (more on that in a second).
Norris built that lead through Turns 3, 4, and 5. As you can see from the initial “track dominance” map, Norris was quicker from Turn 3 into Turn 4, and while Verstappen had an edge from Turn 4 into Turn 5, Norris built a lead he would not give back. In fact, by the time both cars came out of Turn 5 Norris had gone from being 0.125 seconds down at one point, to being up 0.167 seconds on his friend and rival:
And if you look at the entire delta graph, while Verstappen was able to. close that gap over the rest of the lap, he could not make up the difference.
However, there is something to note regarding the final turn, Turn 14, as alluded to above. Take a look at the throttle data for that final turn:
As you can see, while Norris lifted just a bit heading into Turn 14, Verstappen was able to keep the hammer down through the final turn, giving him a huge run of momentum into the long straight and back to the start/finish line.
That has led to some believing that Verstappen is primed for an even bigger Sunday:
Turn 14 reveals Ferrari’s weakness (which is RedBull’s strength)
Ferrari has less downforce than the othersLEC lifted significantly (72% throttle, 267km/h)
HAM and NOR only needed a tiny lift… but VER remained full throttle! His superior downforce reveals a race-focused… pic.twitter.com/dKOF08O8AZ
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) June 22, 2024
“Lando Norris with perhaps one of the finest laps he’s turned in a Formula 1 car.”
That was the description from Alex Jacques in the commentary box on F1TV after the checkered flag flew at the end of qualifying. And if Saturday’s qualifying session at the Spanish Grand Prix is any indication, the rest of this F1 season may be filled with tremendous drama.
Max Verstappen threw down the gauntlet throughout qualifying, and as the seconds ticked down it looked as if the Red Bull driver was going to fend off the challengers in the field. Verstappen was on provisional pole position, but there were still a few drivers on the track.
Including Norris.
The McLaren driver delivered what he described as a “perfect” lap, a thunderous performance that snatched P1 away from his friend and rival Verstappen at the death. While Verstappen was denied pole last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix despite setting the same time as George Russell, Norris finished two hundreds ahead of his friend.
It is the second pole position of the McLaren driver’s career.
Can he translate that into a victory?
Norris said that is the “plan.”
“Of course, I can,” said Norris trackside when asked he he can translate pole position into a victory. “That’s our target. But I know it’s gonna be tough against Max, against Lewis, anyone behind. But we’re to win now.
“So, that’s my plan.”
Norris and McLaren kick off our list of winners and losers during qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix. Here are the full results, as well as some more winners and losers from a thrilling Saturday in Barcelona.
Losers: Williams
The last time Williams finished in the points at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya? That came back at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa came across the line in the top ten. Since then, Barcelona has been a points desert for the team.
That looks to continue this weekend.
Williams has been on the back foot all week, and that continued with qualifying on Saturday. Both Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant were eliminated in Q1, and the team will face an uphill climb to try and secure points in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
With their two drivers set to start alongside each other on the back row of the grid.
When the team launched their challenger for the 2024 season in New York City in February, the talk from the team was that the FW46 was going to be a more well-rounded car than last season’s challenger. A year ago you knew where the FW45 was going to be strong, particularly at high-speed circuits with lots of straights. Entering 2024, the team was hoping to find a more complete challenger.
While they may have achieved that goal, Barcelona remains tough sledding for the team.
“It’s been a painful weekend guys … I’ll keep trying my best,” reported Sargeant following Q1.
Williams will need something even better than that on Sunday if they are going to break their points-less Barcelona streak.
Winners: Sauber
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Finally.
For the first time all season long, Sauber had a reason to work on both sides of the garage in Q2. Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu advanced out of Q1, for the first time this year. Bottas was 13th-fastest in Q1, with Zhou right behind him in P14.
While their days ended in Q2, as both Bottas and Zhou failed to advance, it was certainly a step forward for the team during a year that has seen Sauber struggle. The year began with frustration in the pits, as races where the team demonstrated good pace were undone by lengthy pit stops and a problem with cross-threading issues on the wheel nuts of the C44.
Those issues were finally resolved, and now they have their first weekend with both cars in Q2.
Can they translate that into points? With both drivers starting just on the outside of the top ten — with Bottas in P12 and Zhou in P15 — they certainly have a shot.
Losers: VCARB
Both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda described Friday as a struggle for the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Saturday was not much better.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda were both eliminated in Q1, and are set to start alongside each other on the penultimate row of the grid. Ricciardo posted the 18th-fastest time in Q1, with Tsunoda just ahead of him in P17.
VCARB brought a set of upgrades to Barcelona, like many teams, and the word from the team after Friday’s session was that the upgrades were working as expected. “The main upgrade we brought here is the floor, and with these cars, it’s such a big part of development,” reported Ricciardo in the team’s post-practice report Friday. “There’s still some optimism and once we dive into it tonight, we’ll find how it’s working and better ways to set up the car around it.”
“We’re happy with the numbers coming from the upgrade, all is working well and no issues there,” described Sporting Director Alan Permane. “The focus will be on the mechanical side of the car and improving the suspension setup.”
But judging by the results Saturday, the team is still looking for answers on the setup.
Winners: Alpine
Following Friday’s two practice sessions both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly seemed surprised with the performance from Alpine. With both drivers finishing FP2 inside the top ten — and Gasly in P4 — the Alpine duo wondered if that result offered a true picture of how things stood. “To end the day with both cars in the top-10 is a little bit unexpected from where we thought we would be entering the weekend on this particular track,” said Ocon. “Obviously, we do not know what the others are doing but overall, it is a positive start to the weekend.”
Gasly described it as a bit of flattery.
“It’s been a positive Friday for us, especially Free Practice 2,” added Gasly. “The end result, finishing in fourth place, probably flatters us and it was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant surprise, and one that brings a smile to my face!”
Those pleasant surprises continued into Saturday.
Both Ocon and Gasly advanced into Q3, marking just the second time this season that both drivers lasted into the third segment of qualifying.
Gasly ended Q3 in P7, with Ocon in P9. But with Sergio Pérez between them in P8 — and facing a grid drop for a penalty handed down following the Canadian Grand Prix — Alpine enters Sunday’s Grand Prix in position for big points this weekend.
Along with perhaps some more flattery.
Losers: Aston Martin
“We do not know what we’re going to get at the start of every weekend,” reported Fernando Alonso at the start of the week, as relayed by Alex Jacques during the F1TV broadcast.
That seems to be the case at the moment with Aston Martin.
While Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll advanced out of Q2, both drivers saw their Saturday sessions end there. Alonso just missed out on Q3 and will start the Spanish Grand Prix in P11. As for Stroll, after avoiding a penalty for an incident with Lewis Hamilton in FP3 he could not avoid the drop at the end of Q2 and will start Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in P15.
Returning to Alonso, speaking at the FIA Press Conference on Thursday the veteran driver outlined his current thoughts on the AMR24.
“About the car and the understanding: I think we have clear ideas of what we have to improve. Obviously I will not share here with everyone. I think it is quite obvious for everyone that qualifying has been our strength this year and race pace has been a little bit weak,” described Alonso on Thursday. “The straight-line speed and the DRS effect is quite strong also this year in our car but there are a lot of weaknesses as well that we are identifying now with the new package as well, so yeah I think we’re in a good place.”
That might not exactly be the case, given what we saw Saturday. Is this a track-specific issue for the team, or is something else happening at Aston Martin with their 2024 challenger?
Winners: Mercedes
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
With all the accolades he has earned over a tremendous F1 career, Lewis Hamilton was seeking something on Saturday that was a bit outside the norm.
A start inside the top six.
Despite all the success he has enjoyed over his career, Hamilton had yet to qualify inside the top six this season. His best starting spot in a Grand Prix this year was seventh, something he had done three times: Japan, Monaco, and Canada.
Hamilton will start Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix not just inside the top six, but on the second row. A thunderous lap of his own late in Q3 saw the Mercedes driver secure P3, and with teammate George Russell qualifying fourth, the Silver Arrows have locked out the second row, putting them in position for another huge points weekend.
“I’m really happy,” shared Hamilton trackside after qualifying. “Firstly, thank you everyone. So, so happy to be here and super grateful to be up in the top three. It’s been quite a difficult year so [a] huge amount of work for me going back to the factory.
“And finally, we’re starting to see those incremental steps moving closer to the guys ahead. I didn’t expect us to be fighting for pole necessarily, but every now and then [it looks like with] little bits there and maybe we’ll be close. And so to be there, I’m just grateful.”
Hamilton also praised his teammate and believes that given their starting position, he and Russell can put some pressure on Verstappen and Norris up front.
“Yeah, we’ve made [a] huge step forwards and it’s really just down to every single individual back to the factory who’s pushing in design, pushing and making the new parts that we get to bring as early as possible to these races,” added Hamilton. “And slowly the car is crafting into a racing machine that we can hopefully fight the guys at the front.
“So, George did a great job as well today. So hopefully tomorrow we can apply pressure on the two cars ahead.”
The tremendous result for Mercedes comes at a fascinating time for the team. Not only are they on the cusp of Hamilton’s impending departure to Ferrari at the end of the season, but reports surfaced this week of an anonymous email sent to F1 journalists after the Canadian Grand Prix alleging disparate treatment between Hamilton and Russell by Mercedes. Team Principal Toto Wolff blasted that email during Friday’s FIA Press Conference, indicating that the matter had been referred to police and dismissing “conspiracy theorists and lunatics,” but this is a strange season for the team. One that began with Hamilton’s shocking announcement, and saw Mercedes begin the year on the back foot.
But recent upgrades, including a new front wing, have seen them move to the front the past few races. They are coming off their best result of the season in Montreal, and look primed for something even bigger tomorrow.
Winners: All of us
I honestly yelled.
Watching on my couch as Norris pipped Verstappen for pole position, I let out a shout in my living room … and regretted not making the trek across the pond to see this in person. But if you feel like we are witnessing a season that may go down in F1 history, you are not alone.
“This season is just delivering time and time again … this is the finest season of Formula 1 I can remember.”
Those were the words of David Coulthard in the F1TV commentary box, as Saturday’s qualifying session drew to a close. And the former F1 champion is not alone in this assessment. Take a spin through social media — a huge shoutout to my friends on F1 Threads — and you will see comment after comment about how exciting this season is, and what kind of finish we may be in store for.
When I spoke with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri following his tremendous second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Australian driver informed me in no uncertain terms that neither championship — the Constructors’ Championship nor the Drivers’ Championship — was “done and dusted.” Yes, Red Bull remains the favorite in the Constructors’ title, and certainly Verstappen remains the favorite in the Drivers’ Championship. But neither title race has been put to bed.
Read that again, because we truly have a pair of title races upon us this season.
And while last year’s winners remain the favorites, if Red Bull and Verstappen are going to repeat as champions they will truly have earned it, as the field is throwing everything at them at the moment. Perhaps the biggest challenge to Red Bull and Verstappen came at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix when the Saturday qualifying session saw the driver pushed to the absolute limit. He answered the call that day, and throughout the rest of the season, similar challenges were few and far between.
Now? The challenges to Red Bull and Verstappen are not just happening week-to-week, they are almost happening on a lap-to-lap basis. There is almost no margin for error for Red Bull and Verstappen, and how they respond is going to be a tremendous story to follow throughout this campaign.
Whether they answer the call, or another team and/or driver delivers a stunning run to a title, will be fascinating to watch.
During Friday’s IMSA-sanctioned Mustang Challenge race at Watkins Glen, driver Nate Cicero of the #82 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang was involved in a terrifying, rollover crash.
But the driver was able to get right out of his car and walk away from the incident, despite how scary it looked.
The accident occurred during the Mustang Challenge Race 1, and occurred when Cicero was running fifth just 15 minutes into the race. As the front pack reached the hairpin at Turn 7, Cicero’s Mustang suddenly accelerated, veering into the grass and straight into the barrier. Cicero’s car to careened into the air, completing a roll mid-air before landing on its wheels atop a tire barrier:
Nate Cicero goes for a ride as it appears he gets a stuck throttle at the Watkins Glen Mustang Challenge. Nate got out almost immediately and showed no signs of injury which is absolutely incredible. pic.twitter.com/0WyjBuJKIA
As noted in the above social media post, it appears that Cicero may have encountered a stuck throttle right before the impact. But the driver was able to exit the car and walk away under his own power.
The barrier could not be repaired in time, and the rest of the race — won by Tyler Maxson — was held behind the safety car.
In a statement to Road & Tracka representative from Ford Performance indicated that the cause of the accident is unknown at this time. “It is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident that occurred during the Mustang Challenge Race at Watkins Glen to the #82 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. The Ford Performance team will be working with MMR Motorsport team to understand more.”
This is just the second weekend of racing for the new Mustang-focused series.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls have completed the first trade of the new NBA offseason, and it’s sending one of the best role players in the NBA to the Western Conference. The Thunder are acquiring Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls for guard Josh Giddey, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Caruso is coming off to back-to-back All-Defense seasons for the Bulls. The 30-year-old is a genius defender with incredible point of attack chops, brilliant awareness as a help defender, and elite communication skills. He also just made a career-best 40.8 percent of his three-pointers on a career-high 4.8 attempts per game with Chicago. He’s entering the final year of his contract.
It’s shocking that the Thunder recouped such great value for Giddey without attaching a draft pick to him. The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey was routinely ignored by defenses for his inability to shoot from the perimeter. Giddey hit 33.7 percent of his threes on three attempts per game last season. He’s a good rebounder and a good passer, but it’s an odd fit for a Bulls team that’s already one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA. Giddey is also entering the last season of his rookie contract.
Giddey was investigated by local police and the NBA for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor last season. The minor’s family would not cooperate in the investigation, and ultimately there were no charges or discipline from the league.
Let’s grade this trade for both sides.
Grading the Alex Caruso trade for the Thunder
Caruso is the type of role player who does all the little things teams need to win big in the playoffs. This is an amazing pickup for the Thunder at almost any cost. Getting him for only Giddey and nothing else is highway robbery.
Caruso led the NBA with 3.7 deflections per game last season. His 1.7 steals finished four in the league. He recovered 73 loose balls, which ranked No. 7 in the league. It’s possible that no role player in the NBA makes more hustle plays than Caruso. His combination of effort and intelligence is just about unmatched.
Caruso’s defensive communication is harder to quantify, but it’s extremely evident on tape. He was constantly coaching his teammates on where to be and how to help each other out.
The advanced stats back up his impact: Caruso ranked as the NBA’s fifth best defender by EPM last season with a +3.4 rating. Caruso was the only regular rotation player who finished with a positive net-rating on a 39-win Bulls team last year. When he was on the floor, the Bulls outscored their opponents by 0.3 points per 100 possessions. When he was off the floor, the Bulls were out outscored by 3.2 points per 100.
Caruso’s offense has always been a mixed bag, but his improved willingness and touch from three-point range makes him a viable option for big minutes. He shot the ball more confidently than ever before last season, and it paid off all over the floor. His 61.3 true shooting percentage was a career-high.
Caruso will be an outstanding fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams. He’ll be a great mentor for Cason Wallace and the rest of the young Thunder, too. This is a grand slam for Sam Presti given the cost.
Thunder grade: A+
Bulls grade for Josh Giddey trade
Giddey has been productive on a per-game basis for the Thunder at a young age, but there are some fatal flaws in his game that he just hasn’t been able to overcome. When the games got important in the playoffs, Giddey consistently saw his minutes get cut, and even got benched in the last two games of Oklahoma City’s second round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Giddey has an excellent combination of size (6’8) and passing vision. He hits the glass hard as a rebounder, and has some skill in transition. The problem with Giddey is that he simply doesn’t threaten the defense much as a scorer whether he’s on or off the ball. He’s not just a bad outside shooter — he’s a reluctant one, too. Giddey often turned down open shots last season. Eventually, teams just stopped covering him in the halfcourt.
Giddey also just doesn’t offer much power as a driver. He averaged only 2.2 free throw attempts per-36 minutes last season, a stunningly low number for a tall guard. His lack of speed and strength has always been a handicap, and the lack of improvement in his jump shot has made him almost unplayable in high leverage situations.
The Bulls would have been wise to get off Caruso since he appeared to be the team’s most valuable trade asset. Instead of targeting future draft picks or trying to shed bad salary (hello, Zach LaVine), the Bulls went for a young player who had fallen out of a favor with a great organization. It’s inconceivable the Bulls could do this deal without getting any draft picks back. The allegations against Giddey from last season makes this even harder to stomach.
Giddey has the size and defensive ability to play next to Coby White, but his lack of speed, strength, and shooting will be hard to overcome. He doesn’t turn 22 years old until Oct., but Chicago already has to give him a new contract if they want to retain him beyond this season. The Bulls look like the worst run franchise in the NBA right now.
Bryson DeChambeau is now a two-time U.S. Open champion, clinching the title at Pinehurst No. 2 four years after he did so at Winged Foot in New York. He did not have his best stuff on Sunday, but he found a way to get the job done, thanks partly to Rory McIlroy, who made three bogies over his final four holes to lose by one.
With his win, DeChambeau enters rare territory, joining Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to have ever won a U.S. Amateur and multiple U.S. Open titles—pretty good company to join. On the flip side, McIlroy’s major drought continues, as his downfall on Sunday was perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of his illustrious career.
Here are five takeaways from the sandhills of North Carolina:
1. An all-time classic U.S. Open
The 124th U.S. Open will go down in the history books as one of the best ever. We had two of the best players in the world—Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy—duking it out on a challenging golf course on the back nine, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.
You can not ask for anything more at a major championship. Every shot was a must-watch, from DeChambeau’s third shot on the 10th all the way to his heroic sand save on the 18th hole. Rory McIlroy produced magical moments, too, until his putter went ice cold on the 16th and 18th holes, which shocked the world and left everyone in disbelief.
But this is a tournament people will remember for a long time.
Bryson DeChambeau during the post-round ceremony.Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
In the post-round press conference, Kevin Van Valkenburg of No Laying Up said to DeChambeau, “It doesn’t feel like too much hyperbole to feel like this is one of the great U.S. Opens in history.”
Before Van Valkenburg could finish his question, DeChambeau chimed in, saying, “Wow,” doing so in disbelief after a rollercoaster day that could have gone either way.
DeChambeau then said that he felt “thankful” to have been a part of it. But in all seriousness, the golfing world should count their blessings to have witnessed such a great championship amid so much division within the sport.
2. Bryson DeChambeau—second best in the world?
Bryson DeChambeau has played better across the three major championships than any other player, including Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler won The Masters, The Players, and three other Signature Events this season. But in the tournaments where he has played alongside DeChambeau, the LIV Golf star got the better of him twice.
DeChambeau tied for 6th at Augusta National and then finished solo second to Xander Schauffele at Valhalla. Now, he is the U.S. Open champion, triumphing on a course where Scheffler sorely struggled for four straight days.
Scheffler is still the top-ranked player in the world, but at this point, DeChambeau should slide in as the number two.
Bryson DeChambeau raises his arms after winning.Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images
He has proven himself on the biggest stages this season, demonstrating a skillset that stretches beyond his ability to hit 350-yard drives. His short game was incredible all week; he made putts when needed, except on the par-3 15th on Sunday. DeChambeau stepped up and hit the shots when he had to, with no bigger one coming on the 18th hole, where he got up and down from the bunker 55 yards short of the green.
Best of all, golf fans have embraced DeChambeau. They used to view him as a pariah; now, he’s arguably the sport’s biggest star.
3. Rory McIlroy’s collapse worse than Mickelson’s in ‘06, Dustin Johnson’s in ‘15
I’m not so sure Rory McIlroy can ever recover from what transpired down the stretch on Sunday.
Let’s start with the tee shot on the par-3 15th, a hole that he bogeyed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. At that point, McIlroy sat at 8-under par, with firm control of the tournament. He had just made birdies on the 9th, 10th, 12th, and 13th holes to pull ahead and into the solo lead.
But on this very hole, McIlroy knew that any shot long was dead. So, from 205 yards out, McIlroy pulled a 7-iron. He then hit a lower draw than normal, trying to pound one into the center of the green. But since McIlroy hits a draw, and a right-to-left ball flight does not land softly, his shot bounced hard on the firm surface and rolled off the back of this ‘Turtleback’ green. It settled up against wiregrass, assuring a bogey.
Rory McIlroy walks up the 15th hole.Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
So, why in the world did he attempt to rocket a hard, low 7-iron, instead of a high fade, perhaps with a 6-iron? Even if he came up short, he could have saved par to that hole location. But as soon as he went over, the collapse was on.
Then came the difficult par-4 16th.
McIlroy hammered a drive, played a smart second shot, and a par looked all but assured—until he missed his par attempt from 2-feet-9-inches. That miss shocked the world, as it marked McIlroy’s first miss from inside three feet all season, per Justin Ray.
Suddenly, McIlroy sat at 6-under, with DeChambeau tied right behind him. Two more pars would likely force a playoff, and a birdie on either 17 or 18 would win, thus snapping the drought.
He missed his tee shot left into the bunker on 17 but managed to save par. Then, on 18, McIlroy pounded a drive again, but it missed the fairway left and nestled up against the wiregrass. Why McIlroy did not opt to hit a 3-wood here is another pressing question in his decision-making.
Anyhow, he scurried his second shot from the native area to about 20 yards short of the pin, right in front of the green. He then hit a solid chip, but it carried a bit too much pace, settling 3-feet-6-inches above the hole. That set the stage for a slippery, downhill slider that nobody would want to have in a U.S. Open.
McIlroy missed that, too, signing for a 1-under 69 and finishing the U.S. Open at 5-under overall. DeChambeau, of course, made his miraculous par behind him, thus winning the title and leaving McIlroy sick to his stomach.
Rory McIlroy reacts after missing his putt on 18.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
But why does this collapse rank higher than Phil Mickelson’s mishap on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006 and higher than Dustin Johnson’s three-putt gaffe at Chambers Bay in 2015?
Both Mickelson and Johnson faced the music after their respective collapses.
McIlroy did not.
Mickelson, after blowing it on 18 and handing the title to Geoff Ogilvy, famously said, “I’m in shock, I can’t believe I’ve just done that. I’m such an idiot.”
Johnson, meanwhile, received 11 questions from the media in 2015, each of them primarily focused on what transpired on the 18th green, where he gifted the championship to Jordan Spieth.
“Disappointed,” Johnson said on that fateful Father’s Day in the Pacific Northwest.
“I had all the chances in the world. I’m really proud of the way I hit the ball. Proud of the way I handled myself all day.”
Do you know how many questions McIlroy fielded on Sunday?
Zero.
Instead of talking to the press, or to anyone from NBC Sports for that matter, McIlroy bolted to his car before DeChambeau even accepted the trophy. His private plane was in the air by 7:30 p.m. ET, roughly 40 minutes after he missed on 18, and he landed in South Florida an hour and 14 minutes later, per Radar Atlas.
Phil Mickelson after the end of the 2006 U.S. Open.Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
I understand that facing scrutiny in the age of social media and 24/7 news coverage is demanding and difficult, especially in moments of heartbreak and agony. I also know that he has a lot going on in his personal life. But McIlroy makes millions of dollars to play golf. Hundreds of people also cover the sport, making nowhere close to what McIlroy earns. It’s their job to share McIlroy’s perspective with millions around the world in an effort to grow the game and provide a viewpoint on one of the biggest events in the sport.
It’s also McIlroy’s duty to explain what happened.
Do you think Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills wanted to meet the media after he missed the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XV? No. But he did. Norwood answered every single question—just like Mickelson and Johnson.
That’s what professional athletes do. McIlroy fell short of that, and because he blew off the media and failed to explain himself, his collapse tops those seen in 2006 and 2015.
McIlroy knows that too—hence his decision to get out of dodge.
4. Props to Pinehurst No. 2
Take a bow, Pinehurst No. 2.
You delivered a marvelous, thrilling championship that entertained everyone for an entire week.
We saw diabolical shots, ‘Ping-Pong’ games, putts off greens, surreal chip-ins, unthinkable holes-in-one, and an all-world finish that we will remember forever.
The strategy required on this golf course is also second to none, as this Donald Ross masterpiece made players think more about angles than anything else.
The 4th fairway at Pinehurst No. 2 during the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images
The greens, as crazy as they are, starred like an Oscar-winning actor.
The native wiregrass that lined every fairway, with 75 different plants scattered about, left everyone wondering what would happen next on every single shot that went there.
The layout of the course is also a thing of beauty. Tricky par-3s befuddle the player towards the end of each nine, while the 5th and 10th holes—both par-5s—provided rare birdie opportunities earlier on.
All in all, the course delivered, but there is one thing that Pinehurst No. 2 can do for when this championship returns in 2029: make the wiregrass more abundant and more penal. Plenty of players had clean shots from there all week. The U.S. Open prides itself on being golf’s most demanding test, so why not add more of a challenge to the waste area? It will only entertain everyone else even more.
5. An ode to Johnson Wagner, Golf Channel’s biggest star
After the championship concluded, Johnson Wagner of the Golf Channel decided to re-create the shot Bryson DeChambeau hit on 18.
Mind you, Wagner has become a golf celebrity in recent months simply because of these short segments on live television.
Since The Players Championship in March, Wagner, on ‘Live From,’ has: hummed balls into the side of a hill, roped a punch shot off a tree, climbed into the woods to asses a Xander Schauffele ruling, twice got the yips on air, and then, this week, he walked through why Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg collapsed on the 13th hole.
But nothing could top what he did on Sunday.
After rocketing an attempt over the green, DeChambeau pulled up to the spot where he played his now-famous shot and embraced Wagner. Then, DeChambeau told Wagner to hit another one, with the champion as a witness. He also provided some insight on how to play the shot.
With a 50-degree wedge in hand, Wagner hit a perfect chunk and run. His ball landed on the green and rolled towards the cup, just as DeChambeau’s did in regulation.
But Wagner’s ball stopped even closer than DeChambeau’s, which elicited a massive celebration from the now-reigning U.S. Open champion and Golf Channel’s newest, and now, biggest star.
Even Scott Van Pelt of ESPN referred to Johnson as such, an honor worthy of tremendous recognition. So bravo, Johnson, for closing out a memorable week at Pinehurst No. 2 in style.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
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