Sports
Lakers' Walker Kessler Trade Could Be a Costly Gamble Around Luka Doncic
With LeBron and the Lakers deciding to part ways with one another, Los Angeles got to work this offseason building a team around Luka Doncic.
The Lakers were incredibly active at the start of free agency, signing Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. They also generated a large package to acquire Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade, flipping two unprotected first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps, and signing Kessler to a 4-year $130 million deal.
I think the Jazz came out of this deal like bandits. Kessler can provide elite defensive rim protection, but I’m very unsure of his ability to be a consistent positive on the other end. Also, when he’s forced to guard mobile bigs on the perimeter, I’m not sure he has the footwork necessary to stop good athletes off the dribble.
On the offensive side of the ball, he’s going to be asked to do far more pick-and-roll and dribble handoffs with Luka Doncic. Kessler had a 4th-percentile cTOV, meaning he was one of the worst playmakers in the league, a role that will be far bigger when playing alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves. He has a nice touch around the rim and could turn into a decent lob threat, but I just don’t think that’s a strength in his game.
He will also have to carry a massive load on the defensive end. The Lakers also lost Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, two of their grittiest defenders, and replaced them with undersized, bad defensive options in Grimes and Sexton. This postseason, we saw how valuable perimeter defense can be, and the Lakers will have some of the league’s worst perimeter defenders.
If the offense can be properly spaced around Kessler, they will be one of the most efficient units in the league; however, their defense will be a massive issue in the playoffs.
The Lakers’ projected starting lineup will most likely look like:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Quentin Grimes
PF: Sandro Mamukelashvili
C: Walker Kessler
After acquiring Kessler, the Lakers now only have one first-round pick available to be traded for the next seven years. When you move off a guy like LeBron James and fully build around Luka, you need to have your next moves carefully planned out.
If this was Rob Pelinka’s grand plan to appease Doncic, I’m not sure it’s going to be a successful long-term endeavor. I think those first-round picks and swaps will be very valuable for the Jazz down the road, and the Lakers will still be far behind any serious Western Conference contender.
Sports
Mystics, Dream refreshed after much-needed break
Jun 6, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) dribbles against Washington Mystics guard Georgia Amoore (8) at Gateway Center at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images It’s probably a good thing the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics had a few days off. They both needed the recovery time.
They’ll be back in action when they meet Thursday night in Washington.
The Dream (12-7) are looking for a turnaround. They hadn’t lost back-to-back games this season until dropping three straight on their West Coast — with Saturday’s 105-90 loss at Seattle the most recent setback.
“It’s still early in the season, so these are the types of things you want to experience early so you can learn from them so when it gets to playoff time, it’s not too late,” said Dream guard Allisha Gray.
The Mystics (9-9) lost two in a row before Sunday’s 124-123 four-overtime survival against visiting Portland, which tied the WNBA record for most overtimes in a game.
“I’ve never experienced this,” Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said. “Love the resiliency. … I thought our Mystics were outstanding just in terms of never quitting. It’s easy to get discouraged. They didn’t.”
Four Washington players logged 47 or more minutes in the Portland game.
Despite the grueling nature of the Mystics’ most recent game, Johnson believes there will be long-term benefits for his players.
“You can put a lot in the memory bank and add to the experience that they’re having,” Johnson said. “That’s going to add to the film work and court sessions.”
Part of the growth for the Mystics might have been seen in Michaela Onyenwere, who has played 14 games in her first season with Washington. She scored 30 points in 49 minutes against Portland.
The Mystics might be short-handed after starting guard Georgia Amoore left Sunday’s game with a right knee ailment. She played only 12 minutes and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game. Top scorer Sonia Citron (18.6 ppg), who poured in 32 points in 53 minutes against the Fire, also is questionable with a sore right knee.
Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard is coming off a 27-point outburst versus Seattle. Gray eclipsed the 4,500-point mark for her career in that game.
The Dream defeated visiting Washington 109-77 on June 6 with five players — led by Howard’s 19 points — scoring in double figures. The visit from the Dream marks the second game in a four-game homestand for Washington.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oilers ship longtime D Darnell Nurse to Sharks
Apr 8, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) looks up at the scoreboard during a break in the action against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images For the first time since Edmonton tabbed him with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft, defenseman Darnell Nurse no longer belongs to the Oilers organization.
Edmonton moved the 12-year veteran to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday in exchange for defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp.
Nurse, 31, piled up 88 goals, 236 assists and a plus-66 rating in 798 regular-season games for the Oilers from 2014-26. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also delivered seven goals and 22 assists in 100 Stanley Cup playoff games. He ranks first on the Oilers in career blocked shots (1,466) and hits (1,692), second in games and fifth in points (324).
Nurse brings with him a $9.25 million cap hit on an eight-year contract that doesn’t expire until after the 2029-30 season. The Sharks capitalized on their expansive cap room in comparison to the Oilers.
Mukhamadullin, 24, was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 2020 draft. He posted five goals and seven assists in 50 games for the Sharks this season, which boosted his career totals to seven goals and 15 assists in 83 games.
Sharp, 21, has yet to play professional hockey since the Sharks selected him in the fourth round of the 2025 draft. He has posted 10 goals and 18 assists in two seasons at Western Michigan, which he helped win the 2025 NCAA championship.
In other moves on Wednesday, the Oilers signed free agent defenseman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million contract, and traded a 2028 third-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres for goaltender Devon Levi and a seventh-rounder in 2028. Shea, 29, had 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) in 80 regular-season games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.
Levi, 24, was 2-7-0 with a 4.12 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in nine games (eight starts) last season for the Sabres.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-UConn duo back in Connecticut, out to lift Wings over Sun
Jun 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard Azzi Fudd (35) come back on the court during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd look to make their return to Connecticut a triumphant one and help the Dallas Wings snap a two-game losing streak when they square off against the suddenly hot Sun on Thursday in Hartford, Conn.
Bueckers and Fudd both played for UConn before being taken first in the WNBA drafts in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
The Wings travel north for the first of a four-game road trip and on the heels of an 85-77 home loss to league-leading Minnesota on Sunday. Dallas (11-8) got a game-high 25 points from Bueckers while Fudd added 21 points, Maddy Siegrist hit for 12 and Jessica Shepard grabbed 16 rebounds.
The Wings trailed by as many as 23 midway through the third quarter before rallying to within four with 5:15 to play.
“We’ve had a lot of close games, a lot of games where we haven’t started great scoring-wise, and that kind of plays over into our defense,” Fudd said. “Then we kind of hit that second gear, but we need to start the game with that gear unlocked already.”
Meanwhile, Connecticut (4-15) has won consecutive games for the first time all year, with the latest victory a 68-57 home decision over Washington on Friday. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leila Lacan led the Sun with 12 points each, while Kennedy Burke added 11 and Brittney Griner and Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 10 apiece.
“It’s testament to us staying focused and committed,” Nelson-Ododa said of Friday’s victory and the team’s winning streak. “We’ve had so many games when it’s been a close call and we’ve had trouble finishing. We have been able to find our groove and finish out games in our style by keeping our composure.”
Thursday’s clash is the final Sun game to be played in Hartford. As part of the organization’s Sun Legends campaign, the franchise will fete former player Jasmine Thomas (now VP of basketball operations and assistant general manager for the Wings) and former coach (and current executive vice president and Dallas general manager) Curt Miller to celebrate their contributions to the team.
It’s the first of the teams’ three meetings this season, with the ensuing contests on Aug. 2 and Aug. 30, both in Dallas. The Wings have won three of the past four games played in Connecticut.
–Field Level Media
Mystics, Dream refreshed after much-needed break
Oilers ship longtime D Darnell Nurse to Sharks
