Sports
The Sacramento Kings Need to Blow It Up Before It's Too Late
Imagine if the NBA allowed one team each year to blow up its roster.
Boom. All gone.
Overpriced wannabe All-Stars? See ya later.
Disinterested veterans? Hit the pike.
Overrated prospects? Dismissed.
And a few decent players who otherwise you’d want to keep? Sorry, unfortunate casualties.
How many NBA teams do you think would sign up for the inaugural big bang, which would take place before draft day?
- You’d have to start with the worst team in the league, which a month ago (before the draft) was the Nets. Maybe still is.
- The Clippers really should consider it. They are – not the first time, mind you – a mess and are staring in the face of a year’s probation (or worse) in the wake of the Aspiration fiasco.
- Then you’ve got the Trail Blazers, not because they belong in this conversation, but because it seems new owner Tom Dundon is always looking to save a buck. This would be the ultimate.
- Finally, you’ve got the Wizards, who project about two years from now to be the Sacramento Kings.
And there’s your answer. While the Nets and Trail Blazers appear to have a plan, while the Wizards and Clippers are too stubborn to look in the mirror, nobody – and I mean NOBODY – could possibly gaze at the current state of the Kings without saying: Blow it up.
Unfortunately, fireworks are illegal in most parts of California.
On paper, the 2026 Kings sounded like a winning hand.
Domantas Sabonis is a double-double machine.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are big-time scorers.
Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk remain useful.
And Keegan Murray is an All-Star of the future.
Or so says each’s appeal for a monster contract, which is the price you pay in Sacramento when San Francisco is their preferred zip code.
In fact, Sabonis is a defensive black hole; LaVine and DeRozan have become big-time shooters; Westbrook and Monk are old; and Murray … well, he’d be that unfortunate casualty.
Then again, the Kings have been so nice to Murray, who prompted more trade offers than games played last season, maybe he’d agree to become the first member of the New Kings. He – like all the others who wore purple last season – would become free agents under the new pity rule.
The timing this summer would have been ideal, as very few teams in the NBA had money to spend, especially the kind it would have taken to attract Murray. So Sacramento’s chances of getting him back would have been … well, better than their odds of winning any given night.
So where would they stand, and how would this be a good idea?
First off, on any team where the whole is less than the sum of its parts, subtraction needs to be added to the equation. So losing a bunch of losers can produce a winner.
That’s NBA math at its best.
Then you’ve got max money to throw at two guys out there who remain in limbo because everyone else has exceeded their budget. So even as basically an expansion team, you become a player for two of the league’s best young big men – the Pistons’ Jalen Duren and the Nuggets’ Peyton Watson.
You draft well – Darius Acuff, Jr. looked good in the summer league – and then attract cheaper talent with the lure of raising a family in California, the chance for immediate playing time and the possibility of being along for the ride when Duren, Watson, Murray, Acuff grow up.
It sure beats – by about 20 points – the current state of the Kings, which is about as ugly as it gets, especially when you consider the NBA has just made it harder for the worst team to benefit the most in the draft.
Short of this franchise-saving piece of brilliance, the Kings don’t have much choice but to point their purple beam in the eyes of rival general managers and hope they become a bit more generous at Sacramento’s ongoing fire sale.
Can the Pistons be talked into taking Sabonis in a sign-and-trade for Duren, who wants out of Detroit?
Maybe the Nugget would accept LaVine or Monk and De’Andre Hunter in a sign-and-trade for Watson, if he provides enough pressure?
Big-time names with small-time interest have been the bane of the Kings’ recent existence. So they’re left with one plan of attack:
Start “We Love Jalen Duren and Peyton Watson” campaigns, pray that drives a bigger wedge between the restricted free agents and their ungrateful employers, and hope the Pistons and/or Nuggets eventually cave and agree to exchange headaches.
Either that or wait for Sacramento’s own Gavin Newsom to win the next election and get heavily involved in NBA rules-making.
Sports
Rejuvenated Braves seek revenge for road sweep against Padres
Jun 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) throws to second base after getting the force out at third on Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) during the fourth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The visiting San Diego Padres will try to cool off the Atlanta Braves’ revived offense when they open a four-game series on Monday.
The Braves, fresh off a series win against Texas, have scored at least five runs in nine straight home games dating back to July 1, its longest stretch since a 10-game streak in June 2019. Atlanta scored a combined 29 runs in taking two-of-three from the Rangers over the weekend, including Sunday’s 8-5 win.
The Padres, who swept a three-game series against Atlanta in June, avoided being swept at Kansas City on Sunday by beating the Royals 19-2. The win pulled San Diego to within one game of .500.
“This close to a series win, which is what our goal is anytime we play somebody,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “Now it’s on to the Braves and try to win that series somehow against a good team, which we played good against at home. Hopefully we can keep those good feelings going against them and play our best baseball.”
Heating up for Atlanta are catcher Drake Baldwin and third baseman Austin Riley.
Baldwin was 5-for-5 on Sunday – becoming the first Atlanta catcher with a five-hit game since Johnny Estrada in 2004 — and was 10-for-14 with three homers and eight RBIs in the Texas series.
“After a couple of days off, coming back and I was kind of a little recharged,” Baldwin said. “It’s nice to see that we’re firing on all cylinders with the offense, so it’s just kind of carrying that momentum forward.”
Riley, who had gone 4-for-21 on the road trip prior to the All-Star Game, was 6-for-12 with three homers, five RBIs and five runs scored in the Texas series. He hit two homers and drove in four runs in the series finale, reaching four homers this month after he didn’t have any in June.
“The first half beat me up pretty good,” Riley said. “Just needed to clear my head.”
The starting pitchers for the series opener will be Atlanta right-hander Bryce Elder (5-6, 4.12 ERA) vs. San Diego southpaw JP Sears (2-2, 5.03).
Sears will be making his fifth start of the season. In his last outing on July 10 against Toronto, he pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits and one walk, striking out three.
Sears has made four career starts against the Braves, going 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA. He beat the Braves on June 24 in San Diego after throwing 5 2/3 innings and allowing two runs in a 5-2 victory.
Elder has struggled of late. He was 5-3 with a 2.66 ERA through June 7, but over the last four starts has gone 0-3 with an 11.00 ERA. In his last outing on July 9 against Pittsburgh, he allowed four runs (three earned) in four innings. He has worked exactly four innings in three of the last four starts after throwing six-plus in 10 of his first 14.
Elder has had no luck against the Padres. In two career starts, he’s 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA, although he has not faced them since 2024.
San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. was 2-for-5 with four RBIs on Sunday. He has reached base safely in 18 of his last 19 road games and is hitting .333 (26-for-78) with 15 RBIs during that stretch.
Ty France homered twice on Sunday and is batting .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, three homers and six RBIs since the break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays look to take advantage of skidding Rays, improve position in standings
Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez (21) pitches during the fifth inning for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The host Toronto Blue Jays aim to gain some ground in the American League East on Monday night when they open a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Blue Jays seem to be catching the Rays at the right time. Tampa Bay is on a season-worst five-game losing streak after being swept in a four-game series by the Boston Red Sox. They have four contests left on their eight-game road trip.
“I point to every facet of our game,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after a 6-1 loss on Sunday. “We just weren’t playing as clean of baseball, whether it was on the mound, at the plate or on defense.”
The Rays are still first in the AL East, 10 1/2 games ahead of the last-place Blue Jays, who lost the rubber match of a three-game series with the visiting Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Sunday.
The problem for the Blue Jays is they are also struggling. The Blue Jays scored five runs in three outings against Chicago, winning the middle game 1-0.
The Blue Jays are 1-2 to open a seven-game homestand as their struggles continue. They were 3-7 on their previous homestand June 22-July 1 before embarking on a 4-5 trip.
“We talk about it, players talk about it,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “We’ve got to start winning. That’s just the bottom line. And it doesn’t really matter how you do it. If you win 1-0, if you win 10-9, you’ve got to start winning. You have to just understand what the situation calls for every game and you have to go out and try to execute it. I don’t want to put pressure on the guys because the season is where it is and the calendar is where it is, but you’ve got to turn it around in a hurry.”
The team has been waiting for things to turn around after a slow start as they did last season when they won the AL East.
“As a player, you’ve just got to play loose,” Toronto center fielder Daulton Varsho said. “You have to trust the person behind you. That’s all I can really say. I know it’s what we’ve been saying all year, but it’s got to turn at some point. And right now, we just have to do it a little bit faster. Sooner rather than later.”
The Rays lead the season series with the Blue Jays 5-1.
Right-hander Dylan Cease (6-4, 2.56 ERA) is the scheduled starter for Toronto on Monday. Cease is 1-3 with a 4.54 ERA in eight career starts against Tampa Bay, including a seven-inning outing on May 13 when he allowed just one run and three hits.
Cease lost a no-hitter on a leadoff single in the ninth in a 10-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on July 8. He struck out the side in the first inning of the All-Star Game.
Right-hander Nick Martinez (8-2, 2.65) is expected to get the nod for the Rays. He is 2-2 with a 5.83 ERA in seven career games (five starts) against Toronto. He last faced them on May 4, when he allowed one run on five hits in five innings to get the win.
The Rays are 14-4 in Martinez’s outings this season. He tossed a scoreless fifth inning in the All-Star Game.
The Rays’ pitching gives them hope that the wins will come again.
“We can’t get discouraged,” said Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda, who was 1-for-12 at Boston. “We’ve got to keep our heads up high and be super encouraging and keep doing our thing. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve been playing good baseball.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phillies have room for improvement going into series against Dodgers
Jun 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) enters the field before the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images After a rocky performance in the All-Star Game, Cristopher Sanchez hopes to look more like himself Monday when the Philadelphia Phillies host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series.
With the Midsummer Classic held in Philadelphia, Sanchez (11-4, 2.62 ERA) was selected by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to start the game in front of his home fans. However, the talented left-hander allowed three runs in a shaky first inning as the National League went on to lose to the American League 4-0.
“Just a sign of respect to the fans,” Sanchez said of his pregame salute to the crowd. “A little payback for all the love that they gave me on such an important day, both for me and for the fan base.”
Sanchez has made two starts this month, not counting the All-Star Game, and has allowed 11 runs and 22 hits in 10 1/3 innings.
He has started four times in his career against the Dodgers, going 2-0 with a 4.01 ERA. Additionally, Sanchez started twice against Los Angeles in last year’s National League Division Series, posting a 2.25 ERA, although the Phillies lost both games — and the series in four.
Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81) will get the ball for the Dodgers in his second career start against the Phillies. He held them to one run in 5 2/3 innings in a regular-season matchup last September, and then Sheehan made a pair of appearances out of the bullpen in the NLDS, yielding two runs in three innings.
More recently, Sheehan closed his first half on July 12 with a solid outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He gave up three runs (two earned) over 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven in a 101-pitch effort.
“I’m happy with the work we’ve put in to try to get back to the point we’re at now, and the process of it all,” Sheehan said. “I think we’re in a good spot with what we know we need to work on.”
This outing will mark the first time since June 1 that Sheehan has started on a day other than Sunday. He’ll take the mound against a Philadelphia lineup that struggled to produce in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the New York Mets.
The Phillies managed only six hits (four singles) in that one and struck out 14 times in dropping the rubber game of the weekend set. Alan Rangel allowed five runs in the first two innings, creating a hole that the offense was unable to dig out of.
“You’re managing that game, trying to get through it, and then you’re trying to keep guys available for (Monday),” said Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly. “Hopefully, we’re in a good situation (Monday) with (Sanchez), keeping guys available. We were kind of able to do that.”
Los Angeles split a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, posting an 8-2 victory over New York in the opener before dropping a 2-1 decision in the nightcap. The Dodgers went with a bullpen game in Game 2 and ended up using seven pitchers.
Eventually, Evan Phillips allowed the decisive homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the eighth inning.
“It’s a long day, but it’s the life we chose,” said Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts. “At the end of the night, it’s baseball. We’ve got a bus ride tonight and we’ve got to be ready for Sanchez tomorrow. So it doesn’t get (any) easier.”
–Field Level Media
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