Jacksonville Sharks take on the Green Bay Blizzard in big conference showdown game tonight
Fresh off a 54-48 victory over the defending Indoor Football League champion Arizona Rattlers, the Sharks hope to keep the momentum going on the road with a trip to Green Bay on Friday night.
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The Sharks and Blizzard both sit at 7-3 on the season, one game back of the Eastern Conference leading Quad City Steamwheelers, who Jacksonville will host next Saturday night on June 21st.
But first, the Blizzard is another opportunity for Tyler Huff to showcase his skills in the IFL.
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Huff, a Ridgeview High School graduate, made quite the impression in his home debut last week, accounting for four touchdowns with three on the ground and an efficient night throwing the football as well.
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Coming off a college career that ended with a stellar season at Jacksonville State, Huff may be just what the Sharks' offense needed to keep rolling this summer.
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As mentioned, the Sharks return home next week to face Quad City at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.
If you can't make it downtown for that big showdown, the game will be shown live on ActionSportsJax.com on the Action Sports Jax 24/7 network!
Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
NBA offseason grades for every East team: Are Knicks, Bucks among contenders who aced the summer? Who flunked?
Our offseason grades for every team in the NBA's Western Conference turned out so perfectly — without a single complaint — that we decided to be nice and give you an inarguable list of grades in the East, too. The conference took a pair of haymakers to its face in the playoffs, as the 2024 and 2025 East champion Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, respectively, lost Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton to torn Achilles tendons. It was already a watered-down conference that sent its sixth seed to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It stood to get worse if Giannis Antetokounmpo had requested a trade, which he did not, if only because his Milwaukee Bucks made one last (wild) attempt to satiate his championship desires. Presumably, we can expect Joel Embiid to rejoin the Philadelphia 76ers, though his health perennially remains a concern. The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic made significant upgrades, capitalizing on the absences of Tatum and Haliburton and joining a list of legit challengers to the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. The conference looks a lot different, and we are now here to hand out grades for how it got to be that way ... Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards Win totals from BetMGM Atlanta Hawks 2024-25 record: 40-42 2025-26 wins O/U: 47.5 Key additions: Kristaps Porziņģis • Nickeil Alexander-Walker • Luke Kennard • Asa Newell Key subtractions: Clint Capela • Larry Nance Jr. • Georges Niang • Terance Mann The Hawks paired four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young with do-it-all center Kristaps Porziņģis, and all it really cost them was Georges Niang. Porziņģis can efficiently score anywhere from 30 feet to the basket. He protects the rim well and defends better in space than you would think for a 7-foot-3 unicorn. It is a low-cost, high-reward bet on the availability of Porziņģis, who has rarely been healthy. In between Young and Porziņģis, Atlanta padded its depth on the wing, where rising star Jalen Johnson, Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher already formed a solid young core. The Hawks signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the 26-year-old cousin of NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a versatile guard himself, with Luke Kennard, to round out a playoff rotation. Grade: A Boston Celtics 2024-25 record: 61-21 2025-26 wins O/U: 43.5 Key additions: Anfernee Simons • Georges Niang • Luka Garza • Hugo González • Josh Minott Key subtractions: Kristaps Porziņģis • Jrue Holiday • Luke Kornet The Celtics entered the summer knowing they needed to get under the second apron and are well on their way to getting it done. It cost them Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, a pair of impactful veterans. Luke Kornet left for more money from the San Antonio Spurs, too. The return for Porziņģis and Holiday — Anfernee Simons and Niang — was as underwhelming as expected for what amounted to a salary dump. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] They drafted Hugo González, whose work showed in summer league, and they added a pair of under-utilized former Minnesota Timberwolves, Luka Garza and Josh Minott. None of it will steal headlines, but all of it was necessary, and they came out on the other side of it about as flexible as they could. In the end, following Tatum's injury, everything Boston does is with championship contention in 2027 in mind. Grade: C Brooklyn Nets 2024-25 record: 26-56 2025-26 wins O/U: 20.5 Key additions: Michael Porter Jr. • Terance Mann • Nolan Traoré • Egor Demin • Ben Saraf • Danny Wolf • Drake Powell Key subtractions: Cam Johnson • D'Angelo Russell • De'Anthony Melton • Trendon Watford • Maxwell Lewis The Nets entered this offseason with more picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft and more salary cap space than any other team. This forewarned us of a summer of significant change, or so we thought. Brooklyn used each one of its draft picks, not consolidating any of them and even adding another one, absorbing Terance Mann's contract into cap space in exchange for a fifth first-rounder. Who knows if there is a star among them. There will certainly be plenty of competition for the ball among five rookies. The ball might be available to them more often, too, if the Nets cannot come to terms with restricted free agent Cam Thomas. They also traded their second-leading scorer, Cam Johnson, turning the two years and $44 million left on his contract into two years and $79 million worth of Michael Porter Jr., the oft-injured former Denver Nugget. And they picked up another first-round pick in 2032 for that trouble. Grade: D Charlotte Hornets 2024-25 record: 19-63 2025-26 wins O/U: 25.5 Key additions: Kon Knueppel • Liam McNeeley • Collin Sexton • Pat Connaughton • Spencer Dinwiddie Key subtractions: Jusuf Nurkić • Mark Williams Your 2025 summer league champions, starring the title game's MVP, Kon Knueppel! He and fellow rookie Liam McNeeley should provide shooting for a team that desperately needs it around LaMelo Ball. The Hornets also targeted a pair of veterans, Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie, as capable backups to the oft-injured Ball. Basically, a lot is being done to both build around Ball and prepare for his absence, which is a harsh reality for the Hornets and not one in which a lot of other teams would want to exist. Charlotte is, however, better off than it was at summer's start, other than its apparent plan to begin the season without a starting-caliber center. That seems like something the Hornets would want for Ball, too, but they sure did not want it to be Mark Williams, who they jettisoned (again) for draft compensation. Grade: B Chicago Bulls 2024-25 record: 39-43 2025-26 wins O/U: 32.5 Key additions: Noa Essengue • Isaac Okoro Key subtractions: Lonzo Ball Talk about underwhelming. A once-great franchise in a major media market, the Bulls entered this offseason after another mediocre campaign with little ambition beyond making a late lottery selection. They took France's Noa Essengue, an 18-year-old project, to join Matas Buzelis as Chicago's latest hope. Their only other move of any real consequence (as negotiations with restricted free agent Josh Giddey are at a standstill) was trading Lonzo Ball — a good player (when healthy) who meaningfully impacts what the Bulls are capable of — for Isaac Okoro, a wing who fell out of favor with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Okoro and Patrick Williams, both top-five picks from the 2020 draft class, will make a combined $58.8 million over the next two seasons, a price tag no other team would assume. Grade: F Cleveland Cavaliers 2024-25 record: 64-18 2025-26 wins O/U: 56.5 Key additions: Lonzo Ball • Larry Nance Jr. Key subtractions: Ty Jerome • Isaac Okoro The Cavaliers are a 64-win team that is spending into the second apron, so they expected to lose Ty Jerome, their Sixth Man of the Year candidate. As Jerome signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland swapped Okoro for Ball, who replaces the playmaking off the bench. Re-signing old friend Larry Nance Jr. was also a nice bit of business for a front office with zero flexibility. Grade: B Detroit Pistons 2024-25 record: 44-38 2025-26 wins O/U: 45.5 Key additions: Caris LeVert • Duncan Robinson Key subtractions: Dennis Schröder • Tim Hardaway Jr. As free agency opened, news came down that Malik Beasley — Detroit's Sixth Man of the Year candidate — was under federal investigation for a gambling-related infraction. That altered everything the Pistons were trying to accomplish, as they were also set to lose reserves Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway Jr. In their place Detroit signed Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson for a combined $31 million annually. Neither the Cavaliers nor the Miami Heat made much of an effort to retain LeVert and Robinson, which should tell us that neither of them can replace what Beasley provided for the Pistons last season. Grade: D Indiana Pacers 2024-25 record: 50-32 2025-26 wins O/U: 38.5 Key additions: Jay Huff Key subtractions: Myles Turner In a move the Pacers did not see coming, the Bucks created enough salary cap space to sign Myles Turner away from their rivals, robbing Indiana of one of its key cogs en route to the NBA Finals this past season. Losing Haliburton to an Achilles injury for the entirety of the 2025-26 season was bad enough. But to also lose Turner for nothing was devastating. It turned Indiana into just another team in the immediate aftermath of the franchise exceeding all expectations. It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that could not be rectified by the addition of Jay Huff, who has played well in spot center duty for Memphis. Grade: D Miami Heat 2024-25 record: 37-45 2025-26 wins O/U: 37.5 Key additions: Norman Powell • Kasparas Jakučionis Key subtractions: Duncan Robinson • Kyle Anderson • Kevin Love Miami, one of the best destination cities in the entire NBA, enters every offseason with high hopes for major improvements. The Heat once again fell short of those expectations, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and other major stars never became available. Not that the Heat had enough to trade for them anyway. Instead, Miami turned the expiring contracts of Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love into Norman Powell, a 2025 All-Star snub for the Los Angeles Clippers. He gives them another quality player, along with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and a cast of prospects, which now includes Kasparas Jakučionis. The Heat are better than they were at last season's end and still nowhere near where they want to be. Grade: B Milwaukee Bucks 2024-25 record: 48-34 2025-26 wins O/U: 43.5 Key additions: Myles Turner • Vasilije Micić • Gary Harris Key subtractions: Brook Lopez • Damian Lillard • Pat Connaughton Oh, man. The Bucks waived and stretched the remaining nine figures left on Damian Lillard's contract to make enough room to sign Turner from the Pacers. It equates to a $50 million annual bet on Turner as a partner to Antetokounmpo, whose long-term commitment to Milwaukee remains in serious question. Turner represents an upgrade from the outgoing Brook Lopez. That much is not in question. However, paying Lillard an average of $22.5 million over the next five seasons not to play for the Bucks is a serious hindrance to team-building in the future. Sooner or later, Antetokounmpo will come to accept this as a roadblock to his next championship, but for now the Turner signing seems to have kept him satisfied. Grade: C New York Knicks 2024-25 record: 51-31 2025-26 wins O/U: 53.5 Key additions: Guerschon Yabusele • Jordan Clarkson Key subtractions: Precious Achiuwa • P.J. Tucker The Knicks had nothing more than a taxpayer's mid-level exception and minimum contracts to upgrade a rotation that was only seven men deep in the postseason. They smartly identified Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson as capable contributors from teams that failed to make the playoffs last season. Their biggest move of the summer, however, swapping head coach Tom Thibodeau, who led them to the Eastern Conference finals, for Mike Brown, remains a question mark. Who knows if his offensive schemes can squeeze more from a roster that Thibodeau mostly maximized around Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, despite their built-in defensive limitations. At the very least, Brown should be able to enter this coming season's playoffs with a more rested roster, thanks to their offseason additions. Grade: B Orlando Magic 2024-25 record: 41-41 2025-26 wins O/U: 51.5 Key additions: Desmond Bane • Tyus Jones • Jase Richardson • Noah Penda Key subtractions: Cole Anthony • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope • Cory Joseph • Gary Harris No team in the East took a bigger swing at contention in the absence of Tatum and Haliburton than the Magic, who swapped Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the rights to four first-round draft picks with the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane, one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league. Orlando was a pesky out in the first round of the playoffs, as both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner flashed their worth as max-contracted players. It was clear the Magic lacked talent in the backcourt, where Jalen Suggs was injured for the postseason. He will return to a corps that now includes Bane, Tyus Jones and rookie Jase Richardson. That is a sizable upgrade for a team in desperate need of shooting. Grade: A Philadelphia 76ers 2024-25 record: 24-58 2025-26 wins O/U: 42.5 Key additions: VJ Edgecombe Key subtractions: Guerschon Yabusele The 76ers stunk last season, which is how they ended up with the No. 3 overall draft pick, which they used to select VJ Edgecombe, prioritizing his dependability over the upside of Ace Bailey. Edgecombe joins Tyrese Maxey and a rehabbed Jared McCain in what is a young and talented backcourt. It could get even more talented if Philadelphia comes to terms with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. The Sixers should not stink as bad as they did last season. Then again, their success hinges almost entirely on the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George, both of whom are still nursing knee injuries. The loss of either to an extended absence would make Philadelphia feel Yabusele's departure a little more. Grade: B Toronto Raptors 2024-25 record: 30-52 2025-26 wins O/U: 37.5 Key additions: Collin Murray-Boyles • Sandro Mamukelashvili Key subtractions: Chris Boucher The Raptors, who fired longtime executive Masai Ujiri, replacing him with longtime general manager Bobby Webster, entered the offseason with a salary cap sheet full of overpaid players and did nothing to assuage those concerns. They are on the hook this season for about $156 million for Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, and I am not sure any other team would want to pay any of them what they are owed. That makes it hard to make moves in the summer. So, instead they made an annual pick around No. 9 in the draft, taking Collin Murray-Boyles, who prognosticators liked. How he develops in the presence of so many players who are trying to earn their contracts is anyone's guess. Most likely he will be joined by another pick around No. 9 next season. Grade: D Washington Wizards 2024-25 record: 18-64 2025-26 wins O/U: 21.5 Key additions: Tre Johnson • Cam Whitmore • CJ McCollum Key subtractions: Jordan Poole • Marcus Smart • Saddiq Bey The Wizards entered the offseason with the league's second-worst record, one win better than the Utah Jazz, and somehow fell to the No. 6 overall pick. They still scored Tre Johnson, who impressed in summer league. They also took a flier on Cam Whitmore, an under-utilized talent on the Houston Rockets, and all it cost them was a couple of second-round draft picks. Add Johnson and Whitmore to a young core that now includes Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington, among other recent first-round draft picks. Oh, and the Wizards shed $77.5 million worth of Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey in favor of CJ McCollum's $30.7 million expiring salary, bringing in one of the league's most respected veterans and opening up even more salary cap space for next summer. They are doing smart things in Washington for once. Grade: B
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lakers part ways with LeBron for star guard, 39% 3-point shooter in this wild trade
Is LeBron James going to request a trade out of Los Angeles? The Lakers are certainly not committed to building around LeBron anymore. Nobody would blame either side if they decided that parting ways was best for both sides. That's why everyone has been keeping their ear to the ground for LeBron trade rumors. One LeBron trade was proposed by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report. He created '3 Trade Packages To Bring LeBron James Home to Cleveland Cavaliers,' and this one could be worth considering. 'Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Bronny James, 2027 first-round pick (top-2 protected from Dallas Mavericks, via Hornets) and save $27.4 million Los Angeles Lakers Receive: PG Darius Garland, G/F Max Strus Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Jarrett Allen Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Grant Williams, F Dean Wade, 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected from Miami Heat, via Hornets)' This trade could work out for everyone. LeBron would head home and instantly make the Cavaliers even more favored to win the Eastern Conference. He would also get to bring his son along with him. The Lakers would receive Darius Garland and Max Strus in return for giving up their second-best player. It might still be worth it. Garland is a budding young star, and Strus is the perfect Lakers role player. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp This LeBron-Cavaliers trade has the potential to make everyone happy. The Cavaliers would probably be the ones to hold this up as giving up Garland, Allen, Strus, and Dean Wade would probably be too rich for their blood. More NBA: LeBron James trade idea to Cavs involves 2x All-Star, role players to Lakers
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
2026 NBA Finals contenders: Which teams elevated themselves this offseason?
Without question and rightfully so, the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavy favorites to repeat as NBA champions in 2025-26. They return all their key players, including regular-season and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, there hasn't been a repeat NBA champion since Golden State in 2017 and 2018, and a team hasn't even played in back-to-back Finals since the Warriors in 2018 and 2019. The NBA has never been more wide open. Several teams in the West will push the Thunder. On paper, the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets all improved in the offseason. And the East is for the taking. Consider that 2025 finalist Indiana is without Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles); 2024 champion Boston is without Jayson Tatum (Achilles), Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis (both traded); and 2023 finalist Miami is far from contention. Which teams made offseason moves that elevated themselves to contender status for the 2025-26 NBA season? Houston Rockets This is as obvious a team as you'll find on this list. The Rockets added Kevin Durant, 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith, guard Josh Okogie and center Clint Capela, while re-signing center Steven Adams — who thrived in Houston's double-big lineup — and key contributors Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. (rookie extension). All the while, Houston didn't lose much. With their size, length and athleticism at the wing, and with their ferocious defensive identity, the Rockets are built to stop a team like the Thunder. Now, with Durant's scoring, they have the offense to match, too. Denver Nuggets Since winning the title in 2023, the Nuggets failed to advance past the second round in 2024 and 2025, and the team is intent on trying to win another title while center Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level. With a new coach (David Adelman) and new front-office leadership (Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace), the Nuggets made the moves that can put them back in the Finals (they lost in seven games to Oklahoma City in 2025). Denver traded for Cam Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn, brought back Bruce Brown, signed Tim Hardaway Jr., and acquired Jonas Valanciunas, giving the Nuggets depth and versatility to better compete with the Thunder and other top teams in the West. New York Knicks They were already a conference finals team, and — while they didn't necessarily add that much — their roster continuity should go a long way, particularly in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Getting veteran bench scorer Jordan Clarkson on the cheap should ease the scoring burden and help the team put up points during the non-Jalen Brunson minutes. But, more than anything, new coach Mike Brown should have no reservations about relying on Clarkson and New York's bench, something Tom Thibodeau was hesitant to do. Los Angeles Clippers "Thirtysomething" was a popular TV drama in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's also how Clippers front-office executives Lawrence Frank and Trent Redden believe the team can contend for a title – with thirtysomethings James Harden, 35; Kawhi Leonard, 34; Nic Batum, 36; Bradley Beal, 32; Kris Dunn 31; and Brook Lopez, 37, plus one fortysomething in Chris Paul. They also have John Collins, Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Derrick Jones Jr. The Clippers are fast approaching a rebuild with the contracts of Leonard and Harden expiring after the 2026-27 season and trying to maximize these two seasons. Detroit Pistons The Pistons minimized the losses of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder in the offseason by acquiring Duncan Robinson, signing Caris LeVert, re-signing Paul Reed and getting Jaden Ivey back in the rotation after an injury sidelined him for 52 games last season. The growth of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ron Holland II, Ausar Thompson and veterans such as Tobias Harris could make the Pistons the breakout team in a wide-open East. The Pistons made a giant leap from 14 victories in 2023-24 to 44 victories in 2024-25 and should be moving into the 50-win territory in 2025-26. Orlando Magic Again, in a wide-open East, the Magic might have done just enough to elevate into a contender. The big move was to find another shooter and scorer in Desmond Bane, who averaged 19.2 points per game for Memphis last season. Orlando's identity has been on defense, and Bane instantly takes the pressure off of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Getting Tyus Jones was another solid move, one that shores up the backup point guard slot. And No. 25 overall selection Jase Richardson could also provide a little scoring bump off the bench.
