Michael Bradley hired as coach of 3rd-tier New York Red Bulls II
Bradley replaced Ibrahim Sekagya, who had coached the team since 2023 and was promoted Tuesday to a first-team assistant under Sandro Schwarz. Sekagya will coach Red Bulls II on Sunday against Chattanooga, and Bradley will take over ahead of the June 21 match against Carolina.
Now 37, Bradley had 17 goals in 151 international appearances from 2006-19 and spent 20 years playing for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (2004-05), Heerenveen (2006-08), Borussia Mönchengladbach (2008-11), Aston Villa (2011), Chievo Verona (2011-12), Roma (2012-14) and Toronto (2014-23).
Bradley was an assistant to his father Bob with Norway's Stabæk in 2023-24. His father coached the U.S. from 2006-11.
Red Bulls II have eight wins, two losses and two ties and are second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Chattanooga.
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Washington Post
26 minutes ago
- Washington Post
NBA free agency winners and losers: Rockets going big; Bucks going nowhere
The NBA's player movement market, crunched by restrictive new salary cap rules, is in such a strange place that the biggest headline from the first 48 hours of this summer's free agency period wasn't a signing or even a trade, but the Milwaukee Bucks' stunning decision Tuesday to release all-star guard Damian Lillard. July 1 didn't exactly feel like Christmas this year for NBA fans, who digested a relatively mild opening to the offseason transaction window. The all-star class hasn't produced much in the way of fireworks: The Phoenix Suns agreed to trade Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets and the Bucks waived Lillard using the stretch provision for short-term salary cap relief, but that's it in the way of meaningful changes so far. Otherwise, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kyrie Irving re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks, Jaren Jackson Jr. re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, and James Harden re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Of course, there's still time for shake-ups: The New York Knicks didn't trade for Karl-Anthony Towns until Oct. 2 last year. While the full story of the NBA offseason hasn't been written yet, here's a rundown of the biggest winners and losers from the first two days of the free agency period. Oklahoma City is the first defending champion in years that managed to improve its roster immediately after winning the title. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti re-signed Gilgeous-Alexander to a no-brainer extension worth $285 million over four years, took care of glue guy Jaylin Williams with a three-year, $24 million deal, and re-signed reserve guard Ajay Mitchell to a three-year, $9 million contract. At some point, Presti will also need to strike rookie extension agreements with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, two crucial pieces of his scintillating core. With the moves so far, Presti ensured all 12 players who logged at least 50 minutes in the playoffs will be under contract for next season. What's more: Oklahoma City will be adding 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, and 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber. Somehow, the NBA's deepest team will be even deeper next season while remaining under the NBA's luxury tax line. The Thunder, like every team in the NBA's parity era, is one untimely injury away from a lost season, but it should be pleased with how the summer has played out so far. The Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics were among the Eastern Conference powers to lose key roster pieces in free agency, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors all treaded water at best in the Western Conference. While Oklahoma City should expect to face new threats from the improved Denver Nuggets and Rockets, a mostly quiet summer favors the team that wears the crown. Oklahoma City is the first defending champion in years that managed to improve its roster immediately after winning the title. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti re-signed Gilgeous-Alexander to a no-brainer extension worth $285 million over four years, took care of glue guy Jaylin Williams with a three-year, $24 million deal, and re-signed reserve guard Ajay Mitchell to a three-year, $9 million contract. At some point, Presti will also need to strike rookie extension agreements with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, two crucial pieces of his scintillating core. With the moves so far, Presti ensured all 12 players who logged at least 50 minutes in the playoffs will be under contract for next season. What's more: Oklahoma City will be adding 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, and 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber. Somehow, the NBA's deepest team will be even deeper next season while remaining under the NBA's luxury tax line. The Thunder, like every team in the NBA's parity era, is one untimely injury away from a lost season, but it should be pleased with how the summer has played out so far. The Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics were among the Eastern Conference powers to lose key roster pieces in free agency, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors all treaded water at best in the Western Conference. While Oklahoma City should expect to face new threats from the improved Denver Nuggets and Rockets, a mostly quiet summer favors the team that wears the crown. The Bucks solved their massive Lillard problem with the NBA equivalent of taking out a personal loan to pay down credit card debt. After the nine-time all-star guard suffered a torn Achilles' tendon during the playoffs, Milwaukee was staring at a lost 2025-26 season and facing the possibility that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would request a trade this summer. To appeal to Antetokounmpo and bolster their roster for next season, the Bucks waived Lillard using the NBA's stretch provision so they can spread out the $113 million remaining on his contract over the next five seasons. That maneuver granted Milwaukee enough salary cap flexibility to sign veteran center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, but it also means Lillard will eat up more than $22 million every year through the 2029-30 season. Gulp. This extreme strategy might have been justified if Milwaukee were in position to be a serious title contender next season, but Antetokounmpo's supporting cast is still heavily reliant on underwhelming contributors such as Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince. The East's title landscape has been decimated by injuries to Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, but Turner's arrival doesn't exactly vault Milwaukee to the top of the standings. While the 29-year-old Turner projects as a clear upgrade over outgoing center Brook Lopez, he is fresh off a forgettable NBA Finals in which he averaged 10.6 points and shot 21.4 percent on three-pointers. The Bucks apparently concluded that the long-term cap damage done by Lillard's stretched contract was worth absorbing as long as Antetokounmpo remains in town. But Milwaukee's bleak future now involves Antetokounmpo stuck without a star sidekick while the Lillard payment plan hangs over the rest of this decade. The Bucks solved their massive Lillard problem with the NBA equivalent of taking out a personal loan to pay down credit card debt. After the nine-time all-star guard suffered a torn Achilles' tendon during the playoffs, Milwaukee was staring at a lost 2025-26 season and facing the possibility that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would request a trade this summer. To appeal to Antetokounmpo and bolster their roster for next season, the Bucks waived Lillard using the NBA's stretch provision so they can spread out the $113 million remaining on his contract over the next five seasons. That maneuver granted Milwaukee enough salary cap flexibility to sign veteran center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, but it also means Lillard will eat up more than $22 million every year through the 2029-30 season. Gulp. This extreme strategy might have been justified if Milwaukee were in position to be a serious title contender next season, but Antetokounmpo's supporting cast is still heavily reliant on underwhelming contributors such as Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince. The East's title landscape has been decimated by injuries to Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, but Turner's arrival doesn't exactly vault Milwaukee to the top of the standings. While the 29-year-old Turner projects as a clear upgrade over outgoing center Brook Lopez, he is fresh off a forgettable NBA Finals in which he averaged 10.6 points and shot 21.4 percent on three-pointers. The Bucks apparently concluded that the long-term cap damage done by Lillard's stretched contract was worth absorbing as long as Antetokounmpo remains in town. But Milwaukee's bleak future now involves Antetokounmpo stuck without a star sidekick while the Lillard payment plan hangs over the rest of this decade. The Rockets mean business, agreeing to trade for Durant and re-signing Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Steven Adams before nabbing wing stopper Dorian Finney-Smith and center Clint Capela in free agency. Now that the dust has settled, they freed themselves from Jalen Green, an inconsistent guard who underwhelmed in his playoff debut, and built out a rotation with 10-plus quality contributors. Houston has many of the necessary ingredients to win a championship: lineup flexibility, size, proven scoring, perimeter defense, rebounding and depth. On paper, the Rockets have a case as the biggest threat to the Thunder in the West. Perhaps the most thrilling aspect of the Rockets is that they will need Durant to be a big-time late-game performer if they want to make a deep playoff run. After several wasted seasons with the Suns, Durant will get a chance to return to the NBA's center stage for the first time since his 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets fell just short of the East finals. Does the two-time champion, who turns 37 in September, have one more signature playoff run left in him? The Rockets mean business, agreeing to trade for Durant and re-signing Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Steven Adams before nabbing wing stopper Dorian Finney-Smith and center Clint Capela in free agency. Now that the dust has settled, they freed themselves from Jalen Green, an inconsistent guard who underwhelmed in his playoff debut, and built out a rotation with 10-plus quality contributors. Houston has many of the necessary ingredients to win a championship: lineup flexibility, size, proven scoring, perimeter defense, rebounding and depth. On paper, the Rockets have a case as the biggest threat to the Thunder in the West. Perhaps the most thrilling aspect of the Rockets is that they will need Durant to be a big-time late-game performer if they want to make a deep playoff run. After several wasted seasons with the Suns, Durant will get a chance to return to the NBA's center stage for the first time since his 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets fell just short of the East finals. Does the two-time champion, who turns 37 in September, have one more signature playoff run left in him? The charitable approach would be to give the Lakers a 'TBD' grade because they still hadn't addressed their top priority — adding a starting center — as of Wednesday morning. But granting Los Angeles a pass for its early inactivity doesn't feel entirely appropriate given that this summer was its first chance to reshape its roster around Luka Doncic. Instead of lining up perimeter defenders and a lob threat for the Slovenian star, the Lakers watched as the Rockets poached Finney-Smith and saw several center candidates, including Lopez and Capela, sign with other teams. Meanwhile, LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, set off trade speculation by issuing a cryptic statement that suggested James and the Lakers have differing priorities. The Lakers really needed some game-changing additions after getting smoked by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Yet so far, they've only taken a step back by replacing Finney-Smith, one of the few players that Lakers Coach JJ Redick trusted in the playoffs, with career backup Jake LaRavia. The charitable approach would be to give the Lakers a 'TBD' grade because they still hadn't addressed their top priority — adding a starting center — as of Wednesday morning. But granting Los Angeles a pass for its early inactivity doesn't feel entirely appropriate given that this summer was its first chance to reshape its roster around Luka Doncic. Instead of lining up perimeter defenders and a lob threat for the Slovenian star, the Lakers watched as the Rockets poached Finney-Smith and saw several center candidates, including Lopez and Capela, sign with other teams. Meanwhile, LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, set off trade speculation by issuing a cryptic statement that suggested James and the Lakers have differing priorities. The Lakers really needed some game-changing additions after getting smoked by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Yet so far, they've only taken a step back by replacing Finney-Smith, one of the few players that Lakers Coach JJ Redick trusted in the playoffs, with career backup Jake LaRavia. The Nuggets' decision to replace general manager Calvin Booth with Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace has paid immediate dividends. After Booth's tenure was defined by inactivity and missed opportunities, Denver's new regime struck quickly by trading forward Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson, trading Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings for Jonas Valanciunas, and signing both Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency. Even if Russell Westbrook departs as expected, the Nuggets accomplished important goals by ditching Porter's overly generous contract; replacing Porter's shooting with Johnson's; and improving a shaky second unit with the additions of Brown, who was a member of Denver's 2023 title team, and Valanciunas, a capable backup for franchise center Nikola Jokic. Hypotethetically, Denver might have outlasted Oklahoma City in its second-round playoff matchup had it been able to swap Porter, Westbrook and Saric for Johnson, Brown, Hardaway and Valanciunas before the playoffs. After all, the Nuggets pushed the Thunder to Game 7 despite erratic play from Westbrook and injuries to Porter and Aaron Gordon. Jokic, 30, now looks like he has enough help to lead his fourth straight 50-win team and compete for his fourth MVP award next season. The Nuggets' decision to replace general manager Calvin Booth with Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace has paid immediate dividends. After Booth's tenure was defined by inactivity and missed opportunities, Denver's new regime struck quickly by trading forward Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson, trading Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings for Jonas Valanciunas, and signing both Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency. Even if Russell Westbrook departs as expected, the Nuggets accomplished important goals by ditching Porter's overly generous contract; replacing Porter's shooting with Johnson's; and improving a shaky second unit with the additions of Brown, who was a member of Denver's 2023 title team, and Valanciunas, a capable backup for franchise center Nikola Jokic. Hypotethetically, Denver might have outlasted Oklahoma City in its second-round playoff matchup had it been able to swap Porter, Westbrook and Saric for Johnson, Brown, Hardaway and Valanciunas before the playoffs. After all, the Nuggets pushed the Thunder to Game 7 despite erratic play from Westbrook and injuries to Porter and Aaron Gordon. Jokic, 30, now looks like he has enough help to lead his fourth straight 50-win team and compete for his fourth MVP award next season. The new cap rules, which were designed to undercut high-spending teams, have cut off the Warriors at the knees. After pulling off a midseason trade for Jimmy Butler, Golden State made no additions of consequence during the opening stage of free agency. Instead, longtime center Kevon Looney, a starter on the Warriors' 2022 championship team, was poached by the New Orleans Pelicans. No wonder Draymond Green recently criticized the National Basketball Players Association for agreeing to the latest collective bargaining agreement, which he said resulted in 'the players [getting] screwed more' despite the league's financial growth. With Stephen Curry, Butler and Green earning nearly $140 million in 2025-26, when the salary cap line is $154.6 million, Golden State has few avenues to make a splash. In a best-case scenario, the Warriors will find a way to sign-and-trade restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga for a piece or pieces that fit better with their core trio. Even if that happens, the Warriors still might not be deep enough to compete with the West's top teams. Golden State looked dysfunctional on offense in the playoffs once Curry got injured in the conference semifinals, and keeping its three aging stars healthy throughout another 82-game season and four rounds of the playoffs will be a tall order. The new cap rules, which were designed to undercut high-spending teams, have cut off the Warriors at the knees. After pulling off a midseason trade for Jimmy Butler, Golden State made no additions of consequence during the opening stage of free agency. Instead, longtime center Kevon Looney, a starter on the Warriors' 2022 championship team, was poached by the New Orleans Pelicans. No wonder Draymond Green recently criticized the National Basketball Players Association for agreeing to the latest collective bargaining agreement, which he said resulted in 'the players [getting] screwed more' despite the league's financial growth. With Stephen Curry, Butler and Green earning nearly $140 million in 2025-26, when the salary cap line is $154.6 million, Golden State has few avenues to make a splash. In a best-case scenario, the Warriors will find a way to sign-and-trade restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga for a piece or pieces that fit better with their core trio. Even if that happens, the Warriors still might not be deep enough to compete with the West's top teams. Golden State looked dysfunctional on offense in the playoffs once Curry got injured in the conference semifinals, and keeping its three aging stars healthy throughout another 82-game season and four rounds of the playoffs will be a tall order. Hawks General Manager Onsi Saleh, who was appointed to the position in April, has hit the ground running. In the past two weeks, Saleh has acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics, nabbed an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans, executed a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and signed free agent guard Luke Kennard. Saleh gave up nothing of consequence in the deals for Porzingis and Alexander-Walker, and he handily won the trade with New Orleans. The Hawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but they are well positioned now to climb into the East's second tier. Alexander-Walker arrives as a playoff-tested third guard to complement lead playmaker Trae Young and perimeter stopper Dyson Daniels, and Kennard represents another shooting threat. While Atlanta's ceiling will hinge on Jalen Johnson's health and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher's development, Saleh has added size, experience and athleticism to an organization that had spent years spinning its wheels. Hawks General Manager Onsi Saleh, who was appointed to the position in April, has hit the ground running. In the past two weeks, Saleh has acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics, nabbed an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans, executed a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and signed free agent guard Luke Kennard. Saleh gave up nothing of consequence in the deals for Porzingis and Alexander-Walker, and he handily won the trade with New Orleans. The Hawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but they are well positioned now to climb into the East's second tier. Alexander-Walker arrives as a playoff-tested third guard to complement lead playmaker Trae Young and perimeter stopper Dyson Daniels, and Kennard represents another shooting threat. While Atlanta's ceiling will hinge on Jalen Johnson's health and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher's development, Saleh has added size, experience and athleticism to an organization that had spent years spinning its wheels. Speaking of Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves were forced to part with the Canadian guard after re-signing forwards Julius Randle (three years, $100 million) and Naz Reid (five years, $125 million). All things considered, Minnesota was able to salvage its big and physical identity by retaining Randle and Reid alongside defensive lynchpin Rudy Gobert. With franchise guard Anthony Edwards entering his age-24 season, Minnesota avoided taking a major step back despite its cap constraints. Still, losing Alexander-Walker will thin out a backcourt that was already overmatched in the Western Conference finals against the Thunder. Mike Conley will turn 38 before the 2025-26 season opens, and Edwards needs assistance when it comes to ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities. Unless 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham can take a major step forward, Minnesota's shallow backcourt rotation could hold it back from reaching a third straight West finals. Speaking of Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves were forced to part with the Canadian guard after re-signing forwards Julius Randle (three years, $100 million) and Naz Reid (five years, $125 million). All things considered, Minnesota was able to salvage its big and physical identity by retaining Randle and Reid alongside defensive lynchpin Rudy Gobert. With franchise guard Anthony Edwards entering his age-24 season, Minnesota avoided taking a major step back despite its cap constraints. Still, losing Alexander-Walker will thin out a backcourt that was already overmatched in the Western Conference finals against the Thunder. Mike Conley will turn 38 before the 2025-26 season opens, and Edwards needs assistance when it comes to ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities. Unless 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham can take a major step forward, Minnesota's shallow backcourt rotation could hold it back from reaching a third straight West finals. The Grizzlies win points for self-awareness. Their late-season collapse, which culminated in a first-round playoff exit against the Thunder, made it clear to management that the trio of Jackson, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane wasn't going to be delivering a championship any time soon. With Morant's trade value submarined by his off-court shenanigans and Jackson in line for a lucrative contract extension, Memphis traded Bane to better balance its books. Finding a buyer for a two-way talent such as Bane was the easy part. The Grizzlies then set about replacing his production by striking a draft-day trade for Cedric Coward and signing free agent guard Ty Jerome, who was fresh off a career year with the Cavaliers. Memphis also landed veteran backcourt stopper Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Bane trade, re-signed coveted forward Santi Aldama in free agency and agreed to sign Jackson to a five-year, $240 million extension. Instead of a top-heavy salary sheet for a team that wasn't good enough to push the West's best, Memphis has restored its second-unit depth and maintained its fast-paced style. With better health for Morant, the Grizzlies could easily climb over a few teams that finished above them in last year's West standings. The Grizzlies win points for self-awareness. Their late-season collapse, which culminated in a first-round playoff exit against the Thunder, made it clear to management that the trio of Jackson, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane wasn't going to be delivering a championship any time soon. With Morant's trade value submarined by his off-court shenanigans and Jackson in line for a lucrative contract extension, Memphis traded Bane to better balance its books. Finding a buyer for a two-way talent such as Bane was the easy part. The Grizzlies then set about replacing his production by striking a draft-day trade for Cedric Coward and signing free agent guard Ty Jerome, who was fresh off a career year with the Cavaliers. Memphis also landed veteran backcourt stopper Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Bane trade, re-signed coveted forward Santi Aldama in free agency and agreed to sign Jackson to a five-year, $240 million extension. Instead of a top-heavy salary sheet for a team that wasn't good enough to push the West's best, Memphis has restored its second-unit depth and maintained its fast-paced style. With better health for Morant, the Grizzlies could easily climb over a few teams that finished above them in last year's West standings. The Raptors' offseason got off to a demoralizing start when franchise icon Masai Ujiri was let go on Friday, one day after the NBA draft concluded and just three days before the free agency window opened. Ujiri, an executive who transformed the Raptors from a laughingstock into the 2019 champions, apparently fell out of favor with ownership following two consecutive dismal seasons. In the years since his bold trade for Kawhi Leonard set up Toronto for its first title, Ujiri lost his golden touch in the draft and watched major talents — Leonard, VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby — leave town. Ujiri's critical flaw in the post-championship years was that he undervalued shooting. Still, many of Toronto's most important young players are simply not good enough shooters to be major weapons in the modern era. Bobby Webster, Ujiri's deputy, has made only one notable move this week: re-signing center Jakob Poeltl to a four-year, $104 million contract, which was in the discussion for the week's biggest overpay. Poeltl, 29, hasn't played in a playoff game since 2019 and crunches the court because — you guessed it — he is a non-shooter. The Raptors have now made major financial commitments to Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Poeltl, a group that presents countless fit questions and is wholly lacking in playoff success. Toronto must hope that Ingram, who arrived in a midseason trade but didn't play down the stretch because of injury, and Barnes, a talented but immature 23-year-old forward, can boost its outlook next season. That's not impossible given the tattered state of the East, but Ujiri's abrupt exit provided a harsh reminder of just how far the Raptors have fallen — and how much work they have ahead of them to climb back up. The Raptors' offseason got off to a demoralizing start when franchise icon Masai Ujiri was let go on Friday, one day after the NBA draft concluded and just three days before the free agency window opened. Ujiri, an executive who transformed the Raptors from a laughingstock into the 2019 champions, apparently fell out of favor with ownership following two consecutive dismal seasons. In the years since his bold trade for Kawhi Leonard set up Toronto for its first title, Ujiri lost his golden touch in the draft and watched major talents — Leonard, VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby — leave town. Ujiri's critical flaw in the post-championship years was that he undervalued shooting. Still, many of Toronto's most important young players are simply not good enough shooters to be major weapons in the modern era. Bobby Webster, Ujiri's deputy, has made only one notable move this week: re-signing center Jakob Poeltl to a four-year, $104 million contract, which was in the discussion for the week's biggest overpay. Poeltl, 29, hasn't played in a playoff game since 2019 and crunches the court because — you guessed it — he is a non-shooter. The Raptors have now made major financial commitments to Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Poeltl, a group that presents countless fit questions and is wholly lacking in playoff success. Toronto must hope that Ingram, who arrived in a midseason trade but didn't play down the stretch because of injury, and Barnes, a talented but immature 23-year-old forward, can boost its outlook next season. That's not impossible given the tattered state of the East, but Ujiri's abrupt exit provided a harsh reminder of just how far the Raptors have fallen — and how much work they have ahead of them to climb back up.
Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
Damian Lillard Is The Biggest Free-Agent Wild Card In Recent NBA History
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 27: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts from the court ... More after an apparent injury during the first quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on April 27, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The Milwaukee Bucks just threw a chaos grenade into the NBA free-agent pool. To clear out enough salary-cap space to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, the Bucks decided to waive and stretch nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in the Bucks' first-round playoff loss to the Pacers and figured to miss most if not all of next season to recover from that injury. With star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly open to exploring a future outside of Milwaukee, the Bucks didn't have the luxury of waiting for the 34-year-old Lillard to recover. Instead, they're stretching the remaining $112.6 million of his contract, which means they'll have a dead cap hit of roughly $22.5 million for each of the next five seasons. Lillard will still get paid the full amount that he was owed, and he'll now become an unrestricted free agent once he inevitably clears waivers in a few days. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lillard is "elated with this decision, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star-level players, if any, have experienced in league history." Regardless of whether Lillard winds up signing with a team sometime this year or waits until next summer once he's fully recovered from his injury, he's now the biggest free-agent wild card in recent NBA history. The Freedom Of Choice This will be Lillard's first foray into free agency, and it will be a unique experience for him. For most players, free agency is an opportunity to secure their next big payday. If they whiff, they often have to settle for short-term deals below what they were hoping to land and try again the following year. Lillard, who turns 35 in mid-July, isn't likely to secure a contract anywhere close to commensurate with his career accomplishments. After all, NBA players have a checkered history with Achilles injuries, and even the success stories—Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are among the most notable ones—got injured earlier in their careers than Lillard just did. The good news for Lillard is that he doesn't have to worry about the financial component, at least until 2027-28. "There is a salary offset for any team that acquires him during that two-year period," Amick explained. "And while the Bucks would surely prefer Lillard sign for a significant salary as a way to alleviate some of their financial burden, the reality is he could sign for a minimum-salary deal and still be paid the same amount." That isn't quite accurate, as there's a formula to determine how much the Bucks are allowed to set off from his dead cap hits in 2025-26 and 2026-27. Whatever he signs for next, the Bucks can set off one-half of the difference between that salary and the veteran-minimum salary for a player with one year of NBA experience this season ($2,048,494). In other words, if Lillard were to sign a one-year, $10 million deal, the Bucks would set off nearly $4 million, and he would earn an additional $6 million overall. But if he isn't fixated on maximizing his earning potential—after all, he's earning $54.1 million this year and $58.5 million next year at a bare minimum—he has the freedom to handpick his next team. "He's ecstatic," ESPN's Marc J. Spears said on NBA Today. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, told me this is an incredible opportunity for him. He gets to be a free agent two years early, choose where he wants to go. Money really doesn't matter right now because he's still getting paid by the Bucks." Logical Landing Spots Spears said a "double-digit number of teams" are already interested in signing Lillard. "If he signs with a team, it may well be a two-year deal, a very economical deal for that team, but also allows him to do a two-year kind of trial, see how it is, see if it's a place he could be long-term," he added. If Lillard is willing to sign for a veteran-minimum contract, which is $3.6 million for someone like him with 10 or more years of NBA experience, he'd be allowed to join virtually any team in the league. The only exception would be teams that are hard-capped at either apron and don't have enough wiggle room under that apron to add another minimum contract. However, if Lillard is planning to sign with a team this year and wants to land more than the minimum, that throws a wrench into the larger free-agent landscape. Some teams might decide to save their mid-level and/or bi-annual exceptions to use on him in-season if he recovers more quickly than expected and is healthy for the stretch run. That could prove costly to other free agents who were hoping to land one of those deals this offseason. The harsh reality is that Lillard likely won't be ready to meaningfully contribute to an NBA team until the 2026-27 campaign. Both Durant and Thompson missed an entire season after tearing their Achilles in recent years, and the last thing Lillard should do given his age is rush back from that injury. Even once he does fully recover, it's unclear how effective he'll be. The odds are against him regaining his All-Star form, and he might be even more of a liability on defense than he already was. However, both Durant and Thompson have maintained their efficiency as long-range shooters, which has been one of Lillard's specialties throughout his 13-year career. Perhaps Lillard will no longer be a 25-point-per-game scorer anymore, but on a minimum or near-minimum contract, he doesn't need to be. Even if he settles into a late-career role as a three-point shooting specialist a la Seth Curry or Luke Kennard, he'd still have surplus value on a contract that small. Free agency got off to a relatively sleepy start this year, but the Bucks just provided a jolt of caffeine to the proceedings Tuesday with their decision to waive Lillard. Where he ultimately decides to sign and what he looks like upon his return will be among the NBA's biggest wild cards this season. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Coco Gauff is disappointed by her Wimbledon loss but doesn't want to dwell on it
LONDON (AP) — Before Wimbledon began, Coco Gauff reflected on the significance of her breakthrough performance at the place six years ago — a run to the fourth round at age 15 — and what aspirations she harbored as she prepared to return. 'Even when I see videos of me during that time, it just doesn't feel like it's me. It felt like a dream. I'll always have special memories from that run and, I guess, it definitely fueled the belief that I can be on tour and live out my dream,' she told The Associated Press. 'It's something that always holds a special place in my heart. Obviously, I would love to win this tournament just for it to be like a full-circle moment,' she continued. 'I feel like it would be like the start of the dream, and — I don't want to say 'the finish,' because I obviously have a lot of career left, but — a full-circle type of situation.' A week after that conversation, the No. 2-ranked Gauff was out of the bracket at the All England Club in the first round with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to unseeded Dayana Yastremska at No. 1 Court on Tuesday night. Gauff was undone by serving troubles, including nine double-faults, and more than two dozen unforced errors in all, not to mention Yastremska's hard, flat groundstrokes. It was an abrupt, and mistake-filled, exit for Gauff, who so recently earned her second Grand Slam title — at the French Open via a three-set victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. After Tuesday's defeat, Gauff said, 'I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don't like losing. The main thing I'm sure my team and everyone is going to tell me (is): 'You did well at Roland-Garros. Don't be so upset.' Things like that.' But as much as she'll want to move on and focus on what's to come, the 21-year-old American acknowledged as she dabbed away the tears welling in her eyes during her news conference that she felt 'a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today.' It's instructive to remember — setting aside that captivating 2019 debut, which featured a victory over Venus Williams — that Wimbledon's grass courts actually have produced Gauff's least successful Grand Slam results. Yastremska's take? She said she considers Gauff 'much better on clay court and hard court than on grass.' This was the second time in the past three years that she was sent home in the opening round. She's never been past the fourth round at the All England Club, whereas at every other major tournament, including the hard-court Australian Open, she's at least reached the semifinals. Her first Slam trophy arrived on the hard courts of the U.S. Open in 2023 when she was 19. She already was the 2022 runner-up on the red clay at the French Open before going one step better this time. Sabalenka's self-described 'unprofessional' comments after last month's title match in Paris became a real topic of conversation and, perhaps, a distraction. Gauff and Sabalenka sought to put it behind them — and tell fans they should, too — by filming TikTok videos together once they got to Wimbledon. 'I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,' Gauff said, 'so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.' It's not easy to manage the tricky transition from the Roland-Garros clay to the Wimbledon grass. There's a reason it's been a decade since a woman won both in the same season — and a reason that woman was Serena Williams. By the end of the night, Gauff was eager to look ahead to the upcoming North American hard-court circuit, culminating with a trip to New York in late August. 'I mean, obviously I'm not going to dwell on this too long, because I want to do well at the U.S. Open. Maybe losing here (in the) first round isn't the worst thing in the world,' she said, 'because I have time to reset.'
