James Harden’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers is officially over.
The Clippers sent Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, they announced on Wednesday afternoon.
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Conjecture of a potential trade for Harden gained steam just ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, as Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reported late Monday evening the Clippers and Cavs were engaged in discussions surrounding the veteran All-Star. Now the two teams have swapped All-Star guards.
“We are trying to get younger while continuing to win, and Darius allows us to do both,” Clippers president Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is a two-time All-Star who just turned 26 and a highly skilled point guard with excellent feel … We are excited to win with him and grow with him.”
Harden, assuming all goes well in the coming days, will likely make his debut with the Cavaliers on Saturday in their matchup with the Sacramento Kings, according to Amazon’s Chris Haynes.
The 36-year-old Harden is in the second year of a two-year, $81.5 million deal he signed last June when he declined his player option. Because of the structure of his contract, he could have declined any trade.
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Harden does have a $42.3 million player option for 2026-27, but only $13 million of it is guaranteed. Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Harden will have to waive his one-year Bird restriction that functions as a no-trade clause in order to facilitate the trade.
Harden is in his 17th NBA season, and the Cavaliers will be his sixth team since he was drafted third overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009. He has spent the past three seasons with the Clippers, averaging 21.1 points, 8.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
This season, Harden has played 44 games and averaged 25.4 points per game, his highest since the 2019-20 season. Despite a strong case for his 12th All-Star selection this season, he was left off the roster.
“I can’t overstate what James has meant to our organization in the past two-and-a-half years,” Frank said. “He exceeded every expectation and met every challenge. He put us on his back for long stretches, doing whatever was necessary to win. He’s an all-time great who delivers on a nightly basis. We benefited from his talent, his durability, his competitiveness and his leadership. We’ll always consider him a Clipper.”
What trade means for Cavaliers
The exchange of the two All-Stars offers a fresh start for both players and a reset for both teams as they seek to improve their standing in their respective conference playoff races.
Harden joins a Cavaliers team that entered Tuesday in fifth place in the East at 30-21. The Cavaliers are contenders in the East, but have taken a step back from last season’s 64-18 campaign that produced the best record in the conference.
Various injuries to Garland have played a role in Cleveland’s struggle to repeat last season’s success as he missed 25 of Cleveland’s first 51 games. Even when healthy, there were concerns in Cleveland that Garland’s skill set overlapped that of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt.
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The addition of a high-scoring playmaking guard in Harden doesn’t exactly alleviate those concerns. But the Cavaliers are certainly hoping the addition of Harden will propel them back into the conversation among championship contenders from an Eastern Conference that remains wide open. Harden and Mitchell will combine to produce one of the most potent backcourts in basketball.
What trade means for Clippers
The Clippers, meanwhile, get a two-time All-Star point guard in Garland who, when healthy, could provide an ideal complement to All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard. Garland’s a strong scorer and distributor who averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last season while shooting 40.1% from 3 en route to his second career All-Star selection.
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A toe injury sidelined him during Cleveland’s run to the second round of the playoffs. It required offseason surgery and lingered into this season, and Garland has since sustained a toe injury on his opposite foot. He missed Cleveland’s previous nine games with the latest injury prior to Tuesday’s news of the trade. It’s not clear when he’ll be able to make his Clippers debut.
The Clippers got off to a 6-21 start, but have since recovered to a 23-26 record as of Tuesday to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. They’re hoping Garland can help propel them toward the postseason when he’s ready to return to the court.
It was just one year ago Luka Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most shocking moves in NBA history. Here’s a timeline of the painful chapter in Dallas Mavericks history — including the firing of Nico Harrison and the offloading of Anthony Davis — after making it to the NBA Finals only 20 months ago.
May 30, 2024: Mavericks advance to the NBA Finals
Dallas advanced to face the Boston Celtics in its first trip to the NBA Finals since winning it all in 2011, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Dončić, who finished Game 5 of the West finals with 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting with 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, was named MVP of the series after averaging 32.4 points across five games.
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The Mavericks would fall to the Celtics in the Finals in five games.
July 2: Mavericks sign Klay Thompson to three-year deal
Klay Thompson, a key contributor to the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks, who sent two second-round draft picks, one in 2025 and another in 2031, to Golden State as part of the sign-and-trade deal. The 35-year-old was moved to the bench during the 2025-26 season after a slow start.
Dec. 25: Luka Dončić gets hurt
The Mavericks star left the team’s 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half on Christmas Day due to a left calf injury — an injury that would sideline Dončić for more than a month.
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Feb. 2, 2025: Mavericks trade Luka Dončić
In perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history, Dallas sent Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round draft pick in a three-team deal that also included the Jazz.
Following the news of the trade, which broke after midnight on the East Coast, Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN: “I believe that defense wins championships. I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
Dončić, who still looked stunned two days after the trade, said he would “take the high road” in response to comments made about him from the Mavericks after the trade was made.
Feb. 8: Fans protest outside of Mavericks’ arena
Ahead of Dallas’ first home game after the trade, Mavericks fans protested outside of American Airlines Center. Some signs called for Nico Harrison to be fired. Other fans called for the team to be sold.
Feb. 8: Anthony Davis makes his Dallas debut, gets hurt
In his first game with the Mavericks, Davis was impressive, totaling 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in only 31 minutes. But, in the third quarter, he exited the game with a lower-body injury. After the game, Davis told reporters that it was “nothing serious.” But the next day it was reported that Davis had suffered an adductor strain and would miss weeks.
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Feb. 9: Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont explains the trade
In his first public comments about the trade in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Dumont cited “character” and “culture” as reasons for the trade. Dumont also said, “If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe, Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win. And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks.”
Feb. 10: Luka makes his Lakers debut
Dončić made his Lakers debut against the Jazz, draining his first points with the Lakers on a 3-pointer from the top of the key just a few minutes into the contest. Dončić finished with 14 points in a 132-113 win. He added five rebounds and four assists in what was his first game back after the calf injury he suffered on Christmas.
Luka Dončić recorded a triple-double against his former team. (AP Foto/Mark J. Terrill)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Feb. 11: Fans thrown out in Dallas
During a home game against the Sacramento Kings, Mavericks fans were ejected from their seats at American Airlines Center after calling for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison. A fan drew the attention of the video board’s producers during a karaoke segment. But instead of singing along, he appeared to mouth the words “Fire Nico.” Another video showed what appeared to be the same fan and his neighbor holding up signs that distinctly read: “Fire Nico.” They were escorted out of the arena by security.
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Feb. 15: ‘Craziest trade I’ve seen’
At the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, the trade was still the talk of the league, even among the stars. “Two weeks later, it’s still the craziest trade I’ve ever seen,” said the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama.
At Adam Silver’s news conference, the commissioner also addressed the trade and concern about the Mavericks’ future in Dallas. “Whether or not history will judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of the organization,” said Silver. “I have absolutely no knowledge or belief that there were any ulterior motives. There is no doubt in my mind that the Dumont and Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they are committed to the long-term future there.”
Feb. 21: Dirk shares his first reaction to the trade
During an appearance at 96.7 The Ticket’s Ticketstock event, Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki shared his reaction upon first hearing that Dončić had been traded. He also discussed what it was like seeing Luka in a Lakers uniform: “I’ll never be a Lakers fan, but I must always be a Luka fan.”
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Feb. 25: Luka faces Mavericks for the first time
Dončić reunited with the Mavericks and recorded his first triple-double as a member of the Lakers in a 107-99 win against his old team. He finished with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting with 15 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks. After the game, Doncic said: “I am just glad it’s over.”
March 3: Mavericks raise ticket prices
The team announced it was raising ticket prices for next season, citing “ongoing investments in the team.” The price hike resulted in an average overall price increase of 8.61%, WFAA reported. As expected, season ticket-holders were not happy about the increase.
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March 4: Mavericks lose Kyrie Irving for the season
Mavericks star Kyrie Irving missed the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee. Irving went down early in the team’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving was driving to the hoop late in the first quarter at American Airlines Center when his left knee bent awkwardly as he attempted a layup.
March 13: Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said trade was ‘about the future’
At a speaking engagement a month earlier, Dumont explained the Luka Dončić trade was about the “future” and creating the “most competitive team.”
Dončić both cried and conquered in his return to Dallas, beginning the game with remnants of tears in his eyes before leading his new team to a 112-97 win.
Dončić had 31 points at halftime before stepping off the gas a bit, eventually finishing with 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. The win officially clinched a playoff spot for Los Angeles.
The Mavericks would eventually be eliminated in the play-in tournament.
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May 12: Mavs win draft lottery
The Mavericks overcame the fourth-longest odds of 14 lottery participants and a 1.8% chance to secure the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. The long-shot win capped a tumultuous season in which the Mavericks’ fan base turned on its beloved franchise after Harrison orchestrated the Dončić deal that’s been widely lambasted as one of the worst in the history of sports.
June 24: Kyrie Irving stays with Mavs on new deal
Irving declined his $43 million player option for 2025-26 with the intention of signing a new three-year, $119 million deal with the franchise. Irving, who underwent surgery in March for his torn left ACL, has not yet played in ’25-26.
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June 26: Mavs select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick
The Mavericks took Flagg with the No. 1 pick. “It’s really amazing,” Flagg told ESPN after being drafted. “It’s a dream come true, to be honest. I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else.”
At Flagg’s introductory news conference, Harrison famously said: “I think the fans can finally start to see the vision.”
June 30: Mavs sign D’Angelo Russell
The Mavericks struck a two-year, $13 million deal with Russell, as a temporary replacement for Irving. Russell, who has bounced around a lot in recent years, is averaging just 19 minutes per game during the 2025-26 season.
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Oct. 22: Flagg, Mavs lose season opener
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft posted 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds and three turnovers against the San Antonio Spurs in his first true taste of NBA action.
Flagg got out to a slow start this season, as he was forced to play point guard to open the season. The experiment didn’t work. The Mavericks posted one of the worst offenses in the game, and Flagg was quickly moved off the position to play into his strengths.
Oct. 29: Anthony Davis injured again
Davis left Dallas’ game against the Indiana Pacers with what the team described as “left lower leg soreness” and did not return. He would miss 14 games.
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Davis is currently sidelined with a left-hand injury that he suffered on Jan. 8. He is expected to miss around six weeks.
Nov. 10: Mavericks lose to Bucks amid ‘Fire Nico’ chants
Mavericks fans had had it. Monday night marked a new low in the Nico Harrison saga as fans in Dallas revived the “Fire Nico” chant during a home game the Mavericks still had a chance to win.
With 1.2 seconds remaining against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mavericks forward P.J. Washington was fouled on a 3-point shot as Milwaukee held a 116-113 lead. When he got to the line with a chance to tie the game with three free throws, Mavericks fans focused their energy not on the outcome of the game, but on their disdain for the Dallas general manager who traded Dončić.
The Utah Jazz are expected to waive Lonzo Ball after acquiring the guard in a three-team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, meaning Ball is poised to become a free agent, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.
In addition to the 28-year-old Ball, the Cavaliers are also sending their 2028 and 2032 second-round picks to the Jazz, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
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As part of the trade, the Jazz are shipping center Jock Landale off to the Atlanta Hawks for cash considerations, per multiplereports.
This past summer, Ball landed with the Cavs, then his fourth team since going No. 2 overall out of UCLA in the 2017 NBA Draft. He had previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls, the last of whom traded him to Cleveland for wing Isaac Okoro.
At the time, Cleveland was looking to reinforce its backcourt following the free-agency departure of Ty Jerome. However, Ball hasn’t made the impact the Cavaliers imagined.
He’s shooting a meager 30.1% from the field this season, including a ghastly 27.2% from deep. His 4.6 points per game are, by far, a career low.
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Plus, Ball is averaging just 3.9 assists per game, his second fewest since reaching the league. He played 20.8 minutes per contest in his 35 outings with the Cavs.
The 2026 Winter Olympics had some major infrastructure questions in the past weeks and months. The first five minutes of competition in Italy didn’t provide much reason for confidence in that regard.
While the Opening Ceremony isn’t scheduled until Friday, the first event of the Milan Cortina Games was held Wednesday with a set of mixed doubles curling matches. Roughly five minutes into the action, a partial darkness fell due to a partial outage.
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With clocks and scoreboards also down, play was immediately halted. Per The Athletic, the lights stayed out for about three minutes and the total delay lasted about five minutes, during which the athletes mostly joked around and played air guitar with their brooms.
The local organizing committee later released a statement alluding to an energy issue, with no further details:
“There was a brief interruption to competition at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium due to an energy-related issue,” the organizing committee said in a statement provided to The Athletic. “The interruption lasted approximately three minutes. Power was restored immediately, and competition has since resumed and is ongoing as planned.” The committee did not clarify what caused the issue.
Structural issues at the Olympics aren’t a surprise to anyone who has been following the preparations in Italy over the past couple months, though the curling arena — the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio — wasn’t thought to be an issue. That venue hosted the Opening Ceremony and figure skating in the 1956 Olympics and previously hosted the 2010 curling world championships.
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Instead, it’s the hockey and sliding arenas that have become a headache for organizers.
A power outage at curling might only be the start of the issues for 2026 Olympics organizers over the next couple weeks. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
(Carmen Mandato via Getty Images)
The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena remains an active construction site in which construction crews were frantically finishing projects on Wednesday, 24 hours before its first game is scheduled. The ice surface itself is also three feet shorter than NHL standard, which goes against the agreement between the NHL, NHL Players’ Association, IOC and International Ice Hockey Federation. There was also a hole in the ice during a test event.
Construction of the arena was scheduled to begin in 2022, but an unsuccessful lawsuit filed by an order of Roman-Catholic nuns led to a delay lasting roughly a year.
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine recap the out-of-nowhere James Harden-Darius Garland swap between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers and discuss the implications for both teams, as well as an impatient Donovan Mitchell.
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First, Tom live reacts to the biggest trade deadline shock yet: Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards? What were the motivations behind this trade? Winners and losers? Is this all that Luka Doncic was ultimately worth?
Later, the pair make the rounds for the rest of the big headlines before deadline day: Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz, and the de facto love letter Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered to the city of Milwaukee via local media.
Plus, why are the Jazz making a win-now move with all the incentives in the world to tank? Is Giannis Antetokounmpo really going to be moved? Will James Harden have a shot at a championship with his fourth team in six years? All that and more, today!
00:00 Welcome 00:05 Anthony Davis traded 11:44 Big number: 179.7 – James Harden career win shares 34:42 Little number: 112.4 – Cavs’ offensive rating without Donovan Mitchell 41:20 Little number: 161- minutes the Cavs’ “core four” players have played 45:13 Little number: 53,817,156 — amount Donovan Mitchell is owed on the player option he holds for the 2027-28 season 55:21 Giannis watch 1:03:27 Jaren Jackson Jr. traded to Jazz
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 22: LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) sprints down court during the Los Angeles Lakers vs LA Clippers NBA game on January 22, 2026, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Next season, the Philadelphia Eagles will have a new offensive line coach for the first time since 2013. Jeff Stoutland’s 13-year run in that position is over, he announced Wednesday on X.
“I’ve decided my time coaching with the Eagles has come to an end,” Stoutland wrote.
“When I arrived here in 2013, I did not know what I was signing up for. I quickly learned what this city demands. But more importantly, what it gives back. The past 13 years have been the great privilege of my coaching career. I didn’t just work here, I became one of you.
After coaching in the collegiate ranks since the mid-’80s, including at Alabama on national title teams in 2011-12, Stoutland served as the Eagles’ o-line coach from 2013-2025. He worked for four different Eagles head coaches in that span and had doubled as the team’s run-game coordinator since 2018.
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Stoutland, who turns 64 next week, helped the franchise win its two Super Bowls and reach a third during his tenure. He developed one of the league’s best offensive lines along the way, in addition to playing a role in the introduction and success of the team’s infamous “tush push.”
Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, whom head coach Nick Sirianni hired last week, will be on the lookout for a new coach to oversee the trenches as he builds out his staff.
Philadelphia wanted Stoutland back, according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman. But, per ESPN’s Tim McManus, Stoutland grew disgruntled this season when Sirianni and then-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo incorporated new run designs down the stretch of a 2025 campaign that saw the Eagles’ offensive line battle injuries and deal with regressing production on the ground.
Stoutland wasn’t consulted about the changes “to what he felt was an appropriate degree,” McManus reported Wednesday.
In the wake of Stoutland’s announcement, former Eagles six-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce swiftly took to social media to express his gratitude.
“There is absolutely no one I credit more with the career I had than Jeff Stoutland,” wrote Kelce, who was drafted in 2011 but overlapped with Stoutland from 2013-2023.
“The consistent passion and his eagerness to teach pushed my teammates, me, and our room to amazing success. More importantly, we became incredibly close as people. It was more than just coaching and teaching, it was his presence and sense of urgency that was unaccepting of mediocrity and potential left behind. He will undoubtedly be missed inside the building, and everyone that played for him.
“I am [incredibly] grateful to have played for Stout, 1 of 1 coach and person. I love you coach.”
Kelce is one of a handful of linemen who collected All-Pro honors under Stoutland in Philly. Guard Evan Mathis and tackles Jason Peters, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata are also in that group.
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Stoutland had a Pro Bowler on his o-line every season he was on staff, per The Athletic, who cited PFWA in reporting that Stoutland holds the longest such streak for any team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
His offensive lines paved the way for dynamic rushing attacks, including those that starred running backs LeSean McCoy and Saquon Barkley.
Notably, Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season last season. That, of course, wouldn’t have been possible without Stoutland’s line that fueled a Super Bowl run.
As for the tush push, Sirianni has credited Stoutland — among others — for the Eagles’ first use of the rugby-inspired quarterback sneak, even if the play concept predates that influence, as reported by ESPN last spring.
“Stout’s influence throughout football is immense,” the Eagles said in a statement on Wednesday, “having helped countless players reach their true potential, including many who went on to earn All-Pro honors and some who developed into future Hall of Fame talents.
“His passion for the development of young players set the bar not only for our organization but for the entire National Football League.”
LIVE from San Francisco, Matt Harmon has a JAM packed show for Super Bowl week. NFL Network’s Adam Rank joins Harmon for the first half of the show to provide predictions Super Bowl LX. Rank and Harmon also discuss the Chicago Bears magical season and who could be ‘next year’s Bears’ and take a massive leap offensively. Fantasy Life’s Kendall Valenzuela then joins Harmon to talk Seahawks, JSN and who will be the year three breakouts in fantasy in 2026. To end the show, we share Harmon’s interviews with CeeDee Lamb, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey.
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(2:30) – SB LX Preview and Predictions with Adam Rank
(18:30) – What made the 2025 Bears season magical and who can ‘Next Year’s Bears?’
(30:00) – Fantasy Life’s Kendall Valenzuela joins the show to talk Seahawks, JSN and year 3 breakout candidates
(55:00) – Matt Harmon’s interview with Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
(1:04:00) – Matt Harmon’s interview with San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
(1:18:00) – Matt Harmon’s interview with Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry
LIVE from San Francisco, Matt Harmon has a JAM packed show for Super Bowl week. NFL Network’s Adam Rank joins Harmon for the first half of the show to provide predictions Super Bowl LX. Rank and Harmon also discuss the Chicago Bears magical season and who could be ‘next year’s Bears’ and take a massive leap offensively. Fantasy Life’s Kendall Valenzuela then joins Harmon to talk Seahawks, JSN and who will be the year three breakouts in fantasy in 2026. To end the show, we share Harmon’s interviews with CeeDee Lamb, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey.
One of baseball’s most consistent and durable pitchers has his first big free-agent contract. Framber Valdez reportedly agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The deal reportedly contains deferred money and an opt-out after the second year. The $38.3 million average annual value sets a record for left-handed pitchers. The only pitchers to receive more? Shohei Ohtani, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Zack Wheeler.
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The deal reunites Valdez with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros during Valdez’s first two seasons with the team.
Valdez is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.66 ERA over 192 innings. By some measures, it was the lefty’s worst year in the majors.
While it’s always something of a concern to see a player experience decline just before hitting the market, Valdez’s 2025 was strong overall, maintaining his consistency over the past six seasons. Since becoming a regular member of the Houston Astros’ rotation in 2020, Valdez posted ERAs between 2.82 and 3.66 in six straight years. He put up strong innings totals over that period as well, ranking fifth among pitchers with 973 innings pitched since 2020.
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The Tigers are pairing Framber Valdez and Tarik Skubal, for now
The deal comes with interesting timing for both the team and player.
Could Valdez’s deal have anything to do with the Skubal situation, especially given the Tigers’ limited resources and the trade rumors around Skubal? There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s certainly significant.
For now, the Tigers are set to pair the best pitcher in baseball with another top left-hander, with Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson behind them. That’s among the most formidable rotations in the American League.
Is Framber Valdez still an ace?
Valdez is a hard-thrower but not one who racks up big strikeout totals. The lefty usually relies on a heavy sinker, which induces a ton of grounders and double-play balls. When he needs a strikeout, he uses his big, sweeping curveball to generate whiffs at an above-average clip.
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That combination has resulted in plenty of success for Valdez, who has two All-Star appearances and three top-10 Cy Young finishes under his belt. He played a significant role in the Astros winning the 2022 World Series. That postseason, Valdez posted a 1.44 ERA across four starts, striking out 33 over 25 innings.
Despite all that success, Valdez faced plenty of questions entering free agency. Given his age, lower strikeout totals and reliance on the defense behind him, Valdez isn’t always viewed as a top-tier ace. And while he got off to a fantastic start in 2025, he didn’t help his free-agent case by floundering down the stretch. In the second half of the season, Valdez stumbled to a 5.20 ERA over 71 innings. Was that a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come?
Given Valdez’s consistency throughout his career thus far, the answer is likely the former. Besides, while his second-half struggles were concerning, his “bad” year was still better than what many pitchers are capable of producing at their best.
So long as Valdez’s sinker maintains its bite and his arm holds up, he should be able to provide near-ace numbers going forward. He walks a finer line than most top-of-the-rotation starters due to his limitations, but his track record suggests he’ll bounce back with the Tigers after a down year — by his standards — in 2025.
Imagine how boring it would be to drive 20 mph for three hours. Yet you’d have covered more distance than drivers covered under green-flag conditions in that same timeframe during the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday.
The Clash was, simply, a brutal watch. An exhibition race that was supposed to end before its two-hour TV window was over stretched into a fourth hour, as drivers couldn’t stop running into each other and spinning out. The race went so long that Fox kicked the race off its airwaves after three hours in order for “The Masked Singer” to air an hour later than scheduled. As the reality show began, NASCAR was relegated to the little-watched Fox Sports 2, a channel that regularly airs repeats.
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It was an ignominious start for NASCAR’s Cup Series ahead of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. The Clash was originally scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 1, but the massive snowstorm in North Carolina kicked the race to Monday and eventually to Wednesday. Even so, the three-day delay didn’t save NASCAR from the elements.
With temperatures just a few degrees above freezing, a rain and sleet shower halted the proceedings about halfway through the 200-lap race. Teams were allowed to put rain tires on while NASCAR dried off the track following a short delay.
Chaos ensued. It was impossible for a green-flag run of any magnitude to happen. And that’s where the Clash’s caution-flag rules come into play. The race would’ve mercifully ended an hour earlier if it were like any other race and caution-flag laps counted toward the 200-lap total. But the Clash is unlike any other race. Caution laps don’t count.
That made for an interminable viewing experience.
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Wednesday’s race was the second Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium after a few years at a temporary short track at the Los Angeles Coliseum. No, NASCAR can’t control the weather, but the events that took place at the 0.25-mile short track made a great case for why the Clash should either move back to Daytona or cease to exist.
The Clash, which began in 1979, moved from Daytona partially because it was a costly endeavor for teams to start the season. Crashes became the norm in latter years — as NASCAR’s rules put cars closer and closer together at Daytona and Talladega — so what happened at Bowman Gray wasn’t too out of the ordinary, even if the 17 caution flags were a Clash record.
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But the race was also a perfect example of the recent NASCAR experience. Races have far too often been a chore to watch. If you stuck out the Clash after it moved from Fox to FS2 and didn’t go do laundry, organize your sock drawer or polish your silverware, you’re a die-hard NASCAR fan.
Yet you still probably didn’t enjoy what took place. It doesn’t help that Fox continues to mail in its NASCAR broadcasts and treat viewers like children. But even an engaging broadcast could’ve done only so much.
At least the Clash didn’t count for anything toward the 2026 title. And we can hope it’s not a harbinger of things to come this season. As NASCAR has — again — revamped its championship format, it’s hoping that disaffected fans will reengage. If you’re one of those who watched on Wednesday, you certainly didn’t find a reason to tune in later this year.
The fight between the NCAA and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is officially going to the courts.
The NCAA denied Chambliss’ appeal for a sixth-year eligibility waiver on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports. That leaves Chambliss with only one avenue to one more year in college football: his lawsuit against the NCAA, which has a hearing for a preliminary injunction scheduled for Feb. 12.
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The NCAA previously denied Chambliss’ request for a sixth year in January. The player’s case rests on medical documentation from his time at Ferris State, as he redshirted his freshman year in 2021, then missed the entire 2022 season while dealing with respiratory issues, which were eventually resolved with surgery to remove his tonsils.
An alleged lack of documentation led to the NCAA denying Chambliss’ request:
The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was “doing very well” since he was seen in August 2022. Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited “developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances” as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season.
The Chambliss camp responded with more documentation of his illness in 2022, but a fourth meeting of the NCAA Academics and Eligibility Committee resulted in a finding that the documents were not sufficient, per Dellenger.
