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The Philadelphia 76ers traded second-year guard Jared McCain, who was an early NBA Rookie of the Year candidate last season and had made 15-of-26 attempts from 3 in his past six games, on Wednesday.

On Friday, less than 24 hours removed from the NBA trade deadline and a road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the Sixers shot 5-of-24 from deep, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted Philadelphia sent McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in hopes of making an additional deadline deal.

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But, as Morey repeated throughout his news conference, “nothing materialized.”

“Because we’re playing well, we were trying to upgrade the team and add to the team now,” Morey told reporters. “That was goal No. 1.”

Before their setback in L.A., the Sixers were riding a five-game win streak. They’re still sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Philadelphia is without veteran forward Paul George until late March because of his 25-game suspension, however, Morey maintains the Sixers are in the mix among the top teams in the East. They haven’t made it past the conference semifinals since the 2000-01 season, when they lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Morey, who has been the team’s president of basketball operations since November 2020, explained Friday that the Sixers made the McCain move a day before the deadline so that they’d have assets to use as bargaining chips for a trade that could help them move the needle.

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While the defending NBA champion Thunder got the former Duke standout, the Sixers collected four picks: a 2026 Houston Rockets first-round pick and three future second-round picks.

“We were trying to reuse those draft picks to add now,” Morey said. “We do feel like this deal sets up better in the future, but we understand that we were looking to add now, and nothing materialized.”

McCain, 21, averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in his first 23 games with the Sixers, except he missed the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign with a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee.

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Then, this past September, McCain sustained a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout a day before the team’s media day.

In 37 games with the Sixers this time around, he was playing just 16.8 minutes per contest. He was overshadowed by the emergence of rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, whom Philadelphia selected No. 3 overall in last year’s draft, and the play of two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes.

Still, McCain was providing valuable perimeter shooting off the bench on a squad hungry for a postseason run after missing out on the playoffs last season for the first time in eight seasons.

[Get more Sixers news: Philly team feed]

Morey said he’s “quite confident” that the Sixers were selling high in trading McCain this week.

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“We see Jared as someone who is more likely to help a team in the future,” he said. “I think that’s fairly obvious. I think that he has a bright future. We thought that the draft picks we got will help us more in the future and could have helped us this deadline.”

Morey said that Philadelphia offered the picks it received in the McCain trade to “many teams,” and, yet, it couldn’t land a player it deemed worthy of that kind of transaction.

“But we feel like, going forward, those picks will help us build the team in the future in a good way,” he emphasized.

While Morey likes the potential of the 2026 NBA Draft, he’s not married to using the Rockets’ first-round pick the Sixers gained in the McCain trade.

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That pick, as well as the three second-rounders, could be used for moves around the draft, Morey noted.

On one hand, sending McCain to Oklahoma City put Philadelphia under the luxury tax, allowing the Sixers to convert two-way player Dom Barlow, a fourth-year forward who is averaging 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

On the other hand, the Sixers ducking the tax again has raised questions about the franchise’s willingness to spend for a championship-caliber roster.

“I understand the perception, and I hope to defeat it by finding a deal that, you know, I can go to ownership and say we think this move is the right move to do for that and create the apron issues that it would create,” Morey said. “But I haven’t been able to recommend that move yet.”

We are less than a month away from the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and the excitement has been ramped up with Thursday’s announcement of the rosters for the 20 teams participating in this year’s tournament. While we’ve known about many of the most prominent players competing for a few weeks now, there were still plenty of unknowns that made this week’s reveal highly anticipated.

As the tournament nears, we’ll break down each pool and each team’s chances of claiming the WBC crown. For now, here are six major takeaways from the WBC rosters:

This level of pitching talent is unprecedented, particularly for Team USA

The World Baseball Classic has never seen so much elite starting pitching. There’s a decent argument that we’ll see five of the top six healthy pitchers on the planet — Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cristopher Sánchez and Logan Webb, with Garrett Crochet the lone abstainer — toe the slab in the upcoming tournament. That’s the top four finalists for last year’s NL Cy Young and the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner.

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Simply put, it’s a monumental upgrade. As recently as 2017, not a single top-five Cy Young finisher from the season prior, in either league, featured in the WBC. A few more frontline arms showed up in 2023, including reigning NL Cy Young Sandy Alcantara, but that group pales in comparison to this crop of aces.

Throughout the event’s history, top-tier non-American pitchers have generally shown more interest in participating (Alcantara, Shohei Ohtani, Félix Hernández). But before this edition, the United States struggled to convince its aces to commit. Remember, USA skipper Mark DeRosa entered the 2023 tourney with a rotation composed of Merrill Kelly, Kyle Freeland, Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, Brady Singer, Adam Wainwright and Nick Martinez. Combined, that unit had zero Cy Youngs and just five top-three finishes, four of which were Wainwrights. The 2026 team has six Cy Youngs — to be fair, three of them belong to the retired Clayton Kershaw — and 11 top-three finishes.

It’s an incredibly encouraging development for this tournament that the most dominant hurlers in the world are willing to alter their preseason routines to compete on the global stage. — Mintz

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Team Italy is a fascinating dark horse

In 2023, the Italian squad showed well, battling its way out of the Taiwan pool before getting bounced by Japan in the quarterfinals. Impressive as that was, Italy’s roster was far from full-strength. Because their pool-play round was halfway across the world, the club struggled to convince Italian-American big-league regulars to opt in.

This year, Italy’s pool is in Houston, which appears to have been an absolute game-changer. Vinnie Pasquantino, one of two position players back from the 2023 team, said he spent a ton of time recruiting for Team Italy. Those efforts have paid off.

Italy’s starting lineup will be one of just a handful in the tournament entirely made up of active big leaguers. Pasquantino is the biggest bat, but he’ll be flanked by powerful sluggers such as Dominic Canzone (142 OPS+ last year) and Jac Caglianone (former top prospect with huge juice). Jakob Marsee is coming off a stellar debut with the Marlins. Kyle Teel should be the White Sox’s Opening Day catcher. Jon Berti is a versatile vet. This lineup has a lot to like.

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Even more importantly, the Italians have a greatly improved pitching staff. Aaron Nola is easily the most accomplished hurler to ever appear for Italy in international competition. Michael Lorenzen is a solid No. 2. Alek Jacob, Matt Festa, Kyle Nicolas and Greg Weissert are all legit big-league relievers. They’ll need to topple Mexico or the United States to emerge from a tough group, but this squad has the sauce to make that happen. — Mintz

Puerto Rico will be without many of its stars

News broke last week that Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, Puerto Rico’s two best and most impactful players, had failed to secure the necessary insurance to participate in the WBC. Eleventh-hour appeals were made, with the island’s baseball federation even threatening to withdraw from the tournament. But in the end, those desperate attempts proved futile, as both stars were left off the official roster. Then Javy Báez, about whom there was suspiciously little insurance scuttlebutt, was also not included due to a previously unreported suspension stemming from a positive marijuana test during the previous tournament.

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It’s all a massive bummer for Puerto Rico, set to host WBC games for the first time since 2013. Between Nolan Arenado, Edwin Díaz, Seth Lugo and Heliot Ramos, this club still has enough talent to win an evenly balanced group, but they’ll dearly miss Lindor, Correa and Báez. — Mintz

Team USA’s final two roster spots revealed

While the vast majority of Team USA had been revealed over the past few months, there were two spots unsettled on the 30-man roster before Thursday’s announcement. It was a pretty safe bet that it would be one more position player and one more pitcher, but there were questions about what genre of hitter and hurler manager Mark DeRosa would prefer. Would Team USA go with a third catcher in support of Cal Raleigh and Will Smith? Would they target a player with defensive versatility, another Ernie Clement type — or one with more offensive upside? Did they need another starting pitcher or another high-leverage reliever?

The answers: first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and right-hander Michael Wacha. Goldschmidt — still a free agent entering his age-38 season — returns to the roster as one of five holdovers from the 2023 team, joining Smith, Bobby Witt Jr., Kyle Schwarber and right-hander David Bednar. Goldschmidt gives DeRosa a veteran presence off the bench, one who can still crush left-handers. He’ll either pinch-hit against lefty relievers or garner a start against a left-handed starter before making way for superior options later in the game.

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Wacha is a sensible addition as an experienced and dependable right-hander who gives DeRosa another pitcher capable of covering multiple innings. Navigating the various restrictions imposed by major-league clubs and pitch-count regulations is an enormous variable in this tournament, so affording the manager a bevy of arms who can provide length is smart roster-building. And while this is Wacha’s WBC debut, he does have Team USA experience, having played on the 2011 Collegiate National Team.

The Goldschmidt/Wacha duo might lack the flash of some of the younger, more ascendant participants in the tournament, but these two fill clear roles for Team USA, so their inclusions should come as no real surprise. — Shusterman

Team Brazil makes its return

Of the 20 teams competing in this year’s Classic, 19 are holdovers from the 2023 edition. The lone exception is Team Brazil, which claimed one of the final spots in the tournament during the qualification round last March and is effectively replacing Team China, which failed to qualify this time. This is Brazil’s second appearance in the Classic, having last participated in 2013, when it went winless in pool play (but had a lead through seven innings against Samurai Japan). That means Brazil is seeking its first WBC victory in this year’s tournament, and the team will have at least four opportunities to make that happen as the massive underdogs in Pool B in Houston, which also features USA, Mexico, Italy and Great Britain.

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Brazil’s squad includes just five players currently in major-league organizations, one of the lowest totals of any team in the tournament. But this roster is not without intrigue. The most interesting throughline is the trio of players with high-profile big-league fathers. Lucas Ramirez, 20, is one of the five affiliated players as an outfielder in the Angels organization, and he’s the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. Infielder Dante Bichette Jr. is the son of four-time All-Star Dante and older brother of new Met Bo.

And perhaps most fascinating of all, 17-year-old Joseph Contreras is the son of 11-year major-league pitcher and 2005 World Series champion Jose Contreras. Joseph is the youngest player in the tournament and also a top prospect in this summer’s draft, a talented right-handed pitcher at a Georgia high school who is committed to Vanderbilt. A strong outing against one of the star-studded lineups in Pool B would be a unique and exciting way to boost his draft stock — and perhaps help Team Brazil make history on the international stage. — Shusterman

Plenty of prospects to watch

Of the 600 players named to WBC rosters, a little more than half — 305, to be exact — are currently members of major-league organizations. But only about half of those are projected to play in the majors in 2026; there’s also a gigantic population of ballplayers from all levels of the minor leagues. That means that beyond the overwhelming amount of established star power on these rosters, there’s a plethora of prospects scattered throughout the WBC player pool who will have the opportunity to raise their profiles on the international stage.

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There are some obvious headliners, such as Mets right-hander Nolan McLean, the lone rookie-eligible player on Team USA, and former No. 1 pick and Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana, the biggest star on Team Australia. There are also a few other top-100 types who could make an impact in the majors sooner rather than later, such as Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (Canada) and Nationals catcher Harry Ford (Great Britain).

Here are a few other notable names who are a bit further from the majors but worth monitoring once the tournament begins:

Mariners INF Michael Arroyo (Colombia): Arroyo has been one of the most productive hitters in the minors over the past two years, but he sometimes gets lost in the shuffle in a Seattle farm system loaded with high-profile position-player prospects. An undersized, right-handed hitter without a clear defensive home — he has mostly played second base but might fit best in left-field long term — he doesn’t have the explosive physical tools typically associated with premium prospects. But he raked his way to Double-A last year as a 20-year-old, and he’s on track to factor into Seattle’s lineup in some form in 2027.

Brewers INF Andrew Fischer (Italy): Fischer ranked 20th on my 2025 draft rankings after a prolific college career at three different schools. Milwaukee evidently agreed with that assessment, selecting him 20th overall and quickly sending him to High-A, where he had a strong pro debut. It’s unclear how much playing time Fischer will get on a surprisingly crowded Team Italy roster, but if he gets some at-bats, they promise to be highly entertaining.

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Athletics LHP Wei-En Lin (Chinese Taipei): Lin, who turned 20 in November, was a strikeout machine in the lower levels last season, and he exhibited solid command as well. This fun fact says it all: Only three pitchers with at least 80 minor-league innings had a higher K-minus-BB rate than Lin’s 27.1% in 2025: Trey Yesavage, Payton Tolle and Jonah Tong. Pretty good!

Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez (Puerto Rico): Acquired from Boston a year ago in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez, Rodriguez had a terrific first season in the Yankees organization, striking out 176 batters in 150 innings with a 2.58 ERA and climbing all the way to Triple-A. He’s still pretty far down New York’s starting pitching depth chart, but don’t be surprised if he pitches his way into the major-league mix at some point in 2026. — Shusterman

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way!

The NBA trade deadline has officially passed, and we have plenty of deals to sort through. Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the headliners like Jaren Jackson Jr. (Utah), Anthony Davis (Washington), and James Harden (Cleveland); stealthier acquisitions like Ivica Zubac (Indiana) and Nikola Vucevic (Boston), and much more.

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From there, the guys discuss the winners and losers of #TradeSZN. Teams like the Pistons, Thunder and Hornets should feel pretty good; the Heat and Rockets? Not so much. Players like Spencer Jones and Dominick Barlow should have more security; guys like Cam Thomas will be looking for a new home.

Finally, they preview the weekend slate of Unrivaled games — plenty of standings shuffling could be on the way! — and Nekias reveals his media ballot for the upcoming 1-on-1 Tournament.

If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.

2:15 — Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz
9:57 — Anthony Davis to the Wizards
15:55 — Ivica Zubac to the Pacers
22:53 — Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks
28:21 — Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics
33:12 — Trade Deadline Winners
01:03:01 — Nekias’ Miami Heat rant
01:10:38 — Other Trade Deadline losers + Cam Thomas landing spots
01:19:57– Unrivaled preview + 1-on-1 ballot reveal

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

An adventurous and historic Week of Trades™️ saw plenty of big names change places. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Anthony Davis are in win-later homes; James Harden and Darius Garland were swapped for each other. Ivica Zubac, a season removed from playing at a fringe-All-NBA level, will eventually get to catch passes from Tyrese Haliburton.

There will be, and already has been, plenty of audio and virtual ink spilled on those moves, and rightfully so. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the week, I decided to do what many other teams did: pivot to something else.

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We’re here to take a look at some of the non-stars (or close) that saw their situations improve, and could prove to be important factors as we trek ahead to the playoffs.

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves were largely discussed through the lens of the Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit. They should now be discussed for their acquisition of former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.

The fifth-year guard is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, logging a career high in points off the strength of insane 3-point shooting (45.1% on 4.3 attempts). It serves as a necessary complement to his driving chops, a skill that has improved in half-court settings and really pops in transition.

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He should vibe nicely playing off the attention Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle command. His ability to get downhill, particularly in early-offense situations, should make life easier for those stars, allowing them to attack tilted defenses instead of always being tasked with the tilting.

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Dosunmu’s quickness and plus-wingspan (listed at 6-foot-10) allows him to hold his own defensively — and he’s shown flashes of being a real disruptive piece during his Chicago stint. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Wolves dabble in three-guard lineups with him, Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards. A closing group with those three, Jaden McDaniels (having one heck of a year) and Rudy Gobert could be incredibly tough to deal with.

If there’s one thing I’m eyeing, it’s how teams will treat Dosunmu on the perimeter in games that matter. He’s enjoying a strong shooting season, but historically, his catch-and-shoot efficiency has been a roller coaster. Tied to that is the fact he’s largely been dared to knock down the triples he’s taken.

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Here’s Dosunmu’s catch-and-shoot history from beyond the arc, as well as average closest defender distance when taking those shots:

• 2021-22: 37.6% on 2.3 attempts, 8.5 feet away

• 2022-23: 30.8% on 2.3 attempts, 8.6 feet away

• 2023-24: 40.4% on 3.3 attempts, 8.8 feet away

• 2024-25: 34% on 3.5 attempts, 8.3 feet away

• 2025-26: 42.3% on 3.7 attempts, 8.0 feet away

If the efficiency goes backward, I’ll be curious to see how often the Wolves feel like they can close with him. That’s also a first-world problem; him helping to solidify the second unit — along with the likely return of Mike Conley — makes this enough of a win.

Kevin Huerter, Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have been the best team in the East; quiet as kept, they’re only two games behind the Thunder for the league’s best record. A conversational point around the Pistons, aside from their goodness, has been their willingness to make a major swing ahead of the deadline. They had the salaries, pick control, and, despite their record, a pretty obvious flaw in their design (shooting) to justify a swing.

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They ultimately decided against pushing all of their chips to the center of the table, instead bringing Huerter into the mix.

I like it quite a bit.

While it’s fair to raise a brow at Huerter’s shooting — he’s converting a career-worst 31% of his 3s this year — he is a career 37% shooter from deep. I think he’ll enjoy playing off the gravity of Cade Cunningham whenever they share minutes together; that miiiight be a friendly context for him compared to playing alongside Josh Giddey.

Beyond the pure shooting ability, Huerter’s ability to move away from the ball should immediately make this group better. He’s a smart relocator off the ball, often finding pockets of space to make life easier for drivers or post kickouts. On top of that, pay attention to his work as a cutter. He’s converting a career-best 63% of his shots inside the arc for a reason; I think Jalen Duren in particular will enjoy the Huerter back cuts when teams try to deny him on handoffs.

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Huerter should also add value as a second-side option for handoffs or ball screens; he’s an underrated playmaker, especially when defenses are already tilted. And on a basic level, Huerter gives the Pistons more optionality, taking some pressure off Duncan Robinson to be the movement/off-ball threat.

Coby White, Charlotte Hornets

Welcome home, Coby White!

The Goldsboro, North Carolina, native and former Tar Heel joins a Hornets group currently riding an eight-game winning streak. Not only is that tied with the Knicks (more on them shortly) for the longest active streak in the league, it’s the first time this century that the Hornets have won eight (or more) games in a row.

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While it’s been a “down” year for White as he’s worked back from — and through — injuries, it’s worth noting that he was looking more like last year’s version of himself before this trade.

• 2024-25 season: 20.4 points (54/37/90), 4.5 assists in 33.1 minutes

• Last nine games: 20.3 points (44/40/86), 4.9 assists in 30.9 minutes

[NBA trade deadline winners and losers]

White brings a fun mix of pull-up shooting, drives (quietly logging the highest rim rate of his career), and off-ball prowess and secondary playmaking that the Hornets could use. He should slot in nicely in lineups next to LaMelo Ball. With the way the Hornets like to flow in the half-court, it’s easy to envision possessions where White initiates things, only for the ball to find its way into LaMelo’s hands against a shifting defense.

More pressing could be what happens when Ball isn’t on the floor. Of note, the Hornets’ offense falls off a cliff — from a would-be-league-best 124.3 offensive rating to a paltry 112.2 offensive rating — when Ball goes to the bench. White should help quite a bit with that issue.

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Jose Alvarado, New York Knicks

Speaking of homecomings, Alvarado making his way back to New York couldn’t have come at a better time. Deuce McBride, enjoying the best season of his career (12.9 points on 59.2 true shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists in 28 minutes), is expected to miss significant time with a core injury. I was already a fan of adding Alvarado to this mix; in light of McBride’s strategy, it’s clear the Knicks needed this acquisition.

To call Alvarado a spark plug or energy shifter would be an understatement. His ability to flip games on their head — more importantly, the way he flips those games — should be greatly appreciated in New York. He’s so annoying (complimentary) at the point of attack defensively. Famously, you may need eyes at the back of your head to locate him after receiving an inbound pass, lest you get your pocket picked for a quick bucket.

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Quietly, Alvarado has turned himself into a serviceable shooter (36.5% on 4.6 attempts from 3 over the past three seasons) who’s willing to take them off the bounce if defenders disrespect him. His speed allows him to bob-and-weave into tight spaces, forcing defenses into tough decisions and opening up passing windows. The injection of pace, energy and aggression should vibe nicely with the Knicks’ second unit.

I’ll leave you with this: Among the many variations of Pelicans teams we’ve seen across Alvarado’s tenure, it’s noteworthy that they won his minutes and were outscored without him.

Spencer Jones, Denver Nuggets

Jones wasn’t traded, but a money (and roster) move involving Hunter Tyson helped create a pathway for the Nuggets to convert Jones’ two-way deal into a standard contract.

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Jones has been tasked with defending multiple positions, knocking down shots, filling space as a cutter, connecting possessions as a passer or hand-off hub, and generating extra possessions on the offensive glass. Those responsibilities have felt more important in light of Aaron Gordon’s absence; they likely feel even more necessary considering Peyton Watson is expected to miss at least a month.

Luckily for the Nuggets, Jones has been up for the challenge to this point. Across 34 starts, Jones is averaging 7.5 points (64/41/61 splits), 3.9 rebounds (1.3 OREB), and 1 steal. He deserves a salute for his impact, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy the added layer of security.

Colorado Buffaloes football head coach Deion Sanders shot down any discussions that he has any plans to coach in the NFL. Last offseason, Sanders reportedly talked to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about coaching the team before Dallas promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach.

A year later, his tone has changed.

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“Not whatsoever,” Sanders said on ESPN’s First Take. “What transpired with my son last year? Ain’t no way in the world.”

Sanders was referring to his youngest son, Shedeur Sanders, now a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Shedeur fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after playing for his father at both Colorado and Jackson State. Shilo Sanders, who also played for his father at Colorado, went undrafted and was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFL preseason.

Shedeur was the second quarterback the Browns selected in 2025 and started the regular season behind former Browns quarterback Joe Flacco and fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

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After Flacco was traded to the Bengals and Gabriel went down in Week 12 with a concussion, Shedeur finished the rest of the season as the starter. Shedeur finished his rookie season with a 3-4 record as the starter and threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders was also selected to the Pro Bowl as a replacement, becoming the first Browns QB to make the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2008.

Next season, Shedeur is expected to compete for the starting job with Gabriel and Deshaun Watson under new Browns head coach Todd Monken, who reportedly expressed interest in drafting him out of Colorado when he was the offensive coordinator of the Ravens.

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Deion Sanders also struggled in his first year at Colorado without his son at quarterback. The Buffaloes were 3-9 and played Kaidon Salter, Ryan Staub and Julian Lewis at quarterback last season.

Lewis is expected to come into next year as the starting quarterback. He finished the year with 589 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions before he redshirted. Sanders is now 16-21 since taking over as the Colorado head coach in 2023.

MILAN — Less than 48 hours before she tries to achieve the unthinkable in Sunday’s Olympic women’s downhill competition, Lindsey Vonn made the mistake of combing through her mentions on social media.

The 41-year-old American took issue with critics who questioned the details of the torn ACL that she suffered exactly a week ago yet will not allow to derail her comeback.

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A supposed doctor of sports medicine baselessly speculated on Friday that Vonn’s injury wasn’t “a bread and butter, fresh ACL tear like everyone is thinking.” Vonn fired back, “lol thanks doc. My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday.”

“Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible,” Vonn continued. “And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.”

Further down Vonn’s timeline was a purported clinical pharmacist who alleged that Vonn was only able to ski because she’s “pumped up w anti inflammatory medications and pain meds” and “doesn’t value her long term health.” Vonn shot down that theory too, replying, “Actually have taken zero pain medications. Zero. Not even Tylenol. But thanks.”

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Vonn was poised to be one of the faces of the Milan Cortina Winter Games even before her ill-timed injury. The four-time overall World Cup champion and 2010 Olympic gold medalist unretired after almost six years away from the sport and dominated the downhill once more on a partially replaced right knee.

Had she not crashed during the final World Cup downhill before the Olympics, Vonn would have been a favorite to win the gold medal on Sunday. Now she’s trying to make a comeback within a comeback, to compete for a medal on one surgically repaired knee and one without the main stabilizing ligament.

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“You got this Lindsey!  Shock these haters!” a more supportive fan wrote to her Friday.

Responded Vonn, “Facts.”

The men’s downhill skiing competition at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy gets under way on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 5:30 a.m. ET, and you can watch all the action live on Peacock and USA. Among the Team USA competitors participating in the men’s downhill competition are Bryce Bennett, Kyle Negomir, Sam Morse, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

Here’s a complete schedule of all Team USA Alpine skiing events at this year’s games, along with a rundown of who is competing. While every race will stream on Peacock, some will also be broadcast on NBC and USA Network. (To see specific air times, check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule and toggle your search to “TV Only.”) Here’s a rundown of how to watch every Alpine skiing event at the 2026 Winter Games.

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Want to learn even more about every event at this year’s Winter Games? Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about Milan Cortina 2026.

How to watch men’s downhill skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7

Time: 5:30 a.m. ET

Location: Stelvio Ski Centre

TV channels: USA

Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, and more

Where can I stream Alpine skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Where to watch men’s downhill skiing on TV

Team USA men’s downhill skiing coverage will air live on USA at 5:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. You can stream USA on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, and more. (NBC will only be airing select downhill skiing coverage live. For specific times on NBC, make sure to check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule and toggle your search to “TV Only.”)

When pitchers and catchers begin reporting on Feb. 10, it will mark the official start of spring training and the unofficial end of the MLB offseason. That means that even though a few free agents remain unsigned, it’s time to grade the offseasons of every team in baseball, looking at which players they lost, which players they added and whether they got better heading into Opening Day 2026.

We begin with the National League East.

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More offseason grades: NL Central | NL West | AL East | AL Central | AL West

Philadelphia Phillies

Significant outgoing free agents: SP Ranger Suárez, OF Harrison Bader, OF Max Kepler, RP David Robertson, OF Nick Castellanos (released)

Major moves:

• Retained free agent DH Kyle Schwarber on a 5-year deal

• Retained free agent C J.T. Realmuto on a 3-year deal

• Signed OF Adolis García to a 1-year deal

• Signed RP Brad Keller to a 2-year deal

• Traded RP Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals for Jonathan Bowlan

• Signed RP Zach Pop to a 1-year deal

Offseason grade: C

Philadelphia’s offseason will likely be remembered, fairly or not, by the move it failed to make. Bo Bichette and the Phils were at the 1-yard line on a long-term deal when the Mets, jilted by Kyle Tucker, swooped in from the treetops to poach the free-agent infielder. Rarely does a baseball executive publicly express frustration over a missed target the way president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did after losing out on Bichette, referring to the result as a “gut punch.”

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The Phillies didn’t enter the winter expecting to pursue Bichette, but when a contract standoff emerged with catcher J.T. Realmuto, the club saw an opportunity. So when all things Bichette fell to pieces, Dombrowski and Co. simply reverted to their original plan and paid Realmuto what he wanted. It was a sequence that concluded a reasonable and rational, if overly safe, offseason.

That’s by no means a knock on Schwarber, whose return to Philadelphia should have hoagie-mouthers climbing light poles. Reuniting with the stout slugger was priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for the club at winter’s outset. To get it done, the Phillies paid a hefty price — five years and $150 million is a sturdy sum for a 33-year-old DH — but Schwarber was simply too important to the entire operation, both between the lines and in the clubhouse.

Dombrowski’s decision to let Suárez waltz up to Boston was curious. The pudgy southpaw was a rotation stalwart the past few seasons and left a void on the staff that the Phillies have yet to fill externally. That route puts a world of pressure on (1) injured ace Zack Wheeler to return swiftly and effectively, (2) yet-to-debut top prospect Andrew Painter, who struggled in Triple-A last season and (3) back-end hurler Taijuan Walker. For all its offensive star power, this era of Phillies baseball has been made possible by impact starting pitching. Will the team have enough of it in 2026?

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With all due respect to García ($10 million is a lot for a bounce-back candidate) and Brad Keller (his arrival and Strahm’s departure effectively cancel each other out), the Phillies have clearly opted to stay the course. Handing top prospect Justin Crawford the every-day center-field job and jettisoning Nick Castellanos to Narnia qualify as something of a new path, for sure, but the 2026 Phillies are primed to look a lot like the 2022-25 Phillies.

New York Mets

Significant outgoing free agents: 1B Pete Alonso, RP Edwin Díaz

Major moves:

• Acquired SP Freddy Peralta and P Tobias Myers for two top-100 prospects

• Acquired 2B Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers for OF Brandon Nimmo

• Signed IF Bo Bichette to a 3-year deal

• Acquired CF Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox for UT Luisangel Acuña and a pitching prospect

• Signed IF Jorge Polanco to a 2-year deal

• Signed RP Devin Williams to a 3-year deal

• Signed RP Luke Weaver to a 2-year deal

• Traded UT Jeff McNeil to the Athletics for a pitching prospect

• Signed RP Luis García to a 1-year deal

Offseason grade: B+

*Exhale*

We could sit here and debate the merits of the Mets’ offseason until the sun explodes and our memories become memories. Undeniably, it was a dramatic, bold course of action by POBO David Stearns, who ripped up the club’s core in the wake of a historically calamitous 2025. Four cornerstones — Alonso, Díaz, McNeil, Nimmo — left via free agency or trade. While manager Carlos Mendoza survived the purge, most of his coaching staff was overhauled.

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But this is certainly not a rebuild, nor should it have been with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor purring at their peaks. Instead, Stearns assembled a golden stopgap, a short-term solution that makes the Mets better in 2026 without sacrificing the future. Few of the players added this winter are under contract for the long haul. Most are on one- or two-year deals. Bichette, the flashiest new name, can opt-out next winter if he has a strong 2026. Peralta, the team’s new ace, will hit free agency after the season. It’s a strategy that allows New York to leave a handful of opportunities open for the slew of talented prospects funneling up from the farm.

Stearns was honest from the jump about wanting to improve his team’s run-prevention unit. Peralta will help that cause, as will Semien’s and Robert’s defensive chops in the middle of the diamond. Teaching Polanco and Bichette to play new positions won’t be a breeze, but both former shortstops are more than capable.

Díaz, who signed with those plucky Los Angeles Dodgers, was probably the one that got away, the only regret of an otherwise prudent offseason. The Mets should have matched what L.A. paid (3 years, $69 million). Díaz wasn’t blocking anybody else from pitching in the ninth, he’s still an elite closer, and his return would’ve been a reasonable bit of fan service.

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And besides, money to Steve Cohen is just a concept. But at least this Mets team should make the playoffs, right?

Miami Marlins

Significant outgoing free agents: None

Major moves:

• Traded SP Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs for OF Owen Caissie and two prospects

• Traded SP Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees for four prospects

• Signed RP Pete Fairbanks to a 1-year deal

• Signed UT Christopher Morel to a 1-year deal

• Traded CF Dane Myers to the Cincinnati Reds

• Acquired SP Bradley Blalock from the Colorado Rockies

• Acquired OF Esteury Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers

Offseason grade: C-

The 2025 Marlins were much, much better than expected. But instead of amplifying that momentum with a flurry of offseason moves, the Fish spent this winter treading winter. Miami’s projected $69 million payroll is an utter embarrassment, the lowest in baseball. Of the $15 million the Marlins committed this winter, $13 million belongs to Pete Fairbanks, who will be dealt at the deadline if the Marlins are out of it. Of course, not every club needs to or can spend $60 million per year on Kyle Tucker, but Miami’s passivity in free agency was nonetheless disappointing.

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Trading away Cabrera and Weathers was rational, considering the organization’s surplus of highly regarded arms in the upper minors. But the returns on both were somewhat underwhelming. Caissie, the best player acquired this winter, is a boom-or-bust type with big whiff issues. Nobody else who was added this winter seems primed to help the club in the short term.

Somewhere, a timeline exists in which the Marlins acted aggressively this offseason to reinforce a compelling core of young pieces and enter 2026 as a cheeky wild-card pick. Unfortunately for the hardball lovers of South Florida, that’s not the reality we’re living in.

Atlanta Braves

Significant outgoing free agents: DH Marcell Ozuna, SP Charlie Morton

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Major moves:

• Retained free agent RP Raisel Iglesias on a 1-year deal

• Signed RP Robert Suarez to a 3-year deal

• Acquired UTIL Mauricio Dubón from the Houston Astros for SS Nick Allen

• Signed OF Mike Yastrzemski to a 2-year deal

• Signed SS Ha-Seong Kim to a 1-year deal

• Signed UTIL Jorge Mateo to a 1-year deal

• Signed RP Danny Young to a 1-year deal

Offseason grade: B-

Solid, if unspectacular. Reassuring, if uninspiring. Generally speaking, this was a good winter for the Atlanta Braves — that is, except for the $20 million Korean ice tumble.

None of Atlanta’s moves was a franchise-altering wowzer, but considered together, they represent a doubling down on the club’s current core. The Braves crashed and burned in 2025, in part because their stars underperformed and in part because the supporting cast didn’t rise to the occasion. So instead of shaking things up, POBO Alex Anthopoulos sought to enhance Atlanta’s secondary pieces.

Yastrzemski and Dubón will become valuable bench bats and occasional starters, the type of depth a competitive team like the Braves should have. Kim would’ve represented a nice upgrade at shortstop had the perils of winter not consumed him. Letting longtime DH Marcell Ozuna walk in free agency — Ozuna is still out there, but a reunion seems unlikely — will allow for greater roster flexibility. And unlike many MLB execs, Anthopoulos has always been willing to spend on relievers. Keeping Iglesias and snatching Suárez should help a bullpen that was bottom-10 in ERA last season, though committing to three years with the 34-year-old Suárez is definitely a gamble.

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In the end, none of these supplementary transactions will matter one iota if Atlanta’s franchise players don’t stay healthy and produce. The Braves will live and die on the exploits of Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach. Anthopoulos’ winter was a bet on that core bouncing back.

Washington Nationals

Significant outgoing free agents: 1B Josh Bell, IF Paul De Jong

Major moves:

• Traded SP MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers for five prospects

• Acquired C Harry Ford from the Seattle Mariners

• Signed SP Foster Griffin to a 1-year deal

Offseason grade: B+

A new day has dawned in the district.

After 16 seasons with GM Mike Rizzo — the last few an aimless slog — the Nationals finally changed course and cleared house. In is former Red Sox exec Paul Toboni as president of baseball operations, whose hiring is more significant than any single transaction this club has made since the Juan Soto trade. Toboni, just 35 years old, spent most of the winter infusing the club’s baseball operations department with some much-needed youth.

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In the span of a few months, Toboni brought in 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager, 30-year-old Simon Mathews as pitching coach, 32-year-old Anirudh Kilambi as GM and 31-year-old Devin Pearson and 34-year-old Justin Horowitz as assistant GMs. It’s a bold direction, a fresh start and a fascinating science experiment about the limits of modern baseball thinking.

It’s also a sign that the Nationals don’t expect to compete for a World Series title in 2026, and their moves this winter told the same story. Dealing Gore, a flawed but effective pitcher two years from free agency, for a quintet of prospects does not scream “win-now.” And that was to be expected. Toboni inherited an operation well behind the times. Modernizing the club’s processes, principles and priorities is the right place to start, frustrating as it might be for Nats fans.

MILAN — A rousing Opening Ceremony that included everything from dancing musical notes to massive paint tubes to massive flying Olympic rings to Mariah Carey ended with a dramatic reveal as Italian legends Sofia Goggia, Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni — all Winter Olympic gold medalists — lit the two cauldrons that will burn for the length of the Games.

The first-of-its-kind Opening Ceremony, the “first widespread Olympic Games,” as a dramatic in-stadium narrator put it, took place in four separate locations — Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo — with simultaneous and complementary performances happening across Northern Italy. The Olympic cauldrons are located at the Arco della Pace in Milan and Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

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The opening quarter of the show paid tribute to Italy’s deep cultural heritage, from its history as a hub of art and music to Milan’s tradition of fashion. Two dancers rode into the stadium on giant floating rings; only after they rose a hundred feet in the air and leaped from the rings did their true purpose become clear: three other rings lit up and floated to the center of the arena, forming the five Olympic rings.

Throughout the night, the theme of Armonia — Italian for “harmony” — was obvious everywhere, from the blending of paints in the ceremony’s opening moments to the blending of songs Carey performed. She started singing “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” better known as “Volare,” before segueing into her own “Nothing is Impossible.” (The harmony continued as five handlers worked in tandem to help Carey and her massive dress offstage; it took nearly a full minute for the entire entourage to slowly walk from the center of the field out of public view.)

Television moved seamlessly between the venues, though during the parade of nations in San Siro Stadium — home of soccer powers AC Milan and Inter Milan — it was obvious that the split format had its drawbacks. Many nations don’t have any representation at the ice events in Milan, so they were represented by only a single sign bearer walking across the spiral San Siro stage as a video screen showed images of the athletes parading in the mountain regions.

One nice touch for the athletes: Italian Olympic organizers provided chairs at one end of the field for the athletes to sit in and rest while the rest of their fellow Olympians marched in. Given that previous Olympics had forced athletes to stay on their feet for hours — not an ideal preparation for the most important athletic event of their lives — the seats were surely welcome.

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Italy, naturally, received the largest cheers of any nation. Fans in attendance also cheered loudly for Ukraine, with most other large nations — including Canada, France and the United States — drawing plenty of cheers. Charismatic athletes like Jamaica’s also won over the audiences in multiple venues.

After the usual speechmaking by Italian and Olympic officials, Andrea Bocelli delivered a masterful version of “Nessun Dorma,” Charlize Theron spoke on the theme of peace, and the cauldrons were lit. And with that, the San Siro Stadium lights came up.

Some events at the Winter Olympics have already begun, but the first medals will be draped around the necks of athletes starting Saturday. This year’s event promises to be a significant reset from the COVID-era Winter Games of Beijing 2022, with many more fans, family members, and carbs here and ready for the festivities.  

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are officially open with the conclusion of Friday’s Opening Ceremony.

This was a historic Opening Ceremony, where two Olympic cauldrons were used for the first time, with one located at the Arco della Pace in Milan, and the other at Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The two cauldrons are intended to represent “harmony between the two Host Cities and the territories of the distributed Games,” according to the official Olympics website.

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In addition to the traditional bearing of the flags for each nation represented in the Games and lighting of the cauldrons, there were plenty of grand performances featuring stars from all over the world. The star-studded lineup of vocalists was American singer Mariah Carey, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, singer-songwriter Laura Pausini, rapper Ghali, pianist Lang Lang, and opera singer Cecilia Bartoli. “The White Locus” actress Sabrina Impacciatore also stunned with a performance honoring the last 100 years of the Winter Olympics.

Basically, there was no shortage of entertainment amidst the calls for peace, unity, and tradition.

For those who missed it live, the Opening Ceremony will air again in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest updates, highlights and more from the Opening Ceremony at the Milan Cortina Olympics:

Live coverage is over57 updates

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:35 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  A rousing Opening Ceremony that included everything from dancing musical notes to massive paint tubes to massive flying Olympic rings to Mariah Carey ended with a dramatic reveal as Italian legends Sofia Goggia, Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the two torches that will burn for the length of the Winter Olympics.

  The first-of-its-kind Opening Ceremony — the “first widespread Olympic Games,” as a dramatic narrator put it — took place in four separate locations — Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo — with simultaneous and complementary performances happening across Northern Italy. The Olympic torches are located at the Arco della Pace in Milan and  Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

  The opening quarter of the show paid tribute to Italy’s deep cultural heritage, from its history as a hub of art and music to Milan’s tradition of fashion. Two dancers rode into the stadium on giant floating rings; only after they rose a hundred feet in the air and leaped from the rings did their true purpose become clear: three other rings lit up and floated to the center of the arena, forming the five Olympic rings.

  Read more on the Opening Ceremony from Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee in Milan.

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:31 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:29 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:22 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:20 PM PST

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• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:19 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  Chinese pianist Lang Lang accompanies Italian opera singer Cecilia Bartoli in performing the Olympic anthem as the Olympic flag was officially raised:

  

  WHAT. A. VOICE.

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:14 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:11 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron is next to speak after a performance that ended with its participants taking the floor in the shape of a dove, delivering an impassioned call for peace:

  Athletes, spectators from every corner of the world, this is a message of peace by my beloved countryman, Nelson Mandela.

  “Peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, or any other social markers of difference.”

  Today, this message seems more relevant than ever. So let these Games be more than just sport. Let them be a reminder of our common humanity, our respect for one another and a resounding call for peace everywhere.

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  

  

  

  

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:54 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:49 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  Next up is a speech from Kirsty Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee:

  “Welcome to your games. This is your moment. I know what it feels like … that mix of excitement and nerves. Your whole life of hard work, of early mornings, long days, sacrifices, setbacks — it all comes down to this. I know that feeling when you realize, ‘This is it.’ Youve made it.”

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:43 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milano Cortinal 2026 Organizing Committee, gave a speech during the Opening Ceremony that could send chills down the spin of any sports lover.

  “Dear athletes, you are drawn from different traditions, different cultures, different countries. And yet you are united by sport — a universal language.”

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  We know that Italian speakers can be a bit emphatic when it comes to hand gestures. For those unfamiliar, the Olympics put together a whole skit to help translate:
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:34 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:28 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:26 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  After the full parade of athletes made their way through, a video introduction set up “The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore for a grand entrance … which many on social media are flagging as potentially AI-generated content. 🤔
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:17 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  As the hosts of the Milan Cortina Olympics, Team Italy is the last to enter at the Opening Ceremony.
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:10 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff

  Team USA is led by flag bearers Erin Jackson (speed skating) and Frank Del Duca (bobsled).

  

• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:07 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff
• Fri, February 6, 2026 at 1:02 PM PST

  Yahoo Sports Staff