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Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers received some massive news on Wednesday when prolific point guard Tahaad Pettiford announced that he was returning to the Plains.
In ESPN’s latest mock draft, Pettiford was predicted to go in the second round as the 37th overall pick to the Detroit Pistons. Instead, he will suit up in orange in blue in hopes of raising his draft stock for 2026 as a sure-fire first-round pick, potentially even a lottery pick.
He will return to Auburn as the lone scholarship player from the Tigers’ Final Four run a season ago. Pearl and his staff have had to completely rebuild the roster, but have nearly solidified their offseason additions – and Pettiford's news was a huge boost in the process. He was the second “big boom” of the day for Auburn as it picked up a commitment from Serbian forward Filip Jovic on Wednesday.
Despite coming off the bench for the majority of his freshman campaign, Pettiford tallied 11.6 points and three assists per game while shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc.
Overhauling nearly the entire roster this offseason, Pearl added a pair of experienced big men in Mississippi State transfer KeShawn Murphy and UCF forward Keshawn Hall. Joining them through the portal is Texas Tech guard transfer Kevin Overton and D-II guard/forward transfer Elijah Freeman.
Through the JUCO ranks, Auburn added guard/forward Abdul Bashir Jr. and Emeka Opurum down low. The Tigers are bringing in a trio of four-star talents from the 2025 recruiting class in Kaden Magwood, Sebastian Williams-Adams and Simon Walker.
"I have never had to replace almost my entire roster before, but we knew last year would have a chance to be special," Pearl said. "We had a good team, a veteran team, and we decided to go ahead and put a lot of eggs in that basket, and we did. And we made a run."
Auburn secured a big piece of the puzzle for the 2025-26 season with Pettiford’s announcement and the Tigers’ roster overhaul has now come to a set.
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Commanders' Terry McLaurin reportedly wants more money than previously thought
Previous reports indicated that unsettled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was looking to land "parts" of the five-year, $150M contract that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf earlier this year. For an article published on Wednesday morning, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic offered an update regarding why McLaurin and the Commanders haven't come to terms on an extension after the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "One person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations said the veteran receiver has asked for more than DK Metcalf," Jhabvala revealed. McLaurin is in the final year of his current deal and will turn 30 years old in September. To compare, Metcalf will turn 28 in December. That said, McLaurin emerged last season as the favorite target for quarterback Jayden Daniels as Daniels guided the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. "McLaurin believes he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL," Jhabvala added. "He’s been the Commanders' leading receiver every season since he entered the league (in 2019), and last year had the second-most receiving TDs in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase’s 17. He also ranked third in (expected points added) on targets and seventh in catch rate among receivers with at least 100 targets last year, but among that same group, McLaurin’s total receiving yards (1,096) ranked 12th and his average yards after the catch ranked 25th." Daniels seemed optimistic while speaking about the ongoing contract standoff during the ESPN broadcast of Monday's preseason game between the Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals when he said he knew McLaurin would "be coming through the door soon." However, Jhabvala noted that "it wouldn’t be a surprise if the [Commanders have] set a maximum range of $27M to $28M a year in average annual value for McLaurin." That seems to suggest the two sides aren't all that close to coming to terms on an agreement. It's unclear if McLaurin is willing to forfeit money by sitting out Washington's Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7 amid his desire for a pay raise. If he isn't, he may have to soon accept the offer that's on the table to guarantee himself future earnings beyond the upcoming season.
Micah Parsons contract dispute: Dallas Cowboys star posts cryptic video with direct hint on future
As his contract dispute continues, Micah Parsons made another cryptic post on social media. The Dallas Cowboys star used an Allen Iverson quote in the background of a TikTok video. Parsons’ video included photos of him appearing to kiss and wave goodbye as the sound played behind them. It featured Iverson saying: “I’ma win wherever I go. Wherever I go, I’ma win. I don’t care where I go. I don’t give a damn what team I go to. I’ma win.” It’s the latest twist in Parsons’ contract situation as he seeks a new deal with the Cowboys. He also removed any mention of the franchise from his X and Instagram bios Thursday night, nearly three weeks after he went public with his trade request. Talks between Parsons and the Cowboys went on throughout the offseason, but the situation reached a new level of tension in training camp. The former Penn State star has not practiced, and he also has been dealing with a back injury. Earlier in the summer, Jerry Jones said he talked with Parsons about a new deal, but his agent David Mulugheta wasn’t present. Thursday, Jones said when he approached Mulugheta about details of that framework, he got a poignant response. “When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our ass,” Jones said. “Just so we’re clear … [Micah] and I talked and then we were going to send it over to the agent. We had our agreements on term, amount, guarantees, all that.” The sense is Parsons is on track to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback with his next contract, which would come as his rookie deal expires. However, the pass-rush market shifted multiple times this offseason. Both Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt received new deals worth $40 million annually. Jones later said he agreed to give Parsons a lucrative deal. He added fans would understand just how bad he wants to keep him in Dallas based on that offer. “The world would know that I want Micah if they knew what I had offered him,” Jones said. “And he knows what I offered him. So, the world would know that I would want Micah on the team and respect what he would bring to the team.” Micah Parsons has been around the Cowboys team during training camp, though he’s not participating in workouts as negotiations go along. As for when a resolution could come, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the two sides aren’t in good standing. He went so far as to predict Parsons and the cowboys could be heading “towards divorce.”
Brian Robinson Jr.'s next destination just became painfully obvious
Brian Robinson Jr. is being shopped for a potential trade by the Washington Commanders. And his next destination could be a little clearer based on an unfortunate incident around the league. The Commanders have decided that Robinson doesn't have a future in Washington. He was once projected as a starting option, but has now fallen out of favor for whatever reason. Those in power don't think he can offer what they require, and general manager Adam Peters is looking to extract something in return for a player who's out of contract next spring. What the immediate future holds for Robinson is unclear. It won't be in Washington after he got sent to the shadows, but there could be a few potential suitors for his services if the compensation isn't too steep. Dolphins could call Commanders about Brian Robinson Jr. amid injury crisis One team rumored to be interested just got a big reason to make a splash for Robinson. The Miami Dolphins are desperately short of experienced running backs. There is a lot at stake for head coach Mike McDaniel in 2025, but fresh problems are cropping up in the backfield that could jeopardize their chances. De'Von Achane is currently on the sidelines. He could be joined by Jaylen Wright after he was helped off the practice field. And this didn't look like an injury that he could shake off quickly, according to those in attendance. If Wright is forced to miss time, that leaves the Dolphins relying on rookie Ollie Gordon II and journeyman veteran Mike Boone as their running back options. While the Oklahoma State product has promise, asking him to accumulate starting duties in Year 1 seems like a stretch. Even if Warren and Achane are healthy, Robinson could be an upgrade on any physical runner Miami has in between the tackles. The Commanders are eager to get the former third-round pick out of Alabama out of the equation. Any offer is better than nothing, something that would also relieve some burden on the salary cap along the way. Other teams are also reportedly looking for running back upgrades before the season. This is playing right into Peters' hands. Still, whether Robinson is someone worth giving up draft capital for with his ceiling all but reached is another matter. Time will tell on both fronts. However, fans can expect this situation to be resolved before attention turns to trimming the roster down to 53 players. And the Dolphins represent a legitimate landing spot. More Commanders news and analysis
Blackhawks make gargantuan commitment to young forward
The Blackhawks have officially announced a seven-year extension for pending RFA forward Frank Nazar. The deal will pay him an AAV and cap hit of $6.59M for a total value of $46.13M. It’s a gargantuan commitment to the 21-year-old Nazar considering his lack of NHL experience. The 2022 No. 13 overall pick lands the richest total-value contract in league history for someone with 56 or fewer career appearances, which is Nazar’s tally entering the 2025-26 campaign. Nazar, who still has one year left on his entry-level contract before his extension will kick in for 2026-27, has yet to spend an entire season on the NHL roster. Last year was his first full run in the pros after two years at the University of Michigan, but he made his NHL debut in the final three games of 2023-24 after signing his ELC. He did not make the Blackhawks’ opening night roster but, after recording 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games for AHL Rockford, was recalled in mid-December shortly after Chicago’s coaching change and never looked back. He faltered out of the gate, recording only one assist and a -5 rating through his first 10 appearances while averaging 14:44 of ice time per game. But under interim head coach Anders Sörenson, who had overseen his early-season success in Rockford, he was extended some patience. That paid off in the long run as Nazar built confidence, including a four-game point streak in January and a run of nine points in eight games in April to end the season. All told, Nazar finished the season with a 12-14–26 scoring line 53 games — ninth on the team — and averaged nearly 16 minutes per game. While size concerns (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) created some detractors about his ability to hold down his natural center position in the NHL, he saw a fair amount of time as Chicago’s second-line middleman behind Connor Bedard. His most common deployment (107 minutes) amid an astronomical 91 different line combinations used by the Hawks last year was at 2C between Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen, although he did also see some time up on Bedard’s wing. Nazar was seen as a top-10 threat in the 2022 class, but after slipping to Chicago and missing most of his freshman year at Michigan due to injury, there were warranted doubts about his development path. He silenced them quickly with a point-per-game sophomore showing for the Wolverines and has made about as good an adjustment to pro hockey as can be expected, given the lack of quality veteran support on the Hawks’ NHL roster. A long-term bet at what’s even now a conservative second-line price point in 2025 could pay incredible dividends for the Blackhawks if he remains a long-term top-six piece, even if it’s on the wing, as the cap increases and they reward the other pieces of their young core with long-term deals. There’s also an incredible risk factor for someone still relatively early on their development track with less than a full season’s worth of NHL experience. The only recent comparable for someone with his experience is Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a five-year, $45M contract after his rookie season (55 GP). Kaprizov, however, had far more professional experience after coming up through Russia’s KHL and was two years older than Nazar is now, making him a more projectable player. Kaprizov also took home the Calder Trophy that year and had twice the offensive output Nazar did. As such, the Blackhawks are betting hard on Nazar being a long-term solution, either as a wingman for Bedard or as a second-line center behind him. There’s certainly reason for optimism – he’s developed well and is coming off a spectacular World Championship showing with the United States that earned him a spot at their Olympic orientation camp. He’ll be under contract through the 2032-33 season and can walk to unrestricted free agency upon expiry. Getting Nazar’s extension out of the way now isn’t just about him, though. Chicago has two other big-ticket RFAs next summer — Bedard and new No. 1 goalie Spencer Knight — who will take serious resources to extend. They still have barely over $40M in allocated cap hits for 2026-27, though, leaving them with virtually unlimited spending power under a projected $104M cap. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the Blackhawks were signing Nazar to a seven-year extension. Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli reported a more accurate cap hit in the $6.6M range.
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