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The Michigan men's basketball team has a couple of players it's waiting decisions on. Wolverines' forward Danny Wolf hasn't made an official decision, but head coach Dusty May expects Wolf to chase his dreams and head to the NBA Draft. The 7-foot forward was Michigan's main playmaker this past season in a do-it-all role. Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. The big man from Yale can create his own shot, crash the boards, and facilitate using his passing skills.
To replace Wolf, Michigan went out and landed a pair of big men via the transfer portal. The prize of the entire portal was UAB's big man Yaxel Lendeborg. But the skilled big might not ever step foot on campus in Ann Arbor. That's because he is a projected first-round pick by a ton of draft analysts. Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this year for the Blazers. Lendeborg is looking for a guaranteed contract from an NBA team, but if he doesn't feel like that's a given, he will be playing for May and Michigan next season.
In ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have both players going in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Danny Wolf: No. 19 to the Washington Wizards
Wolf delivered as one of the most impactful transfers in college basketball, making a successful leap from Yale to Michigan and leading the Wolverines to the Big Ten tournament title and Sweet 16. He's unlike any other player in this draft class, with legitimate perimeter versatility and feel at his size at 7-foot, but there are questions about his athleticism, shooting and defensive translation to the NBA game.
This was a positive season for Wolf, who proved he could anchor a winning power-conference team that relied on him heavily, but his unorthodox profile will make him a situational fit for certain NBA teams. The Wizards are rife with draft capital and could take a swing on Wolf. Woo
Yaxel Lendeborg: No. 27 overall to the Brooklyn Nets
Lendeborg is testing the draft process, weighing a move to Michigan next season versus the potential for securing guaranteed money in the draft. With his ability to handle, pass, shoot and rebound, the 6-9 power forward has the two-way versatility and skill that NBA teams covet.
Brooklyn, with its four first-round picks, could promise a player such as Lendeborg that it would select him to ensure he stays in the draft. He has more upside than a typical 22-year-old because he has been playing basketball seriously for only five years, including only 11 varsity games in high school.Givony
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Massive Brawl Breaks Out For The Steelers As Rookie Makes His Presence Known
The Pittsburgh Steelers are fully engulfed in training camp ahead of the 2025 season, and tempers have been flaring ever since the team put pads on for the first time on Wednesday. This is seen every year, and it also seems to be heightened when the team participates in its annual "Friday Night Lights" practice. The team always goes out to a local high school and completes a practice there in front of a stadium full of fans. Emotions are running high as it is the closest practice the players will have to a game prior to the first preseason matchup. Fights will break out during team periods, but they are also seen during individual competition. This was the case on Friday for Pittsburgh, as the team went through backs on backers as well as one-on-ones between receivers and the secondary. Backs on backers is a pass protection drill for running backs and tight ends, and they will line up across from defenders and attempt to block them. It gets chippy, and that was the case for rookie running back Kaleb Johnson and linebacker Mark Robinson. Robinson might not be a major contributor on the defense for Pittsburgh, but he is a true athletic specimen. He is fast and powerful, and that presents a pretty tall task for Johnson, who is trying to improve his pass protection. According to the reporting from insider Brian Batko, Johnson and Robinson began fighting, which turned into other players fighting from the offense and defense. It led to a fairly large brawl. Johnson was very vocal about wanting to step up his pass protection. It is the best way to see the field as a young running back in the league. Luckily for him, he is in the same room as Jaylen Warren, who is one of the top backs in the league in that regard. He can learn from his teammate, and is clearly catching onto a thing or two as he was able to beat Robinson in the rep after the fight broke out. The rookie running back still has a long way to go in pass protection, but he has been making strides throughout camp. That has certainly been because of tips he has picked up from Warren, as well as getting used to life in the NFL. He made his presence known on Friday by starting a major brawl during the drill, and then coming back a minute later to win the rep. Steelers Running Backs Wanted All The Smoke During Friday Night Lights The fight between Johnson and Robinson was not the only one. Players came rushing into the fold as a brawl broke out, and veteran running back Trey Sermon found himself in the middle of a fight with linebacker Devin Harper. It was reported by Brooke Pryor that their fight began just after the initial brawl was broken up. Those are two guys that are fighting for a spot on the final roster, so it is a bit risky to get into a brawl in the middle of practice, especially after the fight was just broken up. However, Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been known to smirk as brawls like these as they breakout during practice.
Pirates take yet another PR hit for mishandling David Bednar trade
The Pittsburgh Pirates brutally fumbled the 2025 trade deadline, even by their miserable standards. But it wasn't just the fact that their moves made little sense and did nothing to improve the short-term and long-term outlook of the franchise. It is also now about the way they handled the trade involving closer David Bednar going to the New York Yankees. Bednar revealed on Friday night during an interview with YES Network that he only found out about the trade on social media, and it took a phone call to his agent and quite a bit of time before he got the actual confirmation that he was going to the Yankees. On one hand, this is not entirely unheard of. Sometimes trade news breaks early due to a leak within somebody's front office, and on trade deadline day, teams can have their hands full trying to make deals before they run out of time. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. But it still seems like poor form for the Pirates not to have their ducks in a row when it comes to informing their player about a trade. Especially, in this case, a player like Bednar. Not only has he been one of the few bright spots on the Pirates over the past five years, but he is also from the Pittsburgh area and fully embraced being a Pirate. He loved it. He loved playing there. He wanted to play there and seemed open to staying. That is not an easy thing to find, given where the franchise has been and how consistently bad it has been over the past four decades. Outside of a tough 2024 season and some early struggles this season, he was also a wildly popular player among the fans. The Pirates also knew that to the point where owner Bob Nutting reportedly blocked a potential Bednar trade a couple of years ago. A player with that sort of standing within the organization should not have to find out about being traded through social media. They should certainly not have to have their agent track down official sources to confirm it. For most teams, and if this sort of situation were taking place in a vacuum, it may not be that big of a deal. It would probably be just a minor slip-up and footnote to the trade deadline. But the Pirates are not a normal team, and this situation is not happening in a vacuum. The Pirates have spent the entire season creating self-inflicted PR nightmares all over the place, from the Roberto Clemente tribute that was taken door for a hard seltzer ad, to the handling of Bucco Bricks outside of PNC Park, to "Sell the team" chants consistently breaking out, to the simple fact the organization has been an absolute mess on the field and one of the worst teams in baseball. Now they can add allowing a popular, fan favorite to find out about his trade through social media to the list. Even worse for Pirates fans, they seemed to get the worst value for their All-Star closer than other teams (specifically the A's and Minnesota Twins) received for their All-Star closers. This is a franchise that just simply can not do anything right.
Top Micah Parsons landing spots as Cowboys' contract talks deteriorate
The relationship between superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys doesn't appear to be improving. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week that the two sides were moving backward in their contract negotiations. On Friday, Parsons posted on his social media that he had requested a trade out of Dallas. However, The Athletic's Dianna Russini claimed the Cowboys have "no intention" of trading him. Given this information, let's take a look at three landing spots that make the most sense for Parsons. Denver Broncos The Broncos allowed the third-fewest amount of points in 2024-25 (311 points), per ESPN stats, and already have one of the best defensive units in football. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Jahdae Barron were added to the group this offseason, so why not continue to bolster? Denver owns all of its upcoming draft picks over the next three years, which could be used in a package to acquire Parsons. They are also set to have a ton of cap space available for 2026 and 2027, enabling them to put forth the contract offer that Parsons is seeking. With three more seasons of quarterback Bo Nix on a rookie deal, the Broncos could take advantage and go all in on the superstar pass-rusher, making a potent front seven that much more dangerous. Los Angeles Chargers The team that allowed even fewer points than the Broncos last season? The Chargers (301 points). Head coach Jim Harbaugh immediately righted the ship defensively upon his arrival, but there remain holes to fill. They've shed plenty of money in recent years, which included a former third-overall pick from 2016 in DE Joey Bosa. It's now time to use that cap space to bring in a difference maker on defense. Like Denver, Los Angeles holds all of its own draft picks from 2026 through 2028 and is capable of putting the pieces together to pry Parsons out of Dallas. Not only could the Chargers compensate the 26-year-old, but it's likely he would be fine with calling Los Angeles home. New England Patriots The Patriots currently have the most cap space in the NFL and are in a prime position to strike at any moment. It's been a difficult last few seasons in Foxborough, but the vibe has changed with new head coach Mike Vrabel taking over. The Patriots culture is back, and it's now up to the front office to provide Vrabel with more talent on both sides of the ball. New England is in desperate need of a game-breaking player. Parsons fits the mold perfectly. The Pats had a league-worst 28 sacks last season, per ESPN stats, so the pass rush could use some help. General manager Eliot Wolf is well-equipped with draft capital to feel comfortable making such a move.
Micah Parsons' trade request will fall on deaf ears with Cowboys' firm stance
Jerry Jones got his wish. As we enter August and with the 2025-26 NFL season just over a month away, the Dallas Cowboys are the talk of the town and the lead story on every sports debate and talk show. Thanks to a gross mishandling of the Micah Parsons contract situation, the superstar defender publicly announced he has requested a trade from the Cowboys, while putting the organization on blast for their handling of negotiations. According to Parsons' statement, Jerry and company attempted to ice out his agent, David Mulugheta, from the talks. That led to Parsons sharing his trade request and potentially shaking up the NFL landscape. But not so fast, because the Cowboys don't have to give in to Parsons' request, and they have contractual control for the next three seasons, with no plans of caving in. "Regardless of the request, the Cowboys do not plan on moving Parsons," Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote. "Even if an agreement on an extension does not come, Dallas has all of the control around Parsons’ future and is prepared to use the franchise tag to keep him around in 2026 and 2027 if it’s needed." This sets up an interesting game of chicken. The Cowboys don't have to do a thing, while all Parsons can do is sit and wait for the contract to expire and the opportunities for the franchise tag to go away. No one wants to sit out for three years. Not only that, but Parsons would rack up millions in fines. If he's not willing to take the $50,000 fine a day for holding out of training camp, he's not going to want to give up game checks. It's an ugly situation, and a major distraction for those who just want to ball, so let's hope Jerry can come to his senses and make something happen. At the very least, give Mulugheta a call.
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