On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic's options to improve their backcourt in free agency just got thinner.
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk reportedly plans to sign a four-year, $78-million deal to stay with the franchise that has rejuvenated his career. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news on Thursday.
Monk, 26, was connected to the Magic given their need for outside scoring. Orlando could have offered more money to Monk, runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year, and potentially an opportunity to start.
Monk averaged a career-high 15.4 points and 5.1 assists off the bench for Sacramento last season. The 6-foot-3 guard suffered a sprained MCL, which forced him to miss the end of the season. Sacramento then was beaten by the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.
With Monk staying in Sacramento, Orlando's free-agent options at guard include:
- Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones, 28, who is also coming off a career season after averaging 12 points and 7.3 assists while making 41.4 percent of his 3s; and
- Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, though Orlando reportedly would offer no more than a two-year contract and Thompson reportedly wants three years.
Free agency begins on June 30.
More must-reads:
- Mavs' Kyrie Irving shares update on ACL injury recovery
- Jerry Jones again proves he shouldn't be making decisions for Cowboys
- The 'Most 1,000-rushing yard NFL seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Mavs' Kyrie Irving shares update on ACL injury recovery
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who tore his left ACL in early March, provided a minor update on his recovery process during a live Twitch stream earlier this week, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “I was in the gym doing a little bit more,” Irving said. “I won’t tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with y’all [that] it was some good days in the gym. I’m healing up great. To this date (Aug. 26), this will be five months post-surgery.” Irving, 33, had taken on increased ball-handling and play-making responsibilities in the wake of the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic trade last season and was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on .473/.401/.916 shooting through 50 outings when he went down with the season-ending injury. Irving became eligible for free agency this offseason when he declined his $43M option, but he didn’t seriously test the market, opting to sign a new three-year, $118.5M deal to remain in Dallas. Reporting back in April indicated that the Mavericks were optimistic about Irving’s chances of returning to the court sometime early in 2026, and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison suggested in July that the star guard is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process. However, Harrison has also made it clear that the team won’t rush Irving back to the court, and the nine-time All-Star has preached patience as well, cautioning in July that there’s no guarantee he’ll be 100% healthy before the end of the 2025-26 regular season. “That doesn’t mean I won’t be back,” Irving said at the time. “It’s just — I don’t want to make any predictions on when I’m going to be back. I just want to be back 150,000% better.” With Irving sidelined, the Mavs are expected to lean on guards D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy, while frontcourt players like Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg likely initiate the offense more frequently, too.
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber makes all kinds of MLB history vs. Braves
Kyle Schwarber made sure his Philadelphia Phillies bounced back after being swept by the New York Mets earlier this week. Schwarber went 4-for-6 with four home runs and nine RBI in Philadelphia's 19-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. His first home run of the night came in the first inning, a solo shot for his 46th of the season. In the fourth inning, the three-time All-Star blasted his second home run of the night (47), this time a two-run knock. Schwarber’s third long ball came in the following frame, with his 48th being a three-run homer. Finally, in the seventh inning, Schwarber hit his fourth home run (49) of the night to right field to come within one dinger of 50 for the season. The 32-year-old made all kinds of history on Thursday against the Phillies’ division rival. He already surpassed his previous career high for home runs in a single season, but also became just the fourth player in franchise history to have four homers in a game and the first since Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt did so in 1976. Additionally, Schwarber is only the 21st player in MLB history to achieve this feat, and the fifth player all-time with at least four homers and nine RBI in a game. Plus, Schwarber joined the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz and Seattle Mariners’ Eugenio Suarez as the only players to have a four-homer game this season — the first time this has occurred. Clearly, Schwarber and the Phillies were anxious to get out of Queens and return to Philadelphia. The Phillies’ offense scored just eight runs across the three-game set against the Mets. They scored 19 runs off the Braves’ pitching at Citizens Bank Park. Schwarber received “MVP” chants from Phillies fans on Thursday, and rightfully so. He’s on his way to breaking Ryan Howard’s previous franchise record of 58 home runs in a season, which earned him the 2006 National League MVP.
Ranking U.S. Ryder Cup pairings by how much you would hate to play with them
If you're an avid golfer, you know the anxiety-inducing feeling of showing up to your local muni as a twosome on a busy Sunday afternoon. The twosome you get paired with can make or break your entire weekend. Since captain Keegan Bradley finalized the U.S. Ryder Cup roster on Wednesday, let's have some fun by ranking the three worst duos you would hate to be paired with on the golf course. 3. Cameron Young and Harris English Getting paired with Young and English would be a bore fest from the first tee to the 18th green. The introductory handshakes and the occasional "nice shot" would be the only interactions you get from them all day. You'll spend the entire round debating whether they're 25 or 45. At some point, you'll ask your buddy if they're even friends. Sure, it would be a treat to watch Young bomb majestic high draws 350 yards and English drain multiple 30-footers with ease, but that's where the fun would stop. The over/under for the number of smiles cracked between the two of them might be set at 2.5. 2. Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns Morikawa just doesn't seem like a good hang this year. From multiple quarrels with the media to a handful of caddie switches in the span of a few months, Morikawa has been too high-strung and paranoid in 2025. He'd be quick to blame you for a poor drive because you blinked too aggressively in his backswing. No thank you. Burns is on the other end of the spectrum in that he'll keep to himself and pretend not to know Morikawa very well. He'll throw out a "Sorry about him, he's having a tough year" to ease the tension, but his personality isn't bubbly enough to offset Morikawa's bad vibes. 1. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele Cantlay would be the absolute worst-case scenario as a random pairing. You'd think his minute-long pitter-patter over the ball on the first tee was a one-time exercise to ease his nerves, but you quickly realize it's a steady feature of his pre-shot routine. Even though he's hitting the fewest shots, he's taking the longest time to hit them. The groups behind you start to pile up. At one point, the impatient union worker behind you hits into your group to send a message. Cantlay doesn't care. Five hours later, you finally finish up on 18. The group that was in front of you all day is already on their second beverage at the clubhouse bar. In an age when pace of play is just as important as your final score, Cantlay would be a nightmare pairing.
Micah Parsons will not have to wait long to get his revenge on Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons in a stunning move on Thursday, and the star pass-rusher will now get his revenge game sooner rather than later. The Cowboys have traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Many were shocked that Dallas would trade arguably its best player to a longtime NFC rival, but the relationship between the two sides had rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks. Parsons issued a lengthy statement after the trade thanking Cowboys Nation, but it is safe to assume he has some sour feelings toward Jerry Jones and the team's brass. He will have a chance to express those frustrations on the field in Week 4. As luck would have it, the Packers travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4. That game will likely be one of the highest-rated of the entire 2025 NFL season. Players often shine in so-called "revenge games" after they are traded. In this instance, the player happens to be a superstar who publicly feuded with his former boss all offseason. Parsons will probably have a little extra juice for Green Bay's Sept. 28 game against Dallas, and who can blame him? Rather than paying him what he wanted, the Cowboys let the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end walk. Parsons' former teammates may want to focus some extra attention on him in Week 4.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
