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Afternoon Edition

July 7, 2025

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The Suns traded for Bradley Beal two years ago. They’re prepared to buy him out of the two years left on his deal, and while he’d receive $96 million of the $110 million he’s owed, Phoenix would save more than $200 million.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

How Bradley Beal Buyout Would Save Suns $230M, and What’s Next [[link removed]]

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Suns and Bradley Beal are expected to part ways in the coming days—marking the end of one of the most infamous contracts in NBA history.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported Sunday that a “decision and resolution” on Beal is expected in the next two days [[link removed]]. According to Marc Stein, Beal is already exploring his options in free agency.

Beal has two years and $110 million left on his contract. The original deal was a five-year, $251 million deal signed with the Wizards [[link removed]]. It came with the infamous no-trade clause that has made it nearly impossible for Phoenix to move the three-time All-Star [[link removed]].

The Suns, who are in the middle of a retool after trading Kevin Durant to Houston [[link removed]], have the opportunity to waive and stretch Beal’s contract, the same move the Bucks pulled with Damian Lillard [[link removed]] last week.

However, stretched contacts must only count for up to 15% of the current salary cap ($154.6 million), meaning Beal would need to give back close to $14 million to the Suns. According to salary-cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, the move would put Phoenix under the second apron and luxury tax [[link removed]] while also saving the team more than $200 million due to the avoidance of repeater penalties.

How Does Beal Benefit?

A buyout would give Beal the option to choose where he would like to land. Beal’s play has been criticized due to his contract, but he still averaged 17 points last year on efficient shooting. He should demand significant interest given a much lower price tag.

He also wouldn’t lose the full $14 million, because it’s commonplace for bought-out players who give up some money to recoup the majority—or all—of the gap from their new team.

A recent example is Deandre Ayton, who had an expiring deal worth $35.5 million with the Trail Blazers before he was bought out. Ayton signed with the Lakers for $8.1 million per season, and he will make $34 million this year [[link removed]] in combined salary from the two teams—a net loss of $1.5 million—according to ESPN.

Where Would Beal Land?

It is fairly late in free agency, so there isn’t a ton of available cap space on contending teams. However, a couple of notable teams still have exceptions available:

Nuggets: Denver has the full taxpayer mid-level exception worth about $5.7 million. Beal would likely come off the bench, and the Nuggets have already bolstered their backcourt (Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr.), but Beal could still play his way into a starting job. Clippers: Los Angeles has more than $5 million remaining on its mid-level exception. The Clippers traded Norman Powell to the Heat on Monday, which gives Beal the opportunity to slot into a key playmaker role around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

He could sign with any team for the veteran minimum ($3.6 million for players with more than 10 years of experience). That includes the Lakers, Heat, and Bucks. (Beal admitted last year that he was nearly traded to Milwaukee [[link removed]] in exchange for Khris Middleton.)

Jake Fischer, an NBA insider working for The Stein Line and Bleacher Report, said on Monday [[link removed]] that the Clippers, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Bucks could potentially sign Beal.

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Nationals Hit Reset Button, Oust Rizzo and Martinez Before Draft [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

One of MLB’s longest-tenured front-office executives is now out, along with his fellow World Series–winning manager, in a surprising club overhaul happening just days before the league’s All-Star break and draft.

Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, with Rizzo having been with the club since 2006 and Martinez since late 2017. The pair led the Nationals to a dramatic World Series title in 2019, but the club since then has posted five straight losing seasons and was well in line for a sixth as a weekend sweep by the Red Sox left Washington with a 37–53 record and in last place in the National League East division.

“The on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be,” Lerner said. “This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

To Lerner’s latter point, the Nationals have the No. 1 pick in the July 13–14 draft. While prior No. 1 selections by Washington have yielded generational talents such as pitcher Stephen Strasburg and outfielder Bryce Harper, there is not a consensus, can’t-miss player this time around, and it’s not certain who they will select.

There are also broader questions surrounding the club and core parts of its business operations. The Lerner family previously entertained purchase offers for the club, but then elected to end that process in early 2024 [[link removed]]. Still, concerns exist about the Lerner family’s willingness to keep up with spending patterns around the league, and the Nationals’ 2025 luxury-tax payroll of $138.6 million ranks 23rd in the league, well below smaller markets such as neighboring Baltimore, Seattle, and Kansas City.

More recently, the Nationals resolved a two-decade local media-rights dispute [[link removed]] with MLB and the Orioles-controlled Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Washington will be free to strike a new rights deal of its own after a final season on MASN in 2025.

Nationals assistant GM Mike DeBartolo will oversee the club’s baseball operations on an interim basis, including draft-related matters. Miguel Cairo, previously the team’s bench coach, was named interim manager on Monday.

Prior History

Rizzo, a former scouting director with the Diamondbacks, was Lerner’s first major hire after the family acquired the Nationals in 2006. Rizzo then rose to take on the club’s leadership position in baseball operations in 2013 and he was a key figure in building the Nationals into a bona fide contender.

A multiyear rebuild since the 2019 title, however, has not borne fruit, and despite a player core that includes 2025 All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore as well as rising shortstop CJ Abrams—all acquired by trading Juan Soto to San Diego in 2022—the latest results include a 9–23 record since June 1.

There is a previous occurrence of an MLB club making such a big leadership change right before the draft. In 2006, the Royals fired GM Allard Baird just six days before the draft in which they held the No. 1 pick. Kansas City skipped over players such as Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Tim Lincecum to select pitcher Luke Hochevar. While certainly not as accomplished as those others, Hochevar was part of the Royals’ World Series–winning team in 2015.

An FSU Amateur Golfer Beat the World’s Best—but Can’t Accept $79K Prize [[link removed]]

Journal Sentinel

Top-ranked amateur women’s golfer Lottie Woad can’t cash the roughly $79,000 winner’s check from the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, despite her dominant six-stroke victory on Sunday.

The Ladies European Tour—like its American counterpart, the LPGA Tour, and many other professional circuits—does not allow amateurs to accept prize money, no matter the result. Woad, 21 and a rising senior at Florida State, was playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

That means Swedish pro Madelene Sagström, who finished second, takes home the first-place prize from the nearly $530,000 tournament purse. Every other player who made the cut will be paid out one place higher than they finished, too. The Irish Open is not an LPGA event, but the LPGA did not have a tournament this past weekend, so many of its top players were in the field.

Amateurs routinely compete in pro tournaments on sponsor’s exemptions and other qualifying measures, but they rarely win them.

The last amateur to win on the LET was Jana Melichová, who won the Czech Ladies Open in 2022 when she was 24. Lydia Ko was the last amateur to win on the LPGA Tour—claiming victory at the Canadian Women’s Open twice before turning pro; she won the event in 2012 and 2013 when she was 15 and 16, respectively.

Last year, then-Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Dunlap, who was 20 at the time, won The American Express, but he had to forgo the $1.51 million winner’s check [[link removed]]. He turned pro shortly after and won the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship last July.

Woad Staying Patient

Woad, who is from England, appears to be holding out for status on the LPGA Tour before turning pro.

“No, not at all,” she said [[link removed]] Sunday when asked about being tempted to turn pro immediately. “Still trying to get my final two points for the LPGA. So, I’m just trying to get those and then we’ll see what happens after that.” Woad is referring to the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway; she is projected to earn enough points to become a tour member later this year.

Woad has major NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals with Titleist, FootJoy, Upper Deck, and fintech company Novellus. She’s held the No. 1 spot in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings since last July, and has made the cut in three of her six major championship appearances, including a T-10 finish at last year’s Women’s British Open.

In 2024, she won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which is annually played the weekend before The Masters.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Inside the $5.1M College Football Recruit's Deal

FOS illustration

Less than a week has passed since NCAA Division I schools could start directly paying players, and we’re already seeing historic deals across all sports. Five-star football offensive tackle Felix Ojo spurned offers from Texas and Ohio State to sign a historic, fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million revenue-sharing contract with Texas Tech. It is believed to be one of the largest agreements in college football history. Ojo’s agents, Derrick Shelby, and Rashad Phillips of Prestige Management Group, tell Baker Machado and Renee Washington how they were able to secure Ojo’s megadeal, in addition to the reported $1.2 million they got softball pitcher NiJaree Canady, and how athletes should navigate the current NIL (name, image, and likeness) environment after the landmark House v. NCAA settlement.

Plus, President Donald Trump and UFC say they plan to host a fight on the White House lawn as part of America’s 250th celebration on July 4, 2026. FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher explains the likelihood of the unprecedented event happening and whether former two-division champion Conor McGregor might be one of the fighters in the ring.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT One Up, One Down, Two Push

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Lily Yohannes ⬆ The 18-year-old USWNT midfielder is expected to move from Dutch club AFC Ajax to France’s OL Lyonnes, according to ESPN. The club will reportedly pay a transfer fee of around $526,000 (€450,000). The move comes a week after American businesswoman and majority owner Michele Kang took over as team president [[link removed]].

USMNT ⬇ The U.S. lost to Mexico 2–1 in the Concacaf Gold Cup final Sunday night at NRG Stadium in Houston. The USMNT didn’t have all of its regular starters for this tournament, as the U.S. Soccer Federation appeared to be focusing more on next year’s FIFA World Cup [[link removed]] in North America.

Oklahoma ⬆⬇ Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione, the country’s longest-tenured AD, will retire during this upcoming school year. Castiglione, 67, has led Oklahoma’s athletic department since 1998. His replacement has not been determined.

Nuggets ⬆⬇ Denver agreed to a trade last week for Jonas Valančiūnas, who has two years and $20.3 million remaining on his deal. The final year is non-guaranteed, worth $10 million. However, the Lithuanian is reportedly considering going to Greece to play for Panathinaikos. According to ESPN, the Nuggets intend to honor Valančiūnas’s contract [[link removed]], under which he is not allowed to pursue other professional opportunities.

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Conversation Starters Clayton Kershaw’s kids celebrated with him in the Dodgers’ locker room after he reached 3,000 strikeouts. Watch it here [[link removed]]. The Phillies have introduced a new service-pup-in-training named Tugger, who will be part of the team until he becomes a service dog for veterans with disabilities. Take a look [[link removed]]. Watch the reaction [[link removed]] of a young Mets fan who was told he would be a Kidcaster for SNY. Editors’ Picks Joe Buck, Malika Andrews to Guest-Host ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]Elle Duncan and Laura Rutledge have also had discussions. Felix Ojo’s Agent Says Texas Tech Offered $5.1M At Start of Rev-Share Era [[link removed]]by Ava Hult [[link removed]]Texas Tech secured Ojo with a seven-figure NIL commitment. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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