On the heels of a thrilling U.S. Open that saw Matt Fitzpatrick take home $3.2 million and his first major title, the LIV defections are back — and bigger than ever.

On Tuesday, four-time major champion Brooks Koepka became the latest golfer to defect from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf Series, according to the Telegraph. He’s expected to debut June 30 at the next LIV event in Portland, Oregon.

Also making their debuts at the event are Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, as well as Abraham Ancer, who left the Tour on Sunday, per ESPN Deportes.

Koepka is supposedly taking a seven-figure deal to join the Saudi-backed league, per the Telegraph — a controversial jump that could revitalize his career.

• He has $38M in career earnings — but only $1.3M for the 2021-22 season.
• The 32-year-old has battled knee and hip injuries in recent years — and hasn’t won a major since the 2019 PGA Championship.
• His last PGA Tour win was at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February 2021.

Koepka’s younger brother, Chase, was one of the first to join LIV — but may have only gotten the invite because of his last name, having mostly played on lower-tier tours for a world ranking of 1,607.

But the elder Koepka’s decision marks the crest of a new wave of defections that was once rumored to include Collin Morikawa.

However, the World No. 4 officially tweeted that he is staying with the Tour.

With free agency set to begin in just over a week, the Nets and Kyrie Irving are reportedly at a potentially dangerous stalemate.

The Nets prefer to give Irving — who played only 29 games last season due his unvaccinated status — a short-term deal with incentives, but the seven-time All-Star wants a long-term contract similar to co-star and friend Kevin Durant — who’s on the books until 2026. 

Considering the duo’s bond — Durant is widely acknowledged to have joined Brooklyn to play with Irving — any false moves from GM Sean Marks could see the Nets lose both stars, a crushing blow for a team that mortgaged its future in search of its first title.

• The 30-year-old Irving is eligible for a five-year, $245M contract if he opts out. 
• He’s missed more regular-season games than he’s played (113-103) in three seasons in Brooklyn.
• Irving’s $37M option would give the Nets the NBA’s third-highest payroll next year.
• They’ve won just a single playoff series since 2019.

Irving has reportedly received interest from the Lakers, Clippers, and Knicks, but all three teams would need to shed salary to match anything close to his player option.

Ironically, Kyrie actually played more games than both Durant and former Net James Harden — while the latter’s replacement, Ben Simmons, never suited up for Brooklyn.

The Nets are essentially a step away from a shocking rebuild, but reality hasn’t hit oddsmakers yet — Brooklyn still has the fourth-best odds (+650) to win the Finals next season.

On Saturday, the Avalanche decimated the Lightning 7-0 in Game 2. Two days later, Tampa Bay struck back with a 6-2 victory in Game 3.

So much for defense winning championships: This year’s Stanley Cup Final is a veritable goalfest, with the two teams trading devastating haymakers.

Neither the Avs nor the Bolts dominated the regular season in GF/G, with respective rankings of fourth (3.8) and eighth (3.5), but they’ve collectively taken out four of the NHL’s top seven this postseason (Florida, Toronto, St. Louis, Edmonton) — and are now training their sights on each other.

• The Lightning were the first team to win an SCF game after losing by 7+ goals since 1919.
• The Avalanche lead the postseason with 4.59 GF/G.
• This series, only nine skaters haven’t recorded at least a point.

Colorado is getting its points from the usual sources: Mikko Rantanen (7), Cale Makar (4), Gabriel Landeskog (4), and Valeri Nichushkin (4). The first three are the Avs’ highest-paid players, combining for a cap hit of $25.3 million this season.

For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Ondrej Palat — who respectively rank second ($9.5M), fourth ($7.9M), and eighth ($5.3M) on the team for 2021-22 cap hits — each have three points.

Sporting a 2-1 series lead and home-ice advantage, the Avalanche remain the favorites (-310) to capture the Stanley Cup.