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The A.J. Brown trade to the Patriots clears its June 1 cap hurdle, with compensation still being negotiated. The Spurs eliminated OKC in Game 7 to reach the Finals, where they'll face the Knicks. The Stanley Cup Final is set with Carolina taking on V
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: A.J. Brown trade deadline day, the Spurs punch out OKC in Game seven to reach the Finals, and Carolina versus Vegas for the Stanley Cup. Let's get into it.
Alright, today is June first. And if you follow the NFL at all, you know what that means. The A.J. Brown trade can finally happen. The framework has been in place for weeks now. Albert Breer reported that the deal to send Brown to the Patriots is basically done. The holdup has always been about the salary cap math. If Philly traded him before today, they'd eat roughly forty-three and a half million in dead money this year. After June first, that splits — about sixteen million hits the twenty twenty-six cap, the rest pushes to twenty twenty-seven. So the Eagles were always waiting for this date. The sticking point is still the compensation. Philly wants a twenty twenty-seven first-round pick. New England doesn't want to give up a first. And honestly, I think the Patriots are right to hold firm here. Brown is incredible — seventy-eight catches, a thousand and three yards, seven touchdowns in fifteen games last year. That's his sixth thousand-yard season in seven NFL years. He's elite. But he's also turning twenty-nine, he's got a massive contract, and the Patriots are building something young. You don't mortgage a future first for a receiver on the wrong side of thirty unless you're a contender right now. New England isn't there yet. I think this gets done today or tomorrow for a second-rounder and maybe a conditional pick that can escalate. Philly blinks first. They need the cap relief more than they need the leverage.
Couple more NFL notes before we move on. The Minnesota Vikings officially hired Nolan Teasley as their general manager. Teasley spent thirteen seasons with the Seahawks, starting as an intern and working his way up to assistant GM by twenty twenty-three. Seattle made the playoffs a bunch during his time there, including winning it all after the twenty thirteen and twenty twenty-five seasons. The Seahawks get two third-round compensatory picks for losing him. Minnesota's building an interesting front office now — Teasley handling player evaluation, Kevin O'Connell on development, Rob Brzezinski on the cap side. That's a clean division of labor.
Over in New York, things keep getting worse for the Giants. Gunner Olszewski was carted off Friday with what's feared to be a torn Achilles. That's on top of Malik Nabers dealing with his knee situation after a second procedure. At some point you have to wonder what's going on with that field or that training staff, because the injury luck has been brutal.
And the Chiefs — Rashee Rice is in jail for thirty days after violating his parole, and he also had cleanup surgery on his right knee. He's out for OTAs and minicamp, probably sidelined two months. Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing his knee and says he's optimistic but tempering expectations for Week one. Kansas City is gonna need everybody healthy by September, and right now the injury report is longer than the active roster.
One more — San Francisco could cut Brandon Aiyuk today as a post-June first move, spreading that thirty-five million in dead money over two years. John Lynch has been waiting for this date too. Lots of roster dominoes across the league today.
Now to the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs are going to the Finals. They went into OKC for Game seven and won one eleven to one oh three to knock out the defending champs. Victor Wembanyama had twenty-two points, seven boards, and three threes. Not his gaudiest stat line, but he was the Western Conference Finals MVP and he did it in the building of the back-to-back league MVP. Julian Champagnie was the X-factor — twenty points on six threes. All five Spurs starters hit double figures and so did Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson off the bench. That's seven guys in double digits in a Game seven on the road. SGA had thirty-five, but the rest of OKC's starters combined for thirty-one. Chet Holmgren had four points and didn't take a single shot in the second half. That's your second option in a Game seven just vanishing. And the play of the game — Luke Kornet, who played six minutes total, came out of nowhere for a chasedown block on Isaiah Hartenstein with about six minutes left. Spurs up six, Wemby on the bench in foul trouble, and Kornet just erased a fast break. Stephon Castle scored on the other end, sparked a seven to nothing run, and it was over. San Antonio's first Finals since twenty fourteen. They'll face the Knicks starting Wednesday.
On the NHL side, the Stanley Cup Final is set. Carolina versus Vegas, starting tomorrow. The Hurricanes finished off Montreal with a six to one win in Game five on Friday. Carolina's been on a tear — twelve and one this postseason. That's dominant.
Alright, Hangover Take time. The Knicks are about to get a reality check they're not ready for. New York rolled through the East winning eleven straight by an average of nearly twenty-four points per game. Jalen Brunson's been averaging almost twenty-seven and seven assists. They look unstoppable. But they haven't faced anyone like Wembanyama. The Spurs are favored for a reason. San Antonio just went into OKC and won a Game seven with seven players in double figures. That depth is terrifying. Brunson is gonna have to be the best player on the floor every single night against the Defensive Player of the Year, and I don't think he can do it four times. Spurs in five. New York's magical run ends the second they leave Madison Square Garden.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.