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Good morning and happy hump day, sports fans? It’s Austin Nivison greeting you on this fine Wednesday. So, the action is really starting to pick up on the NBA trade market, huh? It was a busy day yesterday, and we have it covered from all angles. Additionally, we’ll get you prepared for the NFL Honors, and we have our recap of a the Pro Bowl.
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
🤯 Five things to know Wednesday
- The Clippers traded James Harden to the Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland. The NBA trade market was bustling, and the biggest stunner was the Clips dealing Harden to the Cavs for a player 10 years his junior. Harden is still very productive and should take some heat off Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs’ big men. On the other side, L.A. has to be thrilled about getting a young All-Star player still in his prime. If this trade made you go, ‘Huh?’ we’ll have more for you later.
- The Grizzlies flipped Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz for a collection of players and picks. Well, a Grizzlies star got moved, but it wasn’t Ja Morant. Instead, Jackson moves to Salt Lake City as he joins John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. While this trade makes plenty of sense for Utah, the three first-round picks heading back to Memphis helped the Grizzlies earn higher marks in our trade grades.
- The NFC mounted a second-half comeback for a 66-52 win in the Pro Bowl. As is typically the case, the 2026 Pro Bowl didn’t lack for fireworks. Thanks to a 30-8 run in the second half, the NFC stormed back to beat the AFC in a high-scoring flag football affair. The night included a tush push, a familiar connection between Dak Prescott and George Pickens and so much more. Check out our recap to see anything you might’ve mised.
- Lindsey Vonn plans to compete on a torn ACL at the Olympics. There’s tough and then there’s whatever Vonn is planning to do at the Winter Olympics. Vonn revealed her ACL “ruptured” in last week’s World Cup crash. Instead of bowing out of the Olympics, likely her final shot on that stage, Vonn intends to gut it out as she chases one more medal in the red, white and blue.
- John Harbaugh taps Matt Nagy as next Giants OC. After Todd Monken got the Browns coaching job, Harbaugh had to seek alternatives in his search for the offensive coordinator role. That search led him to Nagy, who will now oversee the offense in New York. Early in the coaching cycle, it seemed like Nagy would get a head coaching job after spending three seasons as the Chiefs OC. Nothing materialized, however, and a return to Kansas City was ruled out after the team reunited with Eric Bienemy.
🏀 Do not miss this: James Harden trade grades
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On the surface, this deal doesn’t make much sense. Why would the Cavaliers, a team on solid playoff footing, send Darius Garland, a 26-year-old two-time All-Star, to the Clippers in exchange for 36-year-old James Harden? Well, there are health and financial aspects to consider here, and Harden makes some sense within the context of the Cleveland roster.
Sam Quinn handed out trade grades to each side, and he went in-depth on how the Cavs wound up with a “C+.”
- Quinn: “Under the narrow circumstances that Cleveland found itself in, it’s defensible. The Cavaliers simply couldn’t score when Mitchell went to the bench. Now they can. They haven’t been able to rely on Garland to stay healthy. Harden tends to stay healthy. They’re holding their nose and hoping Harden doesn’t have another of his playoff collapses, but all things considered, they probably made this year’s team better and they got out of a contract they seemed to want no part of paying. Confusing as it looks on paper, it makes enough sense to take the plunge.”
The Cavaliers were one of the first teams to make a splash ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, but they certainly won’t be the last. By shipping out Mike Conley and his contract, the Timberwolves have positioned themselves to make serious run at Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Be sure to keep it locked on our live NBA trade rumor tracker as more deals come pouring in over the next couple of days.
🏈 NFL Honors expert picks, predictions
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Awards for the 2025 NFL season will be doled out on Thursday at the NFL Honors. With that in mind, our team of experts cast their votes for each major category, and the result was our NFL Honors picks and predictions.
I think we can all agree the most hotly contested award will be Defensive Player of the Year. I kid. (Spoiler: It’s going to the guy who broke the single-season sack record.) … Seriously, the big question is the MVP race, and whether the veteran Matthew Stafford or rising star Drake Maye comes out on top.
Although he lost out on first-team All-Pro honors, Maye took home the award in our selections. That’s not unusual, and there is very recent precedent for an MVP winner getting snubbed in All-Pro voting, as former newsletter architect Zach Pereles explains.
- Pereles: “Stafford was the first-team All-Pro selection, which, historically, points to him winning MVP. But it’s not an absolute. In fact, just last year, Lamar Jackson was the first-team All-Pro quarterback, but Josh Allen won MVP. Maye led the NFL in completion percentage (72%), yards per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5) and expected points added per dropback (0.28) this season.”
Maye’s attention probably won’t be on individual awards as he sits one win from a Super Bowl. If New England does emerge victorious, it seems like the Patriots will be poised to start another dynasty, and there are parallels between this team and the one that kicked off a dynastic run more than 20 years ago.
On the other side, here is how Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold went from No. 3 overall pick to journeyman to Super Bowl starter.
For those fans who can already feel their Patriots fatigue bubbling up, you’re in luck. Our own Jordan Dajani has created a hater’s guide for your Super Bowl party.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🏒 Bruins at Panthers, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 UCF at No. 8 Houston (M), 7 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 10 Michigan State at Minnesota (M), 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Notre Dame at No. 24 Louisville (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Nuggets at Knicks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 1 UConn at DePaul (W), 8 p.m. on truTV
🏀 Northwestern at No. 5 Illinois (M), 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 16 BYU at Oklahoma State (M), 9 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Blues at Stars, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Thunder at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 20 Clemson at Stanford, 10 p.m. on ACC Network