Quick Hits

• The Wolves won the day's biggest signing. Free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal with Minnesota — turning down more money from the Lakers — because the short contract lets him hit the open market again next summer if he wants.
• The NFL is killing the Pro Bowl after 75 years. The league will still name 88 all-stars (no alternates) and throw a February celebration in Los Angeles, but the actual game is gone.
• The "ex-NFL players going back to college" saga got wilder. The Big Ten and SEC banned the practice — threatening suspensions and fines — and the NFL ruled that anyone who returns to college can't sign with a pro team during the 2026 season. Meanwhile, the Big 12 cleared QB Thomas Castellanos to play at Texas Tech.
• College football is back Saturday with "Week 0": eight games involving top-level teams, headlined by UNC vs. TCU.
• The WNBA's eight-team playoff field is nearly locked. Dallas was poised to grab the final spot by beating Portland, while expansion Golden State beat Minnesota for the first time in franchise history and is closing in on hosting playoff games.

Minnesota Teams

The Kuminga signing is the local headline. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the two-year, $12.4 million deal includes a player option — meaning Kuminga can leave after just one season — and CBS reports that flexibility was the whole point: he took less than the Lakers offered to keep control of his future. It's a short, cheap bet on a talented young player for Minnesota.

In Vikings news, receiver Jeshaun Jones was suspended three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He can play out the rest of the preseason, but the suspension begins Aug. 30, costing him the start of the regular season.

And in the all-important "who has the best uniforms" department: CBS ranked the NFL's eight new alternate "Rivalries" uniforms and put the Vikings near the top of the list — with division rival Detroit near the bottom. Quiet day otherwise for the Twins, Wild, Lynx and Gophers.

NFL

• A new rule with teeth: For 2026, three violations of any of five player-safety penalties will trigger an automatic suspension, part of the league's ongoing safety push.
• Cutdown day is looming — that's when teams trim their rosters to the regular-season limit — and CBS flags quarterback Anthony Richardson and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. as names who could be traded before Week 1.
• Baker Mayfield's contract talks stalled: Tampa Bay reportedly offered its quarterback a two-year extension worth over $100 million, but the sides disagreed on contract length and how much money would be guaranteed.
• Way-too-early draft buzz: CBS's preseason top 100 for the 2027 draft is out, headlined by Arch Manning — yes, of that Manning family — in what the outlet calls a potentially historic class.

NBA

• Blake Griffin is getting a talk show. The retired big man will host a weekly late-night show taped in front of a live studio audience, debuting Oct. 20 — opening night of the NBA season.
• Season-preview season: ESPN's annual Summer Forecast panel has made its 2026-27 picks — which teams will surprise, which will disappoint, and who wins MVP and Rookie of the Year.
• WNBA check-in: Golden State's Valkyries beat the Lynx for the first time ever and are closing in on home playoff games; Atlanta climbed four spots in ESPN's Power Rankings while Indiana dropped three. Seattle — per CBS, currently the league's worst team — is somehow a betting favorite Wednesday against an injury-ravaged Toronto squad. Off the court, the 3-on-3 women's league Unrivaled saw its valuation nearly double to $650 million after a $100 million funding round; only one WNBA team is worth more.

MLB

• Streak watch: Kansas City brings an American League-best eight-game winning streak into Toronto, though CBS deems it too little, too late for the Royals' season — and the Blue Jays have a streak of their own going.
• What to watch: Astros-Yankees headlines this week's high-stakes slate.
• Bigger than baseball: For MLB's Venezuelan stars, the joy of the World Baseball Classic has given way to earthquake relief efforts back home. As one put it to ESPN: "It's really hard to go to sleep."

College Sports

• Football returns Saturday. Week 0 features eight FBS games, with CBS ranking UNC vs. TCU as the headliner, plus NC State-Virginia and season openers for USC and Florida State. SportsLine's computer model likes Memphis to cover +5.5 against UNLV, if you're into that sort of thing.
• The eligibility loophole saga: After LSU pursued former NFL players, the Big Ten moved fast to shut it down and the SEC followed, threatening suspensions and fines. The NFL added its own deterrent — players who go back to college can't sign with an NFL team in 2026. The Big 12 sees it differently: it cleared ex-Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos at Texas Tech because he only attended a minicamp without signing a contract. Not everyone's a fan — former NFL running back Damien Harris called another player's NFL-to-college move "embarrassing" and "elementary."
• Fun one: A wave of famous last names is hitting college volleyball — Kapri Garnett, Ryelle Rondo, Cari Spears and Kennedy Martin — daughters of stars like Kevin Garnett, Patrick Ewing, Rajon Rondo and Marcus Spears, per ESPN.
• ESPN also projected the ceiling and floor for all 16 Big 12 men's basketball teams ahead of the season.

Other Sports

• UFC: Sean O'Malley says Petr Yan "broke" Merab Dvalishvili in their UFC 323 title fight and questions Dvalishvili's confidence — and body — heading into a trilogy bout at UFC 333.
• Golf: PGA Tour Champions player Matt Gogel was suspended six months for betting on PGA Tour competitions, though not on tournaments he played in.
• Tennis: CBS's tennis handicapper has picks out for the 2026 U.S. Open women's draw if you want a rooting interest.
• Soccer: The Champions League draw set the "league phase" matchups — the opening round where every team shares one big standings table — with the first games Sept. 8.