Quick Hits

• The NBA punished the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer for salary cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard's contract. Kawhi himself avoided a suspension, and the Clippers say they'll fight the penalties.
• Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar signed a $163.2 million contract — per ESPN, a new high-water mark for NHL players.
• The Angels are being sold for $4 billion by owner Arte Moreno, landing right in the middle of baseball's labor fight over a salary cap — and ESPN's anonymous player survey suggests real worry about whether there will be a 2027 season.
• College football's opening weekend is here: LSU won a court ruling letting two former NFL players suit up Saturday against Clemson, and Oregon faces a dangerous Boise State team.
• The NFL season kicks off this week, and the Vikings' first test is the Packers.

Minnesota Teams

Football is back, and that's the local story: the Vikings open their season in Week 1 against Green Bay — the game Minnesota fans mark on the calendar every year. If you're so inclined, CBS Sports' betting preview spotlights player prop bets (wagers on individual performances rather than the final score) on receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones. Otherwise, a quiet day in this batch of headlines for the Twins, Wild, Wolves and Lynx.

NFL

With kickoff just days away, the league ruled on the Patriots' viral trick: playing disorienting footage on the stadium video boards while opponents line up field goals. The NFL says it doesn't break any rules, so expect to keep seeing it.

Arizona locked up receiver Michael Wilson with an extension CBS Sports says makes him one of the league's highest-paid No. 2 receivers, after career-best numbers in 2025.

Off the field: former quarterback Mark Sanchez will plead guilty in an Indianapolis stabbing case, and he and the victim are working to resolve a related civil dispute. And former Giants Super Bowl champion Raul Allegre publicly questioned both of New York's top-10 draft picks — he wanted a different defender than Arvell Reese and has concerns about Francis Mauigoa's long-term health, calling one pick "a tremendous risk." His take, not a consensus.

NBA

The league's biggest off-court story reached a verdict. After a nearly year-long investigation, the NBA found the Clippers circumvented the salary cap — plain English: finding ways to compensate Kawhi Leonard beyond what counts against the league's team spending limit — and hit the franchise and owner Steve Ballmer with penalties.

Kawhi dodged the worst outcomes: no suspension, and his contract wasn't voided. CBS Sports broke down why his deal survived when the NBA's last major cap-circumvention case went down very differently.

The Clippers aren't going quietly — in a statement, they "vehemently rejected" the findings and vowed to fight the punishments. And there's a second layer to this saga: the Securities and Exchange Commission is now seeking information about Kawhi's endorsement deal with Daktronics, the company's CFO confirmed this week.

MLB

Arte Moreno is selling the Angels for $4 billion — a price tag CBS Sports uses to argue that, whatever owners say about finances while pushing for a salary cap in labor negotiations, franchise values keep soaring.

The players' side isn't feeling cheery either: ESPN surveyed more than two dozen major leaguers, anonymously, on the cap fight, CBA talks, and whether there will even be a 2027 season. Meanwhile, with September underway, ESPN also ranked every playoff contender's remaining strength of schedule — a quick way to see who has the easiest road to October.

NHL

No scores to report, but a monster contract: Colorado defenseman Cale Makar agreed to a $163.2 million deal that ESPN says sets a new benchmark for NHL players, with ripple effects for the rest of the league's salary landscape — including stars like Vancouver's Quinn Hughes.

College Sports

Opening weekend, and the storylines are flying:

• LSU won a court ruling against the SEC clearing coach Lane Kiffin to roster two former NFL players when the Tigers open Saturday against Clemson. CBS Sports also questioned whether Kiffin's fight with the SEC — and the risk of massive penalties — is worth it for a national title contender.
• The playoff may get bigger: the Big Ten says it's open to meeting the SEC's scheduling demands if that's what it takes to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams.
• Big Week 1 games: Oregon, led by quarterback Dante Moore (who skipped the NFL Draft to chase a title), hosts Boise State and its potent rushing attack in a high-stakes rematch. Deion Sanders' Colorado, trying to bounce back from a 3-9 season, got the week started Thursday night against Georgia Tech.
• Texas Tech's gambling scandal is now a docuseries: Paramount+ chronicles former QB Brendan Sorsby's regret and exit, with Will Hammond stepping in as the starter.
• UNC general manager Michael Lombardi resigned amid an ongoing HR-related investigation; he'd been on administrative leave since July.

Other Sports

• China's Li Yueru — her country's leading scorer and rebounder at the 2024 Olympics — will miss the FIBA Women's World Cup because her passport was lost in the mail. Genuinely.
• UFC Paris headlines the fight weekend: veteran Dan Hooker is leaning into the villain role against Salahdine Parnasse, who's making his UFC debut in front of a home crowd.
• Soccer deadline-day buzz: Tottenham's Richarlison, left out of the club's Premier League squad, is a target for Turkish side Trabzonspor.
• And from the US Open, ESPN asks the important questions: is it the loudest — and smelliest — of tennis' four majors? (Spoiler: the crowd noise and marijuana smoke at Arthur Ashe Stadium are part of the case.)