Thunder keep building by adding Isaiah Hartenstein; USMNT fail to advance in Copa America, lose to Uruguay 1-0

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🏀 Good morning to everybody, however particularly to …

THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Coming off a robust 2023-24 season, the Thunder weren’t content material to relaxation on their laurels. The high seed in the Western Conference has already made some massive strikes to assert themselves because the workforce to beat as soon as once more.

The newest of these strikes got here yesterday when the Thunder signed former Knicks massive man Isaiah Hartenstein to a large three-year deal price $87 million. Oklahoma City is overhauling its roster this offseason, and Hartenstein could possibly be a key piece that places the Thunder excessive subsequent season.

As our personal Sam Quinn explains, Hartenstein does greater than deliver improved protection to OKC. The new Thunder massive man ought to assistance on the offensive finish of the courtroom too, performing as a strong distributor and a really sturdy offensive rebounder.

Combine Hartenstein with the Thunder’s different offseason strikes, and GM Sam Presti appears to be like like the best govt in the NBA.

• Quinn: “If Presti does nothing else, the Thunder might have already had the best offseason of any team in the league, let alone any contender. This signing, along with the Alex Caruso trade and the team-friendly contracts they negotiated with Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, position them as a more adaptable, playoff-ready team than they were last season, with internal development to come and plenty of flexibility in the future.”

Presti has already been somewhat busy this summer season. Just final month, he flipped former No. 6 total decide Josh Giddey for Caruso in a cope with the Bulls. That transfer gave Oklahoma City a second-team All-Defense participant and a sneaky good shooter in Caruso.

While Oklahoma City could be essentially the most profitable workforce thus far this offseason, different groups have been busy making an attempt to revamp their rosters as effectively. Klay Thompson is about to be part of the Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million deal. The Pistons are bringing again Tobias Harris on a two-year, $52 million contract.

As NBA free company rolls alongside in the approaching days, observe together with each signing by utilizing our free company tracker.

👍 Honorable mentions

And not such a great morning for …

THE UNITED STATES MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM

The USMNT ended their very temporary look at Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay. Now, this system should assess the place it is headed earlier than the 2026 World Cup.

The United States managed to dangle round with Uruguay by the primary half, however Mathias Olivera notched the one aim of the match for his facet in the 66th minute. Olivera punched in a rebound off a free kick and scored the game-deciding aim for Uruguay.

The USMNT’s loss, coupled with Panama‘s 3-1 win over Bolivia, meant they have been eradicated from Copa America in the group stage. That’s a brutal outcome for the workforce after getting an honest draw, and now there are questions on the way forward for head coach Gregg Berhalter.

Our personal Pardeep Cattry broke down the USMNT’s Copa America faceplant.

• Cattry: “The team failed to live up to the expectations, being placed in a favorable group and entering the tournament with eyes on a quarterfinal spot. Gregg Berhalter’s team, though, did not ever put out a solid enough performance at this competition and so they crash out of the tournament. It’s a lasting stain on the team’s record since Berhalter took over in 2019, and will linger as their next big game does not arrive until they begin the 2026 World Cup.”

The USMNT started the event on an honest be aware, notching a 2-0 win over Bolivia to kick off the group stage. However, they adopted that up with a 2-1 loss to Panama and failing to rating in opposition to Uruguay. The workforce finishes third in Group C with simply three factors and an excellent aim differential.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏒 NHL free company spending spree

NHL gamers could not command the amount of cash that NBA gamers do when it comes to free company, however yesterday was nonetheless a document day for spending throughout the league.

For the primary time in NHL historical past, groups spent greater than $1 billion mixed in a 24-hour interval. That is sensible, on condition that the wage cap jumped up to $88 million after remaining comparatively flat for the primary few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Predators have been the largest spenders, shelling out a complete of $108.5 million to deliver in forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, in addition to defenseman Brady Skjei. That does not even embrace the $14.25 million they used to re-sign defenseman Alex Carrier and add goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

After only one 12 months on the job, Nashville normal supervisor Barry Trotz has utterly remade the workforce’s roster.

The different main transfer was the Lightning agreeing to a seven-year, $63 million cope with winger Jake Guentzel. A Stanley Cup champion, Guentzel will attempt to fill the void left by Stamkos, a former captain who led the Bolts to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021.

Speaking of the Cup, the newest champs made positive to keep one among their most necessary gamers round. Sam Reinhart, who notched 57 targets final season, is staying with the Panthers on an eight-year contract price $69 million.

Here are a couple of extra notable offers from Day 1 of NHL free company:

• The Kraken added Stanley Cup winner Chandler Stephenson on a $43.75 million deal.
• Jake DeBrusk signed a $38.5 million contract to be part of the Canucks.
• The Devils bolstered their protection by adding Brett Pesce on a $33 million settlement.

Keep it locked on our NHL free company tracker to see each deal that goes down in the approaching days and weeks. For that matter, be sure that to observe our commerce tracker as groups proceed to tweak their lineups this summer season.

🏈 Texas, Oklahoma formally be part of the SEC

SEC historical past was made yesterday when Texas and Oklahoma grew to become the fifteenth and sixteenth members of the convention. The query now could be whether or not they’re prepared for all times in the SEC.

The SEC is among the premier conferences in school athletics, however that is particularly the case when it comes to soccer. The grind of taking part in in the convention means a tricky matchup or a visit to a hostile atmosphere nearly each week. That wasn’t all the time the case for the Longhorns and Sooners in the Big 12.

Our personal Dennis Dodd spoke to key gamers at each Texas and Oklahoma, they usually’re prepared for the problem forward of them. Sooners head coach Brent Venables is aware of that even these middle-of-the-pack SEC groups are a menace to pull an upset each Saturday.

• Venables: “That’s what I’ve seen studying the last six months. Whoever those teams are that maybe didn’t have a shiny record at the end of the year, it’s [still] a dogfight week in, week out. Oklahoma doesn’t sneak up on anybody, so we’re not going to surprise anybody.”

If you need any proof of how troublesome the leap from the Big 12 to the SEC may be, simply have a look at the final two groups to make it: Texas A&M and Missouri. Neither workforce has received the convention, and the Aggies have not even appeared in the title sport.

That stated, the SEC additionally has to put together itself for Texas and Oklahoma, two of the largest manufacturers in school soccer. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is already in the high three of our SEC coach rankings, and he can current loads of issues for opposing defenses.

🏀  Favorites nonetheless lead WNBA Power Rankings, however Fever rise

The 2024 WNBA season is about midway over, and a few groups are beginning to discover their groove. The Fever reside up to their identify as they proceed to heat up behind star rookie Caitlin Clark.

Clark and the Fever are up to No. 6 in Jack Maloney’s newest WNBA Power Rankings following a pleasant little run. While Clark is making historical past frequently, the largest motive for Indiana’s turnaround has been the emergence of a legit supporting forged.

• Maloney: “But the reason the Fever are winning games is that the rest of their young core has shined as well. Aliyah Boston had a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds in their win over the Dream on June 13, while Kelsey Mitchell is shooting 50% on 3-pointers and NaLyssa Smith is nearly averaging a double-double during this run.”

Here is how the highest 5 shook out forward of the Fever:

1. Liberty
2. Lynx
3. Aces
4. Sun
5. Storm

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚽ Euro 2024 — Round of 16: Romania vs. Netherlands, 12 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Euro 2024 — Round of 16: Austria vs. Turkey, 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Sky at Dream, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
⚾ Phillies at Cubs, 8:05 p.m. on TBS
⚽ Copa America — Brazil vs. Colombia, 9 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Copa America — Costa Rica vs. Paraguay, 9 p.m. on FS2