BOOM! Wolves president Tim Connelly isn’t messing around. After dumping Julius Randle on Brooklyn in a trade to free up salary cap money and roster space, the Wolves traded Naz Reid, a first-round pick in 2033 and three second-round draft picks (2029, 2032, 2033), as well as swapping spots for three first-round picks (2028, 2029, 2030), for star point guard LaMelo Ball and reserve guard Josh Green on Thursday morning. THREE QUICK TAKES: (1) Minnesota now has two of the most interesting point guards in the world. The other, of course, is Olivia Miles of the Lynx. (2) Now the front court needs work — another starter to go with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, as well as someone to come off the bench. (3) Ball missed 141 games in the three seasons before 2025-26 because of injuries. Pray for his health. More on the move below.
SWEPT AWAY: I arrived at Target Field earlier than usual Wednesday night for the last game of the Twins-Dodgers series. I walked a lap around the ballpark, stopping to sit in the outfield seats when the gates opened and the crowd started to build toward the sell-out announced at 39,853 fans that watched Shohei Ohtani vs. Joe Ryan and the visitors finish a three-game sweep. The evening was a reminder of two things: (1) How far apart the teams are in terms of talent and execution. That the Twins are on the fringe of playoff contention is a byproduct the rampant mediocrity in the American League this season. Only three AL teams have scored more runs than their opponents. The Dodgers are deep, excellent and don’t have baseball’s best record by accident. (2) How much fun it can be at the ballpark. An usher told me that the buzz during the Dodgers series reminded her of Target Field “before COVID” when big crowds were the norm. For a few days, Minnesota was the land of 10,000 Ohtani jerseys and baseball worth being excited about. The challenge for the Twins is create that sensation based on their success instead of the success of whoever is coming to town for a few days. — Howard Sinker
HAPPY 4TH: Sports Take is off next week for the holiday. I’ll be back on July 9.
BIG, BOLD MOVE: Anthony Edwards was frustrated by being double-teamed by opponents last season. The solution? Bring in another high-end scorer and ball handler to take away that extra pressure. Enter LaMelo Ball, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2020 when Edwards was taken No. 1. Ball is a career 20.8 points per game scorer and has shot 36.5% on threes. He’s also averaged 7.3 assists per game and brings a pure point-guard arsenal to Minnesota. THE CONCERNS: Ball broke his right ankle in February 2023 and missed time over the two following seasons with an assortment of ankle issues. There was also a fractured wrist during his rookie season. In his six NBA seasons, Ball has missed about 38% of Charlotte’s games with injuries. Also, the Hornets never reached the playoffs during Ball’s time there, losing 121-90 to Orlando in April’s play-in tournament finals.
BALL’S CAREER STATS: https://fluence-media.co/ball0625
NAZ REID: An undrafted free agent, Reid developed into a fan favorite and an important part of the Wolves rotation as their sixth man. Among the initial reactions to the Randle-to-Brooklyn trade was that Reid and center Rudy Gobert functioned well together when they shared the court. The fifth starter with Ball, Edwards, McDaniels and Gobert? The Wolves can either go small and quick with Ayo Dosunmu, who signed a five-year, $112 million contract this week, or look for more size in another trade or through free agency. They’ll definitely add size, but the question will be about what style of play to prioritize. For now, I’m betting on Dosunmu as a starter, with size in reserve for an alternate look.
JOSH GREEN: A six-year veteran with time in Dallas and Charlotte, the 6-foot-6 wing was a starter for the Hornets in 2024-25 but came off the bench last season, averaging 4.3 points in about 16 minutes per game.
REMEMBER THIS: By making this deal, the Hornets did pretty much what the Wolves did by ridding themselves of Randle: freeing up significant cap money that can be used to fill their roster needs. In this case, obviously, the Hornets also got an established player in their move.
VIEW FROM CHARLOTTE: Via Scott Fowler at Charlotte Observer. This is a good-riddance take. VERBATIM: “The money the Hornets still owed Ball was almost unfathomable in normal circles, but in the NBA’s alternate universe this was the first offseason he no longer had an untradeable contract. Minnesota took a risk acquiring that contract, and it might work out for the Timberwolves. But for the Hornets, The LaMelo Ball Experience is over. The show has finally closed. And that’s absolutely fine. The team will be built around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel now, with a whole lot of other good parts that can be placed somewhere (and maybe 1-2 more high-profile parts to come). This was a trade worth making, for a team that ultimately wants more than Ball was ever going to provide.” FULL COLUMN: https://fluence-media.co/goodbye0625
SHAMS SAYS: Via ESPN. The trade news was first reported by ESPN basketball insider Shams Charania. Here’s the video from ESPN’s morning show, Get Up, that features Charania, Brian Windhorst and others analyzing the news. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/espn0625
BAD MOVE? Via Zach Harper at The Athletic. The Wolves get panned here, including a David Kahn reference. REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/badmove0625
BALL’S CONTRACT: Ball is signed for three more seasons at a cost of $140 million. Edwards and Ball are both set to be 28-year-old free agents after the 2028-29 season. That should be a very, very interesting summer. CONTRACTS: EDWARDS | BALL
OVER TO THE DRAFT: The Wolves drafted Isaiah Evans, who played for two season at Duke in the second round of the NBA Draft with the 33rd pick overall. STIFFED: Evans was in the draft’s Green Room on Tuesday because he expected to be taken in the first round. He also showed up to the draft wearing $4 million worth of jewelry, but that’s another story.
ABOUT THAT JEWELRY: Via New York Post. VERBATIM: “Former Duke shooting guard Isaiah Evans channeled the Met Gala at the 2026 NBA Draft in Brooklyn on Tuesday. The 20-year-old sophomore wore a $3 million diamond brooch and a $1 million diamond wallet chain by Jason of Beverly Hills while on the red carpet at the Barclays Center — and The Post got an exclusive sneak peak before the draft. After meeting through a mutual friend at Duke, Evans and the celebrity jeweler worked together for nearly a year crafting his accessories for arguably the biggest night of his life.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/bling0625
WHO IS JASON OF BEVERLY HILLS? That would be Jason Arasheben. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/jason0625
BAD FINANCIAL MOVE? With NIL money and other opportunities, Evans would almost certainly have made more money IN 2026-27 by staying at Duke and waiting to turn pro.
WHAT DO FIRST-ROUND PICKS MAKE? Via Spotrac. First-round picks get from 80% to 120% of a slot value that’s part of the NBA labor agreement, with most contracts being at 120% of the slot. Second-round picks are on their own and receive widely varying deals, CHART: https://fluence-media.co/contracts0625
GREAT GOLF IN CHASKA: The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship starts today at Hazeltine National in Chaska, bringing a $13 million purse and a chance to see a golfer reach the LPGA Hall of Fame by winning. Tournament favorite Nelly Korda is not only seeking her third major title of the season, but the two points she would get for winning would boost her into the Hall. The tournament teed off at 8 a.m. today Here are links for going and following along:
TICKETS | TEE TIMES/LEADERBOARD | ODDS | WEB SITE | TV AND STREAMING |PARKING AND MORE DETAILS
HOW’D SHE GET IN? Via Mark Craig at Star Tribune. Kate Smith-Stroh is only the 436th ranked player in the world, so she needed to use words rather than deeds to get into the tournament field. It helped that she was a five-time high school champion while attending high school in Detroit Lakes. VERBATIM: “Kate Smith-Stroh wrote a letter to the PGA of America months ago asking for a special exemption to play. . . . ‘I just said I’m from Minnesota, my dad worked for the PGA of America as a golf pro for 30-plus years in Minnesota, and I’d really like a chance to play in your championship in my home state.’ With no other homegrown players in the field, the PGA of America channeled its inner Minnesota Nice and said, ‘You betcha!’ It will be Smith-Stroh’s second career major. She three-putted the last hole to miss the cut at last year’s Chevron Championship.”
THE FUN PART: “Mom and dad owned a Par 3 course in Detroit Lakes called Ironman Golf Course,” Smith-Stroh said. “The clubhouse was attached to our house. My earliest memories of playing golf, it’s me and my brother playing barefoot, goofing around on this golf course in our backyard. It was a dream come true for a kid.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/smithstroh0625
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? Smith-Stroh is among several dozen golfers in the field starting the tournament at 1,000-1 odds.
YAY FOR THE NCAA! You don’t hear that often, right? But the NCAA took a big step toward simplifying its Division I eligibility standards by approving a rule change that is intended to give most players five years of eligibility. No more redshirts, no more medical waivers, few exceptions. The five-year clock starts when the athletes go to college or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever is earlier. If athletes wait to enroll, which often happens in men’s college hockey, they will lose a season of competition for each year beyond age 19. The new system starts with the 2026-27 season. Athletes who completed their eligibility under the old rules will not be granted an extra year. (Watch for a legal challenge there.)
THE MAIN POINT: Via NCAA.com. Simplicity was the driver of the change, as well as a feeling that eligibility rules were being skewed to the benefit of a few athletes at the expense of many. VERBATIM: "While previous NCAA rules have served college sports well for a long time, we heard also loud and clear from NCAA members and student-athletes that eligibility rules should be easier to understand," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "This change to an age-based model eliminates aspects of the rules that have proven difficult to administer in the current litigious environment and clearly defines the exceptions available in limited circumstances, while preserving the long-intended alignment of eligibility with typical college enrollment and graduation patterns, because 98% of the 550,000 NCAA student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports." MORE: https://fluence-media.co/ncaa0525
FAREWELL TO DA BEAUTY: Via Facebook. After a decade of summer hockey at Edina’s Braemar Arena, Da Beauty League — the off-beat summer hockey league that features local pro and college players — announced that 2026 will be its final season. League organizers haven’t announced why they are getting out — only that they are. The high-end pickup games have been an autograph magnet for youngsters and a place where you didn’t know who might show up to play on any given night, much like the Twin Cities Pro-Am basketball league at DeLaSalle. Two women’s teams were added in 2024. Proceeds go to several charities and nonprofits. The games are 4-on-4, with a two-minute window when goals count double and overtime shootout rules in which both teams are on the ice at the same time. VERBATIM: “What started as an idea back in the fall of 2015 became something bigger than any of us imagined. A decade of the best hockey players in the world lacing them up at Braemar Arena in Edina, and a community that showed up every single summer. Somewhere along the way, summer nights at Braemar became part of what Minnesota summers are. We’re going out the right way. Stay tuned.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/dabeauty0625
MORE: Opening night is July 15 with three games per night before the league championship games on Aug 19. TICKETS, MERCH AND STREAMING
NHL DRAFT, CULLEN’S FUTURE: Last week’s Sports Take included a preview that highlighted the Minnesotans who are candidates to be taken in the NHL Draft, which will be held Friday and Saturday. (6 p.m. Friday, ESPN; 10 a.m. Saturday NHL Network). Most of the state buzz has focused on Wyatt Cullen of Moorhead, who is expected to go in first half of the first round. More about Culler is in these pre-draft reports from Jess Myers at Pioneer Press and Randy Johnson at Star Tribune. Because of trades, the Wild doesn’t have a pick until the third round.
GOOD WORLD CUP READING: Jon Marthaler, a freelance writer whom the Star Tribune relied on to cover Minnesota United for a couple of years, has been writing about the World Cup from Seattle, where he’s attended games and also written about the excitement and annoyances of being in a host city. READ HIS POSTS: https://fluence-media.co/marthaler0625
WHY WALLNER’S NOT BACK: Via aarongleeman.com. Twins outfielder Matt Wallner was demoted to St. Paul last month in a move similar to what the team did to Royce Lewis. Also, similar to Lewis, Wallner has put up some impressive minor-league statistics — most notably 11 home runs and a .349 average in a 19-game stretch through the weekend. But the problem that relegated Wallner apparently has yet to be solved. VERBATIM: “He was one of MLB’s least-productive hitters against fastballs since the start of last year, to the point the Twins seemingly shielded him from the hard-throwing pitchers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to have changed. There aren’t as many Triple-A pitchers with big-time velocity, so the sample is fairly small, but Wallner has hit just .176 off fastballs 95 mph or higher for the Saints while whiffing on 33 percent of his swings. By comparison, he’s hit .326 off fastballs 94 mph or lower. Wallner has 11 homers since his demotion and just one came off a pitch thrown harder than 94.3 mph. Seven of the homers were hit off pitches thrown 90 mph or slower.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wallner0625
EVEN DEEPER HOLE? The Twins are pretty well set in the outfield right now with Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach, Kody Clemens and Austin Martin. Ryan Kreidler, currently getting a lot of time at shortstop, is also an outfield option. PLUS: If the Twins wanted to bring up an outfielder, touted prospects Walker Jenkins and Alan Roden are waiting for call-ups.
GOLF SHAKEUP, 3M OPEN’S FUTURE? Via Pioneer Press and Associated Press. The PGA Tour will be broken in half starting in 2028, with 15 top events as part of the “Championship Series” and the remaining 20 or so as part of the “Challenger Series.” The top-tier events will have fields of about 120 players and the others will have about 144. Championship and Challenger events will often be scheduled for the same weekend. LOCAL QUESTION: Will the 3M Open be a Championship Series event? This year’s tournament, set for July 23-26 at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, has a purse of $8.8 million. VERBATIM: “Conversations about just that have taken place in recent months. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp indicated the Tour’s hope to lure larger markets into the Championship Series. The Twin Cities certainly falls under that umbrella. A source suggested the PGA Tour would like the 3M Open to be a stop on the top tour, but that will ultimately be determined by 3M and if the company is willing to back a $20 million purse.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/pga0625
STANLEY CUP TEASE: Via Patrick Reusse at Star Tribune. Three members of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes have Minnesota ties, which means the trophy will make another run through the state this summer. Star defenseman K’Andre Miller, right wing Jackson Blake and veteran Mike Reilly will each get a day to host and display the Cup. Reusse’s column notes their very different paths to the NHL title and ends with a sharp stick poke in the eye to Wild fans. VERBATIM: “Ah, the Cup — just visiting, as always.” COLUMN: https://fluence-media.co/cup0625
HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFER IDEA: This is the time of year when you don’t have to dig deep into the media (social or otherwise) for news of players moving from one high school to another. Chatter about MSHSL transfer rules often ignores the fact that the league doesn’t see itself as an investigative body and leaves eligibility work to school activity and athletic directors. A former AD recently told me, “It’s quite backwards that athletic directors are in change of eligibility. It sets ADs up to be wrong.” SOLUTION? I’ve heard this suggestion: What if the high school league allowed one “free” transfer and then set up a mechanism to check closely on students seeking to transfer for a second time? QUESTION: Would any rules — current or new ones — hold up to a legal challenge? The partnership among public education, private schools and a nonprofit organization is a tricky one to navigate and looks very fragile.
QUICK NOTE: Not doing any other “transfer news” in this week’s Sports Take because I don’t want to infer that the above item was generated by any specific transfers. But athletes changing schools takes up a lot of web bandwidth, including a major part of Marcus Fuller’s recruiting beat at Strib Varsity. Ignoring the issue is a head-in-the-sand move.
AUGSBURG HIRES HOCKEY COACH: Via University release. VERBATIM: “Zach Stepan, who has served as a hockey coach in junior hockey for the past decade, has been named the new head coach of the Augsburg University men's hockey team, the university has announced. Stepan will be the sixth head coach in the modern era (since 1959) of the Augsburg men's hockey program. Most recently, Stepan has served as head coach and president of the Minnesota Wilderness, a team based in Cloquet, Minn., playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the second tier of the American junior hockey system and one of the main development routes for players planning to play for NCAA Division III men's hockey programs. . . . Under Stepan, the Wilderness finished 42-12-5 in the 2025-26 season, winning the NAHL's Midwest Division and advancing to the league's Robertson Cup championship game, where they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Maryland Black Bears.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/augsburg0625
AURORA PLAYOFFS: Minnesota Aurora clinched their fifth division title in five seasons in the USL-W league and raised their record to 11-0 with a 1-0 win at Rochester on Tuesday. After closing the regular season this weekend, Aurora will advance to the 16-team playoff — and would play at home (TCO Stadium) in the league semifinals on July 10 if they win their first two playoff games. Aurora’s all-time regular season record is 54-0-5 but they have never won the USL-W title. If you’ve rekindled or discovered affection for soccer through the World Cup, watching Aurora would be a way to act on your interest. TICKETS | TEAM WEB SITE
AND FINALLY: I found out about the “Twins Rally Dancers” a few days back when a friend texted a screen grab from an Instagram post that proclaimed: “The Target Field experience just got a lot more fun! Introducing the Twins Rally Dancers!” My friend’s text: “Dancers? Are you kidding me?” Nope. The dancers are currently scheduled to appear at eight games, debuting on July 10, which also happens to be the night of a pro wrestling card following the Twins-Angels game. So far, the Twins have promoted the dancers exclusively through their social media pages, some of which include a link to a page on the team’s website. Promised are “high-octane dance routines and spontaneous fan interactions.” WEB REACTION: Decidedly mixed. MY REACTION: “Spontaneous fan interactions” feel decidedly cringe.
THAT’S ALL: Have a fabulous 4th and I’ll be back to you in two weeks.
EMAIL HOWARD: sportstake100@gmail.com
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