Dunc’d On: Buss Family’s Revenge; Clips Gonna Skate?
A quick hitter on today’s news of the Buss family voting to sell their remaining shares to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and evaluating Jeanie Buss’ arguments to block the sale. Plus, an ESPN report indicates the league “has no evidence” of salary cap circumvention, what does Nate make of it?
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Kyle Tucker’s brutal season for Dodgers keeps getting more embarrassing
Los Angeles, CA – August 14:Dodgers Kyle Tucker (23) falls to his knee as he strikes out swinging during 8th inning action at Dodger Stadium on Friday, August 14, 2026. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 3-1. (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to the second-highest average annual salary in MLB history over the offseason with a four-year, $240 million deal. While $30 million of that is deferred, Tucker still got an enormous amount of money coming off an uneven season with the Chicago Cubs where he crushed it in the first half and totally fell apart in the second half.
At the time, the signing was the ultimate proof that there was no limit on the Dodgers’ spending as they went after a World Series three-peat. Fast forward to August, and the Tucker deal now looks like the one thing that might give the rest of baseball a chance against a potential LA dynasty moving forward.
Tucker has fallen way short of expectations this season, and he’s been especially dreadful as of late. He had another viral error on Monday night as Los Angeles walked all over the Colorado Rockies, and at this point even the home fans are booing him. Watch Tucker drop a routine fly ball against Colorado here:
I don’t even want to pile on at this point, but Kyle Tucker drops a routine flyball for a two-base error. pic.twitter.com/9L1WTNr0sx
This isn’t a big deal when the Dodgers are up 10-1 as they were in that game, but the margins will be tighter in the playoffs, and Tucker is quickly becoming a liability. Tucker is on a stretch of 0-for-23 at the plate, and just finished a homestand 0-for-19 at the dish. This is par for the course for his season: Tucker has been just awful at Dodger Stadium, with a 60 wRC+ at home compared to a 126 wRC+ on the road. No wonder the home fans are booing him.
The Dodgers lost three of four at home to the Milwaukee Brewers, their biggest threat in the NL, before coming to Colorado. Tucker made a poor defensive play in the outfield during their Sunday loss, too. It sure seems like his struggles at the plate are starting to impact him in the field.
It’s gotten so bad for Tucker that Dodgers color man Eric Karros has suggested sending him down to Arizona. Tucker was also booed at Wrigley Field in front of his former fanbase, and seemed to get pretty defensive about it. Tucker had a reasonable excuse for his second half struggles last year as he was recovering from a broken hand. This year, he’s just in a straight up slump at home.
It seems like both the pressure of the contract and the Dodgers’ World Series expectations are getting to Tucker in LA. He’s hitting just .189 with a .558 OPS in 234 plate appearances at Dodger Stadium this year. For whatever reason, he’s been much better on the road with an .822 OPS.
This year is going so poorly for Tucker that he’s even getting beamed in the head when opposing catchers are just trying to throw the ball back to the mound.
Oof … Kyle Tucker was hit in the helmet while Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya was throwing the ball back to the pitcher. pic.twitter.com/HP2948H3Kp
Tucker’s base salary essentially jumps from $33 million to $87 million next year. The Dodgers signed him to provide some insurance against age-related declines from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Instead, Freeman has been fantastic, while Tucker and Betts struggle. At least Betts provides some value in the field.
It’s hard to believe that Cubs MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong amassed more fWAR on Monday night alone than Tucker has all season. Any other team would be screwed when a free agent signing this pricey is struggling to such a historic degree. The Dodgers still have Shohei Ohtani and a talented pitching staff to fall back on, but anything less than a World Series will be considered a disappointment.
Tucker is struggling midway through August. The Dodgers better hope he breaks out of it soon with the playoffs around the corner.
Report: NBA Finds No Evidence Steve Ballmer Funneled Money To Kawhi Leonard
The NBA has found no evidence that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard as a means of circumventing the salary cap, according to three sources with knowledge of recent discussions between the league and the team that spoke with ESPN.
The NBA released the following statement in response to the ESPN article:
“ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation – for which the NBA declined to cooperate – contains numerous and significant inaccuracies. The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded,” wrote NBA spokesman Mike Bass.
The NBA is now examining whether the Clippers violated cap circumvention rules simply by introducing Leonard to team sponsors, according to two of the sources. Investigators are also considering whether the team failed to properly supervise its employees, though the specific rule potentially violated and possible penalties remain unclear.
The 11-month investigation, which began with Leonard’s endorsement deal with the now-defunct company Aspiration, has since expanded to include at least three additional companies with Clippers business ties. Sources said the league has presented no evidence that Ballmer personally directed money to Leonard through any of these arrangements.
Law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz presented initial investigative findings to the Clippers in late July. Since then, attorneys representing both sides, David N. Kelley for Ballmer and the Clippers and Rick Buchanan for the league, have engaged in negotiations described by one source as “spirited.”
The Clippers issued a statement defending the practice of connecting players with team partners.
“Making introductions between players and team partners is both an ordinary practice by NBA teams and a common request of players and representatives,” the team said, adding that it did not negotiate or dictate terms of Leonard’s endorsement agreements.
The probe traces back to a September 2025 report alleging Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration around the same time the company signed a $300 million partnership with the Clippers. Aspiration later signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Leonard in 2022, which an anonymous source described in the original report as a “no-show” arrangement designed to circumvent the cap.
Ballmer has denied any wrongdoing and said he would pursue arbitration rather than accept a finding asserting intentional cap circumvention. The Clippers’ planned trade of Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, agreed to June 30, remains on hold as the Raptors weigh potential risk tied to the investigation’s outcome.
Adam Silver said in July he hopes to resolve the matter before the 2026-27 regular season begins, though the timeline remains uncertain if the case proceeds to arbitration.
NCAA Reacts: Who is going to win the ACC and Big 12?
CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 06: A general view of the ACC championship logo at midfield before the ACC Football Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Duke Blue Devils on December 6, 2025, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This is shaping up to be an incredibly important season in both the Big 12 and the ACC. College football has become a conference arms race and despite nominally being Power Four conferences, they are most emphatically not among the Big Two conferences. Both leagues have done enough to not become the next Pac-12 so far, but it’s going to take more than cherrypicking schools from around the country to join in order to stay relevant.
While not a cure-all, one sure fire way to stay in the mix is by having a conference member win the national championship. And while both the Big 12 and the ACC have had teams in the mix, neither has brought home the trophy in a long time. It’s been eight years since Clemson last won a championship for the ACC. It’s been 21 years since a Big 12 team has won a championship, and 36 years since a team that’s still in the Big 12 was crowned champion. But this year both conferences have schools that can pull it off. The first step will likely be winning the conference title.
Who will win the ACC?
The ACC came remarkably close to winning a national championship last season, despite the conferences best efforts, with upstart Miami falling just short against powerhouse Indiana (that still feels so weird to put in print). Even with the conference bumbling through the ACC championship game, which resulted in Miami being the conference’s lone representative despite not participating in the title game, the ACC showed how strong it could be.
This season will at least start off feeling remarkably similar to last. Most of the hope for the ACC rests squarely on the backs of Miami. But the likes of Louisville, SMU, Clemson, Pitt, and Virginia have proven they can jump up and really make a run out of it.
Who will win the Big 12 championship?
The Big 12 finds itself in a slightly different position. Last season there was genuine interest in what was happening with the league. Two teams entered the conference title game last year with only one loss. For BYU, it’s lone loss came to its title game opponent Texas Tech. After Tech beat BYU again, there was legitimate consideration that the Red Raiders could win it all. But everything fell apart quickly in the first game of the CFP, when TTU lost to Oregon at home in blowout fashion. Then, to add insult to injury, Texas Tech became the NCAA punching bag in the Brendan Sorsby ordeal.
Texas Tech is again the favorite to win the Big 12, with BYU right behind. The rest of the league firmly remains in play in a conference that is well known for beating itself up with almost no concept of who is better than the rest in the middle of the pack.
Be on the lookout later this week for results to these surveys and the rest of the Reacts polls from this week.
Scottie Scheffler wins FedEx St. Jude Championship in dominating fashion
Aug. 16: Scottie Scheffler celebrates with the winner’s trophy after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee on Aug. 16, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
There have been fewer opportunities to really say it this season, but it is good to remember that right now professional golf is still Scottie Scheffler’s world. Everyone else is simply living in it.
The world number one suffocated the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship as the FedEx Cup Playoffs began… so much so that Scottie almost doubled the second place score that Si Woo Kim posted.
Scottie finished at 17-under (Si Woo was 9-under to be clear) as he picked up his 21st career PGA Tour victory.
In the process of winning, Scottie did some things that only Scottie does:
This was the first eight-stroke margin of victory (or larger) since… Scottie (2025 CJ CUP)
He is now just the fifth player over the last 40 years to record multiple wins of such kind
It is his fifth consecutive season with multiple PGA Tour wins
He has made 17 cuts in 18 starts this season
Every now and then something happens with Scottie to where we drop our jaws and simply wonder. This is one of those times.
We will see what happens as the playoffs continue on.
Cavs Sent Hornets $4M Instead Of Draft Pick In Dennis Schroder Trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly sent the Charlotte Hornets $4 million in cash in the trade that swapped Dennis Schroder for Tre Mann. The Cavs sent the $4 million in place of sending the Hornets a draft pick.
In trade talks with other teams, Cleveland found that teams were requesting draft capital to take on Schroder’s contract. The veteran point guard is owed $14.8 million for this season and $15.5 million for 2027-28. The final season of Schroder’s deal is partially guaranteed for $4.35 million.
Cleveland has one tradeable future first-round pick, as they already owe their 2027 and 2029 firsts from previous deals. The Cavs 2033 first-round pick is also frozen and can’t be traded, due to Cleveland being over the second apron in the 2025-26 season. The Cavaliers own only two second-round picks: the Sacramento Kings second in 2032 and their own second in 2033.
Former NBA players Olivier Sarr and Max Shulga have both signed with Real Madrid in Spain for the upcoming season. Sarr and Shulga finished last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively.
Sarr appeared in only four NBA games with the Cavs while on a two-way contract. In 47 total G League games, the 6-foot-10 big man averaged 12 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
Shulga finished last season on a standard contract with the Celtics. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 39 G League games.
White House Denies Involvement In Lakers Sale To Josh Kushner
The White House has denied any involvement in the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner, brother-in-law of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, in a deal that puts values the franchise at $12.5 billion.
Lakers owner Mark Walter announced Wednesday that he will sell the team to Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger. Walter had owned the franchise for less than 14 months, and the sale comes amid federal investigations into alleged financial improprieties tied to insurance companies he controls.
Kushner’s involvement, combined with the ongoing federal probes into Walter, sparked online speculation about a possible connection to Trump. Theories ranged from suggestions the administration encouraged the investigations to pressure a sale, to speculation Walter offered the team to Kushner hoping it might ease scrutiny.
A White House spokesperson issued a broad denial when asked about the matter.
“This has nothing to do with President Trump or his administration,” said the spokesperson.
A representative for Kushner’s venture capital firm, Thrive Capital, also pushed back on the speculation.
“This is false,” said the Thrive Capital spokesperson.
Walter’s holding company, TWG Global, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kushner has never held a formal or informal position within the Trump administration and identifies as a lifelong Democrat with a history of donations to Democratic candidates.
His family maintains documented ties to Trump beyond marriage, however. Jared Kushner served as a White House adviser during Trump’s first term and has taken on an informal role as Special Envoy for Peace during the current term, assisting with Middle East negotiations. Trump also pardoned Josh and Jared’s father, Charles Kushner, during his first term on federal charges including tax evasion and fraud.
The Lakers transaction follows a separate development involving Kushner’s Thrive Eternal fund and a proposed investment in the World Cup. FIFA president Gianni Infantino unveiled the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” in late July, a commercial venture designed to attract billions in outside investment each World Cup cycle. Infantino later shelved the plan following backlash, boycott threats and resignation calls, after which Trump publicly voiced support for Infantino without referencing Kushner or Thrive Eternal.
Jayden Daniels’ LSU feud over No. 5 jersey keeps getting more bizarre
ASHBURN, VA – AUGUST 01: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders reacts during training camp at BigBear.ai Performance Center on August 1, 2026 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jayden Daniels’ run to the Heisman Trophy with the LSU Tigers in 2023 was one of the most electric quarterback seasons in the recent history of college football. Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in 12 games as LSU finished 10-3 with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Now Daniels is beefing with his former college program after they gave away his No. 5 to a player on this year’s team. That’s just the start of it.
Daniels’ lawyers sent LSU a cease-and-desist saying it can no longer use his name, image and likeness, according to ESPN. Daniels’ camp issued a statement saying his family is “deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected” by the Tigers’ decision to give No. 5 to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” the statement from Daniels’ spokesperson said. “Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university.”
At the crux of Daniels’ frustration seems to be the way LSU treats Joe Burrow’s legacy compared to his. No LSU player has worn Burrow’s No. 9 since he left campus. Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to the national championship. While Daniels bested Burrow’s ridiculous numbers, his team finished only 10-3 and capped the year with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Neither Burrow or Daniels’ number is retired by LSU, and school policy states that a player must have “completed competition for five years before being nominated for jersey retirement.”
In another strange twist, LSU beat reporter Matt Moscona reported that Daniels requested LSU return its copy of his Heisman Trophy. Moscona noted that Daniels “personally reached out to LSU leadership” to express his displeasure, and that the school is still deciding how to handle it.
Daniels posted this statement to Instagram on Thursday:
Here’s the letter from Daniels’ attorney:
The letter from Jayden Daniels’ attorney Adam Kenner to LSU football stating the program “must immediately cease and desist from any further use, display, publication, distribution, promotion, commercialization, or other exploitation of Mr. Daniels’ NIL in any manner or medium.” pic.twitter.com/QdX6Tl1evG
Pickett wore No. 3 at LSU as a freshman. New Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin said Pickett was promised No. 5 on the recruiting trail by former head coach Brian Kelly. Kelly stated that he didn’t give Pickett No. 5 last season because Daniels was uncomfortable with it. On Pickett getting No. 5 this year, Kiffin said: “When a kid is promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. So at that point, I don’t think that’s really my decision. We should honor what he was told.”
It’s clear that Daniels feels like he’s being disrespected compared to Burrow. He also doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on here. This statement from Daniels’ camp feels totally out of touch.
“Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected,” the statement said. “His Heisman Trophy-winning season and everything he accomplished on and off the field cemented his place in LSU history. To see his number given to another player is incredibly disappointing and feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU.”
Burrow helped lead LSU to its first national championship of the playoff era. Daniels’ numbers might be slightly better on a spreadsheet, but it doesn’t hit the same when his team lost to Florida State, Ole Miss, and Alabama during the season. It doesn’t help that Daniels had something of a sophomore slump in the NFL last year with the Washington Commanders after a brilliant rookie season. Daniels looked like the best QB from the 2024 draft class after his first year, but going into this season, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams have surpassed him in rankings by most major publications.
Daniels needs to worry about creating his own NFL legacy, and stop holding onto his college days so closely. Anyone who watched Daniels at LSU knows how great he was. It’s ridiculous to think he has ownership over a number for a college football program that has existed for more than 130 years when he was only on campus for two years. If he can have the same success with the Commanders, it’s likely no one in Washington will ever wear his No. 5 again.
