San Antonio Spurs Summer League Practice
Getty Images

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA AND THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

A new era for the Spurs unofficially starts tonight, and it has the NBA abuzz. French phenom and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama will make his Summer League debut against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Hornets in front of a sold-out crowd in Las Vegas.

Wembanyama has played in the United States twice, back in October 2022 when his French club, Metropolitans 92, faced off against G League Ignite and No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson (Wembanyama and Henderson will meet again Sunday, by the way).

We'll see just how much he plays tonight -- his Metropolitans 92 season ended less than a month ago, and the Spurs won't push him -- but even a few minutes of this potential generational talent will be exhilarating.

 Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for...

lillard.jpg
Getty Images

DAMIAN LILLARD AND THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

No more guessing needed. Damian Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, put it on record: "Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period." Goodwin also indicated that other teams trying to get Lillard would be acquiring an unhappy player.

This is a brutal development for Portland. Not only is arguably the best player in franchise history leaving, but his value league-wide may have plummeted thanks to Goodwin's words (which might bring a fine -- Anthony Davis was fined for his agent's remarks back in 2019).

The Trail Blazers have insisted they will take the best offer possible, though, and our James Hebert questions what, exactly, do the Trail Blazers owe Lillard?

  • Herbert: "Even if [GM Joe Cronin] would like to send Lillard to Miami, it is his responsibility to make decisions that are in the long-term interest of the franchise. In order to get the best possible trade package from the Heat, the Blazers need to leverage offers from other teams. If Miami has not yet offered everything it possibly can, then the Heat-or-nowhere strategy from Lillard's side could be backfiring. ... Now that Lillard has made his request, the Blazers owe it to him to try to find a trade that gives him a chance to win a title and sets them up as well as possible for the post-Lillard era. But that doesn't mean they must trade him on his terms."

As our Sam Quinn notes, the Heat don't have a ton of attractive assets compared to what other teams could offer. A Miami deal could start with...

But Portland has already waited too long to trade Lillard, writes our Brad Botkin -- another team reportedly dropped out of trade talks Thursday -- and now there's a likely standoff incoming, one which nobody wins.

Not so honorable mentions

Final mock MLB Draft, plus redrafting 2013 and more ⚾

crews-getty.png
Getty Images

The MLB Draft begins Sunday night, and what a draft it could be. From the mystery surrounding who the Pirates will take No. 1 to the potential history for a pair of LSU teammates, there's a ton to look forward to.

Let's start with Mike Axisa's final mock draft. Here's the top five:

  • 1. Pirates: OF Dylan Crews, LSU -- "Crews is seeking $10 million, which would smash the current bonus record of the draft pool era (Spencer Torkelson at $8.4 million). ... Just take the best player -- Crews -- and pay him."
  • 2. Nationals: RHP Paul Skenes, LSU -- "Skenes had a loud finish to the season in the College World Series and that positioned him well for this No. 2 pick."
  • 3. Tigers: OF Wyatt Langford, Florida -- "Langford is the best available college hitter in our mock draft and the best available college hitter in the draft class behind Crews."
  • 4. Rangers: OF Max Clark, Franklin HS (Indiana) -- "Whichever one of Clark or Walker Jenkins is willing to take the biggest discount could be the pick, allowing the Rangers to use any savings on other players later in the draft..."
  • 5. Twins: C Kyle Teel, Virginia -- "Recent draft history indicates Minnesota's model prefers college hitters, and they've been connected to Teel..."

If Crews-Skenes (or Skenes-Crews) is indeed 1-2, it'll be the first time college teammates have been the first two picks of an MLB Draft. Though pitchers haven't fared well as No. 1 picks, the Pirates taking Skenes isn't out of the question, our R.J. Anderson notes. Here's what their history says they'll do.

R.J. also has finalized scouting reports for his top 30 prospects, so as soon as your favorite team makes its pick, be sure to have that handy.

Here's everything else to know:

Finally, I really enjoyed Mike's redrafting of the 2013 class, which has produced three different MVPs. But there's a clear should-have-been No. 1.

  • Axisa: "1. Houston Astros: OF Aaron Judge, Fresno State (Actual pick: RHP Mark Appel, Stanford) --  Appel stagnated in the minors and was later traded to the Phillies as part of the Ken Giles deal. ... Judge did not play his first full MLB season until 2017, his age 25 season, so he certainly didn't zoom up the minor league ladder. He's been worth the wait though, even with injuries costing him chunks of time in 2018, 2019, 2020, and now 2023. Judge's career 39.4 WAR leads the 2013 draft class by roughly 10 wins."

WNBA stars Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier creating new domestic league 🏀

Breanna Stewart Getty Napheesa Collier Team USA, WNBA
Getty Images

We often say there's no offseason in the NFL and NBA because the news cycle rarely slows. But for many WNBA players, their "offseason" is really just another season with another team. Nearly half of WNBA players take their talents overseas to supplement their income during the WNBA's break, making for a hectic schedule and, in many cases, a controversial one.

The WNBA has prioritization rules that state players must return to their WNBA teams by a certain date or else be ineligible for the upcoming season. That date can coincide with overseas seasons, forcing players into a tough situation.

Unrivaled is here to fix that. The new league, headed by stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, was announced Thursday with a pair of tweets reading, "What if the best players in the world created their own league..." and "They did." Here are the details:

  • Unrivaled will take place in Miami and is expected to run from January to March. The WNBA season runs from May to September.
  • The league will feature six teams of five players each, and instead of playing five-on-five, it'll feature three-on-three and one-on-one action.
  • This announcement, it should be noted, comes months after Brittney Griner's ten-month detainment in Russia while she was there to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

I really hope this league succeeds. It's for the better for the players, the WNBA and the fans.

What we're watching this weekend 📺

Friday

🏀 Hornets vs. Spurs, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Warriors vs. Lakers, 11 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏀 Storm at Liberty, 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mavericks vs. Thunder, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ Reds at Brewers, 4:10 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Braves at Rays, 7:15 p.m. on FOX

Sunday

🏀 Mystics at Sun, 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Pistons vs. Rockets, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ 2023 MLB Draft, details here
🏀 Spurs vs. Trail Blazers, 8 p.m. on ESPN2