Happy NBA Draft day! Day 2 is tomorrow, and that matters, but most of the relevant action will obviously occur tonight. I can’t wait.

NCAAF

2026 five-star QB Ryder Lyons commits to BYU

This is great for college football — and, of course, for BYU. After falling way behind the SEC and Big Ten, the Big 12 needs a talent injection. Lyons, the No. 19 recruit in 2026, is a good start.

The program-player fit here is terrific. Jake Retzlaff will quarterback the Cougars this season, but he’s a senior. Thus, the door will be open for Lyons to start as a true freshman, an opportunity he may not have had elsewhere. BYU had a strong year in 2024, finishing 11-2, and the future looks just as bright.

NBA

Celtics receive:
PF Georges Niang
2031 second-round pick

Hawks receive:
C Kristaps Porzingis
2026 second-round pick

Nets receive:
SG Terance Mann
2025 No. 22 pick

The Celtics, saddled with an extravagant payroll — and a Jayson Tatum ruptured Achilles tendon — faced a pivotal summer. The first shoe to drop was the Jrue Holiday trade to the Trail Blazers. This was step two — and the most likely deal from the beginning. Following this transaction, Boston is no longer a second-apron team, creating newfound flexibility for the franchise.

Porzingis, a talented and unique big, will be missed by the Celtics, but his reliability waned as his tenure with the team went on. At 29, he may still have plenty of quality basketball ahead of him. In the end though, Boston deemed Porzingis unworthy of the collective bargaining-related burden he presented. Niang, a 40.6 three-point shooter this season, offers comparable floor spacing to Porzingis, but he’s obviously a far less caliber player.

Boston lost this trade, but it was a necessary defeat for the organization’s long-term prospects. The Hawks, however, capitalized on the Celtics’ situation, at least in the short term. Atlanta, suddenly, has a decent collection of talent. A top six of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Porzingis, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu is interesting, but it still almost certainly won’t be enough to contend in the East. Was creating that core worth it in parting with the No. 22 pick in tonight’s draft? That remains to be seen.

While the Hawks jumped on the Celtics’ conundrum, the Nets swooped in on the Hawks — no pun intended. Brooklyn now has five first-round selections in this draft. The franchise probably won’t make all of those picks, but the Nets are flush with future assets. Clearly, the club is conducting a proper rebuild. There’s no guarantee it’ll be a successful one, though, as the early stages of a teardown are the easiest.

Celtics Grade: C

Hawks Grade: C+

Nets Grade: A-

Pelicans receive:
SG Jordan Poole
SF Saddiq Bey
2025 No. 40 pick

Wizards receive:
SG CJ McCollum
C Kelly Olynyk
Future second-round pick

The Pelicans and Wizards won a combined 39 games this season, so a summer of activity was likely for both franchises, especially New Orleans. There are some notable names in this trade, to be sure, but this is really about the Pelicans moving one year of salary to the Wizards for two years of salary.

Poole entered this summer as one of the NBA’s most-rumored trade candidates, so it was only a matter of time until the 26-year-old was dealt. His fit in the New Orleans backcourt next to Dejounte Murray is actually strong, an unusual case for the shot-hunting guard. The Pelicans are in an uncertain position due to a basketball operations leadership change, but Poole and Bey add a new variety of perimeter firepower to the team.

If I’m the Wizards, I would’ve wanted more draft compensation for Poole (and Bey). However, adding McCollum and Olynyk increases the organization’s flexibility next summer, as both players are 2026 free agents. It’s somewhat likely that Washington reroutes McCollum at some point. The Wizards, after all, are in the earlier stages of their rebuild, and don’t have much of a use for the 33-year-old. The same goes for Olynyk, but he might have to stick around a little longer because of his less than desirable salary.

This exchange also includes the swap of second-round picks, but that’s almost entirely inconsequential. The meat on the bone here is the Pelicans taking a chance on Poole and Bey, two 26-year-olds theoretically entering their primes, and the Wizards creating more cap room for next summer. It’s a heck of a lot easier to under this transaction from New Orleans’ perspective, though.

Pelicans Grade: B

Wizards Grade: C-