NBA

Heat receive:
2026 protected second-round pick

Nets receive:
SF Haywood Highsmith
2032 second-round pick

This is a classic salary dump — nothing more, nothing less. The Nets, the only franchise with salary-cap room, made for an ideal trade partner with the Heat.

Jettisoning Highsmith is a curious decision. The 28-year-old averaged 24.6 minutes per game last season, serving as a complementary role player for a decent Miami team. His 2026 cap hit of $5.6 million is fair for his production and ability, so it’s odd that the Heat are parting with the forward. Even worse, Miami is receiving less draft capital than it’s sending out.

The Nets are exploiting Miami’s error. Highsmith doesn’t align with Brooklyn’s timeline, but he’s a serviceable rotation piece that can eat minutes. It’s possible he plays well enough to be flipped next February for another second rounder. Sean Marks typically makes positive-value moves along the margins. This is yet another one.

Heat Grade: C-

Nets Grade: A-

MLB

Pirates 3, Cubs 2

Braxton Ashcraft is an intriguing long-term piece for the Pirates. A second-round selection back in 2018, the right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. Like many pitchers that have had the procedure, it took some time for Ashcraft to regain his footing. This season, though, has been a breakthrough campaign for the 25-year-old, as he’s settled in as a viable piece of Pittsburgh’s pitching unit.

Ashcraft tossed five innings of one-run ball in this game, dropping his ERA to 3.02.

The Cubs are sputtering. Chicago led the NL Central at the All-Star break, and it now it sits 8.5 games back of Milwaukee (as of this writing). With the division race all but over, the Cubs need to regain their status as a great offense before their postseason prospects become precarious.

Chicago has scored just 10 runs over its last five games. On a related note, the Cubs have lost four of five.

Phillies 6, Nationals 2

Things are mostly going well for the Phillies. The team won last night. The Mets are floundering. The club was aggressive at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, the situation is mostly fine, and not totally fine.

In this victory, ace closer and deadline addition Jhoan Duran left the game following a liner striking his foot. Duran was unable to put much weight on his foot after the play, and now all Philadelphia can do is wait. It would be inaccurate to say that the season hangs in the balance for the Phillies, but a sizeable bit of news awaits for the NL East leader.

It’s good to have Dylan Crews back. The right fielder returned from injury on Thursday, and the rest of this season will provide a telling period for the 23-year-old to prove himself at the MLB level. His brief career hasn’t been commensurate with his status as a top prospect, but it’s normal for talented youngsters to struggle early on. Now, however, is the time for Crews to establish himself.

Crews went 1-for-4 in this defeat. He holds a .200/.271/.352 line on the year.

Braves 2, Guardians 0

The Braves, sitting at 54-68, aren’t going anywhere this season, but that hasn’t prevented a mid-summer push from the club. That’s a good sign for Atlanta’s — and Brian Snitker’s — 2026 prospects.

Ronald Acuna didn’t do much last night, as he finished just 0-for-3 with a walk, but his presence adds credibility to the Braves’ lineup. Once Austin Riley returns, Atlanta will become a candidate to play spoiler in September.

The Guardians have valiantly roared back into the AL wild-card picture. However, the team’s offense holds it back, and that was the case last night. Cleveland recorded just two hits, both from Steven Kwan, in this loss.

Brewers 10, Reds 8

I’m subscribed to most of the popular streaming services, but not Apple TV+. Thus, I couldn’t watch this thriller. The evolving spread of sporting events across a multitude of streaming platforms is bad for viewers. I doubt the problem will be rectified, though. In fact, I expect it to only worsen in the coming years and decades. Sigh.

The Brewers simply won’t lose. Not even a rough outing from Jacob Misiorowski can stop this team, as Milwaukee made up for the righty’s five earned runs allowed by registering 17 hits. Four of those knocks came from Christian Yelich, who mashed homer Nos. 24 and 25. This team has to be defeated at some point, right? Two more road games against the Reds and five road games versus the Cubs await Pat Murphy’s club.

Is rotating between starting and relieving affecting Nick Martinez? It shouldn’t, as the right-hander is a 35-year-old veteran, but many baseball players are creatures of habit. A stable role is normally good for everyone.

Martinez lasted just 2 2/3 innings yesterday, allowing five earned runs.

Red Sox 2, Marlins 1

Walk-off victories are supposed to be few and far between. The rare instance in which teams have every reason to celebrate over the long season, these wins normally only occur several times each year for a given club. The 2025 Red Sox, however, are not your typical team. With this win, Boston now has 10 walk-off victories — an absurd amount — this season. The team’s good fortune won’t last forever, but it’ll probably help carry it into October.

I’m bullish on Agustin Ramirez’s long-term outlook, but the last month and a half haven’t been easy on the catcher. That’s to be expected, though. Ramirez is a rookie and he’s carrying the load of being a full-time catcher in Year 1.

Despite his scuffling, Ramirez still boasts an OPS of .718. He went 0-for-4 last night.