Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have been found to be in positions of conflict of interest for their roles as commentator and the positions they hold in Indian cricket. That is the ruling of the BCCI's ethics officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain, who has given them two weeks to choose between the two roles.

Justice Jain was reviewing complaints filed by members of the public against Ganguly and Laxman. Another complaint, against Sachin Tendulkar, alleged a conflict between his roles as mentor of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and as a member of the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee. However, during the hearing of the case, Tendulkar submitted that he had decided not to be part of any BCCI committee, and had informed the board about it. Following this disclosure, Justice Jain ruled there was no issue of conflict and no need to investigate further.

In the case of Ganguly and Laxman, having heard both the complainants as well as the former players in person, and upon studying the BCCI's constitution, Justice Jain concluded that the two men could hold only one post at any given point of time. "That is the spirit of the constitution, the concept of one man one post," Justice Jain told ESPNcricinfo. "And they are holding more than one post… therefore there is a conflict of interest as defined under the constitution."

"That is the spirit of the constitution, the concept of one man one post. And they are holding more than one post… therefore there is a conflict of interest as defined under the constitution." JUSTICE JAIN

Ganguly and Laxman were deemed to have breached Rule 38 (4) of the BCCI constitution, which states that a person cannot hold two positions at the same point out of 16 listed. The clause says: "It is clarified that no individual is allowed to occupy more than one of the following posts at a single point of time except where prescribed under these rules."

The 16 positions are: Player (current), selector/member of cricket committee, team official, commentator, match official, administrator/office bearer, electoral officer, ombudsman & ethics officer, auditor, any person who is governance, management or employee of a franchisee, member of a standing committee, CEO & managers, office Bearer of a Member (state association), service provider (legal, financial etc.), contractual entity (broadcast, security, contractor etc.) and owner of cricket academy.

Ganguly is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, advisor at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and also a TV commentator. Laxman is a mentor at Sunrisers Hyderabad and a TV commentator.

"I have only interpreted provisions of the rule which were framed pursuant to adoption of the constitution after the Lodha Commission's recommendations (were accepted by the court)," Justice Jain said.

He said that both Ganguly and Laxman can challenge the order and take it up with the BCCI. It is understood that the BCCI's legal team is studying the order.

If either or both Ganguly and Laxman carry on performing both roles, Justice Jain said it was for the BCCI to take a call on the path forward. "It is the job of the BCCI to first interpret and then enforce constitution and the rules. They are also bound. They are also the creature of the constitution," he said.

Big picture

Remember Bristol, May 28? Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? In their final warm-up game before the World Cup, West Indies gave everyone a taste of what they could be at their best. A fast start, courtesy Chris Gayle. A hold-the-innings-together hundred from Shai Hope. Big hitting from almost everyone else, all the way down to No. 10, with Andre Russell in particularly unforgiving mood. A total well north of 400. Pace and bounce from a five-man seam attack, and eventually a 91-run win.

All this against one of the more fancied sides going into the World Cup, New Zealand.

Three weeks on, West Indies have one win from five matches in the tournament proper, and are falling behind in the race - if it can still be called that - for semi-final spots. Much like Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, Russell hasn't managed to make the switch from bossing a T20 league to doing likewise in a 50-overs tournament, with further complications thrown in by a pair of utterly wonky knees. His World Cup has been a microcosm of his team's tournament; too much hitting, too little batting, slow on the field, and no real Plan B beyond the short ball.

ALSO READ: 'Once you realise you'll survive without the game, you'll enjoy it for what it is' - Jimmy Neesham interview

If West Indies are to make any kind of push - even a heroic failed one - they'll need to show there's more to their game. Their last two round-robin fixtures are against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, but they could be out of top-four contention before that if they don't find a way past New Zealand and India.

New Zealand? They're still unbeaten, and they've come through a couple of cliffhangers to stay that way. They are more than likely to make the semi-finals, but they know they can't relax against West Indies - who remain a dangerous team for all their flaws - especially given that they are yet to meet two of their fellow top-four favourites, Australia and England.

Form guide

New Zealand WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

In the spotlight

He made an unbeaten half-century in New Zealand's tournament-opener against Sri Lanka, and got off to a couple of starts thereafter, but Martin Guptill hasn't really lit up this World Cup. West Indies, however, will want to get rid of him as soon as possible. While they've undergone plenty of personnel changes since 2015, Gayle, Russell and their captain Jason Holder will remember all too well Guptill's 237 against them in the quarter-final in Wellington.

ALSO READ: We have to win this World Cup with the bat - Andre Russell interview

Evin Lewis hasn't featured in all of West Indies' matches, but after a quiet start he found some form with a 67-ball 70 against Bangladesh. West Indies' lower-order hitters become more dangerous the less time they're required to bat, and if Lewis clicks alongside either Gayle or Hope, he could set them up to do what they do best.

Team news

New Zealand seem unlikely to make any changes, unless they replace the out-of-sorts Colin Munro with Henry Nicholls at the top of the order.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

ALSO READ: Colin de Grandhomme to the fore as New Zealand's 'X-factor player'

West Indies could bring back the offspinner Ashley Nurse if the pitch looks a little dry, given the number of left-handers in New Zealand's top seven. With Andre Russell unlikely to play, according to captain Holder, Nurse could slot in at No. 8.

West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Shannon Gabriel/Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

The two matches so far at Old Trafford have produced first-innings totals of 336 and 397, so plenty of runs can be expected once more. Cloudy skies are forecast for Saturday - though rain isn't expected - and there might, as a result, be some new-ball swing, particularly for Trent Boult and Matt Henry.

Strategy punt

• What should West Indies do if they win the toss? New Zealand have batted second in all of their matches at the World Cup so far, and their biggest target has been 245, against Bangladesh. They've shown a bit of vulnerability in a couple of these small chases, so West Indies have two options: back themselves to post a big total on what has been a flat pitch so far, and put New Zealand under scoreboard pressure; or bowl first and expose New Zealand to a challenge they haven't faced in a while.

• Since scoring an unbeaten 58 against Sri Lanka, Colin Munro has made 24, 22 and 9, and has twice fallen to the short ball, against Afghanistan and South Africa. Given West Indies' propensity to bowl fast and short, New Zealand could replace Munro with Henry Nicholls, a strong back-foot player who has been in excellent form, across formats, in the months leading up to the World Cup.

• West Indies' fast bowlers have pitched 52% of their deliveries at this World Cup either "short" or "short of good length", according to ESPNcricinfo's data. That's significantly higher than the overall figure (before the England-Sri Lanka match) of 43% for all fast bowlers at the tournament. Given the dimensions of Old Trafford, with long straight boundaries and short square ones, West Indies might need to find a Plan B.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won four of their seven World Cup matches against West Indies, including the three most recent meetings.

• Trent Boult has an exceptional ODI record against West Indies: 17 wickets in seven matches at an average of 15.58, with a best of 7 for 34.

• Tom Latham averages 33.00 in ODIs, but that figure drops to 27.00 when he keeps wicket.

GMT 1520 The preview was updated to include news of Andre Russell's fitness.

The entire board of Zimbabwe Cricket has been suspended with immediate effect by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), a government parastatal and the governing organisation of all registered sporting associations in the country. ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni has also been suspended from his position.

David Ellman-Brown, Ahmed Ibrahim, Charlie Robertson, Cyprian Mandenge, Robertson Chinyengetere, Sekesai Nhokwara and Duncan Frost have been announced as an interim committee to run cricket in the country.

The SRC's move came a week after it issued a directive that ZC's elective annual general meeting be suspended, alleging complaints about the nomination process and the violation of ZC's constitution, as well as "various other controversies". ZC ignored the directive, and Tavengwa Mukuhlani was re-elected for another four-year term following the meeting, leading the SRC to invoke its powers under the terms of the SRC Act.

More to follow…

If you're worried about Rashid Khan in the aftermath of the shellacking he got at the hands of England, don't be, says the Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib.

Rashid was the chief victim of Eoin Morgan's brutal, six-laden 148 on Tuesday, copping figures of 110 for no wickets from nine overs. Through the course of that innings, he conceded three fours and a whopping 11 sixes. One of the best performers on the franchise T20 circuit, though, Rashid will not let those figures torment him, said Naib. Against India, he will also be bowling to batsmen he is familiar with, having played three seasons of the IPL.

"It happens to every player - you face this kind of bad day," Naib said of Rashid's performance on Tuesday. "Rashid is not an easy bowler to face. Even we can't play him in the nets even though we know him, so he's very difficult. The credit goes to the England side who played really well, but I think Rashid is now one of the strongest players mentally, so he learns everything very quickly, and also learns from mistakes.

ALSO READ: The pall over Rashid Khan's World Cup

"I saw him today and he's totally different. This is a good sign for me and the team. He's not thinking about what happened. He's just focusing on the present and future, which is the good thing about Rashid."

Although Rashid is the most high-profile example, he is not the only Afghanistan player having a poor World Cup. The team, in general, has performed worse than expected, and though never tipped to be one of the semi-finalists, they have now suffered three big defeats in succession.

In an interview with Mid-Day, Rashid put the team's performance down partly to inexperience.

"I don't think we prepared that well for a tournament like this," he said. "We should have won at least one or two games; we had the opportunity to do so, but we lacked experience. Hopefully, we will get that with time. All teams have come here with big preparations. We will utilise this experience when we play these teams again.

"For example, it was our first ODI against South Africa, we played New Zealand after four years. If we play against teams after four years, we will lack understanding. We have played against Pakistan before in the Asia Cup, so we had a fair idea. In the World Cup warm-up match, we won against them. So, the more you play against them, the better."

Rashid would not be drawn directly on the other controversies surrounding Afghanistan at present - particularly regarding the alleged board interference with the way the team is run. He had, however, been publicly critical of the decision to remove Asghar Afghan from the captaincy less than two months before the start of the World Cup.

"When the captain was changed, yes we made our anger public. I did not do that to support our previous captain or anybody else. I did it for Afghanistan cricket. If someone is trying to spoil my Afghanistan cricket, then it does not matter who it is," he said. "Cricket is the only thing that brings a smile on people's faces. I wanted to say that it was not the right time to take such a big decision - just before the World Cup.

"When I am on the field, I don't think I play for my captain or for my cricket board. I play only for Afghanistan. No one is important than my country."

Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith hasn't abandoned hope of playing football again after suffering a devastating leg injury in November -- even though he will have an external fixator on his right leg for at least another month.

In his first public comments since the injury, Smith told Fox 5 DC's Angie Goff that he still wants to play. Smith suffered a compound fracture in his right leg during a Nov. 18 loss to the Houston Texans. He endured multiple surgeries because of an infection, and amputation became an option at one point, sources have said.

But now Smith feels good enough to at least consider returning, even if multiple hurdles remain and the team views the possibility as a long shot.

"That's the plan," he told Goff on her Oh My Goff podcast, which was published Friday. "There are steps I've got to conquer before I get there. ... Learning to run again. That's a big one. I'm already throwing. Throwing isn't a problem, but dropping [back], moving around, change of direction."

Smith, 35, said he must wear the external fixator for at least another four to six weeks, which would put the total time in the contraption at around 7½ months. Smith remains realistic about his future.

"The steps I'm at now are lifestyle steps," he said. "I'm still working on playing basketball with my kids and running around after my daughter. Those are things I have to conquer anyway until I get to the point where I'm walking on the field. I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited about that challenge. The stronger I get every week, the more I do, the more hopeful I am that that's a real possibility."

The Redskins selected Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the draft, pegging him as their quarterback of the future. They did so knowing the long road Smith faced and that, even if he does return, he might not be the same quarterback he was before the injury. Smith's running ability was a big part of his game.

Washington also has Colt McCoy and Case Keenum under contract for this season, but neither is signed beyond 2019.

Smith signed a four-year contract worth up to $94 million, with $71 million guaranteed, in 2018. The Redskins never planned to cut him this offseason, uncertain about his playing future and also knowing they would take an approximate cap hit of $40 million, accounting for a $12 million insurance policy. They could cut him after this season but would still incur a hit of $20 million, once again getting some relief with insurance.

Smith told Goff he had played golf earlier that morning and then went through physical therapy. He called it his most active day since the injury. They later played a game of dodgeball, with Smith stationary, in a local mall.

He called the past three months "life-changing" because he could start driving again and was off crutches.

"The first four months were really, really hard," he said. "Just to be in a wheelchair as long as I was. When you have independence and lose it ... that was the hardest part."

He credited the effect the external fixator has had on his recovery.

"This thing is gonna save my leg, save my bone, allow me to heal and walk again and hopefully play football again," Smith said.

Smith told Goff that "every week or two weeks" he is doing something in physical therapy that he didn't think he could. It could be a physical or mental hurdle.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say mental obstacles, there are things with my leg I don't trust yet," Smith said. "I feel I'm quite a bit further along than I think."

That progress, and a desire to focus more on what he must do each day, has helped him stay positive.

"It's crazy looking and it sucks what happened, but at the same time, people out there have it way worse," he said. "Life happens, and for me, I feel like this is a time for me being tested and having a challenge in front of me, and how can I handle it?"

NEW ORLEANS -- A historic week for the New Orleans Pelicans came to a peak Thursday evening when general manager David Griffin and the front office chose Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

"We had a rather eventful evening," said Griffin, the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, as he plopped down at a dais set up in the Pelicans' media room.

It had, after all, been a long day.

An hour earlier, Griffin had been seated around a table with coach Alvin Gentry, scouts and other members of the Pelicans' front office in their temporary "war room" phoning into New York City. The room erupted into cheers and high-fives when the Williamson pick was finally made.

"We are [beginning to] crescendo now," Griffin said. "I think it is only going to continue to grow."

Selecting Williamson first was a predictable move, but a win that the smarting Pelicans desperately needed.

It has been a turbulent few months for the franchise. Anthony Davis, their best player, publicly requested a trade in February. The move sent the team into a tailspin. Days after then-general manager Dell Demps failed to send off Davis by the February trade deadline, he was fired. The Pelicans then stumbled to an awkward end of the season.

New blood came along. A new head of basketball operations took the helm, and the Pelicans won the lottery for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Griffin agreed to trade Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram and four draft picks.

Of course, Griffin could not address any of those moves because the trade cannot become official until July 6, and talking about dealing Davis to L.A. would violate NBA rules. But suddenly, the attention that New Orleans was getting shifted from pity and concern to awe: Another once-in-a-generation star was on the way to the Big Easy.

"Winning that moment was a watershed moment for us as a franchise," Griffin said of the lottery.

All week, the city had been abuzz. Candles with Williamson depicted as a saint began popping up around the French Quarter. The maitre d' at Commander's Palace -- a famed culinary destination here -- proudly told diners they had missed Williamson by only a couple of days. And on Thursday, thousands of fans, dressed in Pelicans red, packed Manning's sports bar ready to shoot streamers into the sky.

New Orleans' draft night became even more lucrative when Griffin agreed to flip the No. 4 pick the team acquired from the Lakers for the Atlanta Hawks' No. 8, No. 17 and No. 35 picks. In the package for the No. 4 slot, the Pelicans also agreed to send Solomon Hill to the Hawks, which created more salary-cap space for New Orleans. According to estimates by ESPN front-office expert Bobby Marks, Griffin now has $31 million to spend on free agents.

Minutes after news of the trade circulated on Twitter, "David Griffin" began trending in New Orleans. Still, the biggest move of the night was choosing Williamson.

"One of the very first things I said to our staff in our first meeting was, 'Someone make the case to me for Zion Williamson,'" Griffin said. "They thought I was kidding. I said, No, seriously, talk me into Williamson, and it took a while for anyone to formulate words. It is hard for people to express it."

Even though it was far from a surprise selection, Williamson teared up in the interview immediately after his name was called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

"Oh, you can hear people say things like, 'Oh, that it was likely I was going to go No. 1,' but I guess you don't know until you actually go through it," Williamson told reporters in New York. "Hearing my name called, and I was able to make it on stage without a tear, shake the commissioner's hand, but in the interview with my mom standing beside me, and my emotions just took over."

Ten miles from the Pelicans' headquarters, thousands of fans dressed in red braved the sweltering 91-degree heat to cheer on their team at a watch party.

Williamson, who has drawn comparisons to a young LeBron James, might not transform the franchise overnight. After all, he is only 18 years old.

"This is Jrue Holiday's team," Griffin said. "Zion is going to be learning how to win at a really high level. At some point, if there is a time that the baton gets passed in terms of who is expected to carry us to win games, it will. That is not now."

Griffin continued: "Let Zion be that kid. Don't write this like he is here to save this franchise. He is not. He is here to join this family."

But Williamson's promise alone has caused season-ticket holders who were threatening to walk away to instead renew their seats after the team earned the rights to draft him. It made Gentry stand up from his lottery-night seat and yell, "F--- yeah!" (Since the video of the coach hollering went viral, Gentry has been gifted a shirt with the expletive written on it.)

Williamson's message to the city was simple: "Let's dance!"

With that, New Orleans fans at the watch party cheered and opened their arms as if to begin to rumba with their new potential franchise player.

Nando De Colo -- one of the EuroLeague's top guards -- is planning a return to the NBA and could command an ample free-agent market.

"I have asked my agents to explore NBA opportunities over the coming weeks," De Colo, 32, told ESPN. "I am excited for the next challenge in my career."

The 6-foot-5 De Colo finished a successful five-year run with CSKA Moscow this season, averaging 14.7 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting nearly 45% on 3-pointers. CSKA won the EuroLeague championship for the second time in his tenure, and De Colo was a three-time first-team All-EuroLeague player and a second-team choice twice.

He left the NBA for CSKA after the 2013-14 season with the Toronto Raptors, who still hold his rights. Toronto has the option to extend a qualifying offer to De Colo, which would give the NBA champions the opportunity to match a restricted free-agent offer sheet from another team.

De Colo played nearly two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs before a trade deadline deal to Toronto in 2014, where he finished out the season. De Colo was the No. 53 overall pick by the Spurs in 2009.

Rick Pitino has turned down an offer to return as president and coach of Panathinaikos, the franchise he led to a Greek League championship this season, Pitino told ESPN on Friday.

The Naismith Hall of Fame coach said he wants to return to the full-time pursuit of a job in the NBA -- as a coach or in a player personnel or advisory role.

Pitino led Panathinaikos to a Greek Cup title, completing a 15-0 season. The team was 7-0 when he arrived. Pitino also led the team into postseason play in the EuroLeague playoffs.

Pitino, 66, won NCAA titles at Kentucky and Louisville, reached seven Final Fours and claimed conference titles in the Big East, SEC and ACC. His career has also been marred by scandals that led to his demise at Louisville, where a national title and two Final Four appearances were vacated. He was fired in 2018.

Pitino was dismissed at Louisville in the aftermath of an FBI investigation into college basketball recruiting. Testimony and recordings of government-taped calls suggested that Pitino was unaware of the payments made to a former Louisville recruit's family.

The FBI inquiry was the last in a series of scandals at Louisville -- including an NCAA investigation into strippers and prostitutes used during recruiting visits to the school.

In the NBA, Pitino resigned from the Boston Celtics in January 2001, during his fourth season, with a 102-146 overall record. He was considered to have been overwhelmed with dual roles after signing pro sports' biggest coaching/executive deal to date (10 years, $70 million). He resigned with nearly $30 million left on the deal.

"I'm not looking for any of that [control] at this stage of my life," Pitino told ESPN in December. "I want to develop teams and develop players and build a winner. I value analytics. I want to fit into an organization. At this stage, that's all I'm interested in."

Pitino had a shorter but more successful run as coach of the New York Knicks in the late 1980s, winning an Atlantic Division title and reaching the playoffs twice (1988, 1989) before leaving for Kentucky. Under Pitino, the Knicks won 52 regular-season games and reached the conference semifinals in his final season.

NEW YORK -- The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions. Anthony Davis has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. And Zion Williamson has officially been drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans. With the 2019 NBA draft behind us, a long-awaited free agency is almost here.

What are the biggest things to watch over the next few weeks? How did draft night change the landscape?

Here are eight questions and storylines to monitor closely, including Kawhi Leonard's destination, the Boston Celtics' next moves, the Lakers' roster questions and more.

More: Pick-by-pick analysis | Trade tracker

1. The King of the North is now The Kingmaker

The NBA Finals showed Kawhi Leonard is not only one of the most dominant forces in the NBA, he's quite arguably the best player in the sport. In the wake of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson going down with injuries that will sideline them for most or all of next season, Leonard becomes the best player available on the market. He has the power to determine the direction of the league next season and beyond.

If Leonard remains with the defending champion Raptors, they will not only be one of the favorites to emerge from the East, they will have a legitimate shot at back-to-back titles. But if Leonard goes to the other favorite to secure his services, the LA Clippers, they could suddenly become favorites to win the West.

There isn't another player on the market with that kind of power, giving the 2019 Finals MVP the opportunity to shape the league's future.

2. How are the Lakers going to fill out their roster?

Outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and 2019 second-round pick Talen Horton-Tucker, the Lakers have only four players on the books in Kyle Kuzma, Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones -- and all but Kuzma could wind up on the move between now and July 6, when the NBA's moratorium on transactions comes to an end.

Depending on when the Lakers time their trade with the Pelicans for Davis, they'll have two options: spend a large chunk of money on one big piece, or split it up among several rotation players. Either way, Los Angeles will have an extremely thin roster around its two star forwards.

When James united with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami in 2010, the Heat had Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and a roster full of castoffs. At this point, it's hard to see the Lakers even being that deep -- and James is about to turn 35.

If anyone is capable of making it work, it's LeBron. Still, that's an awfully big burden to put on James and Davis. The West is wide open, but the Golden State Warriors had more star power atop their roster and greater depth than these Lakers will have. That still wasn't enough. It's going to take a lot of creativity from L.A.'s front office to pull this off.

3. What do the Knicks do now?

The Knicks came into the offseason hoping to wind up with some combination of Zion Williamson, Davis and Durant. Now the Knicks are facing the very real prospect of winding up with none of those players.

Williamson officially landed with the Pelicans on Thursday, Davis was traded last week, and Durant -- even if he does go to New York -- probably won't play next season because of a ruptured Achilles.

All of that leaves the Knicks in a precarious position heading into free agency. They are still expected to pursue Durant and other top free agents, but New York has maintained it isn't going to be chasing lesser players just for the sake of using its cap space. That could leave the team's long-suffering fan base stuck with the possibility of competing for the league's worst record yet again.

If growing pains are a product of RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox getting up shots and Mitchell Robinson growing on defense all while Durant recovers from his injury, that's one thing. If it is happening with no prime-time players waiting in the wings, that's very different.

4. What about the Clippers and Nets?

Both teams made surprise runs to the playoffs last season with hard-working, hungry rosters all while setting up the summer with multiple max salary slots in free agency. Now the question is: What will each team do with all that space?

The Clippers have been chasing Leonard all season, hoping to lure the Southern California native back home as the centerpiece of what they hope is a championship roster. But after Toronto's title, L.A. is no sure thing. The Nets have been heavily linked to Kyrie Irving in recent weeks, and the Boston Celtics have been expecting Irving to leave for some time now.

This is a high-stakes game for both franchises. With space and a loaded free-agent class, this is the time to strike. So how would they adjust if they strike out?

Just ask the Washington Wizards how quickly things can turn. In 2016, the Wizards thought they were going to wind up with Al Horford. But when Horford landed in Boston, Washington ended up committing to Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith.

Oops.

5. Pelicans open the Zion era with a continued roster overhaul

Pelicans VP David Griffin turned the Lakers' No. 4 selection into a suite of picks including Nos. 8, 17 and 35 in this year's draft, plus a 2020 first-rounder from the Cavaliers that will convert to two second-rounders if it remains in the top 10 next year. Add that to the haul of future picks the Pelicans received in the trade with the Lakers and they suddenly find themselves with as much draft ammo as any team in the league.

New Orleans used its 2019 picks to take Texas center Jaxson Hayes, Virginia Tech's Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Marcos Louzada Silva of Brazil. Now the Pelicans not only have Williamson to build around, they have a bevy of long athletes who can fly up and down the court -- the preferred style of play for head coach Alvin Gentry.

Add in the fact that the Pelicans have over $30 million in salary-cap space and they could both chase a playoff spot in 2020 and have the ability to improve through the draft for years to come.

Will they be real players in free agency?

6. A wild night for the Phoenix Suns

It was a crazy ride for the Suns on draft night -- one that began with the choice to trade down from No. 6 to No. 11, acquiring forward Dario Saric from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the process.

At that point, Phoenix stunned everyone by taking North Carolina forward Cameron Johnson -- a wing who ESPN's Jonathan Givony projected to be taken at No. 30 and multiple teams thought would be a second-round selection. Instead, Johnson was selected in the lottery and the Suns passed up the chance to take point guard Coby White at No. 6.

Then, 13 picks later, the Suns got their point guard of the future by trading a 2020 Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick to the Celtics for the No. 24 pick, which they used to draft Virginia guard Ty Jerome. Coupled with a trade earlier in the night that sent forward T.J. Warren and the No. 32 pick to the Indiana Pacers, Phoenix dramatically altered its team and still could have over $20 million in cap space this summer to pursue a high-priced free agent.

If Thursday night was any indication, expect more fireworks from the desert.

7. Interesting moves by the Pacers

The Pacers are a professional, reliable franchise typically run with sound reasoning and discipline. That's why their moves on Thursday caused several raised eyebrows around the league.

The first was the Warren trade. While shrewd from a cap standpoint -- especially considering Indiana received pick No. 32 simply for absorbing a player proven to be a reliable NBA scorer -- some wondered if it foreshadowed Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young heading elsewhere in free agency.

Similar speculation followed Indiana's first-round selection of Georgian center Goga Bitadze. There is already a healthy debate around the league as to whether the Pacers' current young big men, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, can play together. Similar debate will follow regarding Bitadze's fit, leaving open the possibility of a trade down the road to remake Indiana's roster.

Indiana has money to spend and is expected to target Ricky Rubio in free agency to play alongside Victor Oladipo in its backcourt. But the Pacers clearly have more work to do before their offseason is through.

8. Celtics fail to swing a big deal

Coming into Thursday night, the Celtics were expected to make some noise with their three first-round picks. But reality wound up being much different.

Boston did make a pair of deals, though both were of the minor variety, moving back four spots in the draft in one trade and securing a future first-rounder in another. As a result, the Nos. 14, 20 and 22 picks in Thursday's draft eventually turned into Indiana swingman Romeo Langford, Tennessee big man Grant Williams, Purdue point guard Carsen Edwards, LSU guard Tremont Waters and the Bucks' 2020 protected first-round pick.

Those three additions, plus the likely departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, leave the Celtics with a team featuring 10 players who are 25 or under at the moment -- along with close to $25.8 million in room, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, to try to add another impact player to the roster.

This time a year ago, Boston was expected to enter this night with a high lottery pick (courtesy of the Sacramento Kings) and the possibility of adding Anthony Davis via trade. Instead, the Celtics wound up with a few middling selections and potential cap space.

When Boston was coming off its Eastern Conference finals appearance a year ago, things were supposed to be far, far different than this.

CHICAGO -- It hasn't exactly been an everyday or even every year occurrence for the Chicago Cubs under Theo Epstein and his front office: A homegrown pitcher making his way to the big leagues with the stuff to stick around. All that might have changed on Thursday, when 24-year-old Venezuelan righty Adbert Alzolay made a stunning debut in the Cubs 7-4 win over the New York Mets.

Alzolay pitched four-plus innings in relief, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced -- including 11 in a row -- until a ninth-inning home run and a walk chased him from the game. He dazzled, striking out five with a solid arsenal, led by his changeup, his third-best pitch.

"He has the potential, for years to come, to be that guy," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "The stuff is really good. Good delivery, strike thrower. He has the kind of ability that he can transform a group."

Once he settled in, Alzolay began to shine. A one-out walk to the second batter he faced got him focused, as he struck out four in a row soon after. He is the first Cubs pitcher in the expansion era to accomplish that feat while making his debut. Alzolay sailed through innings five through eight, before tiring in the ninth.

"After the walk [in the fifth], man on first, Robinson Cano stepping into the batter's box and I was like, 'You have to work now,'" a smiling Alzolay said after the game. "I was feeling normal. Then when I look at the first hitter I was like, 'Oh my God, everything is coming through right now. My dream that I always had as a kid is coming through.'"

The Cubs have traded some of their prospects over the past few years in order to keep their window of winning open for as long as possible, but their inability to develop pitching in-house isn't something they've shied away from. Until Thursday, they had failed at that task.

"If you're running the organization, it's a big deal," Maddon said before the game. "When you have them right out of the womb, there's a lot of investment in that. There's always a sense of pride in developing.

"The fact that we've had a hard time developing pitchers at the big league level, it's good to get your feet on the ground with that, and then try to recreate the template as you move it along. I think everyone takes a strong pride in watching his development."

In other words, the Cubs are hoping Alzolay is the first of many arms that finally make it through their system under Epstein and Maddon's regime. Alzolay's next task will be to start a game -- something that could take place in five days, as Kyle Hendricks spends time on the injured list with a sore shoulder.

For now, the affable Alzolay will simply enjoy the moment. He said his mom and dad were watching the game back in Venezuela and then were crying with him on the phone afterward. The Wrigley Field crowd also was watching with great interest and showed him love with a standing ovation as he came out of the game in the ninth. He acknowledged the fans accordingly.

"Everyone was standing up, going crazy, so I just tipped my hat," Alzolay said, still smiling. "The best thing to happen to me right now. Just amazing. All the people were cheering my name. Did my job, did my part. We won the game. Just amazing."

It's unclear what the protocol is for a rookie as he walks off the mound, but Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo summed it up well. You only get one chance at a first impression. Alzolay made a good one.

"That's funny," Rizzo said of Alzolay's cap wave. "You enjoy the moment. You only get one big league debut.

"It was an exciting day."