Gloucestershire 275 for 6 (Dent 125, Smith 84) lead Leicestershire 252 by 23 runs

Chris Dent and Tom Smith staged an unlikely third-wicket stand of 195 in 66.1 overs as Gloucestershire forged a potentially decisive first-innings lead on day two of the Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at Cheltenham.

Skipper Dent posted a superb 125 and Smith raised a career-best 84 on a day when bat dominated ball for long periods, the hosts reaching the close handily placed on 275 for 6 in reply to Leicestershire's 252.

If Gloucestershire's intention was to bat only once on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate over the course of the next two days, they were made to re-evaluate their plans when Chris Wright took three wickets in as many overs with the second new ball to redress the balance. The hosts are 23 runs ahead with four first-innings wickets in hand and bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire will feel they are still in with a chance against opponents who have lost back-to-back matches and must bat last.

Only playing because of an injury to teenage all-rounder Ben Charlesworth, spin bowler Smith was enjoying his first Championship outing since September 2017. And how he made up for lost time, registering his highest red-ball total after being promoted up the order to help take the shine off the ball and protect Gloucestershire's middle-order stroke-makers.

Arriving in the middle with the score on 46 for 2 - Miles Hammond and Gareth Roderick having succumbed to Mohammad Abbas and a Neil Dexter run out respectively - Smith adopted a low-risk strategy to frustrate Leicestershire's bowlers.

Having scraped just seven runs in his first hour at the crease, the former Middlesex and Sussex man eventually attained only his third first-class 50 from 155 balls. Accelerating after tea, he eclipsed his previous highest score of 80, made against Surrey at Bristol six years earlier, entertaining Festival-goers with nine boundaries and visibly growing in confidence the longer he remained at large.

Dent in particular has proved a thorn in Leicestershire flesh this summer, compiling a substantial innings of 176 in the drawn match at Grace Road last month. Initially subjected to a stern new-ball examination at the hand of Pakistan Test paceman Abbas, the Bristolian lived a charmed existence before moving up through the gears to register a patient 50 from 95 balls shortly before lunch.

Taking charge of an inreasingly progressive third-wicket partnership in the afternoon, Dent raised his third hundred of the summer via 202 balls with his 14th four, despatched just backward of square leg at the expense of Callum Parkinson and eliciting a standing ovation from an appreciative Festival audience.

By the time he departed midway through the final session, caught at the wicket off the bowling of Wright, Gloucestershire's captain had faced 231 balls, harvested 16 fours and held sway for a little over five hours.

Having worked so hard to build a platform, Gloucestershire were no doubt disappointed by what followed, Smith losing his off stump to a Wright in-swinger and Graeme van Buuren falling to the same bowler, held by Colin Ackerman at second slip later in the same over.

Ryan Higgins was then bowled by Will Davis for 14 shortly before stumps, at which point Gloucestershire had lost four wickets for the addition of 32 runs, leaving the seventh-wicket pair of Jack Taylor and Benny Howell to negotiate the final three overs.

Smith said: "It was a bit of a new role for me, one we only discussed after Ben Charlesworth went down with injury. I'd opened the batting for the second eleven a few times, but not played against this quality of bowling. My initial intention was to bat time and help screen the guys who were coming in after me. Batting became easier the longer I was out there and it was nice to score a 50. It's been quite a long time coming."

Robbie Gould says he's happy to put negotiations with the 49ers behind him after a "weird offseason," and that although Chicago will always be home for him, he's excited to return to San Francisco to play football for at least the next two seasons.

The veteran kicker, appearing on The Adam Schefter Podcast, discussed his new contract with the 49ers that was agreed upon before Monday's 4 p.m. deadline to sign franchised players to long-term deals. He said the 49ers "made a really aggressive push" to get a deal done.

"Who knows what would have happened if something didn't get done, but the 49ers stepped up big-time to get this done. And they stepped outside the box and had an open mind and we were able to get something done today, which is kind of nice," he said.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but league sources told Schefter it's a two-year, $10.5 million fully guaranteed contract that, including an option clause, could turn into a four-year, $19 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.

During the negotiations, Gould had expressed a desire to be closer to his family in Chicago. His agent had requested a trade in April and the Chicago Bears made for a logical suitor based on their unsettled kicking situation.

"It's a tough situation for sure, you know Chicago's home for me. I have a permanent house here in Chicago, it will always be home. I love the (Chicago Bears) organization. I played here for 11 years, I'm the all-time leading scorer. It's just been kind of a weird offseason," he said.

Gould called the free-agency process "a roller-coaster of emotions" after being franchised and then thinking the 49ers might be signing another kicker when they negotiated with Stephen Gostkowski, who later re-signed with the New England Patriots.

"The big thing for me is that I wanted to be close to my family, and in the beginning in the entire conversation with the 49ers they knew it would have to take at least two years to fully guaranteed in a contract to get me to come back and they were able to make that happen," he said.

He said that because the contract was agreed to with training camp looming, his family will remain in Chicago this season as his oldest son will be beginning kindergarten. He will return during the bye week and he said his wife will make a trip to San Francisco during the season. He said his family will join him in San Francisco for the 2020 season.

"For me, Chicago is going to be where I'm going to live, even after football," he said.

Asked what he told the 49ers when the deal was done, he said, "I just said thanks.

"I know it's been a crazy 17 months. There's been a lot that's happened, there's been a lot that's been said and done on both ends but I'm glad it's done, I'm glad we can put this behind us and I'm excited to play football and go win a championship," he said.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Big 12 has a message for those thinking of making the "Horns Down" sign this season: Do it quickly and don't direct it toward opposing players.

Greg Burks, the Big 12 coordinator of football officials, said if a player quickly flashes the "Horns Down" after scoring a touchdown, he likely would not be called for a penalty. Prolonged displays of the signal, used for decades to mock the Texas Longhorns' "Hook 'Em Horns" sign, will be penalized, especially if directed toward an opposing player or at the opponent's bench.

"Like any play, there is a degree -- who it's directed at," Burks said Tuesday at Big 12 media days at AT&T Stadium. "If they do it in their bench area, we're not going to look at it. It would be like any other celebration foul, so it has to be like any other foul we have. Does it rise to the level we need to deal with that? It's a hot topic.

"I know people want us to be definitive on that, but it's like any touchdown celebration. Is it directed at an opponent or just celebration with your teammates?"

The controversy over "Horns Down" resurfaced last season when West Virginia receiver David Sills V was penalized for making the sign after a first-quarter touchdown during the Mountaineers' win at Texas.

Dana Holgorsen, WVU's coach at the time, said he had asked the officiating crew before the game how the signal would be penalized and was told it would be if done in an intimidating fashion.

"I lit into David. 'I told you doing that s---, you're hurting the team,'" Holgorsen told ESPN this summer. "He goes, 'Coach, I barely did it.' So I went to the refs and I said, 'Who did he intimidate?' They go, 'He intimidated the crowd.' He intimidated the crowd, is what they said."

WVU quarterback Will Grier also was penalized for making the signal while celebrating the game-winning two-point conversation in the closing seconds.

Burks said Tuesday that a display similar to Grier's would likely again be penalized.

"When we have discussed it, by rule, anything that's prolonged to bring attention to the individual rather than the team is a foul," Burks said. "My advice is if you want to do that, do it back in your bench area. Do it back with teammates. Get away from where you are an individual drawing attention to yourself."

I'm not really the long-range planning type, but I know some of you are, and I'm here for you. I am here to help.

You're not content simply to know what will happen in the NFL in 2019. You want to know what will happen the year after that, and the year after that. It is for you, Mr. and Mrs. Long-Range Planner, that we produce this particular column year after year.

And while it might seem like a joke, don't sleep on the three-year predictions column. Look back at last year's, and you'll find that quite a few of them have already come true and more than a few others still can. This is more than just your typical tongue-in-cheek bit of offseason content. This is seriously informed speculation, people, and it demands your attention.

With that, we present the 25 NFL predictions for the next three years:

Jump to an interesting player:
Cousins | Elliott | Manning
Bell | Murray | OBJ | Luck
McCaffrey | Rosen | J. Jones

1. Patrick Mahomes will be the first $40 million-a-year quarterback

I don't think Mahomes gets his deal next offseason when first eligible, because (a) why would he be in a hurry? and (b) why would the Chiefs be in a hurry when his fifth-year option season isn't until 2021? But with Russell Wilson already having pushed the bar up to $35 million a year this offseason, it's not a big leap to expect quarterback contract extensions to be tickling $40 million a year by the time Mahomes signs on the dotted line.

2. Kirk Cousins will sign a contract extension with the Vikings

I'm fairly bullish on Cousins and the Vikings this season. I think they'll win the NFC North and that fans will feel very differently about Cousins this time next year, when he'll have a year left on his three-year contract and could very well be interested in talking about an extension that would keep him and his family in Minnesota for years to come.

3. The Patriots will win at least one more Super Bowl

We'll keep hearing, over the next few months, that they're vulnerable without Rob Gronkowski, that no quarterback has ever kept playing well at Tom Brady's age, and so on. We've heard it all before. Bill Belichick remains the best puzzle-solver coach there is, having just figured out how to win a Super Bowl 13-3 at the tail end of the greatest offensive season in league history. New England's division remains soft. The Brady-Belichick machine has no complacency setting, and will remain determined to establish postseason records no one will ever knock down.

4. Ezekiel Elliott will hold out of training camp over his contract

I don't think it'll be this year, though I can't completely rule it out. But unless Elliott and the Cowboys come to agreement on a new deal this offseason or next -- which I don't think happens unless he cuts the team some kind of deal he doesn't seem inclined to cut -- it's not hard to imagine Elliott taking a Melvin Gordon-level stance next August.

He's the most important player on a Dallas team I predicted in last year's column would win one of the next three Super Bowls, but running backs are always fighting uphill in contact situations. It doesn't help that six of the 10 highest-paid backs in the league missed time last season due to injury.

5. Eli Manning will play for a different team

I believe the Giants will move on from Eli next offseason, but I don't think Manning wants 2019 to be his final NFL season. It's going to look super-weird to see him in a different uniform, but I have two guesses as to which one it will be. My favorite guess is the Saints, because he's from New Orleans, his dad played there and it'd be a cool story. But that prediction is tied way too much to other things, especially the completely unknown factor of how much longer Drew Brees wants to play. So my safer guess is the Titans, who could be moving on from Marcus Mariota if he doesn't deliver in 2019.

6. As for the Giants, at least three different QBs will start for them in the next three years

And this isn't a knock on poor Daniel Jones, who's getting way too much grief for the crime of being drafted sixth overall. It's more of a nod to what the Giants have had in Manning for the past 15 years. Since becoming the starter in 2004, Manning has answered the bell for literally every game except the bizarre 2017 one for which they asked him not to. It's far too much to expect the same kind of durability and reliability from his successor, no matter how well Jones plays.

7. Kyler Murray will lead the Cardinals to at least one division title

The NFC West is a nutty place. The Rams are on top, the Seahawks aren't ready to go away and the 49ers haven't made their anticipated arrival yet. Arizona looks like a clear No. 4, and I don't expect the Cardinals to contend in 2019.

But I do believe the marriage between Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury will be exciting and hard to stop -- especially once the Cardinals patch the holes on their offensive line.

8. There will not be an NFL work stoppage

I actually put at roughly 43 percent the chance that the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) gets negotiated and agreed to this offseason, which would be with two full seasons to go. Both sides seem motivated to get this done, especially the owners, who have traditionally dictated timetables on these sorts of things.

There will be stops, starts and moments of panic along the way, but I do believe there will not be a strike or a lockout when the current CBA ends in 2021, because a new one will be in place by then. One of the things I can't wait to find out is how long this one will be. Another 10-year deal seems unlikely, but no one saw that coming last time, either.

9. The next Los Angeles team to reach the Super Bowl will be the Chargers

How far off were they, really, last season? They had the same record as the Chiefs in the AFC West but were consigned to a wild-card berth on the postseason road because of the tiebreaker. On paper, this season's Chargers are absolutely in the conversation for best top-to-bottom roster in the league.

The Chiefs have major questions on defense, won't have Kareem Hunt and could be without Tyreek Hill for a couple of games. Philip Rivers is primed for the run he's been waiting for, and not a moment too soon.

10. Le'Veon Bell will change teams ... again

We nailed this one last year (though, to be fair, that was easy), and we're going to run it back out there. The marriage between Bell and the Jets isn't off to the smoothest start. His contract really guarantees him only two years anyway, and it makes him a lot easier to trade next offseason if 2019 doesn't go well.

11. Odell Beckham Jr. will lead the NFL in receiving yards and touchdown catches

Yes, I believe Beckham will thrive with Baker Mayfield and the Browns. I do not buy the notion that he was a problem in the locker room with the Giants. His teammates loved him. It was the coaches and administrators who had issues with Beckham.

And while that could certainly be the case in Cleveland, too, I think on-field success (assuming the Browns have it) would iron out a lot of the off-field temper issues Beckham had while doing all the losing he did in New York. Too much has been made this offseason of the aspects of Beckham that have nothing to do with his immense talent. We shouldn't forget how good this player is.

12. The Las Vegas Raiders will make at least one playoff appearance

I don't think the Raiders are ready to make that jump in this, their final season in Oakland. But I like the pieces they're putting together and believe they'll hit the desert ground running in 2020.

No idea, of course, how they'll be received in Vegas or what kind of fan base they'll develop there, but I am predicting that they will be a playoff team in one of their first two years there. Heck, the Las Vegas hockey team went to the Stanley Cup Final in its first season, right?

13. The Steelers will win more AFC North titles than the Browns

The Steelers feel a little bit to me like the Seahawks did last season. Far too many people want to write them off and forget that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. I'm not of the school of thought that losing Antonio Brown is addition by subtraction -- they'll have to make significant adjustments to replace him and it won't be easy.

But especially with the whole world jumping on the bandwagon of an AFC North team that hasn't won a division title since 1989, the Steelers feel like a quietly dangerous chip-on-their-shoulders type of squad that will be motivated to remind people whose division the AFC North actually is.

14. You will continue to hear talk about an 18-game season, but you may continue to ignore it

I honestly have no idea why this keeps coming up, but yeah, some owners still want to expand the season in spite of that being a horrendous idea on every level other than a naked-revenue-grab one. Talking to people close to this situation, I have come away with the belief that the players adamantly oppose the idea and would entertain it only if the owners came to them with significant financial concessions the likes of which have not been proposed to date.

I simply don't see a calculus in which the owners would make more money by expanding the season than they'd have to give up in order to convince the players to agree to it.

15. Andrew Luck will win an MVP award

As last season showed, the Colts are building something potentially special. A lot of teams that surprise the way the Colts did take a step back the following season before resuming their forward trajectories, and it's absolutely possible that happens to the Colts in 2019.

But if it doesn't, expect Luck to be in the MVP conversation as early as this season. And even if the Colts do have a down 2019, expect him to be in the MVP conversation in 2020 and/or 2021. Heck, it's not crazy to imagine Luck, whose contract runs through 2021, beating Mahomes to that $40 million-a-year mark if things break the right way.

16. Christian McCaffrey will lead the league in yards from scrimmage

With Todd Gurley dealing with some kind of mysterious knee injury, the landscape is open for a new workhorse monster who can pile up rushing and receiving yards. The Giants' Saquon Barkley and the Saints' Alvin Kamara are candidates, but the Panthers will continue to lean on McCaffrey -- especially while Cam Newton works his way back from shoulder surgery this year -- and McCaffrey wants the work.

17. The minimum 'spending floor' will go up in the next CBA

One thing the players will want to get out of the coming negotiations is a requirement that teams spend more money on players. Currently, there is no concrete "floor" teams have to reach each year, but there is a requirement that every team has to spend at least 89 percent of the salary cap in cash over a four-year period.

One proposal that has already been floated in the current negotiations is raising that 89 percent to 95 percent and shortening the window from four years to two. The owners might not go that far, but anything the NFL Players Association can do to require more spending would help create more favorable ground for players and agents to negotiate contracts. Speaking of which ...

18. We will start to see more fully guaranteed veteran contracts -- little by little

No, the new CBA will not require NFL contracts to be fully guaranteed, because CBAs really don't do that. The NBA and MLB CBAs don't mandate contract guarantees, nor does the NFL one prohibit them. Players in those other leagues get guaranteed deals because players and agents at some point in the past insisted on them and established them as the norm.

NFL players, outside of Cousins, have been reluctant to do this. Every time a player like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck comes up for a deal, agents around the league hope he'll push for a full guarantee, and he doesn't. But with star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Jared Goff (to name a few) due for deals in the coming years, it's a good bet someone will decide to exert the full extent of his leverage and help push the ceiling on this matter a little higher.

19. Josh Rosen will change teams again

It would be a cool story if Rosen played lights-out for the Dolphins and Miami decided he was its quarterback of the future. But even if he beats out Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job, I just don't see this season's Miami team being strong enough to put Rosen in the best position to succeed -- especially with him having to learn a new offensive system for like the 95th year in a row.

The Dolphins' financial commitment to Rosen is negligible -- Arizona has already paid the signing bonus on his rookie deal. If their record is as poor as many expect it to be, a quarterback like Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa is going to look like an enticing option in next year's draft.

20. The Packers won't win a division title in the next three years

Part of this is that I just think the Vikings (this season) and the Bears (this season and long term) look too strong, and I don't think the Lions are a team to be overlooked. But other than Davante Adams, the skill-position group around Aaron Rodgers hasn't proved much, and Rodgers hasn't shown a lot of patience lately when things haven't gone well around him. He's not a quarterback to underestimate; I just think Minnesota and Chicago are in better places right now.

21. The marijuana policy will change in the next CBA

This feels like an easy call, particularly with the league and the players' union forming a committee to study alternative pain-management techniques. The NFL's policy on marijuana is outdated and overly punitive. Don't be surprised to see the league adopt a policy similar to the NHL's -- still testing for marijuana but not punishing players for using it.

With the league trying to expand the help it's offering players in the area of mental health, the idea would be to use the testing as a diagnostic tool to identify players who might need some kind of off-field help they aren't getting.

22. Julio Jones will be the first $20 million-a-year wide receiver -- but not the last

The only players in the NFL averaging more than $20 million per year are quarterbacks, Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack. The highest-paid wide receiver? Odell Beckham Jr. at $18 million a year.

Jones has two years left on his contract, but the Falcons got him to camp last year by promising him they'd rework his deal. He is the best player in the group of four superstar wideouts -- himself, A.J. Green, Michael Thomas and Amari Cooper -- who are looking for new deals before the season starts, so let's pick him to set the bar. But don't be surprised if one of those other guys signs after he does and tops him. It looks like everyone in that group is waiting for someone to go first.

23. Carson Wentz and the Eagles will win at least one division title

The NFC East hasn't had a repeat champion since the Eagles did it in 2003-04, so as good as the Cowboys look on paper you can't pick them to win it again this season. It looks like a two-team race between them and the Eagles, so let's say Philly wins it. It would help, of course, if Wentz could stay healthy for 16 games, and I believe he will at some point.

Wentz is under a completely unique kind of pressure: How many quarterbacks have had to live up to the accomplishments of their backups? The Eagles believe he's up to it, and they have the people in place to help him thrive.

24. Nick Foles will win at least one division title with the Jaguars

Speaking of that former Eagles backup! In 15 of the past 16 seasons, at least one NFL team has won its division after finishing last the season before. The Jags are the betting favorites to do it in 2019, and with a still-elite defense leading the way, they really just need Foles to be responsible with the ball in order to jump back into contention.

Foles hasn't always been the model of health or consistency, either, so he's under pressure now that Jacksonville has tabbed him as its man. But the Jaguars look like a team that has a couple of potentially good years in it before the contract/cap problems start piling up.

25. The new replay rules will be a big, stupid mess and will create more big, stupid messes

This is a pet peeve. I get that everybody (but the Rams) was upset about a blown call helping the Rams beat the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. But is making pass interference calls reviewable really the answer we want? Forget the fact that replay reviews are terrible TV and take away from the flow and enjoyment of the game -- pass interference calls are judgment calls.

All you're doing by reviewing them is bringing in someone else's judgment. There absolutely will be more controversy arising from the new rules, and I fear the league will once again determine the answer is MORE REPLAY when in fact the NFL and all of sports would be far better off with LESS REPLAY or, even better, NO REPLAY because replay review is dumb, boring, unnecessary garbage that should go away forever and let us enjoy the games again.

Free agent forward Reggie Bullock has signed a two-year, $8.2 million deal with the New York Knicks, his agent David Bauman told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.

The second year of the deal is a team option, according to Wojnarowski.

Bullock and the Knicks reworked the deal after his medical issues forced the team to back out of its original two-year, $21 million agreement.

Later on Tuesday, the Knicks announced the signing of Bullock and Marcus Morris, who agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal earlier this week. The team did not disclose terms of either contract.

"With Reggie and Marcus we are adding two more versatile, hard-nosed and accomplished players to an already improved roster," Knicks general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. "We value both players' perimeter shooting ability and their strong presence on the court and in the locker room. We're excited to have them in New York and are confident they will excel playing for this team under Coach Fizdale."

The 28-year-old Bullock averaged 11.3 points in 63 games for the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers last season. He was acquired by the Lakers ahead of the trade deadline in February in exchange for guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and a second-round draft pick.

He also has played for the Suns and Clippers since being drafted with the 25th overall pick in 2013.

Dion Waiters wrote on Instagram Monday that he read all the jokes on social media about his conditioning last season, but rather than "joining the circus," he used it as motivation to improve his physique.

The veteran Miami Heat guard, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds on the team's roster, showed off his new slimmer, shredded look in the post, writing that he was in a "dark place mentally & physically" last season while trying to return from the ankle injury that ended his season in 2017-18.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ???? (@waiters3) on Jul 15, 2019 at 7:22pm PDT

"Last year when I came off 1 of the most depressing & frustrating times of my life," he wrote. "Coming off injury & not feeling like myself nor looking like myself I was in a dark place mentally & physically, Because the game I love so much was taken away due to season ending surgery.

"Now a days with this social media ran world they laughed at me made jokes etc not knowing what I was battling or going through everyday. So instead of me joining the circus I told myself you from (Philly) you've been through worst s--- in your life than this. So I promise myself I would work my ass off & get back to where I was before the injury. I'm not done yet but I kno somebody in the world prolli needed to hear this. Stay positive block out the outside noise & grind."

At his season-ending news conference, Heat president Pat Riley said the Heat wanted Waiters to get slimmer and believed his game would explode if he got into world-class condition. Riley said Waiters basically played last season on 1 ½ ankles.

"The surgery that he had was extensive. It wasn't just to fix one part of his ankle. It was absolutely something more than that. And it took him a year," Riley told reporters, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

"But from a conditioning standpoint, [coach Erik Spoelstra] and I are right on the same page, whatever number he comes back at, I think it's going to be to his benefit, and we'll be able to see the explosiveness and he'll be able to finish. He'll get to the rim a little more. But he was impacted by his ankle. And while he weighed in at numbers that were acceptable, that's where the tightening of the screws will come into play. And it won't be a single screwdriver. I'll be using one of those Black & Deckers. It's go hard."

Waiters, 27, averaged 12 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season, his third with the Heat.

As Zion Williamson continues to delay his expected landmark shoe-deal decision, the rest of the 2019 NBA rookie class has been stalled. A majority of the 2019 first-round picks entered summer league without having inked a shoe deal, allowing for a variety of lesser-known players to unexpectedly make their mark with their footwear.

With his older sibling's first signature shoe launching just as Las Vegas Summer League tipped off, Dallas Mavericks forward Kostas Antetokounmpo served up the on-court debut of brother Giannis' Nike Freak 1 sneaker, in four different colorways no less.

Of the four colorways donned by Kostas, one in particular holds extra meaning for the brothers: The white, red and gold pair with a "Roses" theme honors their late father, Charles.

"We were in the process of designing this shoe as a team when his father passed away unexpectedly," Nike vice president Kevin Dodson said during the preview episode of SneakerCenter on ESPN+. "That just started to take on a more significant reference point for that call out."

As Giannis and his brothers met with Nike's team of designers over the past two years to pepper in additional signature touches and nuances, the recently crowned NBA MVP mandated a series of family nods.

The names of all four of his brothers appear along the heel. "Charles + Veronica" can be found along the arch, speaking to the parents' support of the family. Most important, the phrase "I am my father's legacy" is featured across the bottom of the shoe.

"I want my dad to be remembered, and I want people to know that he left a legacy behind," Antetokounmpo told The Undefeated and SneakerCenter. "Every shoe that I make, that phrase is always going to be there."

Though he was among the ranks of the injured rookies who didn't play in Las Vegas, Denver Nuggets big man Bol Bol didn't disappoint with his footwear from the sideline. He showed off his Oregon Ducks school spirit with an exclusive Air Jordan Retro 3 in green, black and white. Featuring the university's iconic "O" logo along the heel and given only to athletes at the school, the few pairs that have ended up online for sale have been listed for as much as $10,000.

While many incoming rookies played at least one season of college hoops, Oklahoma City Thunder selection Darius Bazley took a different path. He opted to work out on his own throughout the collegiate season and signed an innovative shoe deal with New Balance last fall that included an internship at its Boston headquarters.

So it was no surprise to see Bazley donning a bright green and neon pair of the New Balance OMN1S sneaker at the draft combine this spring. During summer league, Bazley boasted yet another player-exclusive colorway of the brand's first new model in more than a decade, opting for OKC hues of blue and orange.

As the summer league's youngest players continue to work toward establishing themselves, courtside cameos from veterans looking to support their teams have also come to be expected. After debuting last summer as a Laker during the team's opening night matchup, LeBron James once again was spotted at the franchise's summer league kickoff. Once again, he wore a $500 pair of rare Just Don Lakers shorts, while also debuting a Lakers-themed exclusive retro edition of one of his earliest Nike signature models. The mismatched purple and yellow LeBron III Retro appears to have been made only for James, though the shoes sparked a considerable buzz in real time during his opening night appearance.

Check out all of the best sneakers worn during the NBA's annual summer league sessions, and vote for your favorite pair in the poll below. For real-time sneaker updates and community discussions, join our SneakerCenter Facebook Group and follow us on Instagram

A couple months ago, when the Washington Nationals had just about hit rock bottom, the most unthinkable of ideas started to surface: Trade Max Scherzer.

As blasphemous as the notion seemed, it wasn't completely looney-tunes. On May 24, Washington was 12 games under .500 and had the third-worst record in the National League. Lineup cornerstones Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner had already returned from injuries and, contrary to forecasts, had failed to cure the Nats. The bullpen was historically abominable and there was no reason to think it was just a phase. In short, the 2019 season was a lost cause.

Locally and nationally, it became a foregone conclusion the Nats should go into sell mode. Not a complete Miami Marlins kind of fire sale, but rather a judicious auction process that would help a talented but underperforming team stock up for annual pennant runs in the near term. Not a rebuild, but a reload.

Closer Sean Doolittle, who was an All-Star last season and has an extremely budget-friendly team option for 2020, would have plenty of sizzle on the trade market, particularly in a year when so many contenders need bullpen help. Rendon, a premier third baseman who could be the top free agent this coming winter if Washington doesn't sign him to a contract extension before then, would be the 2019 version of Manny Machado, fetching a small army of prospects in return for his services down the stretch. And then there was Scherzer.

With two-plus seasons remaining on his contract and a Hall of Fame résumé in his pocket, Scherzer would be the trade chip to end all trade chips. Much like his former Tigers teammate Justin Verlander did when Houston acquired him in 2017, the three-time Cy Young winner would seismically shift MLB's competitive complexion both this season and beyond. In the process, Scherzer would supply Washington with a colossal cache of prospects. Maybe even a current big leaguer or two. Combine that haul with a talented core that features Turner and young outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles, not to mention a stout rotation anchored by Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, and presto -- the Nationals would be the first team in MLB history to win back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back World Series titles.

Only one problem: How in the world do you justify trading Max Scherzer? If you're general manager Mike Rizzo and owner Mark Lerner, how do you tell your fan base -- the very same fan base that watched Bryce Harper walk away and shack up with Philly this past winter -- that you just shipped out a guy who's not only the current face of the franchise, but arguably the best pitcher of this millennium? How do you convince the masses that in doing so, in giving up on this season, you haven't also given up on 2020 and 2021 and every single year for the rest of baseball eternity?

The answer to all those questions is, you don't.

"If at any point you want to be competitive, wouldn't you want to start with a guy like that?" Doolittle said during the final homestand of the first half. A headline deadline acquisition himself in 2017, Washington's closer simply couldn't fathom the Nats' front office doing what all those armchair execs and talk radio hosts had been suggesting. "I can't imagine them trading him away. If Max isn't safe, then nobody's safe."

As it turns out, Washington's ace is safe. Unlike last summer, when the Nationals reportedly came dangerously close to dealing Harper, the idea of trading Scherzer never amounted to anything more than a water cooler what-if. For that, Mad Max has himself to thank. Over his past nine starts, the 34-year-old right-hander has almost single-handedly willed Washington into playoff contention, going 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 64 innings. During that time, the Nationals have gone from would-be sellers to should-be buyers.

From late May to early July, a span of just over six weeks, Washington went from third-worst in the NL to third-best. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Nats had won 28 of their previous 39 games and were in possession of the top wild-card spot.

"We're hitting our stride at the right time," said catcher Yan Gomes, who spent the past several years in Cleveland, where the Indians have made an art form out of turning slow starts into playoff finishes.

Added Strasburg: "We're playing good baseball right now, and we're going to continue doing that."

"If at any point you want to be competitive, wouldn't you want to start with a guy like that? I can't imagine them trading him away. If Max isn't safe, then nobody's safe."

Nats closer Sean Doolittle

Unfortunately for Strasburg and the Nationals, doing what they've been doing might not be enough. Sure, they've been beating up on the competition lately. But it's one thing to do it against lowly squads in early summer (Washington's final 12 games pre-break were against Miami, Detroit and Kansas City). It's quite another to do it against the top dogs in early fall. If the Nats have any intention of fulfilling their preseason promise and beating talented teams like the Dodgers and Braves come October (or the Astros or Twins or Yankees, if things should progress that far), they'll need to address their flaws before the end of the month.

With two weeks left until MLB's July 31 trade deadline, Washington's no-brainer need is bullpen help. Free-agent signing Trevor Rosenthal didn't pan out and was released in June. Fellow offseason acquisition Kyle Barraclough has battled inconsistency and injury. Underrated righty Justin Miller has also had trouble staying healthy. Even Doolittle, who's borne a heavy workload out of necessity and has admitted to feeling fatigued, hasn't been his usual efficient self.

Just how thin is the Nats' pen? So thin that in the past couple months, Rizzo has seen fit to sign a 42-year-old with an ERA above 9 (Fernando Rodney, released earlier this season by Oakland), and a three-time Tommy John survivor who'd been cut by division rival Atlanta (34-year-old Jonny Venters). Yes, the Rodney signing has worked out well so far. And yes, Nats relievers have performed better lately, posting a 4.09 ERA since Memorial Day (sixth in MLB). Still, of all the contenders who need bullpen bolstering -- a list that's only slightly shorter than Arya Stark's kill list -- Washington is still right at the top.

As usual, there's no shortage of attractive arms out there. Closer Will Smith headlines a deep Giants bullpen that, with San Francisco looking to rebuild, could be the hub of this summer's supply chain. The Blue Jays will almost certainly sell, and closer Ken Giles will be one of their featured items. If the middling Padres decide to be vendors, All-Star closer Kirby Yates could spark a bidding war. Ditto for the Pirates and closer Felipe Vazquez, who came up with Washington before being shipped to Pittsburgh in the 2016 deal that brought Mark Melancon to D.C.

Speaking of the Melancon/Vazquez deal, it's but one piece of evidence that suggests Rizzo and the Nationals will make a move between now and the start of August, and that said move will involve the back end of the bullpen. Behold the following list of midseason trades:

2015: Nationals acquire closer Jonathan Papelbon from the Phillies
2016: Nationals acquire closer Mark Melancon from the Pirates
2017: Nationals acquire closer Sean Doolittle and setup man Ryan Madson from the A's, and closer Brandon Kintzler from the Twins
2018: Nationals acquire closer Kelvin Herrera from the Royals
2019: ???

Here's the catch: Thanks to all the wheeling and dealing in recent years (including the 2016 trade that sent Lucas Giolito and two other pitching prospects to the White Sox for Adam Eaton), there's not a whole lot left in the kitty. Middle infielder Carter Kieboom is a top prospect who would likely be coveted by any team looking to unload a marquee reliever, but it's doubtful the Nats would be willing to part with him, as he figures heavily in their future plans. So maybe Rizzo lowers his sights and goes after someone with less name recognition. Even then, it takes talent to get talent.

In the meantime, Nats fans can rest assured that there's one player who won't be used as trade bait. His name is Max Scherzer.

The trade deadline is two weeks from Wednesday. And remember: July 31 is the only trade deadline this year. None of those August waiver deals like we saw in years past, like Justin Verlander going to the Astros in 2017 or the Yankees acquiring Andrew McCutchen last season. That also means teams have two weeks to decide if they're contenders or pretenders, and what happens between now and then could potentially open up a trade market that right now is somewhat limited in available talent.

As always, there will be many relievers moved and there could be some intriguing starting pitchers traded -- including one very big name with a very big history of pitching well in the playoffs. In fact, when Madison Bumgarner carried the Giants to the World Series title in 2014, he carried a wild-card team. Does that give hope to all those teams that might not win a division title but remain in the chase for a wild card? Maybe. But those teams must weigh the odds of just making the playoffs, let alone defeating one of the powerhouse teams in the American League or the Dodgers in the National League.

Let's have some fun and speculate a little on what might happen by July 31. Let's find one player every team should acquire or trade away -- with the general guideline that we can't put Bumgarner or any other player on five different teams. After all, if the Giants do trade him, only one team can acquire him.

AL East

New York Yankees: Acquire Madison Bumgarner

The Yankees don't need to pick up a starting pitcher. A playoff rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Domingo German and CC Sabathia is perfectly fine for the state of pitching in 2019. All four own better-than-average ERAs and when combined with the Yankees' bullpen should give New York enough pitching to go all the way, and that's before factoring in Luis Severino (although it's looking more and more like the Yankees can't count on him for 2019).

Except Paxton and German have never pitched in a playoff game, Sabathia is old and doesn't pitch deep into games, and the bullpen is really only four reliable relievers deep, depending on how you feel about Chad Green's performance and Dellin Betances' return from injury. No, it's not 2014 and trading for Bumgarner and expecting a similar level of October dominance isn't realistic. But do you want this guy on the mound in a big game? Of course you do. The Yankees haven't even been to a World Series since winning in 2009. This is the guy most likely to help push them over the top.

Tampa Bay Rays: Acquire Dominic Smith

They need offense, but it's not clear any of the hitters available are upgrades over what they already have in their mix-and-match lineup. So, they'd have to think outside the box. Smith doesn't have an obvious role in New York: Pete Alonso is the first baseman, and Smith isn't really a left fielder, where he's getting time with the Mets. With Tampa Bay, he can DH, play some first base or some occasional left field and get a chance to see the field more regularly. The Rays already have two lefty-hitting first base/DH types in Nate Lowe and Ji-Man Choi, but Choi has just a .727 OPS since early May.

Boston Red Sox: Acquire Ian Kennedy

They already acquired Andrew Cashner, who had been surprisingly effective with an awful Orioles team, but it doesn't take an MIT rocket scientist to figure out the team still needs more bullpen help. Kennedy has been effective for the Royals with a 3.41 ERA and strong peripherals: 45-8 strikeout-walk ratio and just two home runs allowed in 45 innings. He could serve in any late-inning capacity, including closer.

Toronto Blue Jays: Trade Marcus Stroman

Stroman has had a bounce-back season -- actually, that's not quite accurate. He basically has been the same pitcher as in 2018, except for his ERA:

2018: 5.54 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 3.2 BB/9, 6.8 SO/9

2019: 3.25 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 7.2 SO/9

He has been a little better around the edges, and he has been healthy. He also is under team control through 2020, which makes him a valuable trade chip. The Blue Jays won't be contenders next season, so it makes sense to cash in Stroman.

Baltimore Orioles: Trade Mychal Givens

With Cashner gone, there isn't much trade value here, and the O's aren't likely to deal Trey Mancini. Givens has been a steady, durable reliever, and while he isn't having his best season (4.50 ERA, eight home runs in 36 innings), the stuff is still there with 51 K's. That would still make him the second-best reliever on the Nationals, although with the animosity between the two organizations, maybe a trade here is unlikely. Givens still could land with another contender as deep bullpen depth.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins: Acquire Noah Syndergaard

The Twins have no glaring weaknesses. Entering Monday, they led the AL in runs per game, just a hair better than the Yankees and Red Sox. Minnesota had the fewest blown saves at any point of a game in the majors with just six (Rocco Baldelli's handling of the bullpen has been one of the underrated keys to the season). The rotation ranked second in the AL in ERA behind only Tampa Bay. The Twins have a chance at the best record in the AL and home-field advantage -- and I would think avoiding a potential Game 5 or Game 7 at Yankee Stadium or Minute Maid Park is something to push for.

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have focused on small, cost-efficient moves during their tenure running the Twins. Now it's time to think big. If the Mets make Syndergaard available, he's a great fit for Minnesota -- for 2019 and beyond, since starters Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda are all free agents at season's end. They'd probably have to part with top prospect Royce Lewis or outfielder Alex Kirilloff and a pitcher like Brusdar Graterol or Jordan Balazovic, but Syndergaard could be a beast away from the circus in Queens. Plus, as they say, flags fly forever.

Cleveland Indians: Acquire Nicholas Castellanos

Buster Olney wrote about Cleveland's dilemma in shopping Trevor Bauer (and closer Brad Hand):

According to FanGraphs, the Indians' chances of winning the division are just under 10%, and their chances of earning a wild card are at about 36%. So, they're at worse than 50-50 odds at the moment to get into the postseason. After a couple of weeks of games against American League Central opponents, Cleveland will have to run a gauntlet of teams in August -- the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

There is serious interest in Bauer despite the right-hander's inconsistency this season, and rival teams are frothing after Hand, the left-handed closer whose contract will keep him under team contract at a solid rate through the 2021 season. The trade value for each player might never be higher than it is right now.

Still, before they get to that August gantlet, the Indians have 14 games in a row against the Tigers, Royals, Blue Jays and Royals again, starting Monday and running through July 28. That's when the Indians will decide whether to make this trade deadline a lot more interesting.

My take: If they knew more about the health of Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber, it would be easier to deal Bauer. For now, they need Bauer in the rotation (even if they do desperately need help on offense). I would keep Bauer and try to improve the offense around the fringes and hope Jose Ramirez learns to hit again. If the division title is a long shot, you never know what might happen in the postseason with a rotation of Bauer, Kluber, Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger (and maybe Carrasco).

Chicago White Sox: Trade Alex Colome

Jose Abreu is a free agent, but the White Sox value his leadership and will presumably look to bring him back for 2020. The White Sox acquired Colome in the offseason from the Mariners for Omar Narvaez, and Colome has been excellent as the closer, with 20 saves in 21 opportunities, a 2.21 ERA and .132 average allowed. He is under team control for another year, and while this season has proved it's not that easy to build a bullpen, this is the kind of player who has higher value at the trade deadline than during the offseason.

Kansas City Royals: Trade Ian Kennedy

Yes, Whit Merrifield's name will continue to be brought up, but general manager Dayton Moore isn't going to trade him. Merrifield's four-year, $16.25 million extension signed last winter makes him even more valuable, so it's likely he would cost a team three major league-ready young players. Moore also said that he can't imagine Alex Gordon in another uniform (plus Gordon has 10-and-5 veto rights), so that leaves Kennedy as the one guy the Royals probably deal.

Detroit Tigers: Trade Shane Greene

Teams will be asking about Matthew Boyd, who has a 3.95 ERA with 152 K's in 114 innings. (He has the fourth-highest strikeout rate in the majors, behind three guys named Cole, Scherzer and Sale.) Boyd certainly would net a nice return, in part because he is still cheap and under team control through 2022. But that's why I wouldn't trade him. The Tigers can try to build a rotation around Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Casey Mize and Matt Manning in the immediate future. That leaves Greene, who is having a career year with 22 saves and a 1.04 ERA.

AL West

Houston Astros: Acquire Marcus Stroman

This one lines up perfectly. The Astros love to trade for a pitcher with more than one year left of team control (see Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole). Acquiring Stroman improves a rotation that has struggled to fill the back end behind Verlander, Cole and Wade Miley. Fast-forward to October and Stroman also gives them a third right-handed starter to match up against the Yankees and their righty-heavy lineup. Finally, with Cole a free agent, Stroman would provide insurance for 2020 in case Cole signs elsewhere. The question: What will it take to get Stroman? The Blue Jays will ask for Kyle Tucker.

Oakland Athletics: Acquire Caleb Smith.

The A's already added Homer Bailey, but they still need an actual good starting pitcher. Without another addition to the rotation, they're just headed for another loss in the wild-card game (or, escaping that, a division series flameout). Smith is a great fit for Oakland's park and a perfect fit for Billy Beane's payroll. The A's have some toolsy prospects they can dangle in front of the Marlins, including Jorge Mateo or Austin Beck (while still holding onto the cream of the system, pitchers Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk).

Texas Rangers: Acquire Brandon Belt

Just about everything has gone right for the Rangers, and a lot has gone wrong for the Astros. And Texas still begins the week nine games behind Houston -- and Oakland has passed the Rangers, as well. I don't think you can sell out a team that is still in the wild-card chase, so I'm not trading Mike Minor or Lance Lynn -- plus you want them in your rotation when you move into the new park in 2020. They need a first baseman and Belt's numbers would take a leap moving over from San Francisco. The Giants will have to pay down part of Belt's contract (he is signed for 2020 and 2021 at $17.2 million per season), but he would be a major upgrade over Ronald Guzman.

Los Angeles Angels: Trade Kole Calhoun

After sweeping the Mariners, the Angels' playoff odds went from 1.3% all the way up to ... 2.3%. It's difficult to imagine a second-half run here as they'd have to leap over the Rangers, Red Sox, Indians and A's just to win the second wild card and at least three of those teams are more talented. They're probably the most likely team not to do anything at the deadline. Calhoun is having an OK season at .238/.323/.485 and has either a $14 million team option or $1 million buyout for 2020, making him a cheap rental, so he could provide a useful bench piece/platoon outfielder for a team like the Indians, Phillies or Cubs.

Seattle Mariners: Trade Roenis Elias

The Mariners would love to trade Dee Gordon. Nobody wants Gordon and his .293 OBP and $13.8 million salary for 2020. I'm not sure anybody really wants Mike Leake, who has alternated some good outings (complete-game win over the Astros in June, 7⅔ scoreless innings against the Cardinals on July 3) with some terrible outings (eight runs against Baltimore in June, knocked out in the first inning against the Angels in his most recent start). Jerry Dipoto will try to trade Gordon and Leake, but he'll have to eat most of their money just to get a low-level prospect.

NL East

Atlanta Braves: Acquire Will Smith

Smith is the best reliever available (unless the Padres decide to offer up Kirby Yates), a lefty who gets righties out and is in the midst of a second straight dominant season. Every contending team will be in on him, as every contending team could use bullpen help. The Braves, however, have the deepest farm system of the contenders and should take advantage to add a key piece for their playoff run. The idea of acquiring both Smith and Bumgarner has been tossed out there and it's an intriguing consideration, but that would take a buy-in from Braves ownership and signing Dallas Keuchel might already fit the "one big move" you're going to get from penny-pinching Liberty Media.

Washington Nationals: Acquire Shane Greene

The good thing about Greene is that he is under team control for another season, so if the Nationals can acquire him, they would actually enter 2020 with two good relief pitchers -- a novel concept that Mike Rizzo should consider trying. With their only-the-Orioles-are-worse 5.93 bullpen ERA, the Nationals would be wise to add more than just Greene, however, and look for additional help such as Sam Dyson and Reyes Moronta of the Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies: Relievers ... or starters

After Monday's blowout loss to the Dodgers, the Phillies fell to 15-22 since the beginning of June. Their staff ERA is 26th in the majors during that span. For the season, the bullpen has 23 saves and 12 blown saves. The rotation ERA since May 22 is 5.26. Sure, the park doesn't help, but they need help up and down the staff -- a disappointing scenario since they believed back in March that pitching depth was going to be a strength. The farm system also has been disappointing, with several of the top prospects struggling or battling injuries, leaving their ability to make a blockbuster kind of trade in doubt.

New York Mets: Trade Todd Frazier

This blurb was supposed to be all about Zack Wheeler, then he landed on the injured list on Monday with shoulder fatigue. As Jeff Passan wrote in ESPN's trade deadline page, Wheeler's injury "more or less destroys his trade value. He had interest far and wide across the league. Perhaps a team still takes a crack in hopes he returns, but the Mets' hopes to cash in at the deadline have evaporated."

Wheeler still might return in time to make one final start before the trade deadline, but this is just the latest disaster. Without rehashing all the crimes and misdemeanors that have happened this season, let's just say things haven't worked out for the Mets and they began the week with playoff odds of 6%, according to FanGraphs.

So, it's not impossible! But not likely. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen has a difficult choice: After going all-in during the offseason, do you punt on 2019? That could mean still trading Wheeler for whatever you can get (he is a free agent), but also trading Syndergaard and others. It doesn't seem to be in Van Wagenen's DNA to admit his plan for contention backfired. In Miami on Friday coming out of the All-Star break, a reporter asked if the team's record -- 40-51 at the time -- was on him, and Van Wagenen's response was: "I think any time a team struggles it's on the organization."

Should the Mets trade Syndergaard? I'd probably keep him and hope for better results in 2020 -- from the entire organization. That leaves Frazier as an easy trade candidate as a role player somewhere, but that's hardly a deal that will restock the farm system like a Syndergaard deal.

Miami Marlins: Trade Caleb Smith

We could list "trade Sergio Romo," but that would be boring. The Marlins can't hit, the farm system isn't exactly as pretty as the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and the bullpen isn't very interesting. What they do have are some young starting pitchers. Smith has a 3.46 ERA and 94 K's in 78 innings, while missing time with hip inflammation. He is back now, and while he is inexpensive (under team control through 2023), it might be time to cash in on him and get some position player prospects. After all, by the time the Marlins have a chance to be competitive, Smith will be deep into his arbitration years -- and the Marlins will be looking to trade him anyway.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs: Acquire Ken Giles

The Cubs really should be running away with this division. Their run differential entering Monday was plus-67, as compared to the Brewers' minus-24, and yet the Cubs held just a 2.5-game lead over Milwaukee. And taking the division still might happen for the Cubs even if they don't do anything. The rotation has been healthy and fine, and now the pen has Craig Kimbrel. The biggest weaknesses have been at center field (Albert Almora Jr. hasn't hit) and at left field (Kyle Schwarber has been only a league-average hitter with below-average defense); but those aren't glaring have-to-fix kind of holes, and there aren't that many good bats available anyway (David Peralta could be a fit if Arizona moves him). So maybe just go for another upgrade in the pen. Giles has been terrific (1.45 ERA, 53 K's, two home runs in 31 innings), as he has rediscovered his slider. Given Kimbrel's early struggles, Giles would even offer another option for the ninth inning.

Milwaukee Brewers: Acquire Zack Wheeler

The Brewers are 19th in the majors with a 4.71 rotation ERA, but that has ballooned to 5.62 in July. Bumgarner would be a possible fit, but the Brewers probably don't have the minor league depth to beat out other teams for his services -- or for one of the other pitchers with team control beyond 2019. Wheeler is obviously a wild card given his health, but the Brewers are in a position where they have to roll the dice.

St. Louis Cardinals: Trade Kolten Wong

For all the complaints about the pitching, it's the offense that has been the bigger problem, ranking 11th in the NL in runs per game, while the pitching is third best in runs allowed. Most of the rumors have them seeking pitching help. Wong could be part of a pitching package, with Yairo Munoz taking over at second base. The best bet for the Cardinals, of course, remains on Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter improving their production.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade Corey Dickerson

This makes sense:

#Pirates are 4 games under .500 & 17 games under .500 against teams > .500. Next 9 are 3 in STL, then home for 3 w PHI & 3 more w STL. They will have played 101 gms. If I'm GMNH, team has to go at least 5-4 for me to consider adding. If 3-6 or worse, it's over. Time to sell.

— David Todd (@DTonPirates) July 15, 2019

Trevor Williams just allowed eight runs in his most recent start. He allowed eight runs over 12 starts during his incredible hot streak in the second half of last season. The point: The Pirates should not be buyers. They're not going to trade All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez, although it would be fascinating to see what he could net in return, given his team-friendly extension. That leaves mostly a bunch of spare parts (Dickerson, Melky Cabrera, Francisco Liriano). Given what happened last year, maybe it's better if the Pirates think small this year.

Cincinnati Reds: Trade Tanner Roark

It's not quite time for the Reds to wave the white flag, but they are in last place and have eight teams ahead of them in the wild-card race. Barring a run that gets them to .500 before July 31, they probably will become sellers, and Roark is a pending free agent. He would have more trade value than Yasiel Puig, another free agent who is hitting .260/.306/.502 (after a terrible April) but who might be viewed as too much of a disruptive headache for a team to want him.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: Acquire Kirby Yates

The Dodgers aren't a perfect team -- the catchers haven't hit much and maybe they're a little too left-handed in the lineup -- but this is the best team of this run that will reach a seventh straight division title. The biggest flaw, however, is the bullpen. It's not terrible -- 10th in the majors in ERA -- and it will be better in the postseason when Kenta Maeda or another starter is moved there. Still, the guys in front of Kenley Jansen have yet to prove their reliability, and Jansen himself has struggled in October. The Dodgers need a big-time reliever to shore up the endgame. This is basically their Gleyber Torres-for-Aroldis Chapman moment. Do what it takes to get Yates.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Acquire bullpen help

Like the Reds, the next two weeks will tell us which direction the Diamondbacks go. FanGraphs gives them a 17% chance of making the playoffs; but how much in prospect capital do you want to surrender merely for a wild-card run? True, Zack Greinke could pitch that game and it could give them a chance. On the other hand, they even could listen to offers on Greinke (but he makes $35 million over each of the next two seasons) or outfielder David Peralta (who is signed through 2020). Most likely, it's a minor addition in the bullpen or a bench bat.

Colorado Rockies: Acquire Trevor Bauer

The up-and-down Rockies lost their final six games before the All-Star break, dropping their playoff chances from 27% to 11.6%. Then they began their second half with a 17-9 loss on Saturday to the Reds and a 19-2 loss in the first game of a doubleheader to the Giants on Monday. Coors Field has been so ridiculous this year that it's almost impossible to evaluate Rockies players, but those two blowouts probably suggest the need for pitching help. I suggest Bauer only for the entertainment value of his explaining the analytics of pitching at altitude.

San Diego Padres: Trade Kirby Yates

After getting swept by the Braves to begin the second half, the Padres have seen their playoff odds dip to 7.2% entering Monday. Even then, they're not going to catch the Dodgers, so they're playing for a wild card. That's a bigger deal for the Padres -- who haven't made the playoffs since 2006 -- than it is for other organizations, but another year of patience is probably the wise choice here. If they do make a trade, it should be a starting pitcher under team control beyond 2019, such as Stroman or Syndergaard.

Barring that, they should look to cash in on Yates. He is not a one-year wonder -- he was great in 2018, as well -- but he has just one year of team control, and his trade value will never be higher. In the year of the home run, he has allowed just one in 41 innings while striking out 64. Intradivisional trades are rare, but the current regimes of the Padres and Dodgers have worked together before.

San Francisco Giants: Trade Madison Bumgarner (and others)

Farhan Zaidi gave this group one last chance, as he had a quiet offseason. But as the Giants stumble to a third straight losing season, it's clearly the end of an era, and the difficult rebuilding process must officially begin. That will start with trading Bumgarner, as difficult as it will be. Buster Posey was the best player on the 2010-14 Giants that won three World Series, but Bumgarner was the most valuable in October. He won Game 4 of the NLDS as a rookie, then tossed eight scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series. In 2012, after Barry Zito beat Justin Verlander in Game 1, Bumgarner beat Doug Fister 2-0 in Game 2. Then came Bumgarner's heroic effort in 2014, the greatest we've ever seen -- or likely will see -- in October.

Results from the Welsh Championships, Snowdonia Marathon, WMRA World Cup and more

Click the links below for further recent coverage:

Herculis EBS Diamond League, Monaco, July 12

English Schools Championships, Birmingham, July 12-13

European U23 Championships, Gävle, Sweden, July 11-14

World University Games, Italy, July 9-13

Welsh Championships, Cardiff, July 13-14

Sam Gordon clocked 10.08 to take the Welsh 100m title and although assisted by a 4.3m/sec wind, the time is the fastest any Welshman has ever recorded for the distance and moves Gordon closer in his bid to become the first Welshman under 10 seconds.

Hannah Williams won the women’s title in 11.96 ahead of Olympian Mica Moore in 12.02.

Ieuan Thomas stepped away from his preferred 3000m steeplechase event to claim a 1500m title in 3:49.27, while Jade Williams retained her 800m title on Saturday before claiming 1500m gold in 4:26.51 a day later ahead of 2018 British 10,000m champion Charlotte Arter.

Commonwealth athletes Bethan Davies and Heather Lewis faced off in the 5000m race walk, with British champion Lewis taking the title in a PB of 21:41.

Brett Morse claimed another title in the men’s discus with a best throw of 56.79m, while Adelle Nicoll recorded a discus and shot double with 43.02m and 16.34m respectively.

In the women’s long jump, T38 Paralympic medallist Olivia Breen eclipsed her own Commonwealth record from the Gold Coast with a best of 4.88m.

Snowdonia Marathon, July 14

Nick Swinburn and Kirsteen Welch claimed victory at the event which incorporated the trials for the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships taking place in Argentina later this year.

Swinburn won the men’s race in 3:18:10 ahead of Seb Batchelor (3:19:45) and Jack Wood (3:23:10).

Welch won the women’s title in 4:07.52, with Sara Willhoit second (4:10:15) and Georgia Tindley third (4:13:54).

Grossglockner Berglauf, WMRA World Cup, Austria, July 14

Britain’s Sarah Tunstall and Eritrea’s Filimon Abraham claimed victory at the third stage of the WMRA World Cup.

Tunstall, who was the 2015 WMRA World Cup winner, claimed victory in 1:26:23 for the 12.67km race featuring a total elevation gain of 1494m.

Stage 3 winner @s_tunstall talks about her targets for the upcoming season. Today's win at #mythosglockner was a big achievement for the brit-runner #mountainrunningworldcup#MOUNTAINRUNNING @SnowdonRace @BrokenArrowCA @SierreZinal @iaaforg @CarrerasMontana @corsainmontagna pic.twitter.com/FO2WWHR4O3

— WMRA (@WMRAmountainrun) July 14, 2019

Kenya’s Purity Kajuju Gitonga was second in 1:27:28 and Austria’s Alexandra Hauser third in 1:28:12.

Abraham won in 1:11:56, 23 seconds ahead of defending champion Geoffrey Gikuni Ndungu of Kenya. Kenya’s Timothy Kimutai Kirui was third and Britain’s WMRA World Cup leader Andrew Douglas fourth.

Lee Valley Open, July 14

Nathan Douglas achieved his best jump since 2015, recording 16.88m (1.4m/sec) in the triple jump.

Varberg, Sweden, July 15

Discus world leader Daniel Stahl had an impressive four 70m-plus throws with a best of 70.89m on home soil. Fedrick Dacres threw 65.92m.