Duke's Zion Williamson -- one of the most anticipated NBA draft prospects in a generation -- has signed with CAA Sports, the agency announced Thursday.

CAA basketball agent Austin Brown and CAA executive Lisa Joseph-Metelus will represent Williamson, sources told ESPN.

Williamson, 19, has been pursued with great enthusiasm from potential endorsers, including shoe companies. Williamson is expected to command one of the largest rookie shoe deals in history.

The New Orleans Pelicans plan to choose Williamson with the first overall pick in next month's NBA draft.

Williamson, a 6-foot-7 forward, was the consensus NCAA Player and Freshman of the Year.

Brown represents several top NBA players, including Brooklyn Nets All-Star D'Angelo Russell, Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton. He has a law degree from Washington Lee University and played college basketball at DePauw University.

Joseph-Metelus worked closely with future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade throughout his career, guiding much of his brand-building away from the floor.

The great free-agent freeze of 2018-19 is still going on even as summer approaches -- Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, after all, remain unsigned -- but two months into the season is a good time to look back on what transpired in the offseason and give some early grades. Here are some of the major offseason signings and how they have worked out so far:

Jump to ...: The $300 million men | Big-money pitchers | Rays | Dodgers | The former MVP | Big-name outfielders | Twins

The $300 million men

Bryce Harper, Phillies (13 years, $330 million) -- There are a lot of positives here as the Phillies are in first place, attendance is up more than 9,000 fans per game and Harper has played every game. His defense has been vastly better than last season and he has hit three of the 30 longest home runs of the season. On the other hand, he is hitting .243/.364/.475 with 10 home runs -- a relatively soft number considering 69 players had already hit 10 before Harper reached double digits Wednesday -- and was tied for the major league lead in strikeouts entering Wednesday. He ranked 84th in the majors in wOBA and the Phillies didn't give Harper $330 million to be the 84th-best hitter in the game.

He's drawing walks and one hot streak will increase his current pace of 27 home runs to 30-something. Still, the strikeouts are a growing concern -- up 7.2 percent from last season and more than 10 percent from two seasons ago. One thing to wonder about is his approach at the plate, especially with nobody on. He's hitting .306 with runners in scoring position and .299 with men on base, but just .168 with the bases empty. The same thing happened last season, when he hit .290 with runners in scoring position, .303 with men on and .214 with the bases empty. Maybe he's trying too hard to hit home runs with nobody on. Maybe he needs to view himself as a hitter more than a power hitter. Selling out for power with nobody on isn't working. Grade: C-

Manny Machado, Padres (10 years, $300 million) -- Machado is hitting .264/.348/.433 with nine home runs, numbers that are below his establish norms as he has averaged .284/.345/.511 with 36 home runs the past four seasons. His strikeout rate is high for him, but there may also be some park effects going on here:

2015-2018 home (Camden Yards): .304/.368/.568

2019 home (Petco): .250/.333/.380

2015-2018 road: .268/.324/.463

2019 road: .283/.363/.495

The sample sizes for 2019 are too small to make a judgment just yet, so this is more of a "keep an eye on it" situation for now. Machado has also hit .301/.374/.516 in May and he did seem to be pressing a bit in April, perhaps overeager to justify the big contract right way. His versatility has been important as he has slid over to handle shortstop in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr.

In the long term, the early bet is that Machado's contract looks like the better deal, in large part because he's going to have much more defensive value and Harper's strikeout problems remain an unsolved issue. In the short term, Machado has helped make the Padres relevant and exciting again. Grade: B

The pitchers

Patrick Corbin, Nationals (6 years, $140 million): It's not Corbin's fault the Nationals have been the most disappointing team in the majors. He's 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA and strong peripherals. (By the way, FanGraphs ranks Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Corbin first, second and 16th in pitching WAR, proof only that even a great trio of starters can't always carry a pitching staff.) Corbin hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in 2018 -- his swing-and-miss rate is down 6 percent -- and there are some who believe that throwing as many sliders as he does is a risky bet for long-term health, but for now he has been terrific. Grade: A-

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox (4 years, $67.5 million) -- I liked this signing as Eovaldi had made some adjustments last season, most notably adding a cutter to his upper-90s fastball, while also walking just 20 batters in 111 innings. There was some concern that he was getting paid for his big postseason performance, but there were reasons to believe in his improvement.

Of course, Eovaldi has a long list of injuries, including two Tommy John surgeries, and has qualified for the ERA title just once in his career, so the $67.5 million contract came with an even greater caveat than usual of "if he stays healthy." He made four starts and is now on the injured list after surgery to remove "loose bodies" from his elbow. He's scheduled to throw a simulated game Thursday or Friday, so he could be back in a few weeks. Grade: Incomplete

Yusei Kikuchi, Mariners (3 years, $43 million): Kikuch's contract includes a bunch of options, including a fourth-year player option at $13 million or a series of team options that could raise the total value of the contract to seven years, $109 million. He has been solid, pitching like the mid-rotation starter he was projected to be. The Mariners have been careful with his pitch counts (over 100 just once) and the porous Seattle defense hasn't helped, but he has kept his ERA under 4.00. Grade: B

J.A. Happ, Yankees (2 years, $34 million): Happ had been one of the most consistent starters the four previous seasons, going 58-29 with a 3.48 ERA while averaging 172 innings. After going 7-0, 2.69 with the Yankees after a trade with the Blue Jays last season, re-signing him felt like a pretty easy call for Brian Cashman, even though Happ was entering his age-36 season. Two things have happened on the way to his 5.09 ERA: His fastball velocity has dipped from 92.0 mph to 90.6 and he has been one of those pitchers burned by the rabbit ball (14 home runs in 58⅓ innings, including nine in 30⅓ innings at Yankee Stadium). There was always going to be some home run risk with Happ at Yankee Stadium, so there is a chance this could turn into another Sonny Gray situation in which he struggles at home. Grade: C-

The most expensive free agent in Rays history

Charlie Morton, Rays (2 years, $30 million) -- This looks like one of the best bargains of the winter as Morton is 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA while ranking in the top 10 among MLB starters in batting average allowed and strikeout rate. He doesn't go deep into games (he hasn't recorded an out in the seventh inning all season), but he limits hard contact and gives the Rays a chance to win. Grade: A

The Dodgers' big gamble

A.J. Pollock, Dodgers (5 years, $60 million) -- Pollock had three big strikes against him in free agency: 1. He has been injury-prone; 2. He had a sizable home/road split in his Diamondbacks days, hitting .266/.324/.434 on the road; 3. He was a 31-year-old center fielder at a time when you don't see many 32-year-old center fielders. The Dodgers gave him $60 million anyway, which ... well, good for A.J. Pollock. The Dodgers weighed all these risks against their need for a right-handed bat and a center fielder who would allow them maximum flexibility with Cody Bellinger. Sure enough, Pollock played 28 games, didn't hit and landed in the injured list with a staph infection in his right elbow. He's expected to miss two months. The Dodgers haven't really missed him. The reasoning behind signing Pollock was obvious and he was in demand as the only legit center fielder on the market, but all the concerns about him popped up one month into a five-year contract. Grade: D

The former MVP

Josh Donaldson, Braves (1 year, $23 million) -- Donaldson was one of the first free agents to sign, agreeing to a deal with the Braves in late November -- and betting on himself to have a big season after an injury-marred 2018. That hasn't quite happened as Donaldson's strikeout rate is sky high and the home run total -- at least in comparison to the going rate -- doesn't stand out. He has been a valuable contributor and gets on base, but the emergence of Austin Riley (playing left field for now) also means Donaldson will probably be shopping for a new team next season. Grade: B

Big-name outfielders

Andrew McCutchen, Phillies (3 years, $50 million) -- Given the way the market unfolded, the Phillies probably overpaid a bit for McCutchen. He's basically produced the same numbers as Harper -- .257/.375/.446 entering Wednesday -- at a much lower salary. He has even started nine games in center field and his defense in left has been very good. Grade: B

Michael Brantley, Astros (2 years, $32 million) -- The Astros needed a left-handed bat and Brantley looked like the perfect match from the outset of free agency. The Astros got him on a fairly risk-free, two-year deal and he's off to a great start with a .330/.386/.547 line with 10 home runs (he hit 17 in 143 games with Cleveland in 2018). Looks like he'll be headed to his third straight All-Star Game. Grade: A

The Twins

Prior to the 2018 season, coming off a wild card in 2017, the Twins waited out the market and signed Logan Morrison and Lance Lynn on the cheap (along with relievers Fernando Rodney, Zach Duke and Addison Reed). The moves didn't help much as the five players produced a combined 1.1 WAR, but Derek Falvey and Thad Levine deployed a similar strategy this offseason and the early returns are much better.

Jonathan Schoop, Twins (1 year, $7.5 million) -- An All-Star in 2017, Schoop hit just .233/.266/.416 last season and the Twins jumped on him with an early December signing. He still swings at everything, but -- like everyone on the Twins -- he's hitting for power and is making enough contact to hit .260. Grade: B+

Nelson Cruz, Twins (1 year, $14.3 million) -- The Twins also hold a 2020 option on the 38-year-old slugger. He was off to a solid start before a wrist strain sidelined him. Cruz is also a good clubhouse presence and it's hard to go wrong with a one-year deal on a player who hit at least 37 home runs the past five seasons (four of those playing home games in a tough park in Seattle). Grade: B

Marwin Gonzalez, Twins (2 years, $21 million) -- Despite his value as a utility guy, Gonzalez didn't sign until late February and was viewed as one of the winter's best bargains. He promptly hit .167 in April. He has turned it around in May and has started at four positions, plus DH. Grade: C

Martin Perez, Twins (1 year, $4 million) -- This could be the best bargain of the winter as Perez, coming off an absolutely dreadful season with the Rangers when he was one of the worst starters in the majors, added a cutter, ditched his slider and is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA. He has one of the best soft contact rates in the game, which has allowed him to work around the walks and so-so strikeout rate. Grade: A+

In addition, the Twins claimed C.J. Cron off waivers and he's hitting .271/.337/.536 with 13 home runs. Falvey and Levine didn't break the bank -- those five players will make $41.8 million in 2019, $13.2 million less than division-rival Detroit is paying Miguel Cabrera and Jordan Zimmermann -- but all five transactions are paying dividends. Guess who has the best record in the majors?

Kyle Edmund is out of the French Open after retiring during his second-round match against Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas because of a left knee injury.

The British number one, 24, trailed 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 2-1 when he called the trainer.

After a lengthy chat the 28th seed told Cuevas he could not continue and shook hands with his opponent.

Edmund's exit means Johanna Konta is the only Briton left in the singles at Roland Garros.

Edmund was bidding to reach the last 32 of the French Open for the third successive year, having ended a five-match losing streak on clay this year with a gutsy five-set win over France's Jeremy Chardy in the opening round.

But the Yorkshireman never looked comfortable from the start against 33-year-old Cuevas, a clay-court specialist who has won all of his six ATP Tour singles titles on the surface.

After losing his opening service game of the match, Edmund fought back to level the first set at 4-4 before Cuevas ran away with the tie-break.

Cuevas caused problems with his dominant backhand as Edmund struggled to unload his favoured forehand, the Briton winning just four points on his way to losing the final four games of the second set.

That left Edmund needing to do something he had never done in his career - win from two sets down.

From this position he had lost 13 previous matches and another exit followed when he shook hands with world number 47 Cuevas, who will face Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem in the last 32.

A management reshuffle at Bristol Bears will see Mark Tainton appointed as the club's chief executive.

Bristol's all-time record points scorer held the role of interim head coach in 2016/17, before being appointed to a senior management role.

Following head coach Pat Lam's role changing to director of rugby, Tainton will also join the board of directors.

The Bears won nine out of 22 matches to finish ninth in their first season back in the Gallagher Premiership.

Wales are preparing an historic Barbarians double-header at the Principality Stadium this autumn.

Warren Gatland is in line to coach the Barbarians men in Wayne Pivac's first Wales match in charge after the World Cup in Japan.

The Barbarians are also set to face Wales women for the first time with the date of 30 November pencilled in.

Jasmine Joyce and Elinor Snowsill have been named in the Barbarians squad to face England on 2 June.

That game is a double header at Twickenham with the women's game kicking off at 12:45 and the uncapped men's game at 15:30 against an England XV.

The Barbarians are an invitational team which has been playing national sides on a regular basis since 1948.

The Barbarians women began life with wins over Munster and the British Army in 2017-18 but only played their first international in April 2019, beating USA Eagles 34-33, helped by four tries from Joyce on her Baa-Baas debut.

LONG POND, Pa. – The ARCA Menards Series open test at Pocono Raceway is often a time where young drivers who have little to no prior experience on larger speedways can get up to speed.

That was very true on Wednesday, as several teenagers got their first chance to tackle the 2.5-mile ‘Tricky Triangle’ that is Pocono Raceway, learning the ins and outs of the unique three-turn facility.

Two of those who participated in Wednesday’s test – Chad Bryant Racing’s Corey Heim and Venturini Motorsports’ Chandler Smith – are 16-year-olds who aren’t even old enough to compete during Friday’s 80-lap, 200-mile ARCA race at Pocono.

However, both Heim and Smith will be old enough to race during ARCA’s second visit to the speedway in late July, meaning Wednesday’s track time was just as crucial to them as it was to the series regulars.

The aforementioned duo came to Pocono off the short tracks of the Southeastern United States, meaning that finally driving on a big track like Pocono was a constant learning experience.

Smith took the day in stride, however, posting the second-fastest lap of the test at 53.221 seconds (169.106 mph) and landing just behind his Venturini Motorsports teammate, Christian Eckes.

For Heim, the day ended on a positive note as well, as he was third-quick overall at 53.266 seconds (168.963 mph) and best among the three Chad Bryant Racing entries in attendance.

“Definitely the first thing I learned was that everything comes up really fast,” said Heim. “Pocono is a really, really fast race track. We’re averaging about 170 mph around this place and I’m used to much, much slower tracks than what this one is … short tracks and things like that. Today was definitely a learning experience all the way around, but I got a lot of advice from my teammates (Ty Majeski and Joe Graf Jr.) and a few other people who have been around this place before.

“Following people when I could helped me learn a lot as well, and I feel really good about where we ended the afternoon before the rain hit,” Heim added. “I know I don’t get to use what I’ve learned today for a couple months yet, but I think things will be good when we come back here at the end of summer.”

As he worked to figure out Pocono’s quirks, Heim leaned on the expertise and experience of a former NASCAR national series veteran for advice about unlocking the secrets to success at the track.

“Mike Bliss ran here a few times after the repave, so he’s honestly helped me out significantly,” noted Heim. “It’s a lot of little things, like the bumps and how I can get through corners better. It may seem like simple stuff, but it all adds up to help a lot for someone like me who’s never seen the place before.”

Lessard had the benefit of crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, a former NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series signal-caller, up his sleeve as he turned laps in the No. 28 for KBR Development on Wednesday.

“Pocono is such a fun place,” Lessard noted. “I’d never even been here to watch a race or anything like that, so this is all new to me. I’mr eally happy, though. At first, we were struggling and needed a lot more speed, but Jeff Stankiewicz (crew chief) and the KBR guys got me dialed in by the end of the day.

“I’m getting better around the race track and the car is getting way better, and that’s what you want.”

Lessard, who started the test session nearly at the bottom of the leaderboard, ended up fifth overall (53.953/166.812) after a late surge just before the showers that moved in and cut the day short.

“It surprised me, because we were on old tires and ran our fastest lap of the day,” Lessard pointed out. “Every time we went back out, we got better. Even as the tires got older, we got better. I’m happy.”

As far as the nuances of speedway racing, different drivers discover different feels as they get acclimated to a facility, and that was true for both Heim and Lessard.

“It kind of reminded me of a short track, just with long straightaways,” said Lessard of Pocono. “The corners, you have to slow the car down a bit, and there’s a lot of rolling speed. It’s different than I’m used to, but it’s still a race track and I finally found a line I was happy with by the end.”

“This place is all momentum. If you get loose in any of the corners, it kills your straightaway speed and you’re going backwards in a hurry. It’s mainly about consistency and being smooth, which is normally something I’m really good at,” explained Heim. “(Crew chief) Paul Andrews actually calls this place a big short track, just because you’re always setting up your entry for the corner exit. If you can arc the corners more and more and get a better run off, you’re gonna be alright, and I’d say we did that well.”

Heim and Smith will return to Pocono on July 26 for the Pocono ARCA 150, while Lessard, defending race winner Harrison Burton and the rest of the ARCA field hit the track on Friday for the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200.

Coverage of the race kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2, with a same-day re-airing on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET.

Journalist Kyle Magda contributed to this story.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Steakhouse Elite and driver J.J. Yeley has joined Rick Ware Racing for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 400.

Steakhouse Elite will sponsor the No. 52 Chevrolet driven by Yeley in Sunday’s race.

Steakhouse Elite, a New York based company, offers a full line of both fresh and frozen burgers. In addition to being a partner with Rick Ware Racing, Steakhouse Elite is also a partner and burger provider of International Speedway Corp.

“We produce a top of the line full burger program for our retail partners that includes Angus, grass-fed and our flagship Kobe-crafted blends. The key to making a better burger starts with making the burger better,” Steakhouse EliteCOO Evan Wexler said.

Steakhouse Elite offers a wide variety of savory burgers that can be found at most major retailers on the East Coast.

“I am excited to be back in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car at Pocono Raceway,” Yeley said. “Steakhouse Elite has been a great partner over the years and I can’t thank them enough for coming on board this weekend.”

TULSA, Okla. – In an effort to ensure the future of indoor off-road motorcycle racing, Tod Hammock, the Kicker Arenacross event promoter, and Eric Peronnard, the creator of EnduroCross, are studying possibilities to keep the racing discipline alive.

Hammock has been promoting Arenacross races across the United States since 1995, totaling over 300 successful events. His most recent achievements include launching a national television partnership with FOX Sports for the 2019 National Arenacross Series.

His relationship with top indoor venues across the country, expansive knowledge of the sport of off-road racing (he is an avid rider as well) and proven success of the promotion of these events makes him the ideal candidate to continue building on previous successes that indoor extreme off-road racing requires.

In 2004, Eric Peronnard brought EnduroCross to life. His resume is full of experience working in the Motocross, Supercross and the X Games worldwide. His knowledge and passion for off-road racing/riding is unparalleled.

Hammock and Peronnard are the ideal team to successfully keep indoor extreme off-road racing alive in the short term and grow it in the long term. Their experience and proven track record will provide a seamless transition and prove to be an invaluable partner for the American Motorcyclist Ass’n (AMA). Key people such as Shane Schaeffer (renowned track builder), Mike Hathaway (longtime EnduroCross Race Director) and Sean Finley (media relations and marketing) will be part of the new team.

Preparations for a three-race series for 2019 are already in the works with plans for a full series in 2020 and expansion of the number of races in the future.

Proposed races and dates for 2019 are as follows: (these buildings are already optioned)

Aug. 24 | Prescott Valley, Arizona
Oct. 19 | Denver, Colorado
Oct. 26 | Boise, Idaho

Hammock and Peronnard are confident in this venture and look forward to speaking further with the AMA about the future of indoor extreme off-road racing and working together to ensure its continuation and growth. Further details will be released by the end of June 2019.