There are some big names available on a free transfer in summer 2020 from Europe's biggest clubs if they don't put pen to paper soon. Here are the top ones, with the help of Transfermarkt.

Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)

Tottenham were able to avoid a mess by signing Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld up to one-year extensions, meaning they will also expire in 2020, but they haven't made any ground with Eriksen as yet. The Denmark midfielder would be a massive loss and if he doesn't want to commit then a €100m move to Real Madrid looks the best bet.

Marcus Rashford (Man United)

Manchester United have made a habit of adding the option for a further year to all their deals, so there's no fear Rashford will leave in 2020. In fact, he's likely to stay and sign a new contract this summer to double his wages. Meanwhile, Eric Bailly and Nemanja Matic are the other two on the agenda, along with those who are already into their one-year extensions.

David De Gea (Man United)

And, of course, De Gea. Arguably the best goalkeeper around struggled towards the end of the season and those rumours of a move to Real Madrid started up again. Sources have told ESPN that United will move for Atletico's Jan Oblak if De Gea departs.

Nabil Fekir (Lyon)

It seems a long time ago when Fekir was on the verge of a move to Liverpool before it fell through. The France midfielder is in talks over a new deal, but Liverpool are still keen and Chelsea will be watching the situation carefully too.

Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

Sergio Ramos evidently has a deal until 2021 rather than the reported 2020, but Modric does not and at 33 he could well decide it's time to move, having almost joined Inter Milan last year. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas is another who surely won't want to stick around given his lack of playing time.

Edinson Cavani (PSG)

Cavani has cut a frustrated figure at PSG behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in goals and status. At 32, he will be considering his next move. Manchester United might also be keen on right-back Thomas Meunier, who looks set to move on before his deal expires at the same time. Thiago Silva is also out of contract, but may have few takers.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea)

Now that the Eden Hazard saga has been put to bed finally, Chelsea can turn their attentions to a host of other wingers whose contracts are expiring next summer. Hudson-Odoi has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich but the Blues will want to tie the England international down once he recovers from injury. Willian and Pedro's deals are also expiring, so the club need to act fast.

Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)

Tottenham have tracked the 19-year-old winger for some time and, helped by the fact that Fulham were relegated, they look set to land him this summer. Sessegnon is worth a reported £35m, which will only get lower as his contract runs down, so Fulham would be wise to sell now.

Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)

Liverpool and Bayern Munich have led the charge to land the 23-year-old Germany striker, who has made it very clear he will not sign an extension at Leipzig. Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Naby Keita were certainly keen to make their case why he should move to Anfield.

Mario Gotze (Dortmund)

Forever to be known as the man who scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final for Germany, Gotze may feel like he has some more to prove. Still only 27, after a failed move to Bayern, links to Liverpool (and former boss Jurgen Klopp) won't go away. But the club are in talks over an extension and Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro is another that Dortmund will want to keep.

PHILADELPHIA -- Just over a minute into second half stoppage time, the U.S. was clinging to a 1-0 lead in its Gold Cup quarterfinal against Curaçao, and U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter opted to make his second substitution of the night and bring on defender Omar Gonzalez for midfielder Paul Arriola.

Logically, the substitution made sense: Gonzalez's aerial ability would help see the game out. It paid off as the U.S. ultimately prevailed but emotionally, the effect was much different. The move encapsulated a night that was utterly underwhelming.

In this match, the U.S. wasn't facing one of the region's heavyweights, it was facing Curaçao, whose national team was only formed in 2011 after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and its roster graced with veterans of the Eredivisie. Sure, Curaçao had been the tournament's surprise package by reaching the knockout stages of the Gold Cup for the first time in its history, but it was still ranked 79 by FIFA and considered one of the minnows.

- Ratings: Pulisic 6/10 bails out U.S.
- Gold Cup: Full fixtures schedule

Tournament play is about "survive and advance," as the late collegiate basketball coach Jim Valvano was fond of saying. On this occasion, the U.S. did thanks to Weston McKennie's 25th minute winner, and now it finds itself in the Gold Cup semifinals with a match against Jamaica in Nashville this Wednesday.

"When you get to the knockout stages, everyone wants to move on to the next round, and they're going to give absolutely everything," said U.S. midfielder Christian Pulisic, who assisted on McKennie's goal. "Curaçao, 100 percent wanted that today. You could see that in the way that they played. We came out with the win and we're on to the next one. That's all we're looking at."

None of those facts can excuse this U.S. performance, however.

This was not a win that involved a 40-shot barrage and ab opposition goalkeeper having the game of his life to keep the game close. Rather, this was a win in which the U.S. limped across the finish line, content to cede possession to the tune of a 59.7%-40.3% disadvantage in the second half.

Putting on an extra defender to secure a victory against a relative minnow was sobering to say the least. Despite the win, and fourth consecutive clean sheet, it felt like step backward.

Granted, this was a night when the Americans' press wasn't working, with Curaçao keeper Eloy Room proving adept at finding the open man, enabling the visitors to play out of the back. But the problems went deeper than the U.S. being unable to force turnovers.

McKennie and Michael Bradley looked out of sync defensively in the U.S. midfield, allowing Curaçao to play through them at times with relative ease. On more the one occasion, one could see Bradley desperately trying to chase down a Curaçao attacker from behind, as clear a sign as any that all was not well with the U.S. defense in transition.

What was curious -- and disappointing -- was Berhalter's response to it. With a 1-0 lead, the U.S. sat deeper and dared Curaçao to break them down.

Afterwards, Berhalter was asked if ceding possession was intentional, and he responded by saying: "We weren't going to press the goalie. You saw in the first half that the goalie didn't want to play the ball forward. We were happy not to fall into the trap of trying to press them. It would cost us more energy than it was worth, so we dropped off and mostly didn't press goalkeeper."

Left unexplained was why the U.S. couldn't be the team to keep possession, make Curaçao chase, and prey on their desperation to score a goal that would even the match.

Certainly against high-calibre teams it can be argued that the U.S. isn't adept at the possession game, but it's a task that seems doable in a tournament like the Gold Cup. Even Pulisic sounded a bit conflicted by the approach. "As long as they weren't breaking us down, we were okay in the end," he said. "But obviously we would like to have the ball more than we did today."

It's also not what Berhalter has been preaching since he took over, yet here his conservative impulses took over. It isn't the kind of dynamic play to win fans over either.

The extent to which the approach doesn't bode well for the semi is debatable. Jamaica has skillful attacking players, but they aren't as good in possession as Curaçao. The Reggae Boyz are also willing to use their speed on the counter and, as a recent friendly between the two teams showed, they are savvy with their timing in terms of when and where to pressure the U.S.

But the onus will be on the U.S. attack, one that seems as dependent as ever on Pulisic. On this night, Tyler Boyd was energetic, but didn't take good care of the ball; Arriola, aside from one telling cross that was skied over the bar by Gyasi Zardes, was barely noticeable.

Berhalter acknowledged improvements to the U.S. attack are needed. "I think it's about speed, speed of moments, having a mentality to turn their defenders, having a mentality to disorganize their defense and get behind their defense," he said. "We could have been more aggressive with that tonight for sure."

One obvious change would be to get Jozy Altidore on the field from the start given his holdup play and. more importantly, his ability be a playmaker when he drops deeper into midfield. That would relieve Pulisic from shouldering all of the creative burden and provide another conduit to the wingers.

Yet Berhalter, for whatever reason, seems reluctant to go that route. U.S. Soccer insists Altidore is healthy; Berhalter said that the team's intention in the second half to utilize transition opportunities in attack didn't suit Altidore, so that was why he wasn't used in this match. But with each passing game, it seems Berhalter simply prefers Zardes, as mindboggling as that sounds.

Heading into the Gold Cup, reaching the final was considered the minimum in terms of success for the Americans. Getting there now will require a performance well beyond what was delivered in the quarters.

England's win on Sunday has pushed them to 10 points. What does that mean for the semi-final race?

England's win against India means that Sri Lanka are out. Even if they win their two remaining matches and England lose to New Zealand, Sri Lanka will finish on the same number of points as England, but with one lesser win (because of two rained out matches), which is the first criteria for teams level on points.

With Australia already through, five teams are battling for the three remaining spots: India, New Zealand, England, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Among them, India and New Zealand are better placed, all but through, because of their superior net run rate - explained in more detail below - while England, Pakistan and Bangladesh are fighting for one slot.

Can England still qualify if they lose to New Zealand on Wednesday?

Yes, they can. For that, they will need to hope India beats Bangladesh and Bangladesh beat Pakistan. Such a scenario would have both Bangladesh and Pakistan on nine points, with England qualifying as the fourth team with 10 points.

The weather is set fair at Chester le Street for Wednesday's clash between England and New Zealand. Even if there is a no-result, England will still make it because of their superior net run rate, compared to Bangladesh and Pakistan.

What about Bangladesh and Pakistan? How has England's win affected their chances?

Both sides need 11 points, but as things stand, only one of them can get there because one of their remaining clash is against each other on Friday.

For Pakistan to qualify, they have to beat Bangladesh and hope New Zealand beat England. Similarly, Bangladesh need to win their last two games and then hope New Zealand beat England. Neither side can afford a loss, however.

Are Bangladesh/ Pakistan out for sure if England beat New Zealand? What about the net-run-rate scenarios among the teams on 11 points?

If India lose their two remaining games and if New Zealand lose to England, then three teams - India, New Zealand and Pakistan/Bangladesh - will finish on 11, vying for two spots.

If Pakistan beat Bangladesh and are the third team on 11 points, then New Zealand and India will qualify, as Pakistan's NRR of -0.792 is far too much of a handicap.

For them to nudge ahead, India will have to lose each of their matches by around 150 runs (or the sum of their losses will have to be around 300), and Pakistan will have to beat Bangladesh by around 200 runs.

For Pakistan to go past New Zealand, the result of the two relevant matches - Pakistan beating Bangladesh and England beating New Zealand - will have to be in the region of around 220 runs each.

For Bangladesh, the NRR situation isn't quite as dire, but it is still rather improbable. If, for example, the results of all three matches - Bangladesh's wins versus India and Pakistan, and India's defeat against Sri Lanka - are in the region of around 75 runs, then Bangladesh will go ahead of India on NRR.

To move past New Zealand, Bangladesh will need the results of the three relevant games - wins in their last two games, and New Zealand's loss to England - to be in the region of around 80 runs.

So is it fair to assume that India and New Zealand are both practically through to the last four?

Yes, given the improbable NRR scenarios, India and New Zealand are both pretty much through. The priority for them would be in terms of securing the best possible positions among the top four: India can still finish on top if they win their last two, and Australia lose to South Africa, but a top spot is beyond reach for New Zealand.

The more immediate battle, though, is among England, Pakistan and Bangladesh for the fourth spot.

HAUBSTADT, Ind. – Following the first heat of Sunday’s USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship race from Tri-State Speedway, the skies opened up, drenching the quarter-mile dirt oval and forcing cancellation of the event.

Prior to the downpour, in Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying, Chase Stockon set quick time with a lap of 13.618 seconds, moving him into a tie for 11th on the series all-time list and equaling him with Dave Steele and Kevin Thomas Jr.

Kendall Ruble captured the victory in the first heat race under darkening and threatening skies before the rain hit.

The series returns to action July 5-6 at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway for the inaugural running of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Corn Belt Nationals, which culminates with a $20,000-to-win prize going to the winner of Saturday’s finale.

JOLIET, Ill. – Rain started falling 16 laps into Sunday’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Lincoln Speedway, forcing officials to cancel the remainder of the race.

Brian Shirley was leading the race under caution when Mother Nature intervened.

In addition, with weather soaking the Midwest, DIRTcar Summer Nationals officials have also opted to cancel Monday’s scheduled event at the Dirt Oval at Route 66.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals will continue on Tuesday night at the Wilmot (Wis.) Speedway.

Free-agent forward Richard Panik is expected to sign with the Washington Capitals, according to multiple reports.

Panik has seven seasons of NHL experience, including the past one-plus with Arizona. He had 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 75 games with the Coyotes last season.

Panik was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2009 draft and has 75 goals and 159 points in 410 career games. He has played for the Lightning, Toronto and Chicago.

The Capitals are in the market for a third-line forward, with Brett Connolly expected to sign with Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brian Fernandez became the first player in MLS history to score in his first five league appearances, finding the net just before halftime to lift the Portland Timbers to a 1-0 victory over visiting FC Dallas on Sunday night at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

Fernandez has six goals across his five league appearances since he was signed from Liga MX's Necaxa at the end of MLS's primary transfer window in May. He's also scored three goals in two U.S. Open Cup games to help the Timbers reach the quarterfinals.

Steve Clark made two saves to record his second consecutive shutout. Portland (6-8-2, 20 points) won its second consecutive home match after opening its renovated and expanded stadium with a loss to LAFC on June 1. The Timbers also moved off the bottom of the Western Conference standings into ninth, with 14 of their final 18 games at home.

Dallas (7-7-5, 26 points) lost for the first time in five matches and was held scoreless for the first time in seven matches while remaining in fourth place in the West.

Portland carried the majority of play during the first half but had few clear chances until Fernandez gave his team the lead in the 42nd minute.

During a counterattack, Sebastian Blanco sent in an early diagonal ball that glided just beyond the runs of two other Timbers attackers and into Fernandez's path. Fernandez hit a left-footed strike first time that might have deflected off defender Matt Hedges and before beating goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez.

Dallas grew into the match after halftime. Paxton Pomykal missed narrowly wide in the 54th minute after reaching Michael Barrios' cross from the right. And a minute later, Clark had to slide to intercept Pomykal's pass just before it could find Dominique Badji in alone on goal.

Then in the 75th minute, Clark dove to stop Brandon Servania's effort from the edge of the penalty area, before Jesus Ferreira missed just wide of the left post on a one-on-one with Clark.

Later, Portland's Diego Valeri appeared to have carved out a clear look at an insurance goal, only for his shot to be redirected wide by Hedges at the last moment.

Dallas had one last flurry in second-half stoppage time, but Bryan Acosta's shot was deflected over for a corner.

PHILADELPHIA -- Gregg Berhalter said he was happy to see the United States advance to the semifinals of the Gold Cup, despite his side struggling Sunday in its 1-0 quarterfinal victory over tournament upstart Curacao.

The U.S. scored the game's only goal in the 25th minute, when Weston McKennie nodded home Christian Pulisic's cross, then absorbed some pressure in the second half to advance to the semifinals against Jamaica, which defeated Panama 1-0 earlier in the day.

"We're happy with the result of this game," Berhalter said in his postgame news conference. "That should be said.

"I'm proud of the guys for their effort, and now we move on to Nashville. We know it's going to be a good game. Jamaica is a good team, a robust team. We know they have some good attacking pieces."

Berhalter was also full of praise for Curacao, which reached the knockout rounds of the Gold Cup for the first time.

"I think they played an excellent game; you see they have clear ideas in their buildup," he said. "Their goalie [Eloy Room] is excellent with his feet.

"To me it's a great story, a small country like that being able to come to the tournament and play the football that they play. It was great."

- U.S. Player Ratings: United States barely bailed out by Pulisic
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: All you need to know
- Full Gold Cup fixtures schedule

While Berhalter was pleased with the outcome, this was a labored victory for the Americans. But he made no apologies for the scoreline, especially given the nature of knockout-round games.

"I think you guys wanted us to go out there and beat them 5-0, but we knew it was going to be a difficult game," he said. "You look at all the quarterfinals in this tournament, and Copa America, they're all tough games. They know there's no tomorrow if they lose."

The U.S. did have some chances to add to its lead following McKennie's goal, but couldn't capitalize, including one chance from Pulisic in the 57th minute where he failed to hit the target. But for long stretches, the attack looked static against a stout Curaçao defense.

"We kept them hanging around, and they were very compact," Berhalter said. "For us, it's about moving them out of position. Their midfielders were man-to-man, against Weston [McKennie] and Christian [Pulisic], and our job was to move them out of position to now find Gyasi [Zardes] or one of our wingers in the pocket.

"Especially in first half, there were times when that came off and it was OK, and then there were others when there wasn't enough movement to execute that."

The U.S. also looked vulnerable defensively in transition, as Curacao was able to play through the home side's press. Curacao also looked dangerous from set pieces, with Darryl Lachman's 42nd-minute header sailing just over the bar.

"We were trying to press the goalie, who was very calm with his feet," Berhalter said. "He was able to switch fields, find the free players and able to cut it back against the pressing guy to find the free player. And we didn't commit enough numbers forward to the press.

"In particular when we're coming from one side now, releasing our weakside winger to join the press, we didn't do that well enough in the first half."

Given that the U.S. press wasn't working, Berhalter opted to play more conservatively in the second half, daring Curacao to break the Americans down with the U.S. trying to grab a second goal in transition.

"We weren't going to press the goalie," he said. "You saw in the first half that the goalie didn't want to play the ball forward. We were happy not to fall into the trap of trying to press them.

"It would cost us more energy than it was worth, so we dropped off and mostly didn't press goalkeeper."

Berhalter added that this approach was why forward Jozy Altidore didn't play a part in the game. The strategy ultimately worked, though goalkeeper Zack Steffen was forced to tip Leandro Bacuna's 84th-minute drive over the bar.

Now the U.S. will face Jamaica in the semifinals, a team, Berhalter said, that "has quality." Having lost to the Reggae Boyz 1-0 in a friendly in early June, Berhalter said he's aware of what his side will need to do to prevail in Wednesday's meeting in Tennessee.

"I think it's about speed, speed of moments, having a mentality to turn their defenders, having a mentality to disorganize their defense and get behind their defense," he said.

"We could have been more aggressive with that tonight for sure, and that's something when I think about the last Jamaica game, it's a very similar type of performance where we had an early flurry, could have scored a goal, and then after that we lacked speed and the movements to get behind their back line."

With a trip to the semifinal on the line in Philadelphia, the United States defeated Curacao 1-0 in game marked by disjointed American play and the surprising confidence apparent from the Caribbean nation.

Positives

The win and little else. This is a tournament, after all, and the point is to advance. A singular moment from Christian Pulisic gave the Americans the goal they needed and the defense managed to hold on to the advantage. Not only would losing have ended their Gold Cup, it would have been a traumatic blow to any sense that Gregg Berhalter's program is progressing.

Negatives

A lack of energy and aggression from the U.S., as evidenced by a press that was haphazard and disconnected. Curacao's ability to not only put together long periods of possession, but to bypass the American midfield with ease made the game a much more tense affair that it should have been. Whatever progress Berhalter has made with his system, it was not on display in Philadelphia. Players all over the field played with a tentativeness indicative of a group still not sure where to be and when.

Manager rating out of 10

4 -- Berhalter got away with making 11 changes for the final group-stage match against Panama, but that choice might have affected the rhythm of the team for the quarterfinal. The Americans won, but never looked comfortable. Even the goal seemed to be an anomalous moment rather than indicative of the performance as a whole. Berhalter was more lucky than good on the night.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Zack Steffen, 5 -- Made a pair of necessary saves in the last 15 minutes to preserve the win. Guilty of some nervy moments in the first half that put the U.S. goal under threat. Kept the Americans' string of clean sheets at the Gold Cup going.

DF Nick Lima, 4 -- Aside from a few moments, was invisible going forward. Pushed back from a high position as the game wore on and the Americans struggled to keep the ball.

DF Aaron Long, 5 -- Made clear errors with the ball and appeared flustered at times. Slow to apply pressure in front of goal.

DF Walker Zimmerman, 6 -- Passable on a rough night for everyone in the back. Defended well at times, was sloppy in others.

DF Tim Ream, 3 -- Turnover prone. Too passive in one-vs.-one defensive situations. Adding nothing going forward.

MF Michael Bradley, 6 -- Asked to do a lot of work. Hit-and-miss with passing going forward. Covered ground, slowed down Curacao as he could, aided in recovery.

MF Tyler Boyd, 3 -- Wasteful, committed numerous turnovers. Lacked a consistent first touch. Combined with Paul Arriola and Pulisic on the left side but was otherwise a non-factor.

MF Weston McKennie, 5 -- Scored the goal, but struggled in possession in the midfield. Turned the ball over numerous times across both halves.

MF Christian Pulisic, 6 -- Created the lone goal with an inch-perfect cross to the back post. Made some things happen on the dribble, but missed a couple of chances to put the ball on goal.

MF Paul Arriola, 4 -- Industrious with defending, otherwise did little in the attacking end of the field.

-- When is the CONCACAF Gold Cup?
-- Full Gold Cup fixtures schedule

FW Gyasi Zardes, 4 -- Good off the ball, bad on it. Ineffective when dropping in to provide an option in midfield. Provided no goal threat, missing on the best opportunity.

Substitutes

MF Jordan Morris, NR -- Energetic, tracked back to help in defense with the U.S. absorbing pressure in the final half hour.

DF Omar Gonzalez, NR -- Brief cameo with the U.S. pushing to the final whistle.

Three years ago, the Brooklyn Nets were as dead as any NBA team has ever been. They had just wrapped a 21-win 2015-16 season. They had no young players of consequence. They had few draft assets; the Boston Celtics owned most of them through 2019 thanks to a trade that was and is considered one of the great heists in basketball history.

If Rondae Hollis-Jefferson signs with another team this summer, there will be zero players remaining from that 2015-16 outfit.

Just after the All-Star break that season, the Nets hired Sean Marks to be their new general manager. The team's Russian-based ownership group had been leaning until the very last minute to Bryan Colangelo. At All-Star Saturday night in Toronto, R.C. Buford, the San Antonio Spurs GM and then Marks' boss, approached Dmitry Razumov, then the Nets chairman, at a private event and told Razumov he might not even grant the Nets permission to interview Marks unless the Nets guaranteed Marks carte blanche to do the job the way he wanted, sources have told ESPN. Several other executives, including Bob Myers, the Golden State Warriors' president of basketball operations, chatted with Razumov that night about Marks' credentials. Brooklyn changed course.

The Nets had no first-round pick in the 2016 draft. Even so, Marks especially wanted to meet with one young player at the draft combine: Caris LeVert. Marks peppered LeVert with tough questions about his foot injury and how he might respond to Brooklyn's intensive sports science program. At the draft a few weeks later, Marks traded Thaddeus Young to the Indiana Pacers for the right to select Levert 20th overall.

It was the first move in the gradual reinvention of the Nets -- a remarkable story with very little precedent of a team that had nothing, worked every fringe avenue possible to find players and a measly three years later has somehow ended up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. (They also are signing DeAndre Jordan, i.e., the big man version of Jarrett Jack in that his primary value at this point appears to be that he is friends with better players.)

Unless free agency guts the Toronto Raptors, the Nets with Durant recovering from an Achilles tear will probably enter next season in the second tier of Eastern Conference playoff teams -- ironically, right next to the Celtics, who pillaged the Nets in that 2013 Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade only to watch Brooklyn swipe a good chunk of their carefully planned rebuild today.

Irving is significantly better than D'Angelo Russell, but he does not by himself elevate a 42-win team into title contention. The hope is that the mega-leap comes with Durant's return in 2020-21.

And it is a hope, not a lock. Durant might never be the same player again. We all hope he is, because Durant before crumpling to the court in Game 5 of the NBA Finals was on pace to be (at worst) one of the 10 greatest players ever -- with an outside shot at breaking the all-time scoring record.

We just don't know. If Durant is 90 percent of his old self, a four-year max deal that might cap out the Nets going forward will be good value. If he's 70 or 75 percent or whatever figure you'd like to attach to "doesn't look the same," there is a downside to this contract that is unpleasant to think about. But even if he hits that 90 percent, it is hard to know what that missing 10 percent represents -- if it is the difference between an All-NBA player and a guy who can function as the best player on a championship team.

Being 7-feet tall with an untouchable feathery jump shot helps. That alone will make Durant a fun pick-and-roll partner for Irving, the way he was with Stephen Curry for three seasons -- only the Nets figure to lean on that action more than the Warriors did. Ever since the rumblings about Durant and Irving joining forces burbled up, there has been noise within league circles that perhaps they will not fit all that well together -- that they will suffer from the "only one ball" problem.

Nah. They are both elite shooters who carry immense value away from the ball. The defining quality of Durant's on-court career is his ability to play alongside superstar teammates without sacrificing any of what makes him great or taking away anything that makes those teammates great. He is in some stylistic ways -- namely, time spent controlling the ball and the offense -- the greatest second option of all time.

Joining with a ball-dominant point guard dashes any dreams of seeing Durant fully unleashed as the undisputed No. 1 option. There will be no permanent Slim Reaper posting 33-9-9 lines over full seasons. Working with Irving might resemble his partnership with Russell Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And that's fine. Durant as he recovers from traumatic injury and ages into his 30s will need a younger All-Star to carry chunks of the offense the way LeBron James needed Irving to win a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will form a lethal, switch-proof, pick-and-roll combination that works both ways: Durant screening for Irving, and vice versa. Remember: Irving has a long history working that action with James.

But that is a year away. How Brooklyn builds out its team around its new stars will be intriguing. The Nets can retain all of LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen, Rodions Kurucs and whoever else is leftover once they make room for Durant and Irving. They have agreed to sign Garrett Temple, per reporting from Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. They still need frontcourt depth; they might bring back Jared Dudley, sources say.

Look at those names. The Nets got Dinwiddie and Harris for nothing. Any contender would welcome them now. They selected Allen with the pick -- No. 22 -- they received from the Washington Wizards in exchange for a half-season of Bojan Bogdanovic. At 27, Harris is the oldest among the younger foundation. Together with Russell, they comprised the core of a feisty postseason team.

Reaching that status in the East is not some crowning achievement. But the Nets did it with young players they could sell as long-term pieces of a good team. They could credibly look Irving and Durant in the eyes and say: See what Russell and these guys did together? Imagine what you might do.

Brooklyn selected good character players and built a culture of work, selflessness and fun around them. The Nets could feel it coming together in 2016-17 -- the first season for both LeVert and Kenny Atkinson, the head coach charged with the league's toughest rebuilding challenge. At a team dinner before their last game that season, Irina Pavlova, then president of Onexim Sports and Entertainment Holding and liaison between the team and its Russian owners, fought back tears as she stood to give a toast, players and coaches recall. "In my seven years here, this is the first time it feels like a team," she said, "and not just 15 players on a roster."

The Nets weren't perfect. No team is. They got lucky when other teams matched their grandiose offer sheets, then inexplicably spat in the face of that luck by trading for Allen Crabbe on the same toxic deal Brooklyn had foisted upon the Portland Trail Blazers.

But the Nets hit way more than they missed. They built a cutting-edge practice facility in Brooklyn and housed it with one of the best sports science staffs in the league. They encouraged players and coaches to bring their families along. They resisted the temptation to microwave a 45-win team by splurging on veterans. They refused to tank, even this season, when they finally had their pick back. They would play hard and try to win.

"Once they win, they will get everyone they want," Luis Scola told me in the summer of 2017, after playing part of just one season in Brooklyn. "But all those other things don't matter until you have a good team."

They built a good team. Now they have a chance for something more.

LeVert has a chance to grow into a championship third option, which is probably his appropriate NBA ceiling. He is still just 24, with potential to become an All-Star, two-way wing. His jump shot -- he is a career 32.9% shooter from deep -- might be the swing factor. The presence of Irving and Durant ensures Levert will not be overburdened as a primary on-ball creator.

LeVert is eligible for an extension now, and the salary attached to it will be big. But if he improves, it will be at worst a movable contract. Dinwiddie is on a bargain deal. Allen has two years left on his rookie contract. Harris is a free agent after next season, but his market will go only so high. Even if the Nets don't have much (or any) cap room in the Durant-Irving era, they will have the flexibility to pivot in other directions -- including chasing a third star.

Irving will have to prove he is not toxic to team chemistry. It helps that even while injured, Durant will hover over him, the true franchise alpha. The Nets are betting Atkinson's fearless, sometimes loud style will work better with Irving. Atkinson will not back down.

Regardless of what comes next, this is a historic day for the Nets. It is the transformational point of one of the most stunning reconstruction projects in recent sports history.

It is obviously a gut punch for the New York Knicks, who traded their own franchise player to unlock cap space -- and, sure, for lots of other reasons -- and have no major player to spend it on. Their buffoonish owner, James Dolan, took the unusual and bombastic step of boasting during a radio interview in the middle of the season about how the Knicks would "have a very successful offseason when it comes to free agents" -- how players and their representatives had told them so.

Perhaps when you have almost zero record of competent team-building over two decades, you should hold off on the premature braggadocio. Just a thought. Our Adrian Wojnarowksi and Ramona Shelburne reported late Sunday that New York would not offer Durant a max contract due to concerns about how he might recover. Fair. Where was this caution in 2010 when the Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire?

The Knicks will spin about how they are well-prepared for the future with RJ Barrett, some other young players who might or might not amount to much, extra picks from the Dallas Mavericks via that Kristaps Porzingis deal and cap space they might theoretically use at some point on someone better than Stoudemire (or, you know, Porzingis). (Julius Randle, New York's big Day 1 signing on a three-year, $63 million deal, would have made for a nice fit next to Porzingis.)

They're not entirely wrong. But they are stung at Madison Square Garden -- and embarrassed. They were not able to show Durant or Irving proof of concept the way the Nets did with Russell and Brooklyn's young team. So on we go, to do this again next summer and the summer after that.

The Warriors hurt too, and they will forever have to contemplate how they handled Durant's final chapter with the team -- from Draymond Green deriding him in that infamous November game against the LA Clippers to the fateful decision (made in conjunction with Durant's doctors) to clear him for Game 5 of the Finals.

But they knew this was in play when they signed Durant three summers ago -- that he might win with them, then seek his own path. The Warriors were never going to be his team. He knew that. They felt it. Durant went through periods when he was distant and quiet. A lot of people within the organization were convinced in the middle of the 2017-18 season that he would leave that summer, sources have said.

Golden State can never come close to replacing his talent. The Warriors did get more wiggle room filling a roster that looked perilously thin in the Finals without Durant (and then Klay Thompson). (Again, there is downside to Durant's new contract.) Using it to turn Durant's departure into a sign-and-trade for D'Angelo Russell -- on a max contract -- was a bold and risky asset play.

It cost them Andre Iguodala, a cultural touchstone. His departure, almost more than Durant's, marks an end to an era. The Warriors will never look the same without him. More importantly: Golden State had to attach a lightly-protected 2024 first-rounder to dump Iguodala's contract onto Memphis, as reported by Wojnarowski. That pick has some upside for Memphis. Golden State has time to acquire a replacement, and they will need picks to transition into the post-Splash Brothers era.

Russell will have to prove he is worth this, and the proof may be in whether the Warriors can flip him for value once Thompson returns. In the meantime, he fills a hole and allows for Steve Kerr to scale back Stephen Curry's minutes. But Russell's fit with Curry and Thompson is not clear. He is making too much to come off the bench.

Yeah, the Warriors are getting both weirder and older. They haven't exactly killed it in the draft since 2012, which is really not a fair criticism considering where great teams draft. Green is up for a massive extension that would vaporize a lot of that cap-and-tax flexibility. Thompson might not be the same until the 2020-21 season after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the Finals.

But count the Curry/Thompson/Green trio out at your own peril. Their record when Curry played and Durant did not was a sterling 34-4 over three seasons, before the Finals against Toronto. And even against a great Raptors team, the Warriors went 2-3 in games Thompson played -- including Game 6, when he left late in the third quarter with that knee injury. Who knows: Had Thompson stayed healthy for the duration, the Warriors might have won the whole damned thing in Game 7 in Toronto.

The Warriors will be good, even amid a Western Conference in which the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers and a few other teams are loading up to take a run at their throne. They might even contend again once Thompson recovers.

But the Warriors' ceiling will never be the same without Durant. They have to restock the depth they jettisoned to get him.

It was worth it, though: two titles and heavy favorite status for a three-peat until Durant's calf betrayed him. Now Brooklyn gets its chance -- sooner than anyone could have reasonably expected three years ago, when Durant signed with Golden State. What a turnaround.