👋 Good morning! It’s one of the most exciting months in sports. Free agency is officially underway in the NBA and soon will be in the NHL too. Folks are already starting to pack for training camp. The MLB trade deadline is approaching as teams look to make their move. Yep, it’s July, when anything is still possible and the excitement is beginning to build in earnest.

We made it, folks. It’s here. Now grab a cold one (or two or four), stay cool, and let’s do some sports. — Bobby Karalla

The first hour of NBA free agency was pretty quiet, but the Dallas Mavericks eventually made some noise when they agreed with D’Angelo Russell on a two-year, $12 million contract, according to our Marc Stein and other media reports.

Russell has been an All-Star and a journeyman, a high-priority piece of a franchise and a cast-off. He’s a rare player who’s had multiple separate stints with multiple franchises. But now he’s a Maverick.

Many Mavs fans are thrilled with the signing, citing his modest $5.7 million salary in the first year of the deal to help fill a glaring need as a playmaker while Kyrie Irving recovers from his torn ACL. Others, like me, believe the Mavs instead should have targeted more valuable players via trade. Dallas, though, seems all-in on its strong, deep frontcourt featuring Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, and of course No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

This team is going to be JUMBO. That comes with its strengths and weaknesses. Tim Cato writes about the pros and cons of the move here.

Although I’m skeptical about the thought process, I can’t deny it’s a great, low-risk deal for Dallas. Russell reportedly has a player option for the second season, so he’ll surely be motivated to have a great season to secure a long-term contract next summer.

Check out our emergency pod for our live reaction to the news, and tune into our show today for more analysis of the D-Lo signing and other moves from around the league.

Soooo Saquon Barkley says the Dallas Cowboys never even called him last summer. That would be more than a bummer if true, because Barkley put together one of the greatest seasons from a running back we’ve ever seen. At least we got that Zeke reunion, though, right?

Our DLLS Cowboys crew has more on that story here.

The Rangers experienced another gut-punch last night. Adolis Garcia sent one to outer space in the bottom of the 10th to erase a 6-3 deficit, but the Rangers allowed four more in the top of the 11th and suffered another tough defeat on this homestand.

Despite all the bad vibes, this team is still firmly in the Wild Card race, just 2.5 games out of a spot. This is doable. Jeff Wilson reports on the game, the vibes, and the outlook here.

Dallas Stars free agency begins today, now with a coach! The Stars reportedly met with Mikael Granlund yesterday, but it’s not looking likely that that member of the Finnish Mafia won’t be sticking around for the 2025-26 season due to a tricky financial situation. The Stars might be forced to look elsewhere to fill that empty top-6 forward spot, unless they trade Matt Dumba or find a way to trade Jason Robertson while still replacing him somehow too.

No matter what happens, our DLLS Stars crew will be there with you every step of the way. They’re live this morning at 11 a.m. and will get going right when free agency officially opens.

Congrats, Paige Bueckers!

Be sure to subscribe to our shows wherever you listen to your podcasts. Traffic can be the worst, and one of the best ways I get through it is by listening to the audio versions of our DLLS shows. You should, too!

Bobby Karalla
DLLS Sports Head of Content​
[email protected]