Sports

The July 3 trade sending Deandre Ayton to Washington for Jaden Hardy and two future second-round picks is less about the players than the cap mechanics: the Lakers freed $2.1M in breathing room and preserved apron flexibility to find a backup center, while the Wizards absorbed Ayton's $8.1M contract using an expiring trade exception at zero matching-salary cost. Both teams also generated separate $6M trade exceptions they can deploy in future deals, making this a dual-purpose transaction disguised as a minor roster swap.

Argentina needed an own goal in the 111th minute to escape Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, with Lionel Messi's opener becoming his record 20th World Cup goal — surpassing Miroslav Klose — while Cape Verde became the smallest nation by population ever to reach a men's World Cup knockout round. Coach Scaloni called it the most bruising match of his 100-game tenure and admitted his players finished exhausted, with both Cape Verde equalizers exposing the same defensive vulnerability: balls played through Argentina's back line. The result matters beyond the scoreline because it reveals structural cracks in the defending champions ahead of Egypt and a potential Portugal-Spain quarter-final, while Cape Verde's unbeaten group stage and diaspora-built squad signal what FIFA's expanded 48-team format is doing to global football's competitive landscape.

Shohei Ohtani exited a July 3 win over the Padres after his right biceps tightened on a swing, and manager Dave Roberts has opened the door to skipping his next start before the All-Star break. The Dodgers are 12 games up in the NL West and their rotation is already decimated by injuries to Glasnow, Snell, Treinen, and others, making Ohtani's recovery timeline the most consequential health story in the National League. Crucially, no publicly available contract reporting identifies an All-Star, MVP, or Cy Young bonus in his $700 million deal, meaning the missed exhibition appearance carries no known financial consequence.