Are the Mavericks cursed? Plus, QB intrigue in the draft wild strikeout celebrations

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Good morning! Celebrate something today.

Messes: Raise the oof in Dallas

Mavericks fans must now assume the true return for the Luka Dončić trade was somewhere in the fine print. Oh, there it is.

Clause 47: A diabolical curse is now cast upon your team. Starting now!

A bad update: Sure, Anthony Davis didn’t literally break his leg while deplaning in Dallas, but he strained a muscle just minutes into his debut — and now just a couple weeks later, Kyrie Irving has a torn ACL. Oof. A season that was on thin ice is now mummified in permafrost.

But wait. It gets worse! The Lakers have won seven straight, and are a fresh title contender. (If you argue this was the convo with Davis around, stop.) Check the books, where the Lakers have surged to fourth-shortest NBA title odds in some places, ahead of even the Nuggets.

Don’t be so surprised. Quoting John Hollinger on the day of the freaking trade: “(The) disaster potential on this one seems really high. … Irving turns 33 next month, and Davis turns 32; neither has been an ironman even in the best of times.” John’s other quote – and this is exact! – was this: “I’m sorry but … WHAT!?!?!? How? Why?”We’re honestly sorry, Mavs fans. To the pain, indeed. Onward:

Mock Draft: Only 1 QB in the first round? 

Not every NFL Draft class is the same. That really hits you in the face if you’re a team in need of a quarterback during a year without a bunch of worthy first-round QBs. After last year’s six passers in the first 12 picks, we’ve gotten used to seeing just a couple in mock drafts this time around.

Actually, how about even fewer? In Dane Brugler’s new post-combine mock, Miami’s Cam Ward goes No. 1 to the Giants via a trade with Tennessee. So far, not a shocker.

But then Dane has Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders sliding to the Steelers at No. 21, while also noting “a lot of NFL teams” don’t view Sanders as a first-rounder.

I (Jason, author of our college football newsletter) talked through this with Jacob Robinson, who writes our NFL newsletter:

Jacob: Deion Sanders’ son is a big name, but is he a big talent? What should NFL fans know about his game?

Jason: Even accounting for how difficult it can be to objectively describe anything about this wildly hyped era of Colorado football, Sanders still feels like a paradox.

He often held onto the ball forever, like a Madden player hunting big plays. At CU, he lost 33.9 sack yards per game, by far the country’s most. His offensive line was usually a team weakness, but it wasn’t that bad.

Yet his FBS career completion percentage of 71.8 is the highest in history, making him more of a choosy freelancer than a reckless gunslinger.

A question in return: Are some teams comfortable punting on QBs this year, given the promise of next year’s crop (as in, Texas redshirt sophomore Arch Manning)?

Jacob: Only the front offices that can afford to. Teams like the Raiders, Titans and Jets have hired either new head coaches, general managers or both, allowing them to wait for the 2026 class.

But that luxury feels unavailable to the regimes leading the Giants, Browns, Colts and Steelers, who enter 2025 on thin ice. We’ll have a better sense after NFL free agency opens next week.

Jacob and I also swapped another couple questions, which we’ll include in our upcoming newsletters. (Subscribe to ‘em all!) And one more time, here’s Dane’s new mock, with a big riser to the Pats at No. 4. 👀

News to Know

No UNC on ‘Hard Knocks’ after allBill Belichick and the North Carolina football team won’t be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” actually, as discussions about an agreement fell through. The Tar Heels were expected to be the subject of an offseason docuseries, making them the first college program featured on the show. Boo.

Adams out in New YorkThe Jets cut wide receiver Davante Adams after they were unable to find a trade partner, saving the team nearly $30 million. The 32-year-old six-time Pro Bowler will now be one of the top WR options on the free-agent market, which took a hit after the Bengals used the franchise tag on Tee Higgins. Read our full report.

More news

The Vikings didn’t place the franchise tag on QB Sam Darnold, allowing him to hit free agency after a stunning comeback season.
LeBron James became the first NBA player to score 50,000 career points across the regular season and playoffs. Relive his previous scoring milestones here.
Bruins captain Brad Marchand is out week to week due to an upper-body injury, making a trade before Friday’s deadline unlikely. Read more.
After getting a technical Monday night for yelling at officials,Warriors coach Steve Kerr unleashed another tirade about the NBA’s lack of travel calls. Listen to it here.
PSA, the world’s most prominent trading card grading service, will temporarily pause direct grading submissions from Canada, China, Hong Kong and Mexico because of the tariffs placed on them by the U.S. government.
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is week to week with asprained ankle. It’s a big blow for Memphis, but the Defensive Player of the Year candidate also needs to play in seven more games to be eligible for NBA awards.

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Things You Need to See: Long live the strikeout celebration

The baseball internet has been abuzz during spring training about Rockies minor-league reliever Jefry Yan, thanks to his zesty strikeout celebrations. The smooth leaping-pointing-fist-pumping motion is mesmerizing, but also makes you consider possible issues like: Is this an injury risk? I mean, watch:

The Jefry Yan Experience pic.twitter.com/yHbZ5r5rB4

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) February 25, 2025

Maybe. Regardless, it turns out the celebrations are actually quite meaningful to Yan, 28, who made his professional debut 11 years ago but has yet to play in an MLB game.

As Sam Blum writes today, Yan now finds himself on the brink of making the major leagues, but the showmanship is a reminder to make the most of every chance he gets.

Watch and Play

📺 UCL: PSG at Liverpool | 3 p.m. ET on Paramount +

Two of the best teams in Europe, both with large leads in their domestic leagues, looking for a result in the first leg of the round of 16? Expect fireworks.

📺 NCAAM: No. 5 Florida at No. 7 Alabama | 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Two of the best teams in the country face off in a high-stakes game for SEC and NCAA Tournament seeding. A little Wednesday night treat.

Pulse Picks

Stewart Mandel has the fun origin story of the best thing to happen to bowl season in recent memory: the Pop-Tarts movement. Make time for this behind-the-scenes review of a marketing marvel.

Landing spots for Justin Fields? We’re in. Try Apple or Spotify.

With the NHL trade deadline approaching this Friday, Chris Johnston gives us the latest on the top targets in his trade board 8.0.

The Dodgers are closing in on the No. 1 MLB franchise of this century, as Stephen J. Nesbitt writes in his updated rankings.

Jeff Rueter has an important column on San Diego FC fans marring the MLS side’s home debut with derogatory chants.

Rays prospect Chandler Simpson might be the fastest player in baseball, but his game has a fascinating catch, as Ken Rosenthal writes.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Connections: Sports Edition. Tough board.

Most-read on the website yesterday: For the second day in a row, Rustin Dodd and Jayson Jenks’ story on NFL QB cadences.

(Top photo: David Berding / Getty Images)