The NBA’s offseason has already produced one of the most active stretches of player movement in recent memory, and free agency hasn’t even officially begun. With the 2026 draft now complete and the league year set to open Tuesday, here’s a rundown of the 10 biggest trade stories, completed deals and rumors currently shaping the landscape across the NBA.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s blockbuster move to Miami

The offseason’s signature trade came together on the eve of the draft, ending a year-long saga over the two-time MVP’s future. The Milwaukee Bucks finally dealt Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for four players, four first-round picks and a pick swap, with Miami’s package including Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis. With Antetokounmpo now in South Florida, the Heat are positioned to field one of the league’s best defensive frontcourts entering next season.

2. A three-team shakeup sends Julius Randle to Brooklyn

Less than 24 hours before the draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick to the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 33 pick, in a swap that also saw the Nets ship center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls. The deal continued the Timberwolves’ roster overhaul following a busy stretch of moves this offseason.

3. Jaylen Brown reportedly headed to Sacramento

One of the most significant deals to emerge from the post-draft chaos involves the Boston Celtics parting with All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. According to multiple trade trackers monitoring the offseason, the Celtics sent Brown to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Nique Clifford and a haul of future first-round pick swaps stretching from 2027 through 2033. The move gives Boston the ability to duck under the second apron while adding a playmaking center in Sabonis and additional shot creation in LaVine, while Sacramento becomes newly relevant out West with Brown leading a roster stocked with promising young pieces.

4. Kawhi Leonard‘s future in Los Angeles remains uncertain

Speculation continues to swirl around Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who is reportedly open to a reunion with either the Toronto Raptors or San Antonio Spurs if his situation in Los Angeles doesn’t work out. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Clippers would like to keep Leonard, but only at their price, as the soon-to-be 35-year-old weighs a new contract. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast that Leonard “will have to take a pay cut” to remain in Los Angeles on an extension. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that multiple teams are already monitoring Leonard’s situation over the coming weeks, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst naming the Detroit Pistons as a logical suitor should Leonard become available via trade.

5. Detroit’s interest in Kyrie Irving gets shut down

The Pistons’ pursuit of a backcourt addition has also extended to Dallas, where they’ve inquired about Kyrie Irving. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, “The Pistons have expressed interest in Kyrie Irving. Dallas is telling teams Kyrie Irving is not available.” The Mavericks appear committed to building around Irving and rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, who missed Flagg’s entire first season while recovering from a torn ACL. Christian Clark of The Athletic reported that Flagg’s presence was a selling point during Dallas’ recent coaching search, with the franchise expected to enter next season treating both Flagg and Irving as cornerstones.

6. Jalen Duren exploring a sign-and-trade exit from Detroit

Even as the Pistons chase outside additions, they may be on the verge of losing a key piece of their own core. Detroit center Jalen Duren, a restricted free agent coming off his first All-Star and All-NBA selections, was reportedly underwhelmed by the team’s initial contract offer. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Duren “was underwhelmed by the Detroit Pistons’ initial offer in restricted free agency and is planning to explore sign-and-trade scenarios when they are permitted.” Because Duren made an All-NBA team, Detroit can offer him a five-year max contract worth up to $287.1 million, while rival suitors are limited to four-year offers worth up to $177.4 million.

7. James Harden nearing a new long-term deal in Cleveland

The Cavaliers appear to be closing in on securing their backcourt centerpiece for the long term. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that “Cleveland should soon have a verbal agreement on a new multi-year deal with James Harden,” who is expected to swap his $42.3 million player option, only partially guaranteed at $13.3 million, for a longer-term contract. Teams are permitted to negotiate with their own free agents ahead of the official start of free agency, a mechanism that has already produced agreements elsewhere around the league.

8. LaMelo Ball lands in Minnesota

The Timberwolves continued reshaping their backcourt by acquiring LaMelo Ball in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. Combined with the team’s other offseason activity, the move signals Minnesota’s intent to remain aggressive in roster construction even after an active trade deadline earlier in the year.

9. The Hornets pivot at point guard

In the wake of trading Ball, Charlotte has reportedly turned its attention to free agency, with plans to re-sign Coby White to a three-year, $74 million contract. The move has already drawn criticism from some corners of the NBA media, given the perceived drop-off in production between the two guards.

10. Detroit ends the “Beef Stew” era

Rounding out the wave of draft-week moves, the Pistons traded center Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies, closing the chapter on a fan-favorite frontcourt partnership and continuing Detroit’s broader roster turnover this offseason, which has also included acquiring sharpshooter Isaiah Joe from Oklahoma City in a separate deal for second-round picks.

With free agency set to officially open Tuesday, the moves detailed above represent only the early wave of an offseason that figures to remain active for weeks. Several marquee names, including Leonard, Duren and potentially others still weighing their options, remain unresolved heading into the new league year, setting up additional drama once teams are formally permitted to negotiate with players beyond their own roster. NBA insiders are expected to continue tracking developments closely as front offices around the league race to reshape their rosters before training camps open in the fall.

VANCOUVER — Belgium finally found the attacking form that had eluded it through two lackluster group-stage performances, demolishing World Cup debutant New Zealand 5-1 on Friday night at BC Place to win Group G and eliminate the Football Ferns from the tournament.

The result was a stunning turnaround for a Belgian side that had managed just a single goal through its first two matches of the tournament, an own goal scored by Egypt’s Mohamed Hany in a 1-1 draw. After that performance and a goalless draw against Iran, Belgium’s attack finally clicked at the moment it needed to most.

Trossard sparks the rout early

Winger Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in the 28th minute, capitalizing after New Zealand’s defense was caught napping on a corner kick. Trossard slipped into the box unmarked to give Belgium a 1-0 lead, capping a sequence in which he had already come close to scoring twice. In the 12th minute, a Trossard shot struck the post and appeared to have crossed the line, only for goal-line technology to rule that it had not, while a VAR review in the 22nd minute cleared New Zealand defender Finn Surman of a handball inside the box.

Trossard doubled his and Belgium’s tally in the 50th minute, pouncing on a deflected rebound after his initial shot was blocked, beating New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe, who had no time to react. The two-goal night propelled Trossard to the forefront of a Belgian attack that had badly needed a spark.

Following his second goal, Trossard celebrated with his now-signature gesture, cupping his hands over his eyes like a pair of goggles — a tribute to his son’s love of superheroes.

De Bruyne adds his name to the scoresheet

Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne extended the lead to 3-0 in the 66th minute with a standout individual effort, collecting the ball outside the box and dribbling through New Zealand’s defense before beating Crocombe with a shot from distance. The goal prompted chants of “Oh, Kevin De Bruyne” from the crowd at BC Place as the match headed into the second-half hydration break.

Belgium had dominated the run of play for long stretches, putting up 16 attempts on goal in the first half alone, four of them on target, while New Zealand failed to register a single shot on goal before halftime. New Zealand striker Chris Wood struggled to get loose against Belgium’s physical defensive approach, visibly frustrated at times when challenges went uncalled.

New Zealand gets a consolation goal before Belgium pulls away again

New Zealand finally broke through in the 84th minute, when winger Elijah Just scored to make it 3-1, his third goal of the tournament. The goal offered a brief moment of life for the Football Ferns and their fans, but it proved to be too little, too late against a Belgian side that had already wrapped up the result.

Belgium answered almost immediately. Just two minutes later, in the 86th minute, substitute Romelu Lukaku restored the three-goal cushion, heading home to make it 4-1. The goal was a milestone moment for the Belgian legend, who came on as a substitute and now sits as Belgium’s all-time leading goal scorer with 91 career goals for the national team.

Substitute Alexis Saelemaekers added an exclamation point in the 90th-plus-4th minute, scoring Belgium’s fifth goal of the night moments before the final whistle to complete the rout.

A tactical night of substitutions

Both sides made heavy use of their benches as the match wore on. Belgium brought on Saelemaekers and Amadou Onana in the 72nd minute, replacing goal-scorers Trossard and De Bruyne after their work was effectively done. Earlier, in the 56th minute, Belgium substituted winger Jérémy Doku for Matias Fernandez-Pardo after Doku picked up a hard challenge from New Zealand’s Just, who was shown a yellow card for the foul — a decision that reflected Belgium’s unwillingness to risk one of its key attacking players once the match was firmly in hand.

New Zealand turned over its lineup repeatedly in search of a spark, opening the second half with a double substitution, bringing on Jesse Randal and Ben Old for Sarpreet Singh and Ryan Thomas. The Football Ferns made another double change in the 64th minute, sending on Michael Boxall and Callum McCowatt, before a fifth and final substitution in the 79th minute brought on Francis De Vries for Liberato Cacace.

What it means for both teams

The result eliminates New Zealand from the tournament after the program’s first appearance at a men’s World Cup in 16 years, closing out a campaign in which the Football Ferns failed to win any of their three group matches. Belgium, meanwhile, claims top spot in Group G after entering the tournament’s final group match under significant pressure following two underwhelming results against Egypt and Iran.

With the group stage now complete, Belgium advances to the Round of 32, where it is set to face the third-place finisher from Group A, E, H, I or J. That matchup is scheduled to be played in Seattle on Wednesday, July 1.

For Belgium, Friday’s performance represented a dramatic reversal of fortune after a tournament that had, until this point, raised real questions about whether the team’s attacking talent would ever translate into goals on the world’s biggest stage. With Trossard, De Bruyne and Lukaku all finding the net in the same match, those concerns were emphatically answered, at least for one night, as Belgium’s golden generation showed exactly why it remains one of the most dangerous attacking outfits left in the tournament heading into the knockout rounds.

The anonymous individual who has been communicating with TMZ for months about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has refused to turn over an alleged video of one of her purported kidnappers, citing fears that sharing the file could expose his identity through embedded metadata, according to a new report.

TMZ said Friday it received a new letter from someone previously in contact with the outlet, who claimed to have video of one of the alleged suspects and Guthrie on a phone stored in a “secure location.” The development marks the latest twist in an extortion-style correspondence that has unfolded sporadically since shortly after the 84-year-old’s disappearance from her Tucson-area home on February 1.

A claim of new video evidence

According to TMZ, the person who sent the latest letter has the same email address and Bitcoin address as the individual who first contacted the outlet weeks into Guthrie’s disappearance. The sender also claimed that two people were responsible for Guthrie’s kidnapping, and that the alleged video shows the “main guy” among them.

The letter described the contents of the hidden phone in specific detail. “I have a phone stashed in a secure location guaranteeing both the information it stores and the safety of the phone,” the sender wrote, according to TMZ. “What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with nancy the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age.”

TMZ reported that it authenticated the new email as coming from the same source behind earlier correspondence, citing a matching Bitcoin address and an alias used in prior messages. The outlet said the phone was described as being in a location that would be “easy to access if you know where it is.”

A demand for payment, and a refusal in return

The sender indicated he would provide the password needed to access the phone’s contents in exchange for payment of one Bitcoin, sent to a newly provided address. TMZ said it declined that demand and instead asked the sender to provide a single screengrab of Nancy Guthrie to authenticate his claim before any further engagement.

TMZ also reported sending the new correspondence directly to the FBI, continuing a pattern the outlet has followed throughout its dealings with the anonymous sender since Guthrie’s disappearance.

A scoff at an unrelated tip

The letter also addressed an unrelated development in the case, with the sender distancing himself from a separate report involving a search near the U.S.-Mexico border. According to TMZ, the sender wrote, “I am not the idiot who recently called in a tip about her burial site in Mexico,” appearing to reference an anonymous call received earlier this month by a Mexican missing-persons organization that prompted a search near Nogales, Sonora — a search that ultimately turned up no trace of Guthrie despite uncovering more than 20 unmarked graves in the area.

The sender also appeared to push back on previous reporting regarding his own identity. According to TMZ, he seemed to scoff at the outlet’s earlier report that the FBI believes the person writing the emails might be a woman.

What the FBI is keeping under wraps

TMZ executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere addressed the broader pattern of communication during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” explaining that federal investigators have asked the outlet to withhold certain details from the public as the investigation continues. “There are certain things the FBI doesn’t want them to share with the public at this point,” Latibeaudiere said, according to NewsNation.

Latibeaudiere also described the unpredictable nature of the correspondence itself, noting that TMZ has no way to initiate contact with the sender. “There’s never any email for us to contact him,” Latibeaudiere told NewsNation. “So we’re basically just waiting whenever he decides he wants to send these emails to us.”

He went on to summarize the claims contained in the latest message. “But in it, he says he’s got this video that shows Nancy on what he describes as her last day and she is with one of the kidnappers,” Latibeaudiere added.

Latibeaudiere further detailed the sender’s claims about who might know the location of Guthrie’s remains. “He says there are two people who are directly connected to this and they’re the only ones who would know besides him, I guess, where Nancy’s body is at this point,” Latibeaudiere said.

Part of a longer pattern of contact

Friday’s letter is not an isolated incident but rather the latest in a string of communications TMZ says it has received since Guthrie’s disappearance. The outlet has previously reported receiving ransom notes and several emails tied to the case, including what it described as one “highly sophisticated” demand involving cryptocurrency payment.

The new claims also follow closely on the heels of other significant developments in the investigation. Just days earlier, sources close to the case told NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin that a separate ransom note had indicated Guthrie was “buried in nature,” adding to a small number of written communications investigators believe may have come from those responsible for her disappearance.

An unresolved case nearly five months later

Guthrie was reported missing from her Arizona home on February 1, and authorities believe she was taken against her will. Despite the FBI’s continued investigation, the release of security footage showing a masked figure on her property, and now a string of anonymous communications claiming knowledge of her fate, no arrests have been announced in the case nearly five months later.

Federal authorities have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the video, photographs or hidden phone described in Friday’s letter, and the claims remain unverified. Investigators have likewise not indicated whether they believe the sender’s account is credible or whether any evidence has been recovered to support the specific details described in the correspondence.

For now, the case remains open, with TMZ continuing to forward each new message to federal investigators as it arrives, and the broader public left, as Latibeaudiere described it, simply waiting for the next unsolicited email from a source whose claims have yet to be independently verified by law enforcement.

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NEW YORK — Wall Street’s most closely watched measure of investor anxiety ticked higher Friday, as renewed selling in the technology sector pushed traders to pay up for protection against further market swings.

The CBOE Volatility Index, widely known as the VIX or “fear gauge,” was trading at 19.34, up 0.45 points, or 2.38%, extending a climb that began the previous session as megacap technology stocks came under fresh pressure.

A modest but telling move

The VIX’s rise on Friday builds on an increase that was already underway Thursday. The index closed Thursday at 18.89, up 1.40% on the day, even as the broader S&P 500 finished essentially flat. That divergence — a rising fear gauge alongside a steady headline index — is often a signal that investors are growing more cautious beneath the surface of the market, even when the major averages aren’t moving dramatically.

Understanding what these moves actually mean requires looking at what the VIX measures in the first place. The VIX measures expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days, derived from S&P 500 index option prices across a wide range of strike prices, reflecting how much movement traders are paying to hedge against rather than predicting a specific market direction. A high VIX reading means traders are bidding up insurance — when stocks drop sharply, investors rush to buy put protection, and that demand for hedges lifts option premiums and, in turn, the VIX itself.

Where Friday’s reading falls historically

At just above 19, Friday’s level remains within what market professionals consider a normal trading range, even as it ticks higher. Readings of 15 to 25 reflect a normal market with two-way flow, while readings of 25 to 30 mark rising stress often associated with earnings or policy surprises, and readings above 30 indicate the kind of high stress typically seen during sharp risk-off episodes.

That context matters for putting Friday’s move in perspective: the VIX remains well below levels associated with genuine panic, even as it rises from the unusually placid readings the market saw earlier in the year. The index’s 52-week low of 13.38 was set on December 24, 2025, while its 52-week high came on March 9, 2026.

What’s driving the renewed caution

The uptick in volatility tracks closely with a broader retreat in technology shares that has rattled markets over the past several sessions. Megacap names that have powered much of this year’s market gains have come under renewed selling pressure, driven in part by concerns over rising costs tied to the artificial intelligence buildout. Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platforms all posted losses this week as megacap technology shares remained under pressure.

That weakness has stood in contrast to strength in a different corner of the tech sector. Micron surged after reporting strong earnings and issuing a robust revenue outlook, lifting other chip-related stocks including Sandisk, Applied Materials and Western Digital. The split between companies benefiting from surging memory demand and those facing higher costs because of it has left investors trying to sort winners from losers within the same broad sector — exactly the kind of uncertainty that tends to push hedging demand, and the VIX, higher.

A global dimension to the unease

The volatility hasn’t been confined to U.S. markets. Trading overseas showed even sharper swings tied to the same underlying worries about technology valuations. Trading in South Korea was temporarily halted after an 8% decline in the benchmark Kospi index triggered a circuit breaker designed to curb panic selling, with the index ultimately closing down 5.8%.

A market strategist pointed to a broader shift in how investors are approaching the AI trade after a long rally in related shares. “The long-term investment case for AI remains compelling, but investors are becoming far more selective about which companies can justify the valuations the market has assigned to them,” said David Makaryan, a senior partner at Alpha Pacific Group.

A pattern of swings rather than a single event

This year’s volatility readings have themselves been something of a rollercoaster, reflecting how quickly sentiment has shifted on Wall Street in recent months. Headlines from earlier in June captured that whiplash directly: the “fear gauge” tumbled as traders bid up SpaceX shares in mid-June, only to “punch back” days later as a “crash up” in chip stocks reversed. Other recent commentary noted that the volatility index was signaling calm on Wall Street even though “that’s not how traders feel,” underscoring a gap between the VIX’s headline number and the underlying nervousness many investors describe.

How to think about a VIX in the high teens

For everyday investors trying to make sense of the number, market commentary generally treats VIX readings in the high teens as unremarkable on their own, but worth watching if they continue to climb. Volatility tends to cluster and then fade — once a specific catalyst passes, option demand typically cools and the VIX drifts back toward its long-run average, generally cited as somewhere between 18 and 20. That would put Friday’s reading right around the historical norm, even as the short-term trend has been upward.

With megacap technology names continuing to face scrutiny over AI-related spending and valuations, and with memory chip stocks pulling in the opposite direction on strong earnings, traders are likely to keep a close eye on the VIX in the sessions ahead as a barometer of how much further the current bout of sector rotation has to run. A sustained move higher from current levels would suggest the unease rippling through tech stocks is spreading more broadly across the market; a pullback back toward the high teens would suggest Friday’s bump was simply another short-lived spike in what has already been a volatile year for Wall Street’s fear gauge.