offseason

The now two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers made their first move of the offseason on Thursday.

It will ensure a familiar face is back for their pursuit of a three-peat next year.

The team picked up its $10-million club option for third baseman Max Muncy, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly, bringing the now longest-tenured member of the roster back for what will be his ninth season in Los Angeles.

The decision was not surprising. This year, Muncy had perhaps his best all-around season at the plate since a 2021 campaign in which he received MVP votes. He hit .243, his highest mark since that 2021 season, with 19 home runs, 67 RBIs and an .846 OPS in 100 games. He atoned for a relatively quiet postseason by hitting a crucial home run in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, setting the stage for the team’s ninth-inning comeback and eventual extra-innings, title-clinching victory.

Muncy was in the final season of a two-year, $24-million extension he signed in the 2023 offseason. And injuries have been a problem for the 35-year-old in recent years (he was limited this past season by a knee contusion in July and an oblique strain in August).

However, the $10-million option was a relative bargain for a player who, prior to second-half injuries, had shaken off a slow start to the year by being one of the hottest hitters in the majors in May and June.

His return will also help keep a key part of the club’s veteran core intact, bringing back a player who — in the wake of Clayton Kershaw’s retirement — has been with the Dodgers longer than anybody else.

Muncy’s 2025 season did not start well. After an offseason in which trade rumors involving Nolan Arenado swirled, and a spring training spent working through the lingering after-effects of an oblique and rib injury that limited him in 2024, Muncy hit .176 through his first 34 games, and had only one home run.

In early May, however, he started wearing glasses to address an astigmatism in his right eye. Around that same time, he also found a breakthrough with his swing, one that helped him begin punishing fastballs up the zone. From May 7 to the end of June, he hit .315 with 12 home runs and a 1.039 OPS, one of the best stretches of his 10-year, two-time All-Star career.

That streak was derailed on July 2, when Muncy suffered his knee injury after being slid into at third base. His return a month later was cut short, too, when his oblique began bothering him during a batting practice session in August.

Those IL stints preceded a September slump that carried into the postseason, when Muncy hit just .173 entering Game 7 of the World Series.

But that night, he collected three hits, had the pivotal eighth-inning home run off Trey Yesavage that got the Dodgers back within a run, and became one of six players to contribute to all three of the Dodgers’ recent World Series titles.

“It’s starting to get a little bit comfortable up here,” he joked from atop the stage at the Dodgers’ World Series celebration on Monday. “Let’s keep it going.”

On Thursday, the team ensured his run with the Dodgers will, for at least one more season.

Alex Vesia’s option also picked up

The Dodgers on Thursday also picked up their $3.55-million club option for reliever Alex Vesia in 2026, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly. That was also not a surprise, though Vesia still would’ve been under team control and eligible for arbitration if they hadn’t.

Vesia was one of the few consistent performers in the Dodgers’ bullpen this year, posting a 3.02 ERA in a career-high 68 appearances. He was also one of their most trusted relief arms in the playoffs, bouncing back from a two-run outing in the wild-card series opener with 4 ⅓ scoreless innings the rest of the way.

Vesia was not available for the World Series as he and his wife dealt with what the team described as a “deeply personal family matter.” But he figures to be a key cog in their bullpen again next season, in what will be his last before reaching free agency.

The Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of Game 4 of their NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

The most obvious area of need for next year’s Dodgers will be in the outfield.

Andy Pages will be back, trying to build upon his 27-homer campaign in 2025. Teoscar Hernández will enter the second of his three-year contract, trying to rebound from his injury-plagued struggles this past summer.

But the third spot remains wide open, with Michael Conforto hitting free agency after his dismal performance on a one-year, $17 million deal this past year, and Alex Call having been used in more of a depth role after his arrival of this year’s trade deadline.

Internally, the Dodgers don’t have an immediate plug-and-play option, as top prospects Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero and Mike Sirota remain a ways away from the majors.

Thus, don’t be surprised to see the Dodgers linked with big names on either the free-agent or trade market this winter, starting with top free-agent prize Kyle Tucker.

Since the summer, industry speculation has swirled about the Dodgers’ expected pursuit of Tucker this offseason. The four-time All-Star did not finish 2025 well while nursing a couple injuries, but remains one of the premier left-handed bats in the sport, and could command upward of $400-$500 million on a long-term deal — a hefty price tag, but certainly not one beyond the Dodgers’ capabilities.

Free agency will include other notable outfield options. Cody Bellinger is hitting the open market, though a reunion with the Dodgers has always seemed like a long shot. Harrison Bader and Trent Grisham could provide more glove-first alternatives, and have been linked with the Dodgers in the past.

Then there are potential trade candidates, from left fielder Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians to utilityman Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, also players the Dodgers have inquired about in the past.

The Dodgers could construct their 2026 roster in other ways, thanks to the versatility Tommy Edman provides in center field. But another outfield addition remains their most logical priority this winter. And there will be no shortage of possibilities.

The plan, Luka Doncic said Thursday after the the Lakers’ third day of training camp, is to go “a little bit slower” during these sessions so he doesn’t totally tax his body after a summer of playing hoops with his country’s national team.

About a month ago, Doncic and Slovenia were eliminated from the 2025 EuroBasket in the quarterfinals by Germany, his 39 points not enough to salvage a win.

Doncic, who slimmed down this offseason, had been playing at a peak level then, but now he and the Lakers want to ease him back into things with the hopes of avoiding injuries.

“Yeah, obviously probably take it a little bit slower than the usual,” said Doncic, who will play in the Lakers’ first preseason game Friday night against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert. “I had a busy summer. I think month, month and a half I was with national team. So, it was kind of a lot. But that got me ready for the preseason and obviously regular season. So, for me, I think it really helps.”

This camp for the Lakers and Doncic is all about being in tip-top shape, something coach JJ Redick stressed after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It has meant more drills, more running, more exertion.

“Yeah, we just talked about today,” Doncic said. “It’s not just physical shape. It’s mental shape too. So, that kind of goes both ways. Both are very important. We’re doing practice. It was great. Everybody’s in great shape. Everybody’s running a lot so it’s been great so far.”

Over the first three days of camp, the Lakers have seen Doncic dominate.

They have seen his creativity, his ability to find teammates from all places on the court.

“Yeah. I think I’m just reminded of his own greatness,” Gabe Vincent said. “He sees the floor so well. He could score from anywhere on the floor. He is always a threat. But he does such a good job of commanding defenses. He gets all 10 eyes on him and he sees the floor and he makes a good read nine times out of 10.”

Still, there are moments when the Lakers are learning how to play alongside Doncic. They are learning his style, which can only help them during the regular season

“Yeah, I think a bit,” Vincent said. “But like I don’t really see Luka as a premeditated individual, you know what I mean? He’s very much so reading and reactive, so you have to read and react with him. So I see it that way. He’s high IQ. LeBron [James is] pretty similar in that route as well. So, it’s definitely still learning him, learning what he likes and doesn’t like. And just playing at his level.”

Getting in shape

Since the end of last season, the mantra from Redick was for his team to be in championship shape.

To that end, at the close of the Lakers’ third day of training camp, Redick pushed his players in which they had to run for six minutes, 10 minutes and six minutes.

“I don’t know if they like me right now for what we just finished practice with,” Redick joked.

Apparently, Vincent said, it wasn’t an issue for him and his teammates.

“I told JJ about a week or two ago, I said, ‘If we all hate you, but we all hate you collectively, that’s great,’ ” Vincent said. “So, as long as we’re together in it. … Obviously no one wants to run at the end of a long practice. But we know the goal we have set for ourselves and we know what we’re trying to do moving forward and we all embraced it, we all got the run in and we all got better for it.”

Injury update

Redick said James, Maxi Kleber (quad), Marcus Smart (achilles tendinopathy) and Aduo Thiero (knee) will not play against the Suns.

Redick said Kleber had an MRI exam and that “he’ll be out a few days.”

“It’s a very minor thing with his quad,” Redick said. “But we’re going to be cautious with him, just like we will all our guys right now.”

Mike Trout is in the final week of a profoundly frustrating season. His numbers at the plate have been shockingly pedestrian amid regular struggles with his swing mechanics, and he misses playing in the outfield.

Yet Trout remains optimistic and engaged — and the 34-year-old slugger says he still believes he can recapture his MVP form with the Los Angeles Angels.

“Yeah, I’m very confident,” Trout said Tuesday. “I think it sounds funny, but I joke about it with all the guys in there – when I see the ball, I’m good. When I don’t see it, man, it’s a battle.”

Trout entered the final homestand of the Angels’ 11th consecutive non-playoff season batting .229 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs and a .772 OPS. Those totals are all the lowest of his career during a season in which he’s played at least 100 games, and the OPS is his lowest since his first major league season in 2011.

Trout reached two big career milestones this season, getting his 1,000th RBI on July 27 and hitting his 400th home run last Saturday.

But after making baseball seem so joyously simple during his first decade in the majors, this 11-time All-Star admits he has been in a weekly fight for consistency at the plate.

“It’s been a grind this year, no doubt,” Trout said. “That’s what sports do to you. You’re not going to go out there and just get a hit every time or feel good every time. I get that. But it’s great to be able to get some confidence going into the offseason.”

At least the three-time AL MVP has stayed largely healthy this season after missing huge chunks of the past four years amid injury struggles that altered the substance of his baseball legacy.

Although Trout missed nearly all of May with a bone bruise in his knee that still bothers him in certain situations, he has stayed in the lineup ever since. He will play more games this season than he has managed since 2019 — even if it’s been mostly as a designated hitter.

Trout said he “definitely” wants to play the field again in 2026.

“I think he wants to put himself in a good spot in the last week to build off what, for him, was probably – I don’t want to use the word disappointing, but a frustrating season,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “He fought through some things, (particularly) physically, to remain on the field, because we all know how good he is when he plays defense. He’s not a DH, you know what I mean? He did it out of necessity. Hopefully he gets a healthy offseason, gets ready to come back in the spring and be Mike Trout.”

Before the Angels faced Kansas City, Trout went into extensive detail about what he has meant by “seeing the ball” when he described his 2025 struggles at the plate. It’s not an ophthalmological diagnosis, but rather a measure of his mechanics to make sure he’s tracking pitches with both eyes — a necessity for his timing.

Trout has struck out 173 times this season, the second-most of his career, with six games to play. That’s a function of being unable to put together the series of reactions that used to come so easily to him, he said.

“There was a lot of at-bats this year when I’d go up there and I knew what they were going to throw me, and I just couldn’t pull the trigger,” Trout said. “Something was just a tick off, and as much as I want to go up there and I try to put aside everything I work on in the cage and just go compete, it was tough for me, because the ball was moving. Nothing was slowing it down.”

Trout repeatedly thought he had found a fix this season, only to lose it again. He believes he made another breakthrough in September, hopefully allowing him to finish strong.

“Before, it was just a Band-Aid,” Trout said. “I think it’s more of a solution this time. To be able to confidently know what I’m doing, and to be able to get to a spot and start early and be on time every single time, I think it’s something to build on in the offseason.”

Trout has five seasons left on his $426.5 million contract extension, and he’s still looking for his first career playoff victory. The Angels weren’t close to postseason contention again this year despite a modest improvement from the worst season in franchise history in 2024, and Trout essentially said that he needs to sort out his own game before he can help to build a winner with shortstop Zach Neto and the team’s young core.

“We saw signs of good stretches,” Trout said. “We’ve just got to put a full season together. I think that’s the key. For me, I think if I can get back to where I felt this last week-and-a-half, two weeks for a full season, it’ll be different.”

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

After aiming to leap from the WNBA’s worst team to a season of triumph, the Sparks instead ended the season seeking perspective — none more so than Kelsey Plum.

In the season’s final weeks, while fighting for a playoff spot, Plum called Dearica Hamby, her closest teammate, to voice her frustration. Accustomed to winning seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, Plum sought solace after several losses, and Hamby grounded her.

“Hey, I won eight games last year,” Hamby responded. “So this looks different to me.”

Despite finishing under .500 for the fifth consecutive season and falling just short of making the playoffs, the Sparks easily more than doubled last year’s win total. Hampered by a slew of injuries that stunted momentum, they greatly improved with the league’s fourth-best record after the All-Star break.

“I really wanted to impact winning, and so it’s tough because sometimes I don’t do a great job of giving myself grace,” Plum said. “We did win 21 games, different from eight a season ago, [but] at the same time, as a competitor, I really want to be in the playoffs.”

Missing the postseason has left Plum carrying that burden, an internal battle she said she’ll have to process. The weight was heavier for Plum, after taking a leap of faith, betting on herself as a No. 1 option for the first time in her career and the motivating factor behind accepting a trade to L.A.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who will become a free agent this offseason, drives against Dream guard Jordin Canada during a game Sept. 5.

(Paras Griffin / Getty Images)

Now, heading into the offseason, Plum’s message to her teammates is to “take that chip and that hunger,” as she will, and carry it into next season.

For Hamby, this season was a necessary dismantling and rebuilding of the organization, an essential step for lasting success.

“My optimism and perspective is I’d rather have a slow burn than a quick fix,” Hamby said. “We’re talking about long-term and wanting to build something for years to come, with the core that we have.”

For the Sparks to take the next step, head coach Lynne Roberts and general manager Reagan Pebley face a tall task: holding together a roster that finally showed promise of reaching lofty goals. Drawing on their coaching backgrounds, both have leaned on a collaborative approach to building the roster, but free agency will be a test this offseason.

Outside of second-year contributors Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, and this year’s rookie class — all locked into multi-year deals — every veteran on the roster will hit the market. That includes three players who delivered career years: Plum, Hamby and Azurá Stevens.

Plum, with Hamby seated beside her, refrained from guaranteeing her return during exit interviews Friday night. Yet her impassioned message to fans after the season finale, role as the face of the franchise, and input in offseason plans make a return likely.

Hamby, who began recruiting Plum nearly a year ago in hopes of building a legacy together, also appears committed to staying. As she put it, the two “always talked about being together, staying together, whatever we do.”

Fever forward Kelsey Mitchell, middle, tries to drive against the Sparks’ Dearica Hamby (5) and Azurá Stevens (23), who both will be free agents this offseason.

(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

For starters, retaining them along with Stevens and Julie Allemand is a priority, but it could become a bit complicated come free agency.

Stevens, the healthiest she’s been in years, delivered career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (8.0), minutes (28.4) and games (all 44) as a primary contributor, particularly when injuries plagued the team early in the season — a showing that could attract suitors in free agency.

Allemand is headed to Turkey to play professionally this offseason but hopes to return next season — a return that might hinge on a more defined role. She said she can “do a lot more” and doesn’t want “to be satisfied with this, and be like, ‘OK, let’s just come back next season,’ and it’s the same.”

“It’s always tough to run it back,” Pebley said. “Success is really hard to sustain, and momentum is really hard to hold on to. … We’ll do everything we can to make sure the right pieces stay. Maybe it’s putting people in a different spot, but also addressing some needs that we have.”

The challenge isn’t just shuffling or adding talent; it’s doing so without overcorrecting. The goal is bringing in players who add value while preserving locker-room balance — those whom both Roberts and Pebley trust to fit seamlessly into the culture, enhancing it rather than disrupting it.

Changing the culture and building an identity was Roberts’ top priority heading into her first full WNBA season, and she believes the roster has fully bought in, a process that began with earning the players’ trust.

“They don’t care what you know until they know you care,” Roberts said. “I wanted to get them on board and get them bought in. And so then next year there can be more accountability and I can do a better job.”

Sparks coach Lynne Roberts talks with guard Julie Allemand during a break in play. Allemand will become a free agent this offseason.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pebley said missing the playoffs has left everyone focused on accountability, at times, to a fault.

Plum is carrying the weight of coming to L.A. to win and falling short. Roberts is shouldering the responsibility of missing the mark of turning a perennial losing team into a winner, like she was hired to do. Pebley herself has been reflecting on the decisions she could have made differently.

“Like mature, experienced people that can gain perspective, do hold on to that self-accountability, but also start to move things into the right place,” Pebley said. “We want to get better, and we will. We’re very committed to doing that, and grateful that it’s not just on one of our shoulders.”

All good things come in threes — including reliability.

Anchored by kicker Cameron Dicker, punter JK Scott and long snapper Josh Harris, the Chargers’ specialists have been a bedrock of stability the past three seasons. That steadiness seemed in jeopardy when Scott’s contract expired this offseason.

Like a rock band losing its guitarist, it looked as though the group might have played its final tour together. But for Scott — whose bond with Dicker and Harris runs deeper than football — staying in L.A. felt like divine intervention.

“Truly, it was something me and my wife made a decision together from a place of prayer,” Scott said of re-signing. “We felt like we were supposed to be here. The relationships that we have here, we just felt like this was the right fit.”

Assembled by special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, the unit thrives on contrast. Dicker is the lively free spirit. Scott brings a reserved, thoughtful presence. Harris, 36, is the seasoned veteran.

“They’re like big brothers,” Dicker, the youngest of the group, said. “It’s been really cool to have them in my life and helping with things on the field, off the field. Leading me through it all, and just going through the journey of life coming out of college, it’s nice to have those guys.”

The three specialists, along with Ficken, are holdovers from the previous regime. Ficken, one of the few coaches retained when Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach, engineered the transformation.

Before his arrival, the Chargers ranked near the bottom in special teams DVOA, or defense-adjusted value over average — 32nd in 2020 and 28th in 2021. With Harris and Scott’s offseason signing and Dicker’s arrival midseason, the unit rose to sixth by the end of 2022 and second in 2023.

“The way they approach the game and how they respect one another and they understand that each other’s success is going to help all of us,” Ficken said. “Having all three of them back another year just continues to allow us to grow.”

Under Ficken’s guidance, Dicker has become one of the league’s most accurate, converting 89 of 95 kicks since 2022. He had a franchise-record 150 points last season with 39 field goals and 33 extra points.

Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, left, works with long snapper Josh Harris before a game against the Buffalo Bills in December 2023.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Scott finished top 10 in downed punts inside the 20-yard line and posted the second-highest hang time in the league at 4.65 seconds last season.

“Selfishly, I’m going to say we have the best room in the league,” Harris said. “Getting to come to work with JK, Dick and Fick, we really work well together. … There’s nobody else that I’d rather go out there with.”

When the Jacksonville Jaguars cut Scott early in the 2021 season and he went unsigned for the rest of the year, Ficken advocated bringing him to the Chargers.

“He called me and told me he wanted to have me as his punter for a while,” Scott said. “I attribute a lot of just me being here to him. So I’m grateful for him. Really, really love that guy.”

And when there was a chance the trio could drift apart, Ficken acted as the glue keeping them together. His faith in Scott ultimately factored into Scott’s decision to re-sign.

“He really believes in me, believes in Josh and Cameron,” Scott said. “He always expressed that, and it’s crazy, the power of when you have people believing in you, it helps you believe in yourself more.”

The group is guaranteed to stay together for at least one more year.

Scott signed a two-year, $6-million contract in March. Dicker secured a four-year, $22-million extension last season, making him among the highest-paid kickers. Harris, however, is in the final year of his contract and will miss at least the first four games after being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Rick Lovato will take over until Harris returns.

While the turnaround of a once-abysmal special teams unit is the measurement of success, the playful off-field moments define their time together.

Sometimes it’s Harris offering Scott smelling salts — a practice Dicker, who is naturally amped, skips. Or it’s Harris snapping a photo of Dicker, Scott and Ficken next to the Dicker’s famous fair-catch kick cleats on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Then there’s Scott, who asked Harris a loaded question during a recent news conference: “Who do you like more, JK Scott or Cameron Dicker?”

“I can’t answer,” Harris said with a chuckle. “You guys are the best, but you’re sitting in here, so I guess I’ll have to go with my guy right now, showing support.”

Rising star USC wideout Ja’Kobi Lane suffered a broken foot in May, but was fully cleared this week and will be ready for the Trojans’ season opener against Missouri State, coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday.

The foot injury kept Lane limited through most of the summer. By the start of preseason camp, he was still being brought along slowly. During the portion of USC’s practices open to reporters, Lane wasn’t even running routes on air.

Lane wasn’t deemed fully healthy until the final week of USC’s preseason camp. Riley said that the junior wideout had actually “progressed a little bit ahead of schedule.”

His return is a welcomed one on a USC offense that will rely on him to stretch the field this season. Lane was second in the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns last season as a sophomore, with 12 scores on just 43 receptions. He finished the year with six touchdowns across his final two games, a dominant stretch that would put him in the conversation to be a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL draft.

But after sitting out for part of the offseason, it may take some time to see that final leap from Lane as a junior. Riley said that Lane is still getting back into shape after being limited by his foot injury, but is progressing nicely with just over a week remaining before USC kicks off at the Coliseum.

“You can see some of the rust starting to get knocked off now,” Riley said of his top wideout.

The Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard discussed his summer body transformation with Men’s Health before a new NBA season.

After plenty of attention was brought to Luka Doncic’s fitness level following his shocking February trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, the five-time All-Star has been putting together another surprise this offseason.

After reports of an improved physique surfaced earlier this summer, a profile in Men’s Health magazine confirmed the extent to which Doncic has gone to develop a slimmed-down look as he prepares for his first full season in Los Angeles.

Doncic, 26, has generally been listed at 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 metres) and 230 pounds (104kg), although opinions on the weight have varied. It did not prohibit him from scoring 28.2 points with 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists last season.

But reports indicated this past winter that the Dallas Mavericks had become exasperated with Doncic’s lack of fitness, which might have contributed to a calf injury that the star guard had been rehabbing for a month before the trade that shocked the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Ankle, calf, knee, and back injuries have slowed Doncic at certain times in his career, although he still managed to play at least 61 games in a season until he was reduced to 50 last year, combining the Mavericks and Lakers’ games.

Now, Doncic is visibly slimmer after an improved diet combined with a fitness programme. He has been avoiding gluten and keeping sugar to a minimum, while loading up on protein to help him get through multiple workouts a day that include lifting weights, along with on-court drills.

“Obviously, be the best that I can be, take care of myself,” Doncic told Men’s Health. “This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”

While fellow NBA superstar LeBron James exercised a contract option to return to the Lakers in 2025-26, the team also added centre Deandre Ayton, guard Marcus Smart and forward Jake LaRavia.

The profile did not mention Doncic’s current weight, but photographs showed off his slim look with greater muscle definition in his arms. His workouts kept him away from basketball at first, then had him return to the court in June. He will play for Slovenia in EuroBasket in August.

“So every summer, I try my best to work on different things,” he said. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”

World Class Athletes Train Hard to Slow Down—and Stop. Here’s How Luka Doncic Hones Deceleration. https://t.co/sbolxNSoss

— Men’s Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) July 29, 2025

Luka Doncic is a changed man.

Just look at the photos accompanying a new “Men’s Health” feature on the Lakers superstar.

He’s slimmed down. He’s toned.

“Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better,” Doncic said in the article published Monday.

His altered physique, however, is not what makes Doncic a changed man. His sleek new look is the result of much bigger changes in his lifestyle this offseason.

According to the article, Doncic has been home in Croatia where he gets in two 90-minute workouts a day. The sessions included deadlifts, dumbbell bench presses, lateral bounds, resistance band drills, sprints and hurdles. The workouts wrap up with Doncic on the basketball court shooting jump shots.

And Doncic’s eating habits have changed too. His diet is now gluten-free, low-sugar and high-protein. He also uses an intermittent fasting plan the article says is “designed to limit inflammation and help his body recover better.”

The Mavericks selected Doncic with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft. He was the NBA’s rookie of the year that season. The 6-6 guard is a five-time All-Star selection and led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.

But in early February, Doncic was shipped to the Lakers in a deal that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas. According to an ESPN report at the time, the Mavericks initiated the talks at least in part because of “significant frustration within the organization about Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning.”

Doncic acknowledged that narrative during his introductory news conference with the Lakers on Feb. 4 and said it would motivate him moving forward.

“It’s a motive,” Doncic said. “I know it’s not true. I know. But it’s a motive … it’s a big motive for a long run here.”

Apparently, he meant it. The day after the Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, the Men’s Health article states, Doncic texted his manager saying he was ready to begin his offseason workouts.

Doncic has worked with the same trio of fitness experts — a physiotherapist, a trainer and a nutritionist — since 2023, but this offseason has been different.

“I think that this summer, he sees the difference, and he’s really happy,” Javier Barrio, Doncic’s physiotherapist, told Men’s Health.

Doncic indicated that his newfound dedication to wellness won’t end once the season begins.

“This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step,” he said. “But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”

He added: “If I stop now, it was all for nothing.”

Sophie Williams’ decade-long dance career has taken her across the globe, from the English National Ballet in London to the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Texas Ballet Theater, where she’s currently a member of the corps de ballet.

Yet she can count on one hand the number of works she’s performed by a female choreographer.

So when Williams started her own nonprofit ballet company, Pointeworks, in 2023, she knew she wanted to spotlight women, whether choreographers, dancers, costume designers or composers.

“Whenever there is an opportunity, I will utilize the platform to try and bring balance within the ballet world, which most of us haven’t seen in our careers,” Williams, Pointeworks’ artistic director, told The Times.

From its inception, Pointeworks has strived to fill in gaps. Williams was inspired to start the company as a way to provide work for professional dancers during their unpaid summer layoffs. With a lack of opportunities and an abundance of talent in the ballet world, Williams decided to create a group that performs during the off-season.

“[Pointeworks] is a very artist-forward company. It’s creating opportunities for the dancers — giving them new works, collaborations, things that can elevate their careers outside of their structured company season, and be able to provide them a platform during that time as well,” Williams said. “And also for audiences who don’t get to see ballet during the summer because companies are off, they get to see Pointeworks.”

Pointeworks debuted last June with a sold-out performance at the 500-seat Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in Williams’ hometown of San Diego. This year, the company expanded to the East Coast with three shows at New York City’s Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater in March. After a successful return to San Diego last week, the group is preparing for its first Orange County show Friday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Before the Irvine show, Pointeworks will host its first mentorship program for local students who intend to pursue a professional dance career. Selected dancers will participate in a Pointeworks class on Friday and be paired with a mentor from the company who will continue to guide them over the next year. As of Wednesday, seven students had applied and been accepted, according to marketing and outreach coordinator AvaRose Dillon.

Sisters Claire, Nicole and Emma Von Enck rehearse for their performance of “Chasing Shadows” with Pointeworks.

(Raquel Beauchamp)

Williams received more than 400 applications from choreographers for this season overall, she said. While her goal is to highlight female creatives, anyone is welcome to submit ideas.

Among the pieces commissioned for the New York shows was Laine Habony’s “Chasing Shadows,” choreographed for sisters Claire, Emma and Nicole Von Enck — who had never performed together professionally. Nicole, the eldest sister and Williams’ colleague at Texas Ballet Theater, leapt at the opportunity to collaborate with her siblings, who both dance for New York City Ballet.

Habony, also from New York City Ballet, wanted the project to be accompanied by an original score. So she enlisted Welsh composer Katie Jenkins, whom she met at Revolve Dance Project in Providence, R.I., last summer. The duo later recruited pianist and recent Juilliard graduate Joshua Mhoon to play the live score.

For the Irvine show,Williams, Paige Nyman and Adeline Melcher, all from Texas Ballet Theater, will perform the piece. This will mark the first time that Williams will dance to a composition by a female composer, she said.

“[‘Chasing Shadows’] is just very unique in the sense that it’s a female composer behind the music and a female voice behind the choreography, female costume designer behind what we’re wearing, female lighting designer behind what’s going on the stage,” Nyman said. “It’s just an entirely sisterhood piece.”

In addition to “Chasing Shadows,” the Irvine program includes new commissions from choreographers Reka Gyulai and Heather Nichols; DaYoung Jung’s “It’s Deep, It’s Dark,” which debuted in New York; and Christopher Wheeldon’s “Carousel,” a 2002 pas de deux set to music from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical of the same name.

“I think it gives a variety to the audience by commissioning new works, contemporary works, new classical works, but also putting in iconic classics — and ‘Carousel’ is one of those,” Williams said.

Dance careers don’t last forever, so it’s important to take advantage of every moment, Williams said. That’s why she’s passionate about maximizing opportunities both on and offstage.

Sisters Claire, Nicole and Emma Von Enck perform together for the first time professionally.

(Nathan Carlson)

In October, Williams hired interns to help with administrative tasks. Among them was Dillon, Pointeworks’ marketing coordinator and a corps de ballet member at Texas Ballet Theater. This month, she began dancing with Pointeworks as well.

“I want to make sure that Pointeworks is for the dancers first,” Williams said. “So by having dancer perspectives in just every angle — whether that’s marketing, administration, development — if you know what it is to be a dancer and you have been a dancer, I think that it’s a lot more cohesive, putting those interests first.”

In addition to dancing professionally, Dillon takes online classes at Texas Tech University, where she studies public relations and strategic communications.

“I feel like [Pointeworks has] been the perfect supplement to my education, because I’m taking classes on how to write press releases and then I’m writing press releases for Pointeworks,” Dillon said. “I could have never comprehended such a perfect opportunity to align with my goals as an artist and future arts leader and an arts advocate.”

While Dillon is just starting her career, Pointeworks also provides opportunities for more seasoned dancers. For instance, retired dancer Christian Griggs-Drane — previously with the Royal New Zealand Ballet — is the company’s development and fundraising coordinator.

Three years after retiring as a ballerina, Jung continues to work as a choreographer, rehearsal director and dance educator. She and Williams met at Oklahoma City Ballet about nine years ago and reconnected at last year’s National Choreographers Initiative in Irvine.

Even though Jung created “It’s Deep, It’s Dark” with her dancers in just 10 days, she said she appreciated the opportunity to work with such a professional, open-minded group of individuals.

“[Pointeworks] is not just about giving artists a platform. It’s about reshaping the dance landscape, ensuring women’s voices are heard and their vision brought to life,” Jung said. “I feel like I could really take risks, experiment and develop my own artistic language without the limitation in traditional structure. And I think Pointeworks was perfect at it, that I could really explore myself as an artist and as a choreographer.”

Chargers offensive linemen Savion Washington, left, Mekhi Becton and center Bradley Bozeman (75) participate in drills in May.

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Associated Press)

Looking for answers on the offensive line, Zion Johnson and returning starting center Bradley Bozeman alternated days at center and left guard during offseason sessions. When left tackle Rashawn Slater joined the team for minicamp, the potential starting offensive line looked significantly different than the one that got steamrolled in the playoffs.

While Bozeman and Johnson continue to jockey at center and left guard, key free-agent signing Mekhi Becton has solidified the right guard position. The 6-foot-7 Super Bowl champion and 6-foot-8 tackle Joe Alt have the potential to be a dominant right-side duo.

Coaches mentioned Jamaree Salyer as someone who could still battle for a major role on the inside with Bozeman and Johnson, along with free-agent addition Andre James, who was a starting center for three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. After starting last season as the team’s No. 1 right guard, Trey Pipkins III’s role remains unclear.

Considering both a player’s contribution at an individual position and how well a specific combination works together, Harbaugh said he hopes to set the starting lineup around eight to 10 days into training camp.

“It’s always who’s playing the best [and] best combination,” Harbaugh said. “How do we know that? They play the best. It’s really that simple.”

SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr. sat in front of his locker late Monday night, assessing his San Diego Padres in the wake of an extra-inning loss to the Dodgers. He did not have much to say, but he did not have to say much.

“We can still play better,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

Tatis reached base three times Monday, but his OPS is 78 points below his career average. The Padres dropped the highly anticipated opener of the season series of baseball’s best rivalry by one run, but their most productive and healthy starting pitcher got hit hard, one of their relievers threw away a comebacker, one of their outfielders misread a line drive, and their shortstop lost a pop fly in the twilight.

Yet, after all that, the Padres (37-28) awoke Tuesday nine games over .500 and two games out of first place in the National League West. At this point last season, the Padres were one game under .500 and eight games out of first place.

The Padres rallied to clinch a postseason spot and came within one game of eliminating the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs. Then came winter, with the Padres going into hibernation as the Dodgers signed most of the free world.

The Padres did not win the winter, by choice. That did not endear them to their fans, particularly not after the Dodgers took home a championship trophy because no one could beat L.A. in October.

There was a preseason fan fest in San Diego. It was decidedly not festive.

“I don’t think we were ever bad,” Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “People see the additions of big name players for a lot of money and think that directly correlates to the ability to win.”

That is true for fans, and truer still for major league owners operating in markets far smaller than San Diego, refusing to spend and then pointing fingers at the Dodgers. The Padres earned a playoff payoff last season, and they have sold out 27 of 31 home dates so far this season.

San Diego’s Jackson Merrill celebrates after hitting an run-scoring double against the Dodgers in the 10th inning Monday.

(Orlando Ramirez / Associated Press)

“I don’t think the fans are wrong for feeling how they felt,” Musgrove said. “That’s just a natural, knee-jerk reaction to seeing everyone move and you not move.”

The Padres lost Tanner Scott, Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim over the winter. They lost Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Josh Hader the previous winter.

That would frighten any fan base.

The Padres traded Soto and got two New York Yankees relievers — Michael King and Randy Vasquez — that now start in San Diego. The Padres replaced Soto in the outfield with a minor league shortstop, Jackson Merrill, who should have been the NL rookie of the year.

They didn’t use Scott as a closer when they traded for him; Robert Suarez closed then and closes now. Gavin Sheets, signed to a minor league contract, has 11 home runs, more than anyone on the team besides Tatis.

The top four batters in the San Diego lineup — Tatis, Luis Arraez, Manny Machado and Merrill — can hold their own against the Dodgers’ quartet of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández.

Utilityman Tyler Wade scoffed at the winter notion that the Padres might not fare as well this season.

“Look around our room, man,” Wade said. “We’ve got a super-talented bunch. We basically have the same team as last year — minus a couple of key pieces, obviously.”

The Padres’ catchers have a negative WAR. So do their left fielders, and their .248 on-base percentage is the lowest among any team’s left fielders.

The Angels’ Taylor Ward would be a nice fit here. A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, is the rare executive who trades actual prospects. He’ll make the Padres better in the seven weeks between now and the trading deadline.

Said Musgrove: “The people in this room felt extremely confident in the staff, and in the belief that we have in A.J. to put a good product on the field and make adjustments as necessary throughout the year.”

What might distinguish the Padres from the Dodgers this season — and vice versa — is how many starting pitchers return from the injured list, and how effective they can be.

The Dodgers have Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin on the injured list. The Padres have King, Musgrove and Yu Darvish on the injured list.

Darvish has yet to pitch this season but has resumed throwing bullpen sessions. King is expected to miss several weeks because of a pinched nerve. Musgrove, who had Tommy John surgery last October, is not expected to rejoin the rotation this season but is hopeful he can pitch in relief in the postseason, if the Padres get there.

The Dodgers’ relievers have thrown the most innings in the league. Both the Dodgers and Padres’ starters rank among the bottom five in innings pitched. The relievers for both teams are pitching very well, but too often.

Ultimately, lest the bullpen arms become injured and/or ineffective, the manager said, “We’re going to need some depth out of some starters.” (The manager was the Padres’ Mike Shildt, but it could just as easily have been the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts.)

And, amid all the hype and analysis surrounding the Dodgers and Padres, there is one little wrinkle: The Dodgers lead the NL West, but the team in second place is not the Padres. It’s the San Francisco Giants. Did someone say rivalry?

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske joined the Rams last season as something of a one-two punch.

The former Florida State teammates were drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively, and lived up to their billing as individuals and as a collective force.

Verse, an edge rusher, became the NFL defensive rookie of the year. Fiske, a defensive lineman, was a finalist for the award.

“I think we did good, but I think we became more focused on helping the team than trying to do our own little thing and having a good little duo going on,” Verse said, adding, “So now we finally took another step — having another year together to figure out, ‘Hey, this is how I work, this is how he works.’

“So, I feel like this year is going to be a good one for us to play together.”

As they prepare for their second seasons, the two young stars are part of a front that could rank as one of the NFL’s most dynamic.

The unit includes tackle Kobie Turner, edge rusher Byron Young and several additions, including tackle Poona Ford and rookie edge rusher Josaiah Stewart and rookie tackle Ty Hamilton.

With organized team activities underway, Verse, 24, remains a boisterous presence on and off the field for a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.

After recording 4 1/2 sacks and 18 quarterback hits last season, Verse said he took the advice of a former NFL player and spent part of the offseason reviewing video of every snap. He focused on the “bad” plays and studied ways to improve.

“The biggest thing I realized was how many sacks — and not even just sacks but big plays — that I missed out on,” he said, adding, “Realizing that this really is a game of inches — whether it’s stopping the ball or actually just doing your job — there’s a couple of things I could’ve done better.”

Not that defensive coordinator Chris Shula wants Verse to change much.

“We’re not looking for any stats,” Shula said. “Not looking for anything else — just want him to play hard and be his best self every single day.”

Fiske, 25, amassed a team-best 8 1/2 sacks and 10 quarterback hits last season while playing through a knee issue. He aggravated the injury in the NFC divisional-round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and then had offseason surgery.

Though he said he was “feeling great,” trainers are limiting Fiske’s reps during organized team activities.

“There’s no need to rush,” Fiske said. “The big goal in mind is training camp and, obviously, September when it’s time to go.”

Fiske rehabilitated from upper body injuries during his college career, but the process of recovering from the knee injury forced him to slow down for the first time since prepping for his final season at Florida State.

“My entire career has been [centered on] just go, go, go, nonstop. No offseason. No time off,” Fiske said. “So it’s been probably good for me mentally and physically, of just like, ‘Hey, it’s all right to take a break and ease back into it.’”

The rehab work and the structured workload has paid off, he said.

“I dealt with it all last season, so where I’m at now is awesome,” he said.

The coaching staff’s expectations for Fiske are “just like Verse,” Shula said.

“We just want him to be himself and to continue to elevate the strengths in his game and work on the weaknesses in his game,” Shula said. “That’s exactly what he’s doing.”

Hey, everyone, welcome to the Lakers newsletter, a time for me to write a bunch a basketball items all in service of me trying to make you listen to a song of my choosing.

This week, I wanted to share kind of a common exercise I take in the summer, and how my thoughts on team building are evolving.

The man before the man

I was speaking to a longtime NBA talent evaluator this week when we began speaking about the playoffs and the game Minnesota wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker had just played against the Thunder — 23 points, four rebounds, six assists and five made threes in eight attempts while playing the kind of on-ball defense that teams all want.

Alexander-Walker will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and due for a healthy raise from the $4.3 million he earned this season. He’s exactly the kind of player whom Lakers fans want to see the team chase.

But as I was speaking to this exec, he mentioned a saying a previous employer tasked their pro scouts to focus on: “Find the man before he becomes the man.”

See, a lot of Alexander-Walker’s value to the Timberwolves comes from how his on-court impact dwarfs his impact on the team’s salary cap. He’s currently Minnesota’s ninth highest-paid player. Next season’s full mid-level exception is $14.2 million. The taxpayer mid-level exception is $5.7 million.

The latter seems as though it’ll be too low to get a two-way wing entering his prime like Alexander-Walker, and the full number (which the Lakers aren’t projected to have available) would make him the fifth highest-paid player on the Lakers’ books next season.

All of this is to say that, in speaking with scouts and executives from around the league, the key to having the best possible roster isn’t signing Alexander-Walker — it’s adding a player who can affect your roster as he has in Minnesota.

Finding rotation players who can play on rookie and minimum contracts is one of the keys to building depth. When the Lakers won the championship in 2020, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard and Kyle Kuzma were all on bargain deals. This year in the playoffs, the Lakers’ “cheap” players were Jaxson Hayes and Jordan Goodwin.

Although one obvious pathway for the Lakers to improve this summer is via trade, packaging a group of players with expiring contracts for higher-impact players, another is going to be on the minimum-contract market.

Trouble is that every team is looking for help like this and they’re all fishing in a free-agency pool that’s generally regarded as weak, especially when it comes to players who scouts think could be both affordable and improving.

Luckily, when it comes to this type of player, situation and opportunity, as well as system and fit, are as important as talent — maybe even more. And role players who got paid when they hit the market and didn’t live up to the paycheck, well, they can usually be had for cheap as they try to rebuild value.

With Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have a core that they’re familiar with and know the kind of players that work around them. Finding great role players before they get paid like great role players should be the charge of any contending front office.

Luka look

Photos of Doncic looking trimmed down in early stages of summer hit the internet this past week, with Doncic posting some himself on his Instagram, including workout photos in Lakers gear.

Without trying to gauge whether Doncic is in awesome shape or in a flattering T-shirt, I will say this: There were people in his camp who felt as though he was in store for a big offseason because of the humiliation he felt in the discussions about his work ethic and conditioning after he was traded from Dallas.

With EuroBasket getting underway in late August, the Lakers should expect a fully engaged Doncic whenever he gets back to Los Angeles.

Song of the week

“Elderberry Wine” by Wednesday

If there’s new Wednesday or MJ Lenderman music, it’s ending up here. The steel pedal, the vocals, Lenderman on guitar … some real song of the summer stuff for me and the kind of thing I’ll have on repeat for months. Also, another great Wednesday video.

In case you missed it

So far for the Lakers, it’s been status quo in the offseason

The Lakers should draft a big man who’s also a grown-up

Until next time …

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at [email protected], and please consider subscribing if you like our work!