ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 25: Josh Smith #8 of the Texas Rangers bats during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on July 25, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe Texas Rangers are trading infielder Josh Smith and pitcher Josh Stephan to the Toronto Blue Jays for lefthanded reliever Adam Macko, per multiple reports.Macko, 25, was a 7th round pick of the Mariners in 2019, and was sent to the Jays after the 2022 season, along with Erik Swanson, in the Teoscar Hernandez deal. Macko has split the season between AAA and the majors, putting up a 4.07 ERA in AAA and a 4.91 ERA in the majors. He relies primarily on a fastball and a slider, with the occasional changeup and knuckle curve. He has average velocity but struggles with his control and command. He will have six years of team control remaining after this season.This is a sad ending to Josh Smiths time in Texas. Acquired as part of the Joey Gallo deal in 2021, Smith spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a regularly-used bench guy who didnt hit much, then broke out with two very good seasons in 2024 and 2025, when he slashed .254/.336/.380 with a 6.4 bWAR in 293 games, though he faded badly in the final two months of those seasons.Smith started the 2026 season as the replacement for Marcus Semien at second base, but ineffectiveness, a strained glute, and then a case of viral meningitis while he was on the i.l. with a strained glute resulted in his losing his job to either Ezequiel Duran or Nicky Lopez, depending on who else was on the i.l. Smith will have two years of arbitration eligibility remaining after this season, and is making just $3.23 million this year. This deal saves the Rangers about $1 million in the remaining obligation to him for 2026, and lets them avoid having to make a decision as to whether to non-tender him if he doesnt turn things around over the final two months.Stephan, 24, is a Texas native who the Rangers signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. A pitchability guy, was very good in the lower levels but struggled in AA and AAA, as is often the case with pitchability guys. He was slated to be a minor league free agent after the season and the Rangers almost certainly werent adding him to the 40 man roster.

New Cal football head coach Tosh Lupoi is hoping to make his mark early to give the Golden Bears some stability moving forward in the ACC.To that end, USA TODAY's The Stockton Record reports that the program received a commitment from the top overall JUCO recruit in the 2027 class, cornerback Alius Mayo. Mayo hails from nearby Stockton, California, and has turned heads at Modesto College."Whenever you dream, the best ones come from home," Mayo said to The Stockton Record. "Go Bears."Mayo is a six-foot-four, 190 pound defensive back who has dreams of taking the next step at Cal to realize his ultimate football dream.View this post on Instagram"It feels great," Mayo said. "Just to finally be home, somewhere I know I'm going to develop and get to the league early."Alabama, LSU, Arizona State, Louisville and others were in on Mayo before he decided to stay close to home.Mayo picked off five passes and recorded five pass breakups in 11 games with Modesto last year.Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Cal football lands No. 1 overall 2027 JUCO prospect

How are we seeing the Boston Celtics 2026-27 NBA offseason now that the dust has settled a bit on the deal that sent star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for vet forward Paul George and draft assets? The signature move of Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and company struck exactly the wrong sort of chord fans of the team had been looking for.But with time comes the knowledge of what it was Boston's front office was trying to do with the move. Now that additional context surrounding the cap, Brown's unique fit with the Celtics, and a looming extension that could have severely hampered the quality of Boston's depth, do we feel better about what the Celtics did this summer?The man behind the "Third Apron" YouTube channel, Yossi Gozlan put together a clip of a recent episode of his show with Celtics Wire and "Havlicek Stole the Pod" analysts Justin Quinn and Daniel Donabedian breaking down how we see the team's offseason moves now that things are starting to settle. Check it out below!Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKpiTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: How are we seeing the Boston Celtics 2026-27 NBA offseason now that the dust has settled?

The 2021 Cy Young winner has found a new team. The San Francisco Giants have traded starting pitcher Robbie Ray within the NL West, to the San Diego Padres, per ESPN. Ray had long been linked with a move from the Giants ahead of Monday's trade deadline. This year, he's been arguably the Giants' best starter, notching a 10-6, with a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts. He made the 2025 All-Star team, his first since 2017 when he broke through with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2021 while with the Blue Jays, Ray had a dominant season on way toward winning the AL Cy Young Award. That year, he the league in ERA (2.84), strikeouts (248), innings pitched (193+13), and WHIP (1.04). He signed a five-year contract worth $115 million in 2022 with the Mariners, but struggled in Seattle as he underwent Tommy John Surgery. He was traded to the Giants in 2024. Ray is an immediate boost for the Padres's rotation. He's 6-0 with a 1.03 ERA over his last eight starts since June 16. He joins Michael King as the only Padres' starter with an above-average ERA in 2026. San Diego is 11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but just one back of a wild-card spot. The 34-year-old left-hander is still owed the remainder of his $25 million salary for 2026, which is the final year of a five-year, $115 million contract he signed with the Mariners before the 2022 season.

Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. turned 30 years old on May 2 and is approaching his eighth NFL season.Despite the wear and tear associated with taking over 7,000 snaps in his career, Brown said he is feeling better than ever.I feel great. Its the best my body has felt during my career, Brown said after the Bengals first padded practice of training camp. I just turned 30, which is crazy to say. Training camp has been really good.Analytics will say Brown is coming off his most inconsistent season with the Bengals from a pass protection standpoint. Pro Football Focus gave Brown his lowest grade in their pass block grading system of his career (62.0) last season. His highest scores came during the 2020-22 seasons when he was between 75 and 78.The Bengals gave Brown a two-year contract extension this offseason, keeping him with the team through the 2028 season. He plays an important role in protecting quarterback Joe Burrows blindside and is a multi-year team captain.Brown said it was important to him to get an extension done this offseason to give himself the best chance to focus just on football. Ive just been focusing on everything that I need to do to be more consistent for us as a team, a leader and a left tackle, Brown Jr. said.Cincinnati has missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. In order for the Bengals to get back to the postseason, they need Brown at his best. If Brown and the rest of the offensive line are protecting Burrow at a high level, Cincinnatis offense should be one of the leagues best.The Bengals are hoping to get back to being more explosive on offense this season. Brown said its a focus right now as the team enters its second week of training camp. Theres been a noticeable difference in the competitiveness at practice through the first few days.Everyone knows the stakes of this season, including Brown. Cincinnati returns all 11 starters on offense and has the same coaching staff.The goal is to build off the continuity, especially with how much turnover theres been with other teams in the AFC North. Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland have new head coaches and coordinators. Brown said the Bengals want to be more physical up front in the run and pass games.Ive been stressing the importance of us setting the tone and the intensity, he said.The Bengals practice Aug. 4 before an off day on Aug. 5. Brown and Cincinnatis starting offensive line will continue to get competitive reps against the new-look defensive line.At the end of the day, its about us and our preparation, Brown said.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Orlando Brown Jr. feeling his 'best' as Bengals enter critical season

The Arizona Wildcats are coming off a Final Four appearance in a season in which their frontline battered most of their opponents. The Wildcats lost some of that frontcourt talent and depth this offseason, but received a recent commitment that will help fill the void.USA TODAY's Greenville News and On3 report that forward RJ Godfrey has committed to Arizona after a court ruling gave him a fifth year of eligibility. Godfrey spent three out of his previous four seasons in college basketball with Clemson, broken up by his junior season at Georgia.Godfrey spent the first couple of years of his college career as a strategically used reserve before getting the chance to start during his years as an upperclassman.NEWS: Former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey has signed with Arizona, per multiple reportsGodfrey became eligible for a fifth season following last week's Colorado court ruling pic.twitter.com/TL0CMx092K The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 2, 2026The 6-foot-7 Georgia native averaged 12 points and over five rebounds per game last season for Clemson, where he also shot over 61% from the field.Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Arizona lands veteran transfer forward after eligibility ruling

Was that Southern League baseball or SEC football getting played in Biloxi this week?The Biloxi Shuckers , the Class AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, and their vaunted offensive lineup delivered some firepower this week ... and so did their opponent, the Montgomery Biscuits, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays.Their parent clubs head into the start of August with the best record in their leagues. If a week of Double-A baseball is any indication, the success won't stop after 2026.Check out these scores:Aug. 2: Montgomery 20, Biloxi 3Aug. 1: Montgomery 17, Biloxi 8July 30: Biloxi 14, Montgomery 8July 29: Biloxi 9, Montgomery 8July 28: Montgomery 9, Biloxi 8July 27: Montgomery 8, Biloxi 7The Southern League has historically been a pitcher's league. This year has been different, and it helps that the Shuckers keep pounding baseballs out of the yard even though they lost this particular series-long home-run derby, 21-17.First baseman Blake Burke has 30 homers this year to set a Shuckers single-season record. Andrew Fischer is up to 34 over two levels and leads all of minor-league baseball. Baseball's top prospect, Jess Made, had a seven-RBI game this week, with two homers, then homered again Aug. 2.Montgomery also features a top-10 prospect across all of baseball in Rays slugger Theo Gillen, not to mention another top-100 player (Caden Bodine) and outfielder Austin Overn, who hit four home runs in the series. Gillen, along with Made, have been classified as "untouchable" in informal trade rumoring leading up to the Aug. 3 deadline.With the Brewers minor-league organization among the best in baseball, we've been following the organization's prospects on a week-by-week basis. As we head into the final hours before the trade deadline, here's another peek.Here's what happened last weekClass AAA Nashville (59-49) went 3-3 against Charlotte (Chicago White Sox).Class AA Biloxi (54-44) went 2-4 against Montgomery (Tampa Bay), and one of its wins came on a thrilling Mark Coley III walk-off in extras.Class High A Wisconsin (43-44) went 4-2 against Lansing (Athletics).Class A Wilson (52-47) went 3-2 against Fredericksburg (Washington) with a rainout Aug. 2.The Arizona Complex League rookie-league season is over, with the team finishing 26-34, but the Dominican Summer League season will continue for the Blue (24-19) and Gold teams (26-16).Standout performances from the Brewers' 40-man roster last weekKyle Harrison showed he was ready to return to the big leagues with a dominant 5 innings of rehab work at Wisconsin on July 30. He allowed one hit and no runs with five strikeouts and three walks.Coleman Crow had a no-hitter through five innings at Nashville on July 31, then settled for two earned runs in 5 innings, allowing three hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Though he's been to the big leagues this year, he's still regarded as the No. 24 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline.Drew Rom appeared in two more games for Nashville, allowing just one hit and one hit batsman in three innings of work, with zero walks and five strikeouts. He has a 4-1 record and 2.13 ERA in the minors this year with a 1.13 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 38 innings. In the big leagues, he's appeared in five games, with 11 strikeouts in 5.2 innings and a 3.18 ERA, though he has a 1.76 WHIP in that small sample.Brandon Lockridge is back with the Brewers and looked good in his last rehab games at Nashville, with a pair of multi-hit games, including a home run July 29.Jeferson Quero (No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) had seven hits over five games, and he has a .758 OPS this year with 11 homers. Quero has been serving as designated hitter as he works through a biceps injury and hasn't caught since late June.Best performance by a Brewers top prospectEven on a team where three other prospects get the lion's share of attention, Josiah Ragsdale is having a special 2026.The 2025 first-round draft pick out of Boston College, known primarily as a speed threat, has been a revelation for the Shuckers, including a power binge last week that has him at 19 homers for the year, with 51 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.After hitting four homers last week, the lefty outfielder ran his homer streak to four straight games with blasts July 28, July 29 and two July 30. On Aug. 1, he added another before finally going 0-for-5 on Aug. 2.He finished the week with seven hits overall and seven RBIs. He has a 1.022 OPS between Wisconsin and Biloxi, but he's doing even more damage at the higher level, with a 1.127 OPS in 26 games vs. .975 in 60 at Appleton.How did No. 1 prospect Jess Made do last week?After his absurd Friday night, July 31 when he homered twice (including a grand slam), went 5-for-5 and drove in seven runs, Made homered again Sunday, Aug. 2 at Biloxi. Overall last week, he had 13 hits, including three doubles to accompany his three homers. The slick 19-year-old shortstop is up to an .824 OPS with 13 homers, 76 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.How did No. 2 prospect Luis Pea do last week?Though he wasn't playing the field as he bounced back from a hamstring tweak, Pena notched three hits in four games, including a whipped double into the outfield corner. He has 22 steals and an .825 OPS as a 19-year-old at Wisconsin this year.How did No. 4 prospect Jett Williams do last week?Williams hasn't played since July 7 with a wrist injury. He has a .726 OPS this year with nine homers and 21 steals at Nashville.How did No. 5 prospect Josh Adamczewski do last week?Yep, he had another great week. Adamczewski had a hit in all six games he played this week, and he had two hits in four of them. That included three doubles and a home run, with six RBIs. The 21-year-old left fielder is back over a 1.007 OPS for the year, including a .967 mark in his 36 games since arriving in Biloxi.How did No. 6 prospect Andrew Fischer do last week?Andrew Fischer CRUSHES his minor league-leading 33rd home run Tied for 7TH-MOST homers in a single season by a Brewers minor leaguer. pic.twitter.com/gKtOLmqZvU Milb Central (@milb_central) July 29, 2026He launched his 33rd home run of the year on July 28, a 3-for-4 performance that also included a double, and added his 34th dinger of the season July 31. He doubled again Aug. 1 and finished the week with nine hits in six games. The 22-year-old third baseman has a 1.089 OPS for the season, and he's been excellent at Biloxi (1.043) with 14 of his homers and 28 RBIs.How did No. 7 prospect Braylon Payne do last week?Add a 20-20 season to the resume of 19-year-old @payne_braylon 2nd homer of the game. Lugnuts 0 | Rattlers 5 #TRatNationpic.twitter.com/OjjgSz1I63 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 31, 2026Payne homered twice July 30 and again Aug. 1 in a week with four more multi-hit games. The 19-year-old outfielder has a .967 OPS this year and reached the 20/20 threshold with 21 homers and 22 steals at Wisconsin.A Brewers minor-league name you might want to learnIn this case, it's a name you might want to re-learn. It's easy to forget about pitcher Josh Knoth, but he justified his steady elevation all the way up to to No. 10 in the Brewers organization (at least, according to MLB Pipeline; he's down to No. 30 in Baseball America's post-draft update) with a great showing for Wisconsin on Aug. 1.Knoth allowed just three hits in six scoreless innings, with seven strikeouts and one walk. The 20-year-old, a first-round pick in 2023 who missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery, has a 4.75 ERA for the year but looked in control during his longest outing of the year. He continues to offer a sensational curveball, and there's still plenty to like as he works his way back from the injury.Brewers minor-league highlights July 27-Aug. 2BLAKE BURKE STANDS ALONE!! THE NEW FRANCHISE SINGLE-SEASON RECORD FOR HOME RUNS! https://t.co/LIZcF8bIA9 @bally__sports, https://t.co/5dYqzkzNIs#ShuckYeah#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/cTrpZWW5sB Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) July 30, 2026Blake Burke (No. 17 on Pipeline) hit a 116 mile-per-hour laser beam to tie the franchise record for home runs in a season at Biloxi, and that was just the beginning of the week July 28. He homered twice more July 29 (making it five homers in five games) and homered again July 31. He finished the week with nine RBIs. He's up to 30 bombs for the season, with 86 RBIs and a sneaky 26 stolen bases. The 23-year-old first baseman has a .978 OPS for the season.Brailyn Antunez (No. 26 on Pipeline) continued a torrid start to his career at Wilson, with seven more hits in five games and now a six-game hitting streak since his arrival. He homered in his second game at the level and drove in eight runs this week. The 18-year-old outfielder from Venezuela is yet another name that bears close monitoring in this stacked minor-league system.Eric Bitonti (No. 21 on Pipeline) collected a ton of extra base hits last week, with five doubles and two homers during Wisconsin's series at home against Lansing. He also drove in four runs and has a .908 OPS, with 17 homers, 18 steals and 56 driven in.Alexander Frias (No. 11) had hits in all five Wilson games, including two triples. In 28 games at Carolina, he has a .746 OPS with four homers and 28 RBIs, plus seven steals. For the year, the 18-year-old outfielder has a .980 OPS.Brady Ebel (No. 16) collected seven hits in five games, including two doubles, a triple and home run at Wilson. The 19-year-old shortstop has overcome a slow start to the year to post strong numbers, including an .843 OPS, nine homers, 33 stolen bases and 58 RBIs.Timber Rattlers outfielder Luis Castillo had nine hits in his six games, including two doubles and a long home run Aug. 1. He's not on the top 30 prospect list as a 22-year-old at High Class A, but he has an .823 OPS this year with 13 homers and 66 RBIs.Brock Wilken (No. 30) had a home run and four doubles during the week, as the 24-year-old first-round pick in 2023 continues to try to get untracked in 2026. He has a .681 OPS and a .179 average for the year at Nashville, now up to 11 homers and 58 RBIs.Top DSL prospect Diego Frontado, 17, had another ridiculous week and moved up to a 1.034 OPS this year with the Dominican Summer League Brewers Blue team, with nine homers, 38 RBIs and 13 steals. The No. 20 prospect in the organization according to Pipeline, Frontado has a 12-game hitting streak, including going 8-for-19 last week with a double and three homers, driving in a whopping 14. That included a two-homer, six-RBI game July 30.Daniel Dickinson homered among his seven hits for Wisconsin; the 22-year-old second baseman has a .786 OPS for the year, including a solid .413 on-base percentage.Ricki Moneys (No. 18) had a hit in all four games this week for the DSL Blue team, including a triple. The 17-year-old top international signing in 2026 has delivered with a .930 OPS, including four homers and 23 stolen bases this season.Moneys' teammate on DSL Blue, 19-year-old Frandy LaFond, is up to a .947 OPS for the year with five homers and 14 steals, after he also collected at least one hit in every game last week. He hit three homers, including two on Aug. 1 in a seven-RBI performance. He drove in 10 for the week and has a .336 batting average.A member of the DSL Gold team, 17-year-old infielder Osiris Ramirez has a .992 OPS this year in 36 games, with nine homers and 32 RBIs. Two of those homers came last week, and he stole his fifth base of the year July 30.Jaron DeBerry permitted a single earned run on five hits in 5 innings for Class AA Biloxi on July 30, with five strikeouts (but four walks). The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down season, with a 4.48 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 94 innings. The third-round pick was superb in June (2.86 ERA) before backsliding a little in July (5.25 ERA), but he continues to show exciting flashes.Ethan Dorchies allowed one run on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts for the Timber Rattlers on Aug. 2. It was a good turnaround start for the 19-year-old, the No. 19 prospect according to Pipeline, after a couple rough outings; he has a 5.09 ERA this year.Several other pitchers showed promising results in shorter spurts:Diustin Mayorquin, 18, has been effective in all three of his appearances at Wilson. On July 28, he allowed just one hit with three strikeouts and no walks in four innings. He's got a 3.86 ERA for the year and a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings at Wilson with nine strikeouts and two walks. The Nicaragua native, signed for less than $30,000 in 2025, looks like a steal.On July 29, JD Thompson (No. 29) continued his run of good performances, matching his longest outing of the year when he allowed no hits and one walk through four innings, with five strikeouts for Wisconsin. Thompson has a 3.72 ERA this season. The second-round pick last year has slowly worked back from an injury this year.Jacob Morrison allowed just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts over three innings of relief for Wisconsin on Aug. 1. The 22-year-old was selected in the third round of the 2025 draft.Tyler Renz, 19, an intriguing pick in 2024 allowed one hit and one unearned run in 4 innings for Wilson on July 28. He walked three and struck out six.Andrew Healy, 23, allowed just one hit in 4 scoreless innings July 30, with two walks and six strikeouts for Wilson. He's a ninth-round pick by the Brewers in 2025.Braylon Owens, 23, allowed one earned run July 31 over four innings at Biloxi, with four hits, four walks and five strikeouts. He has a 4.24 ERA over two levels this year.Miqueas Mercedes, 20, allowed just one unearned run on three hits and three walks in five innings, with five strikeouts for Wilson on Aug. 1. He has a 3.22 ERA this year in 17 games at Wilson, with 59 strikeouts in 59 innings.Hayden Robinson followed Mercedes on Aug. 1 with four innings, allowing just one hit and no walks or runs with four strikeouts. The 21-year-old, a 2023 draft pick, has a 4.95 ERA this year but 42 strikeouts in 40 innings, and he's allowed just one earned run over his past 12 innings.Class AAA relievers Blake Holub and Cameron Wagoner combined for another three scoreless outings this week. Holub, 27, has a 2.20 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 41 innings this year and Wagoner has a 1.69 ERA with 45 punchouts in 32 frames. The latter hasn't allowed a run in four games at AAA. And don't count out 26-year-old Mark Manfredi, a 2023 draft pick who has a 3.35 ERA and 68 strikeouts in just 45 innings. He's been especially good over 18 games at Nashville, with a 3.09 ERA and 30 punchouts in 23 innings. He did allow a homer Aug. 1 but otherwise just one more hit over 3 innings last week.In the DSL, 18-year-old Raymond Sarmiento has been dealing, most recently with five innings Aug. 1 in which he allowed one earned run, three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He has a 3-0 record and 2.50 ERA, with 32 strikeouts in 39 innings.Brett Wichrowski faced the minimum over three innings with Nashville on Aug. 2, issuing just one walk. He has a 7.20 ERA this season.Brewers minor-league games Aug. 3-Aug. 9After the top-four levels were all at home last week, they hit the road this week.Nashville will travel to Memphis (St. Louis Cardinals)Biloxi will travel to Columbus (Atlanta Braves)Wisconsin will stay in state and visit Beloit (Miami Marlins)Wilson will travel to Hill City (Cleveland Guardians)The DSL Blue and Gold teams will also be in actionThis article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In Brewers minor-league report, Jess Made homers again in wild week

The Eagles signed Jalen Carter to a contract extension last month and there have been talks with another member of the defensive line as well. Moro Ojomo told reporters at a Monday press conference that there have been conversations with the Eagles about a new deal. The 2023 seventh-round pick is in the final year of his rookie contract. Ojomo said it was great to see Carter and Jordan Davis land extensions over the last couple of years and that he's motivated to get one of his own, but that he'll be a "worse player" if he focuses on tasks best left to his agent. "I think when you get into those thoughts, it can be a rabbit hole," Ojomo said, via Eliot Shorr-Parks of WIP. "Id rather steer clean from them. We have a football season to play. Ive got an agent and hes hired for a reason. He needs to do his job and Ill do my job and well see what happens."Ojomo played sparingly as a rookie and moved into a rotational role in his second year. He started nine times in 2025 and finished the year with 38 tackles and six sacks.

When it comes to how Walker Kessler will help the Los Angeles Lakers, most people have been focused on his shot-blocking and rebounding. He is elite in both categories, and he will undoubtedly make an impact in that regard.While Kessler isn't a big offensive threat, he also has the ability to assist the Lakers on that end as well. He is an effective lob threat, and his ability to grab offensive rebounds creates easy layup and dunk opportunities for him.But the 7-foot-2 center's ability to impact the Lakers offensively isn't necessarily limited to those areas. An executive in their front office outlined how Kessler's overall game can help unlock L.A.'s overall offensive potential, per Keith Smith of spotrac.com.We knew we needed a defensive anchor. Walker can protect the rim and rebound. Those two things not only help our defense, but it can help trigger our offense too. Last year, we had to gang rebound a lot. This year, Walker should help get the ball and get us out and running, a Lakers front office executive said. On offense, hes better than people realize. Hes got excellent touch in the paint and around the rim. The jumper is coming too. Hell be excellent in the screen game for Luka (Doncic), Austin (Reaves), Collin (Sexton) and Quentin (Grimes).Los Angeles has had trouble cleaning up its defensive glass over the last few years. With Kessler, as well as other new additions such as big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney, the team should improve on the boards, which should give it more transition opportunities that it can take advantage of.Before shoulder surgery ended his 2025-26 season following five games, Kessler was also showing preliminary signs of developing a 3-point shot. In those games, he went 6-of-8 from that distance, and becoming a respectable, if not a good, 3-point shooter would open up options in the Lakers' offense.In his last full season, which came during the 2024-25 campaign, Kessler averaged 11.1 points on 66.3% shooting, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 30 minutes a game. Having just turned 25 years of age on July 26, he could still have significant room for improvement.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers executive on how Walker Kessler will help the team offensively