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  • The Eagles didn’t reach the championship round. You can watch several ex-Birds and local favorites in the AFC and NFC championships, however.

    The Eagles didn’t reach the championship round. You can watch several ex-Birds and local favorites in the AFC and NFC championships, however.

    While the Eagles’ playoff run has long concluded, Philadelphians may notice a number of familiar faces on each team competing in the conference championships on Sunday.

    From former Eagles players, coaches, and front office members to Philadelphia-area natives, all four remaining teams in the playoffs — the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots — feature local connections.

    Here are the names and faces that may ring a bell when they pop up on your television screen. In the cases of the former Eagles players on the list, we’ve also examined why they’re no longer on the team.

    Seattle Seahawks

    CB Josh Jobe spent two seasons with the Eagles from 2022 to 2023 and appeared in 28 games, primarily on special teams. The 2022 undrafted free agent out of Alabama served as a depth cornerback behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry, but he got buried on the depth chart and was released at the end of training camp in 2024. Jobe, now 27, signed with the Seahawks two days later and earned a starting job this season in Mike Macdonald’s defense.

    Josh Jobe evolved from his special teams role with the Eagles to a starting job in Seattle.

    The Seahawks often use dime packages to get Jobe, Riq Woolen, and Devon Witherspoon on the field at the same time. According to Next Gen Stats, each member of the trio has allowed less than a yard per coverage snap in dime coverage, ranking among the top five cornerbacks in the league in that metric.

    Long snapper Chris Stoll spent six years at Penn State from 2017 to 2022 and played in 48 games. In 2022, he won the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation’s top long snapper. Stoll signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

    Leslie Frazier has been the Seahawks’ assistant head coach since 2024, serving as a mentor to Macdonald, a first-time head coach. Frazier, 66, was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013 and has had multiple defensive coordinator jobs, but he got his NFL coaching start with the Eagles as the defensive backs coach from 1999 to 2002 under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Among the players Frazier coached with the Eagles were Brian Dawkins and Troy Vincent.

    Justin Outten, 42, is a 10-year NFL coaching veteran who is in his first year as the Seahawks’ running game specialist and assistant offensive line coach. He hails from Doylestown and graduated from Central Bucks West in 2002. Outten was a center on the football team and won the state championship as a sophomore in 1999.

    Los Angeles Rams

    OL Dylan McMahon was the Eagles’ 2024 sixth-round pick out of N.C. State. Somewhat surprisingly, he was the only member of the 2024 draft class who did not make the team out of training camp, instead signing to the practice squad. The Rams signed McMahon to their active roster off the Eagles’ practice squad in Week 2 that year to add depth to their banged-up offensive line. He started in the 2024 season finale at center and has spent the entire 2025 season on the Rams’ practice squad.

    Omar Speights emerged as a football star as a Philadelphia high schooler.

    ILB Omar Speights hails from Philadelphia and played his first three years of high school football at Imhotep Charter and briefly at Northeast High School. He moved to Oregon for his senior year. Speights, 24, signed with the Rams in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of LSU and started 16 games this season.

    ILB Troy Reeder, 31, is from Hockessin, Del., approximately 10 miles west of Wilmington. He spent his college career at Penn State (2014 and 2015) and Delaware (2016 to 2018). Reeder signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2021.

    OLB Jared Verse, the 2024 defensive rookie of the year, grew up in Berwick, Columbia County. Despite playing three years of football at Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg in northeastern Pennsylvania, Verse was not an Eagles fan (and has declared his distaste for their supporters). The Rams selected Verse 19th overall out of Florida State in 2024. He ranked second on the team in sacks this season with 7½.

    Ray Farmer is in his sixth season with the Rams, his first as the senior adviser to general manager Les Snead. He was drafted by the Eagles in 1996 in the fourth round out of Duke and served in a depth role at linebacker for three seasons before suffering a career-ending knee injury. Farmer was the Cleveland Browns general manager from 2014 to 2015.

    Drew Wilkins is in his first season as the Rams pass-rush coordinator. He is a Doylestown native and graduated from La Salle College High School in 2006.

    Mike McGlinchey (74), pictured with Penn Charter teammates and fellow Matt Ryan cousins Jake McCain, Pat McCain, and Frank McGlinchey, is now considered one of the NFL’s best tackles.

    Denver Broncos

    RT Mike McGlinchey, 31, is in his third season as a starter with the Broncos and spent the first five years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He was born in Warrington and played football and basketball at Penn Charter. He is a cousin of Matt Ryan, the 15-year NFL quarterback who hails from Exton and also attended Penn Charter. McGlinchey was drafted by the 49ers out of Notre Dame with the No. 9 overall pick in 2018.

    ILB Alex Singleton signed with the Eagles in 2019 and started 19 games (42 total appearances) in three seasons. He led the Eagles in tackles in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021 (120 and 137, respectively). Singleton, now 32, signed a one-year deal with the Broncos in free agency in 2022 and has been with the team ever since. He started 16 games this season and led the team with 135 tackles, one year after suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

    Sean Payton is in his third season as Broncos coach. He got his NFL coaching start with the Eagles as the quarterbacks coach from 1997 to 1998 under head coach Ray Rhodes, working with quarterbacks Ty Detmer, Bobby Hoying, Rodney Peete, and Koy Detmer. Perhaps more notably, Payton spent 15 seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021 and won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season.

    Joe Vitt was hired by Payton in 2023 as a senior defensive assistant. Vitt first crossed paths with Payton on the Eagles, as the assistant was the linebackers coach in Philadelphia for four seasons from 1995 to 1998. Vitt, 71, grew up in Blackwood, N.J.

    Jordon Dizon is in his first season as the Broncos director of pro personnel and his eighth with the team. Between two stints in the Broncos front office, he was a national scout for the Eagles from 2022 to 2024.

    Milton Williams (93) parlayed a career season that included a Super Bowl ring into a free-agent deal with the Patriots.

    New England Patriots

    DT Milton Williams spent the first four years of his career with the Eagles, the team that drafted him in the third round out of Louisiana Tech in 2021. He had a breakout year in 2024, amassing a career-best five sacks in 17 games (seven starts). After winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles, he signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Patriots in free agency, making him the second-highest-paid interior defensive lineman on an average annual basis ($26 million per year).

    Williams, 26, missed five games late this season with an ankle injury, but he returned in time for the playoffs. He notched two sacks in the wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

    Mack Hollins has had a nice year for a rejuvenated Patriots team but appears unlikely to play this week because of injury.

    WR Mack Hollins also began his career with the Eagles, selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of North Carolina. He was a member of the Eagles team that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl that season. Since that year, the 32-year-old Hollins has been a member of four teams and joined the Patriots on a two-year deal this season. He is on injured reserve with an abdominal injury, but the Patriots opened up his practice window this week — he was listed as questionable for this weekend’s game on Friday’s injury report. Hollins had 550 yards and two touchdowns on 46 receptions in 2025, the second-best receiving total of his career.

    ILB Christian Elliss spent nearly three seasons with the Eagles from 2021 to 2023. He served in a depth role, even in 2023 on a struggling defense under former defensive coordinator Sean Desai, and he appeared in 19 total games, primarily on special teams. The Eagles waived Elliss in December 2023 after signing Shaquille Leonard, and the Patriots claimed him. Elliss, 27, started 13 games this season (and played 15 games total) and ranked second on the Patriots with 94 tackles.

    Christian Barmore is another former Philly high schooler who has reached the NFL pinnacle.

    DT Christian Barmore grew up in Philly, starting in high school at Lincoln before transferring to Neumann Goretti. He orally committed to Temple, but he reopened his recruitment in 2017 and attended Alabama instead. Barmore was the Patriots’ second-round pick in 2021. The 26-year-old became a full-time starter this season, and had two sacks in 17 games (16 starts).

    OT Caedan Wallace hails from Robbinsville, N.J., spending his high school football career at Robbinsville High School and then the Hun School. He helped the latter to three straight prep state championships (2016, 2017, 2018). Wallace, 25, played for Penn State from 2019 to 2023. He was drafted by the Patriots in the third round in 2024 and has served in a depth role over the last two seasons.

  • The Flyers will be irrelevant as long as they lack a No. 1 center. A trade for Robert Thomas could change that.

    The Flyers will be irrelevant as long as they lack a No. 1 center. A trade for Robert Thomas could change that.

    The Flyers are leaking oil.

    Losers of seven of their last eight games, Rick Tocchet’s men, who have resided in a playoff spot for most of the season, are in free fall and now sit three points out of both the final spot in the Metropolitan Division and the wild card.

    With injuries piling up, the latest suffered by indispensable goaltender Dan Vladař, and a condensed schedule, the Flyers are in real danger of falling out of the postseason race before the March 6 trade deadline.

    The recent slide has also made painfully obvious what many already knew: The Flyers aren’t nearly as close to contending as they think they are.

    Why?

    For all their improvement and the savvy acquisitions of Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, and Vladař, the Flyers have yet to acquire maybe the most important ingredient to any contending hockey team: a No. 1 center.

    To make matters worse, they don’t look to have a prospective solution to that problem in their farm system, as Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, and Jack Berglund all project to top out as middle-sixers.

    Wednesday’s collapse marked a new low point for the Flyers: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey’

    Florida had Aleksander Barkov. Vegas had Jack Eichel. Colorado had Nathan MacKinnon. Tampa Bay had Brayden Point. The Flyers have … Christian Dvorak? That’s not to say the Flyers are simply a 1C away from doing laps around the ice with a 35-pound silver bowl over their heads, but until they find one, everything else they do is more or less a futile exercise.

    That brings us to Robert Thomas, a bona fide top-20 center who some around the league believe could be pried away from St. Louis — he is listed on both the Athletic and Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade boards — for the right price. Thomas, who turns 27 in July, is one of the league’s top playmakers and has tallied 80-plus points in each of the last two seasons.

    There’s a lot of speculation that the St. Louis Blues will listen to offers for talented center Robert Thomas.

    In addition to his tremendous vision, he’s a sturdy 207 pounds, possesses above-average speed, wins faceoffs (53.4% since 2022-23), and plays a responsible 200-foot game — a trait the Flyers clearly prioritize in their centermen.

    In other words, he’s exactly what the Flyers need.

    Did I mention he’s already won a Stanley Cup and is signed for five more seasons after this one at a below-market average annual value of $8.125 million?

    So is Thomas actually available? That depends on whom you ask, but with the Blues tied for the league’s second-fewest points, it would be surprising if general manager Doug Armstrong wasn’t at least listening on pretty much everybody.

    Armstrong all but confirmed that in December when he said, “There’s really no untouchables — not [just] on the St. Louis Blues, [but] there’s really few untouchables in the league. There’s a lot of other guys that, when things aren’t going well, I would say that [trade] list grows.”

    Danny Brière and Armstrong are no strangers, as the two did a deal in 2023 involving Kevin Hayes, and infamously had another deal centered on Travis Sanheim nixed at the 11th hour. So with a gaping hole down the middle and armed with a deep prospect pool and three first-round picks over the next two drafts, why wouldn’t Brière blow Armstrong away with a deal he can’t refuse?

    Flyers general manager Danny Briere has acknowledged the team’s need to upgrade down the middle. Could Robert Thomas be the answer?

    Assuming that Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, and potentially Tyson Foerster are off the table, any deal will start with at least one first-round pick in 2026 or 2027, a center prospect, and a combination of one or two more picks, prospects, or young roster players.

    The Blues would have their pick of Luchanko and Nesbitt and would likely covet another first-rounder in a 2026 draft — the Flyers would likely prefer to trade a 2027 first since they have two of them — that features three blue-chip prospects in Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Keaton Verhoeff.

    It’s worth mentioning that Stenberg’s brother Otto plays for the Blues, and with a closely-contested East and the Flyers’ precarious position at present, St. Louis might gamble that the Flyers’ draft pick would land them a second selection inside the top 10.

    Should the Flyers have gone harder after Quinn Hughes? And what now for a team lacking a No. 1 center and defenseman?

    St. Louis also is likely to ask for a youngish defenseman to go the other way, which would mean Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Oliver Bonk, or Emil Andrae.

    The Flyers would likely balk at moving York, a key part of their blue line who just signed a five-year extension, while the 23-year-old Drysdale’s value has decreased, not to mention that he’s a restricted free agent at season’s end and would require a new deal. That leaves Bonk and Andrae as the most realistic targets, with the former, a first-rounder in 2023, having the higher upside.

    Rounding out the deal would be another draft pick — let’s say a second — or a prospect or young roster player. Would the Blues have interest in Bobby Brink or Nikita Grebenkin as cheap wingers who can play up and down the lineup and have some untapped potential? St. Louis native Shane Vansaghi, a bruising second-rounder from this past June’s draft with a unique skill set, is another player who might intrigue Armstrong.

    Flyers defensive prospect Oliver Bonk could be an intriguing player to the rebuilding St. Louis Blues.

    The Flyers are in a tough spot, as they need a No. 1 center and are unlikely to have a pick high enough to draft one — 19 of the 27 players I’d characterize as No. 1 centers were top-10 picks, with 15 of them selected in the top three — and there are none available this summer in free agency.

    That leaves a trade as the likeliest path, and even those options are largely limited to guys either on the wrong side of 30 or younger, distressed assets looking to rediscover their 1C potential à la Seattle’s Shane Wright.

    Thomas represents something different entirely. He’s a proven commodity who not only fits the right age profile but has 5½ years of control. His high-danger passing would also be a tantalizing proposition alongside exciting wingers like Zegras, Michkov, Martone, Foerster, and Travis Konecny. If you have to overpay for someone like that, so be it.

    Would a 2026 or 2027 first-rounder, Luchanko, Bonk, and Brink get a deal done? And is that too much for Thomas, who is having a down year with 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games?

    The Flyers need to get uncomfortable and take some risks if they are going to address the organization’s biggest need. Until they do, they will be stuck in NHL purgatory, the worst place an organization can be.

  • Japhet Sery Larsen got an assist from Mikael Uhre as he decided to join the Union

    Japhet Sery Larsen got an assist from Mikael Uhre as he decided to join the Union

    There have been enough Danish players in MLS recently that when the Union reached out to Japhet Sery Larsen, he didn’t have to look far for advice.

    “I have a good friend who plays in San Diego, [Anders] Dreyer, who has spoken really warmly about the league,” Larsen said in a news conference this week from the Union’s preseason camp in Marbella, Spain. “I have a former teammate as well in Cincinnati, Evander, who really enjoys his time here.”

    Those are very good connections to have. Dreyer was the league’s Newcomer of the Year last year, delivering 23 goals and 18 assists in 41 games; Evander is a two-time All-Star and Best XI honoree.

    But Larsen had an even better expert to call, too.

    “I talked to Mikael Uhre a bit because he knows the Union very well, which was really helpful for me,” he said.

    Mikael Uhre’s last goal for the Union was the one that clinched the Supporters’ Shield.

    If Larsen saw all the little boxes with the journalists’ heads on Zoom, he’d have watched a mass springing to attention.

    It wasn’t surprising that Larsen and Uhre know each other, because players cross paths in all kinds of ways in soccer. But it would sure be something to learn Uhre’s opinion of a club that didn’t always treat him well in his last two years in Chester.

    Bradley Carnell likes what he’s seen from Union newcomers Ezekiel Alladoh and Japhet Sery Larsen

    “He was really happy about his time here,” Larsen said. “He had some great moments here, I think.”

    Yes, he did, and he was barely given a chance to say goodbye — or to receive thanks from the portion of fans who liked him. That makes it even nicer of Uhre to say good things about the Union and living in Philadelphia.

    The Union moved on from Mikael Uhre (left), Jakob Glesnes (right), and other veterans after last year.

    “I had some good talks with the sporting directors and the coaches about what it’s like being in the club, but the hard part is finding out what life is around the training ground and stuff like that,” Larsen said. “So Mikael was really helpful there. Obviously, we talked about [life] in the club as well, but he had only good things to good things to say about the club — he really enjoyed the playing style and the philosophy of the Union.”

    It will be up to other players, especially Ezekiel Alladoh, to replace Uhre’s goals and defense-stretching runs. Larsen’s job is to replace another Union stalwart, Jakob Glesnes.

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    On paper, he has the resumé. Larsen spent the last three years at Norwegian club Brann, won a Norwegian Cup, and played in Champions League qualifiers and the Europa League.

    Before that, he spent a year at Bodø/Glimt, a team with a big reputation as a continental Cinderella.

    Japhet Sery Larsen (right) wearing the captain’s armband for Brann in a Europa League game in November.

    His age matters, too. The Union like to sign younger players whom they can develop and sell later. Larsen is 25, heading toward a player’s peak age period. And the club’s scouts noticed that he wore the captain’s armband at times for Brann, a sign of good intangibles.

    “It had a big impact on my decision before joining here,” Larsen said. “I know some more experienced players have left the club now during this winter, so there’s an open spot for taking responsibility and leadership. And I think we have that within the group, but obviously I want to contribute to that as well and help as better as best as possible.”

    ‘We aren’t done:’ The Union contends there are still more additions to come as preseason begins

    He arrived in Chester well-briefed on the Union’s high-speed playing style and was excited to play in it.

    “I think the coaching staff have a really clear idea of how they want to do things, which I believe suits me quite well,” he said. “[That] had a big impact for me in my decision, which made it easier, but they really talked about their way of thinking in football and their principles.”

    Japhet Sery Larsen in action during the Union’s preseason opener Tuesday.

    Larsen got his first run in a game on Tuesday, and played the first half of the Union’s 1-1 tie with Czech club Sigma Olomouc. Paired with Olwethu Makhanya on the back line — to form what is expected to be this year’s starting centerback duo — he seemed to fit in well enough.

    “I thought it was quite obvious the way the coaches want us to play,” Larsen said. “I think we could see the principles coming to life in the game. A lot of the guys are thinking forward the whole time, trying to really express ourselves.”

    On Friday, he played the first period of a 2-1 loss to Danish club Nordsjælland that had three 45-minute frames, this time next to young prospect Finn Sundstrom.

    Larsen hadn’t been with the Union for long before heading to Spain, and he spent part of the opening week in Chester working off to the side. So he had to jump quickly into the deep end, “a new way of speaking football” as he put it.

    “It has been fun and challenging at the same time,” he said. “I’m learning new things every day, but I’m trying to embrace it all, and the coaching staff and the teammates are really helpful in that process.”

    New Union striker Ezekiel Alladoh speaks softly but hopes to carry many goals
  • Mets take aim at Phillies with Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves

    Mets take aim at Phillies with Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves

    Well, it finally happened.

    The Mets made a move that makes sense.

    Freddy Peralta is the kind of acquisition who can change expectations in a hurry. The Phillies know it as well as anybody. They’ve scored three runs in four starts against Peralta since 2022. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner are a combined 2-for-26 with 10 strikeouts against the veteran right-hander in that four-year stretch. They’ll go from facing him once or twice a year to potentially three or four times now that the Mets have shipped a couple of top-100 prospects to the Brewers in exchange for the 29-year-old Peralta, who had a 17-6 record last season, with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 176⅔ innings.

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    Wednesday’s trade is the second straight salvo the Mets have fired in the Phillies’ direction. The first was a gut-punch in the form of a three-year, $126 million contract signed by Bo Bichette. The Phillies thought they were about to land the former Blue Jays star on a seven-year, $200 million deal. Instead, the Mets unveiled their unique and devastating spin on the notion of addition by subtraction. Needless to say, it has been a rough week for the Phillies’ NL East odds.

    But let’s not go overboard here. While Major League Baseball doesn’t hand out trophies for sensibility, it also doesn’t hang banners for offseason champs. Offseasons are pretty much the only thing the Mets have won in the 40 years since the ’86 Amazin’s did their thing. They are going to need a lot of things to break right for that to change this year.

    It should be almost impossible for a team to enter spring training with a projected $360-plus million payroll and Jorge Polanco batting cleanup. Yet that’s exactly where the Mets find themselves with three weeks to go before pitchers and catchers report. The Mets can argue all they want that Polanco is a much better value on a two-year, $40 million deal than Pete Alonso would have been on the five-year, $155 million deal that he signed with the Orioles. But Alonso has hit 72 home runs over the last two years, while Polanco has hit 72 over the last four.

    Kyle Schwarber is one of several Phillies who have not fared well against Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta.

    And what about the five-hole? Right now, you’d probably pencil in Marcus Semien there. Which would be great, if “right now” was 2023. But Semien has looked nothing like the guy who finished third in MVP voting for the Rangers during their World Series campaign. In 2024 and 2025, the 35-year-old infielder slashed .234/.307/.379 for a .686 OPS that was almost exactly league average. Semien, whom the Mets acquired from Texas in a trade, is making $26 million this year.

    Luis Robert Jr. could work his way up in the lineup if he hits like he did over his last 35 games last season (.819 OPS, six home runs, 140 plate appearances). Or, he could be a $20 million eight-hole hitter if he hits like he did over the last two seasons overall (.660 OPS, 28 home runs, 856 plate appearances).

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    There’s no question the Mets have succeeded in building themselves a different lineup. Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto are the only name-brand holdovers from a year ago. Brett Baty figures to start at designated hitter after the former top prospect rescued his career with a .311./.372/.500 batting line and seven home runs in his last 42 games. Mark Vientos can only hope to factor into the equation after a season in which he failed miserably to follow up on his 2024 breakout. Again, there are things that can break right. But a team’s win total usually has a negative correlation with the number of “ifs” it brings to spring training. And that likely would have been the case with the Mets, until Wednesday.

    In Peralta and second-year sensation Nolan McLean, the Mets will have the kind of 1-2 punch atop their rotation that can carry a questionable lineup a long way. In two starts last year, McLean held the Phillies to one run and 14 base runners in 13⅓ innings with 11 strikeouts. Combine his numbers with Peralta’s against Schwarber-Harper-Turner and you get 3-for-40 with 14 strikeouts. If Sean Manaea can get back to his 2024 form (3.47 ERA in 181⅔ innings) and Kodai Senga can stay healthy, the Mets could be a big problem for opposing lineups. And that’s assuming they don’t make another late splash (Framber Valdez, for instance).

    But, then, there’s that pesky little word again. The Mets may yet salvage their offseason and move the needle in a more decisive manner. For now, Phillies fans shouldn’t be too hard on Dave Dombrowski’s roster. It’s still better than the Mets, for about 80% of the price.

  • Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. is showing why he should be a keeper at the NBA trade deadline

    Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. is showing why he should be a keeper at the NBA trade deadline

    Kelly Oubre Jr. looks like someone the 76ers might want to hang onto.

    Oubre always said it was just a matter of getting back into basketball shape. And based on his recent performances, the 6-foot-8 small forward is now well-conditioned.

    He had 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting — including 4 of 5 from three-point range — to go with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

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    Draining three-pointers and providing his trademark high energy, the 30-year-old looked like he deserved to remain in the starting lineup. More than that, Oubre looked like a key piece the Sixers need to retain beyond the trade deadline.

    He’s an asset to the Sixers because he can play shooting guard, small forward, and small-ball power forward. However, his name keeps coming up as someone the Sixers could possibly move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline because his expiring $8.3 million contract would help them gain salary cap relief and avoid the luxury tax. The squad is currently more than $7 million over the luxury-tax threshold.

    The Sixers could also get salary cap relief by moving the expiring contracts of Andre Drummond ($5.0 million) and Eric Gordon ($3.6 million with a dead cap hit of $2.2 million). Letting Drummond and Gordon go would be viewed as a softer blow than trading Oubre.

    Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr., blocks Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason’s first quarter three-point shot attempt on Thursday night.

    Oubre’s value stretches all over the floor. He had a sequence in the second half where he knocked the ball out of bounds twice while providing solid defense on Houston’s 6-foot-11 center Alperen Şengün. Those plays not only motivated his teammates but also electrified the sellout crowd of 19,746.

    “Obviously, that’s a huge center posting you up, you have to do something to disrupt the rhythm of that and not make it easy,” Oubre said. “And I think that over there they thought it was going to be an easy post up, post me up, whatever. I just tried to be disruptive.

    “Obviously, it sucks [for the Rockets] because they were all looking depleted every time they tried to throw it in, and it wasn’t complete. But it was just about me trying my best to stop him from getting the momentum to go score, because once he gets me under the basket. I’m done, right?”

    Kelly Oubre Jr. has had a quality season when healthy but continues to be the subject of trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.

    Oubre recently scored 21 points on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns and 18 points on Monday against the Indiana Pacers, rounding out his three best games since missing 22 games with a sprained left knee ligament. After making 4 of 5 three-pointers on Thursday, he’s shooting 11-for-18 from deep in his last three games.

    “You just put the work in, man, and you have to trust it,” Oubre said of his shot. “That’s all it is. It’s just being confident in those positions and having faith that your shot will go in and you follow the right discipline.”

    Oubre started his third consecutive game, and was in the opening group for the fourth time in the nine games since his return. The first three starts came as Paul George was sidelined due to left knee injury management. But on this night, Oubre started alongside George, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey.

    Nick Nurse said starting Oubre over Dominick Barlow was based on performance.

    “I think Barlow has played outstanding and played outstanding again tonight,” Nurse said. “But Kelly obviously has been a pretty big spark plug, getting to the rim and just guarding. Just guarding really good, tough matchup every night as well. So I went that way. He’s pretty experienced as well.”

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    Maxey led the Sixers with 36 points, 10 assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, Embiid added 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and two blocks for his ninth career triple-double. Oubre has mastered playing off the two standouts by slashing to the basket and hitting opportunistic shots.

    For Oubre, it’s more than just getting the ball — it’s about moving bodies around.

    “I’ve always been a slasher,” he said. “Having a guy who creates as much energy around him as Joel, if my man goes to double or somebody is not looking or they’re not worried about the weak side, then that’s just a free lane to just cut into the paint and potentially give him an easy assist, or free somebody else up for a jumper.”

  • ⚾ Hot stove heats up | Sports Daily Newsletter

    ⚾ Hot stove heats up | Sports Daily Newsletter

    As a nasty winter storm bears down on us, it’s a good time to start the newsletter with warm thoughts about baseball.

    Could the Mets actually give the Phillies a run for their money in the NL East this season? In the last week or so, they have gotten a little closer.

    First they swiped Bo Bichette in a free-agent signing that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski called “a gut punch.” Then the New Yorkers traded for Gold Glove center fielder Luis Robert. Then they dealt for front-line pitcher Freddy Peralta, a noted Phillie killer.

    What in the name of Flushing is going on around here? David Murphy takes it all in and provides his analysis: “Offseasons are pretty much the only the thing Mets have won in the 40 years since the ’86 Amazin’s did their thing. They are going to need a lot of things to break right for that to change this year.” Read more of Murphy’s take here.

    Still … In Peralta and second-year righty Nolan McLean, the Mets will have a powerful 1-2 punch, and if Sean Manaea can bounce back, their starters could be formidable. At the very least, the flurry of Mets moves has given fans something to talk about around the hot stove … and we’ll need that stove in the next few days.

    — Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Philly ties

    Rams linebacker Omar Speights hits Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on Sept. 21.

    The Eagles will be spectators Sunday when the NFC and AFC championship games are played, but there will be more than a few Philadelphia connections to the action. The pride of Penn Charter, Mike McGlinchey, is the anchor of the Broncos’ line. Imhotep Charter’s Omar Speights is a top tackler for the Rams. And ex-Eagles DT Milton Williams is lining up for the Patriots. Olivia Reiner gives us the rundown of familiar faces one step from the Super Bowl.

    Assistant coach Christian Parker is set to become an ex-Eagle himself, as reports have him heading to the Cowboys to become their defensive coordinator.

    Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a finalist for NFL assistant coach of the year honors.

    Working overtime

    Sixers center Joel Embiid drives on Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. during the second quarter Thursday.

    Joel Embiid delivered a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Sixers fought past the Houston Rockets, 128-122, in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tyrese Maxey made only 2 of 10 three-point shots but led the Sixers with 36 points. Gina Mizell has a closer look at the action.

    Let’s make a deal?

    St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (left) is one of the NHL’s top playmakers and tallied at least 80 points in each of the last two seasons.

    The Flyers’ ongoing search for a No. 1 center is no state secret at this point. But do they potentially have a new lead?

    With reports that St. Louis pivot Robert Thomas could be available, the Flyers might finally have a path to filling the organization’s biggest hole. Gustav Elvin believes the Flyers should do whatever it takes to land Thomas, whom he calls one of the league’s top playmakers and a bona fide top-20 center.

    The Flyers’ need for centers has been apparent in recent weeks as the team has dropped seven of eight games and fallen below the playoff cut line. But blowing a 3-0 lead and squandering a point on Wednesday in Utah represented a new low, writes Jackie Spiegel.

    Back to grassroots hockey

    Frank Seravalli added Germantown Academy boys’ hockey coaching duties to an already busy portfolio.

    A former Flyers beat writer for the Daily News, Frank Seravalli has become known as an NHL insider who is now building a hockey network at the streaming service Victory+. These days, he is also known as the hockey coach at Germantown Academy, a job that takes up even more of his precious time. A family tragedy was a major part of Seravalli’s inspiration to coach the Patriots. Alex Coffey tells the story.

    Sports snapshot

    Fans at the Finneran Pavilion honored the life and legacy of coach George Raveling at the Villanova-Georgetown game.

    What you’re saying about the Sixers

    We asked: Thoughts on the Sixers so far this season? Among your responses:

    Why would any Philadelphia sports fan, specifically a basketball fan, get fired up over our 76ers? By giving Joel Embiid and Paul George max contracts, the GM has essentially made this team irrelevant in the NBA for thee years. These two “Superstars” don’t play enough to make an impact yet account for almost a half BILLION dollars in salary over the life of their contracts. This franchise is handcuffed for the foreseeable future with two untradeable players who miss more games than they play while making it nearly impossible to add salary/free agents. For this franchise, the new reality is not championships, it’s relevancy. — Tom D.

    No one cares. George and Embid will be out of the playoffs with “pain management.” Please move back to Syracuse. — Bill M.

    An aging Embiid is transitioning into the complementary center he needs to become to help the young Sixers mesh and morph. They will become a quick guard-oriented offense, with the best total guard talent in the NBA.That set of guards includes Maxey, Edgecombe, McCain, Grimes, Edwards, Gordon and Lowry to mentor all of them. But there is no reason for Embiid to be hoisting 3-point shots, which he does at an awful 26% rate this year. — John W.

    Encouraging! After last year’s disastrous season, Tyrese and VJ have stepped up to lead the team. Finishing in the top 6 in the conference would be a very successful season. — Bob C.

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Lochlahn March, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Alex Coffey, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Matt Breen, and Owen Hewitt.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter, when it looks like we’ll be digging out from a doozy of a storm. — Jim

  • Sixers takeaways: Surviving a blown call, grabbing a much-needed home win over Rockets and more

    Sixers takeaways: Surviving a blown call, grabbing a much-needed home win over Rockets and more

    The 76ers were fortunate that a blown goaltending call didn’t doom them.

    In response, the Sixers (24-19) showed they can win a meaningful game at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    And they did that despite, once again, surrendering a high-scoring performance to an opposing player.

    All those things stood out in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.

    Missed call

    Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 36 points, 10 assists, and four steals. Joel Embiid added 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and two blocks for his ninth career triple-double. And Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting — including 4 of 5 from three-point range — to go with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block in a hard-fought victory.

    But with the score tied at 115 with three seconds remaining in regulation, Maxey’s layup attempt bounced off the backboard and in the direction of the rim. That’s when Houston Rockets small forward swatted the ball away for an obvious goaltending.

    Luckily for the Sixers, the game went to overtime, and they pulled out a six-point victory.

    ‘Drumming saved my life’

    But …

    “That was bad,” Paul George said. “It was a double goaltend. Yeah, that was bad. Luckily, basketball gods were on our side to win the game tonight. But yeah, that was a bad no-call.”

    Nick Nurse said he doesn’t always have the greatest view. But on this night, the no-call occurred in front of the Sixers’ bench.

    “And I think Tyrese almost, on purpose, tried to get it to the backboard extra quick,” Nurse said. “Like he almost threw it into the backboard real quick. I mean, listen, they are supposed to call those if there’s any chance at all there’s a goaltend, because they can review it. They can’t review it if they don’t call it. So they can get it right.

    “I’ve actually been in games with those guys that they’ve called them more than two or three times. You get it when they call it. But they didn’t. I guess they just thought it was too far under, or they didn’t see it. So they didn’t call it.”

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey attempts a lay up late that was goaltended and became a controversial no-call.

    Maxey responded “nope” when asked if the official gave him an explanation on the no-call.

    So what was his reaction?

    “Just get to overtime and try to win it there. That’s it,” he said. “I just was surprised. I kind of like laid it on the backboard. But it happens, man. We’re all humans.”

    Maxey scored six of his points and tallied two of his steals in the extra session, leading the Sixers to victory.

    Kelly Oubre Jr. said it was hard to let that blown call go in order to focus on overtime.

    “But that’s why you have a 15-man roster,” he said. “Everybody kind of collectively [kept the team focused]. But it started with Kyle [Lowry]. You know in his prime, he was the biggest complainer of them all, right? But when you have a guy who accomplished so much and is who’s so just witty and smart, and he knows the game. He just rallied us all and told us just to forget about it. We got five more minutes to go in the basketball game.”

    Much-needed home victory

    The Sixers’ home arena has been far from a safe haven. Heading into Thursday, they had lost five of their last seven home games and were 11-12 at this building. The fifth-place squad and 10th-place Atlanta Hawks (7-13) are the Eastern Conference’s only top 10 teams without winning home records.

    Jabari Walker was asked following Thursday’s shootaround if there was a sense within the Sixers’ locker room that they need to start winning some of their home games.

    Yes, Philly is most definitely a basketball city. Dating all the way back to 1898.

    “That’s always been like that,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any extra pressure, recently. That’s always been the standard. … We are just going to continue to rely on the attitude that we’ve had. And I think we will bounce back.”

    And they did just that with a victory over one of the league’s best teams.

    “That was huge,” Nurse said. “We needed a good home win. We needed … to beat somebody really good. We needed a good, tough close-game win. Hopefully, we can get some momentum off of it.

    “We certainly need to play better at home.”

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey scored 36 poins to lead his team in scoring.

    The Sixers will conclude their current six-game homestand at 3 p.m. Saturday against the New York Knicks. After facing the Charlotte Hornets on Monday in North Carolina, they’ll return to Philly for another three-game homestand.

    They’ll host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back before entertaining the Sacramento Kings (Jan. 29) and New Orleans Pelicans (Jan. 31).

    The Sixers must find a way to keep racking up wins at home, where they are supposed to have an advantage. They blew golden opportunities to take advantage of home-court advantage in recent losses to the Cavs on Jan. 14 and 16, and to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

    Unfortunately for them, those losses weren’t surprising after losing home games to the tanking Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 23 and the depleted Denver Nuggets on Jan. 5. The Nuggets were without their entire starting lineup and eight players total.

    Right now, the Sixers are better on the road, where they’re 12-7. While the road record is impressive, they need to play much better at home. And as Nurse said, beating the Rockets was a good starting point.

    Another player torches Sixers

    We shouldn’t be surprised that Durant torched the Sixers for 36 points.

    The 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward is the 2014 MVP, a four-time scoring champion, an 11-time All-NBA selection, and a 15-time All-Star. He came into Tuesday’s game with a career scoring average of 27.2 points. And scored at least 30 points in 14 games played.

    To add to that, the Sixers have had a knack for allowing high-scoring performances from opposing players. So Durant’s performance was just part of a trend.

    Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant scored 32 points against the Sixers, becoming the latest star to score big against them.

    Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown (32 points), Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (31), Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (46 and 35), Milwaukee Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins (32), Miami Heat shooting guard Norman Powell (32), Orlando Magic point guard Anthony Black (31), Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (41), Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant (40), New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson (31), Orlando shooting guard Desmond Bane (31) and Cleveland point guard Jaylen Tyson (39) were the others who scored at least 30 against the Sixers.

  • Maxey scores 36, Embiid has triple-double in Sixers’ 128-122 overtime win over the Rockets

    Maxey scores 36, Embiid has triple-double in Sixers’ 128-122 overtime win over the Rockets

    PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey scored six of his 36 points in overtime, Joel Embiid had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets 128-122 on Thursday night.

    Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points for the 76ers, who evened their home record at 12-12. Paul George returned to the lineup for Philadelphia after missing two straight games due to left knee injury management and had 10 points.

    Kevin Durant scored 36 points for the Rockets, who had won three in a row. Amen Thompson added 17 for Houston.

    The 76ers scored the first five points of the extra session, on George’s 3-pointer and VJ Edgecombe’s follow from close range after he grabbed an offensive rebound, to take control.

    Philadelphia had a chance to win it in regulation, but Durant blocked Maxey’s driving layup attempt with 13.2 seconds left. Maxey added 10 assists.

    The 76ers opened up a 94-88 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it took 3:23 for Philadelphia to score another point. Reed Sheppard’s third three-pointer of the quarter put Houston up 105-96 with 6:25 remaining. The 76ers tied it twice late in regulation, the last on Maxey’s layup with 40.1 seconds left.

    Aaron Holiday (back spasms) was downgraded from questionable to out for the Rockets. Houston also was without center Steven Adams (left ankle sprain).

    Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who led the 76ers to the 1983 NBA title, was in attendance.

  • Trinity Rodman signs a new three-year deal with the Washington Spirit, a big win for the NWSL

    Trinity Rodman signs a new three-year deal with the Washington Spirit, a big win for the NWSL

    Forward Trinity Rodman has agreed to a three-year contract to remain with the Washington Spirit, ending months of speculation about the Olympic gold medalist’s future in the National Women’s Soccer League.

    “I think I’ve always had a vision and an idea of what I wanted my legacy to be,” Rodman said at an event announcing her new deal on Thursday in Los Angeles. “And for me, we’re doing that and I’m so grateful for that.”

    The speculation over Rodman’s future with the Spirit spurred criticism of the NWSL salary cap and whether it hampered the league from attracting and maintaining top players.

    The 23-year-old Rodman became a free agent at the end of last season after five years with the Spirit. One of the biggest stars in the NWSL, keeping her in the league was considered vitally important as other U.S. national team stars, including Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson, opted to play in Europe.

    Rodman, who won a gold medal with the United States at the Paris Olympics, had been drawing interest from European teams that don’t have a salary cap.

    “I can’t think of the Washington Spirit without her,” Spirit owner Michele Kang said. “And I hope she can’t think about her career without the Washington Spirit. So this is really monumental and it was really important, not only for the Spirit, especially for our fans who expect to see her. They come to Audi Field and that’s where Rowdy Audi clearly came out.”

    Why Trinity Rodman’s free agency became the biggest story in women’s soccer

    Rodman said she always wanted to stay with the Spirit

    “Making my decision, the one question I was asked was: ‘Do you feel like you’re finished with the Spirit? Can you say that and feel confident leaving?’” she said. “I didn’t even need half a second, and I was like, ’No, I’m not. I don’t feel ready to make a different decision. That’s just, again, getting drafted here and developing and maturing and learning – and failing – at the Spirit, in D.C., it’s become so much of my legacy and my story. But on top of that, I still feel like there’s so much more I have to give and so much more that I want to do.”

    The Spirit and Rodman had previously struck a multi-year deal that both parties maintained was in compliance with the salary cap, but it was rejected by the league because it went against the spirit of the rules.

    The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association filed a grievance claiming that the NWSL’s rejection of the contract violated Rodman’s free agency rights and violated the collective bargaining agreement.

    To address the salary cap issue, the NWSL in late December adopted a “High Impact Player” mechanism that allowed teams to spend up to $1 million over the cap to sign players that meet certain criteria. Those included metrics like national team minutes, inclusion among the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or or player rankings by outlets like the Guardian or ESPN.

    USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps will join NWSL expansion team Denver Summit

    The NWSLPA filed a grievance over the rule, claiming it violated the collective bargaining agreement and federal labor law because player compensation must be negotiated. The NWSLPA maintains the league had no authority to “unilaterally create a new pay structure.”

    Spirit President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter said the High Impact Player rule figured into the contract Rodman ultimately agreed to. Carter also said the grievances would not alter Rodman’s deal.

    The financial terms of Rodman’s contract were not disclosed, but the Spirit called it “one of the most significant deals in NWSL history.”

    The NWSL’s salary cap is $3.5 million for each team for the 2026 season, although it will increase each year until it hits $5.1 million in 2030.

    Lindsey Heaps is a natural in the Champions League. But will other USWNT stars fit well in Europe?

    Rodman is currently with the national team in their annual January training camp in Carson, California. The team plays a match there against Paraguay on Saturday and then plays Chile on Tuesday in Santa Barbara.

    Rodman has 47 appearances and 11 goals with the national team, more than any other player on the latest roster. She played in one U.S. match last year, a 2-0 victory over Brazil in April, because of injuries.

  • Phillies re-sign lefty reliever Tim Mayza; Weston Wilson claimed by Orioles

    Phillies re-sign lefty reliever Tim Mayza; Weston Wilson claimed by Orioles

    The Phillies re-signed reliever Tim Mayza to a minor-league contract, his agency Covenant Sports Group announced Thursday.

    Mayza, 34, posted a 3.78 ERA and 1.320 WHIP in 15 regular-season appearances last season between the Pirates and Phillies. The left-hander landed on the injured list in April with a muscle strain in his left shoulder, and the Pirates placed him on waivers in August.

    After the Phillies claimed him as relief depth, Mayza was included on the National League Division Series roster but did not make an appearance. He is originally from Allentown, attended Upper Perkiomen High, and was drafted out of Division II Millersville in 2013.

    The Phillies were ‘very close’ to getting Bo Bichette and ended up with J.T. Realmuto. Here’s how it happened.

    The Phillies also announced Thursday that the Baltimore Orioles had claimed utility man Weston Wilson off waivers. He had been placed on waivers to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher J.T. Realmuto, who officially re-signed on Tuesday.

    Wilson made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2023. In 2024, Wilson hit for the 10th cycle in Phillies history.

    Wilson slashed .198/.282/.369 over 52 games last season as a right-handed bench option. He primarily played first base, second base, and left field for the Phillies.