It is the type of afternoon that makes longtime locals and unsuspecting visitors curse out loud. With the humidity level keeping pace with the soaring temperature on the second day of Saints training camp, coach Sean Payton can’t help but joke (we think) about cooking eggs on the sidewalk. And yet, the heat is not the thing that wipes the perpetual smile from the face of Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara, who is known for his calm and cool. The culprit is another post-practice question about whether he will have to carry an increased workload this season following the retirement of Drew Brees, the future Hall of Fame quarterback who owns not only every major statistical passing mark in franchise annals but also league records for career completions and yards passing and the second-best totals for touchdown passes and completion percentage.

DeVonta Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles’ prized rookie receiver, will miss two to three weeks of training camp with a MCL sprain, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday. If Smith indeed misses more than a week, he’ll likely be out for the club’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 12. Smith, the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner who led Alabama to a national championship last year, was selected No. 10 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Size and durability were the lone pre-draft concerns on Smith, a spindly 170 pounds on a 6-foot frame. He enjoyed a relatively healthy college career, although a finger injury suffered in his last college game prevented him from competing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. If there’s a positive in Smith’s absence, it’s perhaps the familiarity he has with Eagles quarterbackJalen Hurts — the two were teammates at Alabama for two years.

Carson Wentz did a quick about-face and will undergo surgery to repair his injured foot. Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich said Monday that the quarterback would have surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot today. The initial timeframe for recovery is a wide window between 5-12 weeks, per Reich. The massive range which could have him back by the start of the regular season or out until late October underscores the uncertainty in rehab.

Five years ago, Devonta Freeman compiled a career-high 207 yards from scrimmage against the Saints. It’s games like those from the two-time Pro Bowler that Sean Payton hasn’t forgotten. He’s hoping to tap into that multi-purpose mojo himself. The New Orleans coach said he signed Freeman because the team was a running back short with Ty Montgomery working more as a wide receiver in training camp. The 29-year-old Freeman has mostly been ineffective and/or injured the past three years with the Falcons and then the Giants. His role, of course, doesn’t figure to be as prominent behind Alvin Kamara, and Payton has proved he can make the most of fading talent. “He gives you good versatility both in the run and the pass,” Payton said of Freeman. “Look, I’ve been a big fan. We’ve seen him. I think it’s a good addition for us in the room. I really think there’s some versatility that he brings and I’m excited about that.”

The United States men’s basketball team got off to a rough start at the Tokyo Olympics by losing the first group-stage game to France due to a fourth-quarter collapse. Since then, however, they’ve made things look easy with dominant wins over Iran and the Czech Republic to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. 

Now, they’re just three wins away from a fourth-straight gold medal. There’s no more margin for error at this point, it’s win or go home. First up is a Spanish team led by current and former NBA veterans such as Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Pau Gasol. This is the fifth-straight Olympics that the two national teams will meet in the knockout rounds. 

Ahead of the quarterfinal matchup, here’s everything you need to know: 

How to watch USA vs. Spain

Date: Tuesday, Aug. 3 | Time: 12:40 a.m. ET
Location: Saitama Super Arena — Saitama, Japan 
TV: None | Live stream: Peacock 
Odds (via Caesars Sportsbook): USA -800; Spain +550 | Spread: USA -12 | O/U: 180  

Storylines

Team USA: This group of Americans has so far had a rough time living up to the expectations set by the teams that won the last three gold medals in often dominant fashion in the past. They lost twice in exhibition games during training camp, and again in the first game of the group stage. But now they have a chance to put all of that behind them as they enter the knockout stage. Nobody will remember their early stumbles if they go on to win the gold. First, though, they’ll have to get past a tough, veteran Spanish team that has been playing together for well over a decade. 

Spain: While they haven’t been able to get past Team USA, the Spaniards have also medaled at the last three Olympics, winning silver in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2016. In order to make that four in a row, they’ll have to finally knock off their old rivals. It won’t be easy, but Team USA has looked vulnerable over the past month. This golden generation of Spanish basketball talent is probably in its last run together, and it would be quite a remarkable story if the Gasol brothers and Rubio could pull off the upset. 

Prediction

Despite some disappointing play in the last month or so, Team USA enters this game as double-digit favorites due largely to the fact that they’re by far the most talented team in this tournament. They should win this game, but Spain isn’t going to make it easy. We’ll take Team USA to win, but Spain to cover the 12-point spread. Pick: United States -800, Spain +12.

DALLAS – As the start of NBA free agency approaches, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to have to look beyond the top names that will be hitting the open market. 

A league source has informed DallasBasketball.com that neither Kyle Lowry nor DeRozan DeRozan will land with the Mavericks in free agency. 

It has been widely speculated that both Lowry and DeRozan will choose to team up somewhere. The team chosen will just not be the Mavericks for the former All-Star duo to reunite. 

Both Lowry and DeRozan have been considered to be intriguing options for the Mavericks. As Dallas seeks to add a secondary ball-handler to pair with franchise-cornerstone Luka Doncic, either player was viewed as a potential fit. 

The range of possibilities for DeRozan have been wide during the lead up to the start of free agency. A theme has been the expectation of his departure from the San Antonio Spurs, but as far as landing spots are concerned.  

If the Heat were to land both Lowry and DeRozan, it would require a financial commitment from DeRozan that results in taking a significant reduction in the typical annual salary he has earned throughout his NBA career. 

The greater impact of Lowry potentially landing with the Heat is that Goran Dragic is viewed as a possible trade option for the Mavericks, as indicated by a league source to DallasBasketball.com. There will be competition to land Dragic in a deal from the Toronto Raptors, but could be an option, nevertheless.

Much was made about the potential recruiting impact of hiring both GM Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd. However, the relationships players hold with each other often prove to hold greater weight when making free agency decisions. 

There are plenty of helpful players that will be available in free agency that can be pursued by the Mavericks. Not landing a former All-Star is certainly a disappointment, but not the end all be all for fielding a talented team around Doncic.

Reggie Jackson revived his career during his short stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, and drove up his value in free agency significantly in recent months with an impressive collection of playoff performances. Jackson is set to become a free agent on Monday evening, and according to a report from The Athletic, the Celtics could be targeting the 31-year-old veteran.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Monday morning that re-signing Jackson is a priority for the Clippers, and Jackson has plenty of affection for the organization, saying after the season ended that he’ll “forever be a Clipper.”

Later on Monday, though, Amick tweeted that there are plenty of teams with interest in Jackson. The Pelicans will target Jackson should they fail to land Kyle Lowry, but Amick also listed the Celtics, Knicks and Nuggets as potential suitors.

Unless you were a Los Angeles Lakers fan leaning into uncorroborated social media rumors, it felt inevitable for a while, and now it’s about to happen: Steph Curry is reportedly close to signing a four-year extension with the Golden State Warriors.

That’s according to NBA insider Marc Stein, formerly of the New York Times and currently at Substack, who tweeted Monday that the Dubs and Curry are reportedly approaching an agreement on a four-year, $215 million extension.

Curry is 33, which for many NBA players is when they tend to begin tailing off. But that’s hardly a concern for the Dubs’ superstar guard, who just finished third in last season’s MVP voting after averaging a league-leading 32 points per game. His shooting prowess alone means he’ll be, at bare minimum, a productive, All-Star-caliber player well into his 30s.

Curry’s five-year, $201 million contract will expire after this coming season. He was paid $34.6 million in the first year of that deal in 2017-18, and is due for $45.7 million in 2021-22. If Stein’s figures are correct, then Curry’s next contract will average out to $53.75 million per season beginning in 2022-23.

In the meantime, it remains to be seen how general manager Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob — the latter of whom seems to be increasingly involved in front-office decisions and reticent to trade their young players — will surround Curry with the pieces necessary to compete for another title. But if they have any tricks up their sleeves, we’ll know soon: NBA free agency kicks off Monday at 3 p.m