Even With Fewer Stars in Beal’s Orbit, the Wizards Find Their Way

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports A roster overhaul prioritized depth over big names to surround Bradley Beal in Washington. The new guys — with chips on their shoulders — have come through.https://nyti.ms/3DRkov4

What’s a Soccer Player Worth? Italy’s Regulators Are Asking.

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The authorities in Italy are investigating dozens of transfers involving top clubs. In doing so, they might pull back the curtain on accounting practices that defy easy explanation.https://nyti.ms/3nknq4W

Trading for Von Miller, the Rams Are All In

By BY EMMANUEL MORGAN from NYT Sports Los Angeles’s front office has been aggressive in pursuing trades that can help the team return to the Super Bowl, frequently raiding its store of draft picks to do so.https://nyti.ms/3BBX8Px

What We Learned From Week 8 in the N.F.L.

By BY TYLER DUNNE from NYT Sports Josh Allen shook off an uncharacteristically sloppy start against the Dolphins, while wide receivers around the league auditioned for Tuesday’s trade deadline.https://nyti.ms/3BuhqKR

What the Ben Simmons Standoff Means for the Sixers and the N.B.A.

By BY SOPAN DEB AND JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Simmons is the latest N.B.A. star to ask for a trade then try to force his way off a team, but Philadelphia is holding firm so far.https://nyti.ms/3Gh8fkO

Kyle Lowry Is Ready to Have His Say, On and Off the Court

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports He bounced around the N.B.A., won a championship in Toronto then flexed a little power to find happiness in Miami.https://nyti.ms/3vvHMef

The Knicks Are Ready for a Sequel. The Good Kind.

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports The Knicks are positioned to build on last season’s success after an off-season of smart moves.https://nyti.ms/3E0d0Nl

The Rich Got Considerably Richer

By BY SCOTT MILLER from NYT Sports The Dodgers needed a starting pitcher, and they got a great one in Max Scherzer. That they added Trea Turner, a superstar infielder, in the same trade hardly seems fair.https://nyti.ms/3AFvDo4

Soccer’s New Rich Leave the Old Guard Looking Beleaguered

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports European soccer’s summer trading window closed this week, with teams backed by nation states and the super rich cementing their dominance.https://nyti.ms/3zID79S

Matthew Stafford Wants His Hollywood Ending. So Do the Rams.

By BY EMMANUEL MORGAN from NYT Sports After 12 seasons in Detroit, the quarterback wanted out. The Los Angeles Rams, looking to move on from Jared Goff, saw in Stafford another shot at a championship run.https://nyti.ms/3BjkEkR

Westbrook Always Plays With Stars. But Will They Align on the Lakers?

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Russell Westbrook has played with the N.B.A.’s best, with limited success. Here’s what that says about him, and what it could mean in Los Angeles.https://nyti.ms/3fJxLn1

At a Wild Trade Deadline, Every Club Made a Move

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Max Scherzer and Trea Turner going to the Los Angeles Dodgers highlighted a week in which 10 of this year’s All-Stars were traded.https://nyti.ms/3yhGioi

Needing Some Extra Magic, the Mets Trade for El Mago

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports In Javier Baez, the Mets acquired a power-hitting infielder with a slick glove, speed to spare and a longstanding relationship with Francisco Lindor.https://nyti.ms/2WDtwCO

With Blockbuster Trades, the Yankees Embrace the Moment

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Despite trailing three teams in the A.L. East and four in the wild card race, the Yankees and Brian Cashman are all-in with the acquisitions of Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo.https://nyti.ms/3BYHBe0

With Joey Gallo, the Yankees Know the Outcome(s)

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports The team’s all-or-nothing offense will get even more extreme with a trade for a slugger who is the master of baseball’s so-called three true outcomes: homers, walks and strikeouts.https://nyti.ms/2VlvXt7

As July Nears Its End, Teams Must Decide What They Are

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports The always-confounding Tampa Bay Rays have already been buyers and sellers in a lead-up to the trade deadline, which may see big changes for the Chicago Cubs and others.https://nyti.ms/3zpq8cG

The Key Ingredient for a Team on the Rise

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports A trade for Willy Adames transformed both team and player as the Milwaukee Brewers surged to the top of the N.L. Central.https://nyti.ms/3k4SapJ

The Key Ingredient for a Team on the Rise

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports A trade for Willy Adames transformed both team and player as the Milwaukee Brewers surged to the top of the N.L. Central.https://nyti.ms/2UuTpU2

For the Bucks, the Jrue Holiday Gamble Yielded a Jackpot

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports When Milwaukee traded for Holiday, it wasn’t clear that he could fill gaps that had kept the team out of the N.B.A. finals and that threatened the franchise’s future with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now, both problems are solved.https://nyti.ms/3dIXjzE

The Atlanta Hawks’ Secret Weapon Says He’s Always Been This Good

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Bogdan Bogdanovic said he keeps improving, but he’s had these shooting skills. People are only noticing now, he said, because he’s winning.https://nyti.ms/3wthnNG