ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- As Brian Branch prepared to address reporters inside the Detroit Lions' locker room after Wednesday's walk-through practice, one of his teammates shouted, "throw them up, BB," while passing by.

But Branch, the second-year Lions defensive back, didn't see his recent actions as a laughing matter.

He was ejected during Detroit's 24-14 win Sunday versus Green Bay after delivering a late hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton at 6:18 in the second quarter with the Lions leading 7-3 at Lambeau Field. Then before exiting the field, Branch flipped off the crowd in apparent frustration and was flagged for another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Branch apologized for flipping double birds to the Green Bay crowd and said he agreed with the referee's call.

"That's not something I wanted to show or want people to notice me as that," Branch said. "That was just the heat of the moment for me, and I apologize to everyone who seen that and that won't happen again."

After watching a replay of the hit, Lions defensive assistant Jim O'Neil called it hard to find a teaching point from that situation. The coaching staff's immediate answer was to encourage Branch to lower his target, but nobody thought he had malicious intent in the moment to hurt anyone. Branch expressed that as well.

"I most definitely agree with the call. My target was obviously high, but that was never my intentions to aim for the head," Branch said. "Moving forward I do have to move my target down."

Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams also officially returned from his two-game suspension this week for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy.

Coach Dan Campbell said they won't waste any time getting him back involved in the offense.

"He's been here. So, he couldn't be out there in practice, but he was here training, we had him running, he's in the meetings ... all of that," Campbell said on Monday. "So, he's been here and honestly, throwing him back in there. I mean, he's going. Let's go.

"So, we're gonna kick him out there with the offense and get him going. I expect him to be ready to roll."

Williams called it "big" to receive that support from Campbell during those times and said he's learned to "move smarter and be a bigger person in certain situations."

However, he wouldn't go into the full details of his suspension and didn't have a message to those who may view his recent actions as a distraction.

"It means a lot. That's my head coach and I've been through a lot playing under him and we've bumped heads in certain situations, but now I see that he has faith in me, and he understands what happened so it's big to me with him having faith in me and being along with me in those situations," Williams said of Campbell.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers will start quarterback Bryce Young in Sunday's game against the New York Giants in Munich.

Coach Dave Canales announced Wednesday that Young will get his third straight start in the 9:30 a.m. ET game at Allianz Arena.

"This is about the progress from one week to the next," Canales said of Young, who engineered his first NFL game-winning touchdown drive late in Sunday's 23-22 win against the New Orleans Saints. "I talk about finishing all the time. That's everything. Finish plays, practice, quarters, halves. Finish games.

"He did a fantastic job of finishing that game the right way, finding a way to win and really battling that way."

General manager Dan Morgan liked what he saw from Young on Sunday, too. He "never opened the door" on discussions to move the top pick of the 2023 draft before Tuesday's trade deadline, despite getting calls, because "I didn't want to trade Bryce."

But Morgan stopped short of committing to Young long term.

"Every week we're assessing Bryce, taking it day by day of just seeing him grow, seeing him develop, be under Coach and work with him," Morgan said Wednesday. "We're excited to see him growing every day. We're excited to work with him in the future.

"At the end of the day, we'll have those conversations [about the long term] once the season ends, and we'll see where we're at."

Young said he was thankful for another opportunity to start. In the big picture beyond that, he said, "I trust in God to guide my life.''

"Obviously, my play being evaluated is out of my hands,'' Young said. "I want to do everything I can to help the team win. I know after every week it'll obviously be an evaluation.

"So I try not to think about that.''

The Panthers, meanwhile, also plan to activate rookie running back Jonathon Brooks to the 53-man roster. Brooks spent the first nine games rehabbing from ACL surgery performed last November during his last year at the University of Texas.

Canales stopped short of saying Brooks would play against the Giants but indicated he was trending that way. Canales said outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum was also getting close to being ready. He signed in free agency while recovering from quadriceps surgery last season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Young has a 3-17 record as a starter, 1-3 this season.

He was benched after an 0-2 start this season in favor of Andy Dalton because Canales said the 37-year-old veteran gave the Panthers (2-7) the best chance to win. Dalton was 1-4 as the starter before suffering a thumb injury on his throwing hand in a minor car accident that sidelined him the past two games.

While Dalton was available as the backup Sunday and wasn't limited Wednesday, Canales opted to stick with Young against the Giants, who are also 2-7.

"A lot of it is chemistry with the guys he's working with," Canales said of Young, whose top three receivers Sunday were rookies. "Finding completions, some really, cool explosive plays that showed up in the game."

LOS ANGELES -- As Paul George faces his old team in Los Angeles for the first time on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers star said he has no hard feelings and reflected on how good his relationship was with Steve Ballmer and Clippers management.

But that is also why, George said, it was so surprising that he wasn't able to remain in a Clippers uniform when contract negotiations with the team didn't go as planned, resulting in the nine-time All-Star signing a four-year, $212 million contract in free agency with the Sixers.

"I think it got kind of misconstrued or [the] narrative kind of wasn't written correctly with the relationship with Lawrence [Frank], the relationship with Steve Ballmer," George said before the Sixers had their morning shootaround at UCLA. "I mean, they were awesome the whole time I was here.

"Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome. My time here, I think that was kind of refreshing to be alongside and have a partnership like that with a front office. And so I think that was probably the highlight of the whole [time with the Clippers]. Just how great they were in my tenure here."

George said on his podcast that he initially would have taken the same three-year, $150 million extension that Kawhi Leonard received in January. But when negotiations dragged on, George tabled discussions until after the season. He said by the time the Clippers were willing to give him that offer, he wanted either a no-trade clause to go with it or a four-year max offer.

Frank, the Clippers' president of basketball operations, was not willing to do either, citing the team's ability to maintain a sustainable contender and the restrictions that the new collective bargaining agreement has placed on luxury tax-paying teams that are in the second apron.

In the middle of last season, when the Clippers were atop the West standings after a 26-5 tear and looking every bit a title contender, it would have been hard to fathom George not returning.

Frank would have loved to have seen what Leonard, George and James Harden could do with a full camp and season together, but the Clippers drew a line at a fourth year over concerns of money and George turning 37 by a fourth year. The Clippers wanted to maintain flexibility and hopefully lure a star or two in free agency, much like they did in 2019 when they got Leonard and traded for George.

While Frank said the Clippers were willing to give Leonard and George three more years together, they ended up pivoting after not meeting George's request for a no-trade clause and filled out the roster with younger and more defensive-minded players on attractive contracts in hopes of remaining competitive but able to be opportunistic if a star should become available in the future.

Ballmer told ESPN he would have loved for George to stay, but he said he also believes the Clippers made the right move in pivoting in an effort to remain competitive and being able to land another star in his prime down the road.

"We were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys," Ballmer told ESPN of signing Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Nico Batum. "And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So, it was the right choice for us.

"Paul obviously thought it was the right choice for him. I'll miss him. Very good human being. Like him a lot, except when they play us. Wish him all the best, just not when they play us. And he was a good Clipper."

George said he understands the business decision made by the Clippers, who will have a video tribute for him Wednesday night. He is looking forward to seeing all of his friends and family.

George, who joined Leonard in Los Angeles to try to win a title in their hometown, helped the Clippers reach its only Western Conference finals appearance in franchise history in 2021. But too many injuries to both players derailed playoff runs during their five seasons together.

"I mean none other than if we all were healthy, that's the only 'what if' we have," George said. "If we all can stay healthy."

James Harden was the NBA MVP back in the 2017-18 season. In basketball terms, that was a lifetime ago. Harden has not made an All-NBA team since 2019-20 season and has not been an All-Star since the 2021-22 season.

But you look up, a week into November, and the 35-year-old Harden is credibly flirting with averaging a triple-double, to the tune of averaging 21.1 points, 9.9 assists and 8.7 rebounds, with 2.6 3s, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks thrown in to boot. The rebounding and blocked shots would represent significant career-best marks for the Beard.

Can he sustain it?

And that question isn't just for Harden, but for the Clippers team as a whole. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined indefinitely due to knee issues, the Clippers have built their starting lineup around veteran role players who are all, simultaneously, producing at career-best levels. Norman Powell, in his 10th NBA season, is at 24.9 points per game despite having never averaging even 20 PPG for a full season. Ivica Zubac, in his ninth season, is at 17.4 PPG and 13.0 RPG, both representing 150% of his previous career bests.

Can they sustain it?

And what happens when Leonard is ready to return?

Let's explore.

Can Harden, Powell and Zubac maintain their hot starts?

My first impression of these Clippers is that, yes, they could sustain their current roles as long as they are asked to do so. Because they are a team of veterans, and all are playing roles they've done well in their careers, just to a larger scale. The Clippers are starting Zubac as the only true big man, with 6-foot-5, 210-pound Derrick Jones Jr. as an undersized 3-and-D power forward, 6-foot-5, 215-pound Terance Mann as an undersized 3-and-D wing, 6-foot-3 Powell as the primary shooter-scorer of the unit and the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Harden as both the point guard and also the burliest member of the lineup outside of Zubac.

Zubac is asked to score at high efficiency near the rim on shots largely created by Harden and to vacuum the glass. These are things he has always done, and in fact he's done them at a similar, if not higher rate, for stretches in his career. For example, for the two seasons between 2018-19 and 2019-20, Zubac averaged 17.1 points and 13.8 rebounds per 36 minutes over 131 games. This season, he is at 18.1 points and 13.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.

The difference this season is that he's maintaining that per-minute rate for 34.7 minutes per game instead of the 18.1 MPG he averaged in that previous two-season stretch. But Zubac is 27 years old, in the peak of his NBA prime, and he averaged 27.5 MPG in his past two seasons. This is a step up in responsibility and minutes played, but it is a reasonable step for him to take given where he is in his career.

Similar story with Powell, who averaged 20.9 PP36 on 14.9 FGA36 while playing 28.8 MPG over 302 games in the five seasons before this one. Powell is getting more shot opportunities per minute (19.2 FGA36) and playing more minutes (33.1 MPG), but these step-ups are reasonable given his experience level and career-placement within his prime years.

Harden's offensive volume is actually right in line with where he's been for the last few seasons. From 2021-22 to 2023-24, Harden averaged 19.7 PPG, 9.7 APG and 2.5 3PG. Almost carbon copies to his per-game averages this season. The biggest leaps for Harden have been in rebounds and blocked shots, but keep in mind he's the second-biggest player on the court in the Clippers' starting lineup. While he's playing point guard on offense, Harden is effectively the power forward on defense. While his rebound and blocked shot numbers could regress slightly over time, it wouldn't be surprising for those numbers to stay elevated for as long as he maintains this role.

What happens when Kawhi returns?

When will Leonard come back and disrupt the apple cart? And how do the established roles change once Leonard is back?

The most recent reports on Leonard say that he is out indefinitely and will miss "multiple weeks" but is expected to play "this season". That is an incredibly broad window, and Leonard's injury and availability history makes it hard to narrow down the prognosis much more than that. Leonard played 68 games last season, his most since the 2016-17 campaign.

He sat out the 2021-22 season in its entirety with a torn ACL, and missed 73 games In 2017-18 with a different knee injury. All told, Leonard averaged 42.6 games played per season from 2017-18 through last season. Suppose we use that as a rough benchmark for this season's expectations for Leonard, that he play in about 43 games.

When Leonard plays, one of the current starters would have to come off the bench. Based on team roles, the player that could do so most seamlessly would be Powell. Leonard would step into his role as the primary scorer and top offensive option, and Powell would then move back to the instant offense off the bench/half-finisher role that he has often played in his career.

If that is the change, then both Harden's and Zubac's production should stay relatively similar. Leonard's return could eat slightly into Zubac's scoring opportunities, and with Leonard bringing more size to the four it could eat into Harden's rebounding by a tick. But Leonard has averaged 17.8 FGA in 33.6 MPG in his four seasons with the Clippers, and Powell is currently at 17.7 FGA in 33.1 MPG. That swap would be relatively seamless.

A futures betting angle to consider

For Powell, this would move him back to the sixth man role he has specialized in. In his last two seasons with the Clippers, he averaged 15.3 PPG in 26.2 MPG off the bench and has finished fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year vote in each of those two seasons. The requirement to win the award is to come off the bench for more games than you start.

In the scenario where Leonard plays about 43 games, Powell would meet the requirements but would also have close to half-a-season averaging near 25 PPG. This could bump his season average up near 20 PPG even if he comes off the bench, which could look very good for voters.

Per ESPN BET, Powell is a long shot at +8000 for Sixth Man of the Year. If the scenario plays out in this way, though, I would argue Powell would be one of the favorites, making him a sneaky value futures pick with very high achievable upside.

JAMES HARDEN HAD the top down on his green 1990 Ford Mustang 5.0 convertible on the LA Clippers' opening night.

As he turned off Prairie Avenue and into Intuit Dome, Harden blasted Tupac's "To Live and Die in L.A."

It seemed only fitting that was Harden's soundtrack for the beginning of the Clippers' 2024-25 season. Without the departed Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the Clippers will have to win with Harden's scoring and vital playmaking until Kawhi Leonard is able to return from inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.

On this night, Harden did all he could, pouring in 29 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. But he missed a potential winning driving floater in regulation along with a potential tying free throw late in overtime, and he had to log 40 minutes while racking up eight turnovers as the Clippers fell 116-113 to the Phoenix Suns.

Intuit Dome's first night had plenty of electricity, but the Clippers lacked the star power they had last season.

One of those stars will be in Intuit Dome for the first time Wednesday night as the Clippers host the Philadelphia 76ers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). But George won't be there to help Harden deliver a win, instead playing his second game in a Sixers uniform after a bone bruise in his left knee sidelined him for the first five games.

That was never part of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's vision when he put shovel to dirt and began building the NBA's newest state-of-the-art arena over three years ago with hopes of Leonard and George raising a championship banner. But that was before a stricter collective bargaining agreement severely hampered the ability to build for the future if high-spending teams repeatedly exceed the luxury tax and the more restrictive second apron.

The Clippers were willing to see out the Leonard-George era for another three years and deal with the second apron but drew a line at a fourth year with concerns over age, money and flexibility. As the George contract negotiations dragged into the summer and it began to look as if the All-Star would be leaving, they began to chart a new course for their future.

For a franchise that traded four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder to get George -- a trade they are still paying off -- the Clippers had to make a decision to carefully map out their future under the new CBA landscape, especially if they felt as though they weren't sure to contend for a title with oft-injured aging stars. Unwilling to give George a no-trade clause or a four-year max deal, the Clippers filled out the roster with younger, more defense-minded players on attractive contracts.

"I don't know when the blueprint changed," Ballmer told ESPN. "The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us."

FIVE YEARS AGO on Waikiki Beach, Leonard and George boarded a bright yellow and blue catamaran named "Manu Kai" with some of their teammates for a sunset boat ride. The pair were just taking their first steps together with so much promise ahead.

Leonard and the Clippers returned to Hawai'i for their annual training camp in October, this time without George. Leonard was not able to practice with his teammates in camp and remains out as he tries to overcome the inflammation in his knee.

When he does return, Leonard will do so with a new-look roster.

"Yes, things change, players are gone," Leonard told ESPN at Clippers camp in Hawai'i last month. "Do I feel like I could win with [these] players?

"I feel like I could win with the players that are on the roster."

The Clippers felt as if they were one of the first teams forced to react to the new CBA second apron sanctions. Luxury tax-paying teams such as the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors face additional penalties beyond just increasing tax bills if they go into the second apron. Being that deep into the tax can cost teams access to the $5 million taxpayer midlevel exception, the ability to aggregate salaries in trades and even potentially freeze first-round picks seven years out and move a first-round pick to the end of the first round.

The Suns blazed past the second apron, becoming the first $400 million team in salaries and projected tax, but they have a star in his prime in Devin Booker. With three aging stars, Ballmer had to come to grips with the fact he couldn't build around or beyond the trio because of the second apron.

George said on his "Podcast P with Paul George" that he would have accepted the same three-year, $150 million extension with the Clippers at the same time Leonard signed his in January. But George grew agitated as negotiations went on, eventually tabling talks until the end of the season. George says by the time the Clippers were willing to give him the extension he initially sought, he wanted either a no-trade clause to go with it or a four-year max deal.

The Clippers were willing to give George the three-year, $150 million deal, but they had no interest in adding a no-trade clause or giving a fourth year at nearly $57 million to a star who would be 37 by then. The Clippers wanted to maintain flexibility to be able to go after a younger star in his prime capable of carrying the franchise.

"We wanted Paul back," Ballmer said. "We made him a big offer. We really wanted him here. We just wanted to not put ourselves in a position where we can't consistently be good. We offered them the max for three years and Philly offered them the max for four years. OK, I get it. But in terms of our trajectory and staying really good, it was really going to be an issue for us.

"The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team. We don't [sign] Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don't [sign] Kris Dunn, [or have] our new defensive identity. Might not have [signed] Kevin Porter Jr., Nico [Batum]. ... You could say, well, they're not Paul George. No, they're not Paul George."

Those players won't replace George's 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his five seasons with the franchise. Scoring and the ability to create offense outside of Harden and Norman Powell, especially late in games, have been a struggle this season.

But the way Ballmer calculates it, the Clippers were able to get multiple hard-nosed defensive players who fit into the team's new persona with defensive coordinator Jeff Van Gundy. They also have several role players on attractive contracts if a trade materializes.

The Clippers felt that if they had kept all three stars, the CBA would've put a stranglehold on their ability to add players who could do some of the necessary lifting around the trio, especially as Leonard and George aged. Being a second apron team could also cost the Clippers a first-round pick, something they need for any potential trade for a star in the future.

"Once your pick becomes frozen, [and] if you're in the second apron for multiple years, you're really f---ed," Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, told ESPN. "You're in a situation where you never have cap space and you never have your midlevel exception and you're just strictly dealing with minimums and trades. Our goal is we want to be a sustainable contender."

The Warriors and Clippers engaged in talks about a potential George opt-in for the final year of his contract worth $48.7 million and then a trade. The Clippers were willing to make a deal with their division rival, according to sources, but were looking for something of value to help restock their asset cupboard if they were going to take back an undesirable contract and be in the second apron.

Swapping George for Andrew Wiggins, who has three years and $85 million left on a four-year, $109 million deal, plus other salaries to make the math work, would have been acceptable only if the Clippers received a young player such as Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski and a pick or two.

Draymond Green said on his "Draymond Green Show" podcast earlier this summer that George wanted to join the Warriors and that he was surprised the Clippers would not at least take something back instead of letting George walk for nothing.

But league sources say Kuminga's name never seriously came up in talks of any significance and the Clippers felt they weren't getting enough positive assets to move forward in this new second apron world.

"Nothing," a league source told ESPN, "is better than something."

WITH 3.9 SECONDS left and the Clippers trailing the Portland Trail Blazers by one at home, Harden inbounded the ball looking to win the game.

He saw Ivica Zubac trying to seal off Deandre Ayton under the basket. But Harden's inbound lob fell short and into Ayton's hands, giving Portland a 106-105 win, its first over the Clippers in three years.

Through their first six games, the Clippers have looked like a team that will be very competitive defensively but will also have to squeeze out offense in low-scoring games. The Clippers had two impressive road wins over the Warriors and Denver Nuggets but dropped their first four games at Intuit Dome, including blowing leads of 21 to Phoenix and 13 to Oklahoma City. They finally got their first win in at home Monday, but only after storming back from 26 down to beat the San Antonio Spurs.

But Ballmer remains convinced the franchise made the right move.

"We were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys," Ballmer said. "And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So it was the right choice for us.

"Paul obviously thought it was the right choice for him. I'll miss him. Very good human being, like him a lot, except when they play us. Wish him all the best, just not when they play us. And he was a good Clipper."

Perhaps the Clippers will be able to lure a superstar free agent or two to Los Angeles again, especially with Ballmer's commitment to winning and the grandest arena and newest practice facility in the league in sunny Southern California.

"We still believe this year we can be very competitive," Frank said. "Next year, similar to the playbook we had in 2017, we were two years out ... and we feel we have some unbelievable competitive advantages that now have been amplified that are going to help us get high-end talent in their prime.

"You have to plan that you can't sign certain guys. So it's a quick pivot because we're right here. Here's the next scenario."

Ballmer has been forced to pivot before. He enjoyed the Lob City era until Chris Paul was traded to Houston in summer 2017. By the following summer, Blake Griffin had been traded to Detroit and DeAndre Jordan left to sign with the Mavericks. After Paul's departure, the Clippers treaded water for two seasons before landing not one but two of the biggest stars in the NBA.

"We had to kind of re-vector, change course," Ballmer said. "And boom, we wound up with Kawhi and Paul and put ourselves in position."

This isn't a complete reboot for the Clippers, who still have two stars in Harden and Leonard. They are both signed for the next two seasons (with Leonard's deal extending to 2026-27).

With Leonard out, Harden is averaging 21.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.9 assists but shooting a career-worst 38.1% from the field. Powell is averaging a career-best 24.9 points. And Zubac is off to the best start of his career, posting averages of 17.4 points and 13 rebounds.

Powell describes George's departure as "addition by subtraction," believing there are several capable players ready to step into bigger roles.

Leonard, winner of titles with the Spurs and Toronto Raptors, says a championship roster can come in different forms.

"You don't need that many stars to win," Leonard told ESPN. "It's about the amount of people you have around you. You need talent. If it's three superstars, you still need those role players or piece players within that team to make you win a championship, even if it's two or one [star] player.

"We'll see as the season goes on and the pieces we need or if it's the right team to win. We feel like we got some players that could help us. But we'll see as it unfolds."

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway was back at the team's practice facility Wednesday and appeared to escape serious injury a day after being struck in the neck by a puck and leaving the ice on a stretcher against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I feel good today, feel way better," Holloway said. "As soon as I got hit, I knew something was a little off, but then I saw we got a two on one, so I couldn't pass up that opportunity. But as soon as I got to the bench, I was feeling a little woozy, and then I didn't really remember much from there until I was on the stretcher close to the ambulance."

Play had been stopped with 1:11 remaining in the first period for a high-sticking penalty that was later overturned when medical personnel for both teams started tending to Holloway before he was taken off the ice.

"I was more kind of in shock, like I wasn't really too sure what happened and a little nauseous too," Holloway said. "They gave me a little medication, and once I kind of figured out what really went down, I started kind of calming down and feeling better."

Holloway was discharged from a St. Louis area hospital around 11 p.m. Tuesday and was told to abstain from physical activity for 24 hours.

Blues coach Drew Bannister said there's a chance Holloway returns to the lineup in time for the team's next game Thursday night versus Utah.

"I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves here. We're only less than 12 hours away from what that injury was, so we'll kind of take it day to day with him and see how he's doing tomorrow, but today is a good day for us."

Holloway's parents, Bruce and Torrie, were in attendance at the game and accompanied him to the hospital.

"It's definitely tough knowing that they were watching that," Holloway said. "But, ultimately, having them there is way better. They're staying with me, so I was able to talk with them last night, and it's nice having some company around for sure."

Holloway said he was getting score updates from his mom as the Blues rallied back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Tampa Bay 3-2.

Welcome to Matchday 4 of the 2024-25 Champions League season! Europe's premier club competition returns in its new format with nine matches across the continent Wednesday, providing exciting matchups, top talent and drama.

Enjoy the play-by-play from all the games as Internazionale host Arsenal, Atlético Madrid travel to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona face Red Star Belgrade, Bayern Munich take on Benfica and more.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes said he was eager to test his injured ankle as the Kansas City Chiefs began preparations on Wednesday for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

"When you have a little bit of a roll, it's a little bit sore,'' Mahomes said. "But I'm able to move around and look forward to getting out to practice and seeing how I can push it as the week goes on.''

Coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs wouldn't put limitations on Mahomes at practice.

Mahomes initially injured the ankle in a Week 8 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. He aggravated the injury in Monday night's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he abruptly pulled up from what started as a scramble to throw a touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine.

Mahomes was helped from the ground after the play and examined briefly on the sideline before returning to the game on the Chiefs' next possession without missing a snap.

He indicated that preparing himself to play against the Broncos was complicated because the Chiefs have a short work week.

"You can only do so much,'' Mahomes said. "It's pretty late [after Monday night's game], but getting some stuff in the training room after the game, then getting some stuff to take home that you throw on there, stuff you can do overnight that you put on there to kind of reduce swelling and stuff like that.

"You come in early [Tuesday] and it was a long day yesterday of watching film and getting treatment and doing some rehab type stuff and preparing yourself for a short week and a practice [Wednesday].''

SAN ANTONIO -- Third baseman Alex Bregman had surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow.

Agent Scott Boras revealed the operation during a news conference Wednesday at the general managers meetings.

"He's had his procedure. He's going to be back swinging here in a few weeks, so he's all through that process," Boras said.

The Houston Astros, Bregman's former team, said any details had to come from Boras.

Bregman, 30, became a free agent last Thursday, after the expiration of a $100 million, five-year deal agreed to in March 2019 that covered 2020-24. He hit .260 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs and has a .272 career average with 191 homers and 663 RBIs in nine big league seasons, all with the Astros.

Boras said Bregman is willing to move to second base. The two-time All-Star has played third exclusively since 2020.

SAN ANTONIO -- Juan Soto will take his time surveying the free agent market before signing with a team, according to his agent Scott Boras.

Speaking at the general manager's meetings Wednesday, Boras indicated that Soto desires a "thorough" vetting before making a decision.

"Due to the volume of interest and Juan's desire to hear [from teams], I can't put a timeframe on it, but it's going to be a very thorough process for him," Boras said. "He wants to meet people personally. He wants to talk with them. He wants to hear from them."

That includes ownership, even for the New York Yankees, for whom he played in 2024 and hit 41 home runs with a league-leading 128 runs scored. Soto helped New York to a World Series appearance, but that doesn't necessarily give the Yankees a leg up on the competition to sign him.

"He wants ownership that's going to support that they are going win annually," Boras said. "Owners want to meet with Juan and sit down and talk with him about what they're going to provide for their franchise short term and long term."

Soto's overall deal is likely to be at least the second largest in MLB history behind Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boras refused to compare the two players, but stressed Soto's age (26) as a distinctive factor in teams' pursuit of his client. Ohtani was 29 when he hit free agency.

"I don't think Ohtani has much to do with Juan Soto at all," Boras said. "It's not something we discuss or consider. ... He's in an age category that separates him."

Both New York teams have spoken to Boras already, though there are a handful of other big-market franchises that could be in play for his services, including the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.

Boras was asked how the competitive balance tax on payrolls could impact Soto's free agency.

"I don't think tax considerations are the focal point when you're talking about a business opportunity where you can make literally billions of dollars by acquiring somebody like this," Boras said.

Boras and Soto are only at the beginning stages of what could be a drawn-out process. One thing going for the player, in Boras' estimation, is that Soto is "pretty well known" considering he has already been on three teams and played in 43 playoff games, including twice in the World Series.

In his agent's eyes, every winning team should be interested.

"They're [team executives] called upon to be championship magicians," Boras said. "Behind every great magician is the magic Juan."