Good morning. The NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday, and the Raiders made the biggest move of the day, sending Kirk Cousins to Minnesota for a third-round pick and naming rookie Fernando Mendoza the starter. The winless Chargers traded linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver. On the ice and the court, it was a quiet night for Los Angeles: Nashville shut out the Kings, and Phoenix made 22 3-pointers to beat the Clippers. No. 3 USC’s women scored 100 for the third straight game. Tonight, the Lakers are in Milwaukee going for seven straight, the Ducks go for six straight against Nashville, and the Golden Knights open a five-game homestand. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 The Mendoza era. The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to the Vikings for a 2027 third-round pick — Derek Hegna.
🏈 “Everyone is ready for Fernando.” The rookie takes over — Steve Carp.
🏈 Sellers. The 0-8 Chargers sent linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver for two picks — Fredo Cervantes.
⚾ “Business as usual.” Arash Markazi writes that a lockout is coming and the Dodgers don’t care — The Sporting Tribune.
🏀 105-44. No. 3 USC became the first team in program history to score 100 in each of its first three games — The Sporting Tribune at Galen Center.
🏒 Blanked. Filip Forsberg scored twice and Juuse Saros made 30 saves as Nashville beat the Kings 3-0 — Brady Charette at Crypto.com Arena.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY
🏒 NHL: Predators 3, Kings 0
🏀 NBA: Suns 133, Clippers 110
🏀 WBB: USC 105, Charleston 44 · Arizona State 65, UNLV 58
🏈 FERNANDO TIME
Shortly before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, the Raiders agreed to send Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 third-round pick. Rookie Fernando Mendoza will start from here on. Derek Hegna writes that Cousins was fifth in the NFL with 2,340 passing yards and second with 20 touchdown passes, but he had eight interceptions, three of them in Sunday’s 38-17 loss at San Francisco.
Steve Carp writes that the timing is right. Mendoza has spent the season learning behind Cousins, and the schedule ahead is friendly enough to give him a chance to win right away. “Everyone is ready for Fernando,” Carp writes. “We’ll see Sunday if Fernando is ready.” Mendoza’s first start is Sunday at Allegiant Stadium against Seattle.
The Chargers sold. At 0-8, they traded linebacker Daiyan Henley, who led them in tackles in each of the last two seasons, to Denver for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth. Fredo Cervantes writes that Henley was in the last year of his rookie contract and extension talks had stalled. Not everyone in the locker room was happy: Denzel Perryman reacted on social media with “Mannnnnn W*F!” Jim Harbaugh said other trade offers “didn’t make any sense” to him, and the Chargers made no other moves.
The Rams didn’t add a receiver. Mykell Mathieu writes that with Puka Nacua headed to injured reserve, Sean McVay plans to change up his personnel and lean on Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, rookie CJ Daniels, the tight ends and the run game. “We won’t have some tendencies, that’s for sure,” McVay said.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: Raiders make deadline blockbuster deal, send Kirk Cousins to Minnesota (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Fernando Time arrives in Las Vegas (The Sporting Tribune)
› Fredo Cervantes: Chargers trade Daiyan Henley to Broncos for two draft picks (The Sporting Tribune)
› Mykell Mathieu: What’s next for the Rams offense without Nacua? (The Sporting Tribune)
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⚾ BASEBALL WAITS FOR DEC. 1
The Dodgers aren’t changing a thing. At the GM meetings in Las Vegas, Arash Markazi writes, general manager Brandon Gomes made it clear that a possible lockout and a salary cap proposal won’t change how the Dodgers operate. “For us, we’re totally focused business as usual,” Gomes said. He admitted he stopped watching the World Series after a couple of games because it was “too painful,” but the Dodgers still opened as the 2027 favorites. Asked when opening day might be, Gomes said, “I don’t even know what opening day schedule is right now.”
The Angels are on hold. Arash Markazi also writes that Angels GM John Mozeliak is keeping the franchise running while Stan Kroenke’s group, which is still awaiting MLB approval to buy the team, interviews candidates to replace him. “My role right now is to keep the lights on, keep the trains running on time, and that’s what I do,” Mozeliak said. “My career right now is going to be measured in days, maybe a week or two, but not years.”
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: A lockout is coming, and the Dodgers don’t care (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Angels GM is keeping the lights on as Kroenke looks for his replacement (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 A HISTORIC START AND TWO TOUGH NIGHTS
USC keeps hitting 100. Saniyah Hall and Jazzy Davidson scored 24 each, JuJu Watkins added 20 and six assists, and No. 3 USC beat Charleston 105-44. It’s the first time in program history the Trojans have scored 100 in each of their first three games. They committed five turnovers and turned 21 Charleston turnovers into 28 points. Next is the biggest test yet: No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday in Greenville, S.C., at 10 a.m. on ABC.
The Kings were shut out. Filip Forsberg scored twice, and Juuse Saros stopped all 30 shots for his first shutout of the season in Nashville’s 3-0 win at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings are 5-9-2 and host the Islanders on Thursday.
The Clippers got buried from 3. Phoenix made 22 3-pointers and its bench scored 81 in a 133-110 win. Former Clipper Luke Kennard had 14. The Clippers are 2-8, have lost eight of nine and are still winless on the road. Oklahoma City visits Friday.
UNLV’s women couldn’t make shots. The Lady Rebels shot 36% and lost 65-58 to Arizona State. Jasmyn Lott scored 16. “I was proud of our fight,” Lindy La Rocque said.
GO DEEPER
› No. 3 USC routs Charleston 105-44 for third straight 100-point game (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Charleston at USC (The Sporting Tribune)
› Brady Charette: Filip Forsberg scores twice as Predators blank Kings (The Sporting Tribune)
› Suns hit 22 3-pointers, hand Clippers eighth loss in nine games (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arion Armeniakos: Inefficiency hurts gritty Lady Rebels in loss to Sun Devils (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🏟️ SEVEN GAMES, ONE WEDNESDAY
Lakers at Bucks at 5 on Spectrum SportsNet. The Lakers (10-2) have the NBA’s best record and are going for their seventh straight win.
Mammoth at Golden Knights at 6:30 on TNT, opening a five-game homestand. Vegas took seven of eight points on its road trip and is second in the Pacific.
Predators at Ducks at 7 on Prime Video, in the Ducks’ second Hometown Remix game. Cutter Gauthier has three hat tricks in five games, and the Ducks (10-7-1) have won five straight.
College basketball: Bethune-Cookman at San Diego State’s men at 2; Arkansas-Pine Bluff at UCLA’s men at 6 on Peacock; Colorado at San Diego State’s women at 7, with a chance to tie the program record of 17 straight home wins; and USC’s men at Cal at 8 on ESPN2.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Galaxy fans want Greg Vanney out. His players don’t. Rob Jalon writes that after a second straight season without the playoffs, supporters are calling for a change and threatening to cancel season tickets, and former Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan said, “The answer is Greg Vanney is not good enough.” Players including Marco Reus and Maya Yoshida have backed him. “He’s the best coach I’ve played for,” goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski said. Vanney is under contract and will likely be back.
Big weekend for USC and UCLA. No. 4 UCLA (9-0) hosts Illinois on Friday at the Rose Bowl. “It was not by accident. It was purposefully done,” Bob Chesney said of the Bruins’ start. USC plays at Indiana on Saturday. “We’re one of the few teams that sits here right now controlling our destiny in so many ways,” Lincoln Riley said. And the Lakers signed center Carson Cooper to a two-way deal and waived Lawson Lovering.
GO DEEPER
› Rob Jalon: At odds: Galaxy supporters call for end of player-backed Vanney’s tenure (The Sporting Tribune)
› Alex Hutton: UCLA practice takeaways: preparation for Illinois, Bob Chesney’s culture (The Sporting Tribune)
› Holdenn Graff: USC’s young playmakers face November test at Indiana (The Sporting Tribune)
› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers sign Carson Cooper to two-way deal, waive Lawson Lovering (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
🏀 MBB: Bethune-Cookman at San Diego State — Viejas Arena — 2:00 p.m. — Pac-12 YouTube
🏀 NBA: Lakers at Bucks — Fiserv Forum — 5:00 p.m. — Spectrum SportsNet
🏀 MBB: Arkansas-Pine Bluff at UCLA — Pauley Pavilion — 6:00 p.m. — Peacock
🏒 NHL: Mammoth at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — 6:30 p.m. — TNT
🏒 NHL: Predators at Ducks — Honda Center — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🏀 WBB: Colorado at San Diego State — Viejas Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Pac-12 YouTube
🏀 MBB: USC at Cal — Haas Pavilion — 8:00 p.m. — ESPN2
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
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🏒 Predators at Ducks — Honda Center — $31
🏒 Mammoth at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — $75
🏈 Seahawks at Raiders (Sun.) — Allegiant Stadium — $378
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Fernando Mendoza takes over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. At which school did he win the 2025 Heisman Trophy?
Answer at the bottom.
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Trivia answer: Indiana.
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