Arizona
Should Cardinals Pursue Trade for Star WR?
ARIZONA — With so much cap space and an even bigger need to start improving, the Arizona Cardinals often find themselves as a common trade destination for some of the league’s brightest stars looking to start anew and receive a lucrative contract.
After just one season under head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals appear to be on the right path despite winning just four games last season.
Kyler Murray’s back and healthy. There’s legitimate weapons around him, including an improved offensive line. If Arizona’s defense can see a handful of players step up on the edge and in the secondary, the Cardinals may be better than some anticipate.
Yet the NFL is a star-driven league, and one of the brightest in the constellation available on the trade market soon.
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is looking to get paid. Given his performance since being drafted as a first-round pick just a few years ago, it’s certainly warranted.
Whether Dallas will ultimately pay up or not remains to be seen, as Lamb is one of multiple stars the Cowboys must juggle in terms of future contracts as Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons also look to secure their deserved money.
“For the second consecutive year, there’s a possibility a key starter will hold out of training camp. Lamb missed the entire offseason program and is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal,” wrote Calvin Watkins of the The Dallas Morning News.
Lamb could net a contract worth around $30 million per season – whether that’s in Dallas or elsewhere.
Lamb earned All-Pro honors with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. His impact on the field can’t be overstated, and his potential presence changes dynamics for coordinators far and wide throughout the NFL.
Trade speculation around the former OU pass-catcher has grown as his missing extension remains prevelant.
Once upon a time, Murray and Lamb took the field together at Oklahoma, shredding defenses while the two respective players reached admirable accolades such as Murray’s Heisman trophy and Lamb’s All-American honors.
It was a dream for the connection to be established again at the professional level. Murray departed after the 2018 season and was made the No. 1 overall pick by the Cardinals while Lamb needed one more year with the Sooners.
The following offseason, the Cardinals were in position to draft Lamb, reuniting the dynamic duo and even better, laying the foundation to establish one of the best QB-WR connections in the league.
Murray reportedly lobbied heavily for Arizona to draft Lamb, and with the Oklahoma receiver available on the board, the Cardinals opted for versatile Clemson defender Isaiah Simmons instead.
Nine picks later, Dallas drafted Lamb as the third receiver taken, and the rest as been history.
Now, the cost of acquiring Lamb will be significantly more – but there’s still some vocal on trying to lobby his presence in the desert.
You can never have enough weapons, especially in today’s NFL.
Adding a talent such as Lamb to a core that already possesses the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Trey McBride, James Conner and others would only create more headaches for defensive coordinators while also bolstering Arizona’s arsenal of weapons.
With that many capable bodies, the Cardinals would be a strong candidate to finish near the top of the league in most offensive categories. Lamb’s presence would also further the organization’s commitment to Murray, who they’ve been quite vocal about as a staple of the franchise moving into the future.
It would be an embarrassment of riches – quite honestly.
But that would come with a price.
First, let’s look at what the actual cost of Lamb would be.
A recent similar trade to compare a potential package would be Tyreek Hill, who was dealt from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins for a 2022 first, second, fourth-round pick plus fourth and sixth-round picks in 2023.
Lamb is a couple years younger, so the premium may jump when assessing his worth.
Then, you’d have to extend Lamb. As previously mentioned, he’ll likely net somewhere between $30 million annually, though it’s a league where players continually leapfrog the previous top contract.
While it’s tough to imagine Justin Jefferson’s $35 million annual average being beat, Lamb’s camp can make an argument to jump AJ Brown’s $32 million yearly wage.
Brown received $84 million in practical guarantees with $51 million promised at signing, too.
Lamb’s going to need a few Brink’s trucks for his pending payday.
And so here the Cardinals sit – training camp is just weeks away and they’ve got draft resources and cap space aplenty to make a splash if they so desire.
In all reality, general manager Monti Ossenfort has shown no signs of swinging for the fences this early in his tenure. The Cardinals have optimism surrounding the team – for very good reason – but make no mistake about it: Arizona has so much work to do on the overall outlook of its roster.
Offensively, the Cardinals appear fine without Lamb. Should all parties produce as expected, Arizona already expects themselves to be near the league’s best in terms of offensive production. Lamb would be a great addition to any offense, though he’s not necessarily needed to push Arizona’s offense to the next level.
Arizona believes they have a star and eventual top wideout in Harrison – who was just drafted and is on a cost-controlled contract for at least the next three years before extension talks can take place.
The Cardinals would be better off allocating those resources elsewhere – both in terms of draft capital and salary cap space.
As great as Lamb is (and projects to be in the future), the Cardinals are not one wideout away from planning a Super Bowl parade. Fixing other areas of the team and continuing the ideology of building the franchise through the draft will ensure Arizona remains on schedule with where they want to be.
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Believe it or not, the 2026 All-Star Game voting process has already begun, as of Wednesday. Fans who want to see their favorite members of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field in the midsummer classic this season can begin voting for their stars.
There are certainly some deserving players on this Diamondbacks club, which is currently 32-28 and occupying the third Wild Card sport in the National League.
Here’s how and where you can vote for your hometown heroes:
How to vote for Diamondbacks players to make All-Star Game
Fans can utilize the following link to vote for members of their team on dbacks.com. Fans are permitted to fill out and submit as many as five ballots per day, selecting as many or as few players as they choose.
This period of the fan vote constitutes Phase 1 of All-Star voting, which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time (12:00 p.m. Eastern time).
Following Phase 1, the two overall top vote-getters will receive automatic berths into the All-Star lineups. If those two are not Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge once again, that would be an upset.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies in Philadelphia. All-Star week begins on June 10, with a full slate of activities, before the game is played on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (5:00 p.m. Arizona time).
The full schedule of events are as follows:
- Friday, July 10: HBCU Swingman Classic
- Saturday, July 11: 2026 MLB Draft
- Sunday, July 12: All-Star Sunday, MLB Futures Game, MLBx All-Star 3-on-3
- Monday, July 13: T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET)
- Tuesday, July 14: All-Star Red Carpet, All-Star Game
Which Diamondbacks are deserving All-Stars?
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, who should Diamondbacks fans vote for? Obviously, you may fill out the ballot however you choose. That can include a full roster of Diamondbacks, regardless of their stats or notoriety this season.
Still, here are some of the top performing D-backs who might have a leg up on an All-Star berth:
OF Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll is having another All-Star worthy season. He’s hitting .289/.380/.545 with a .925 OPS and eight home runs, while playing good right field defense. He has the eighth-most bWAR (2.7) among position players, fifth-most in the National League, and third-most among all pure outfielders.
2B Ketel Marte
If Marte wins the NL second base fan vote, it will be his third straight season starting the All-Star game. Despite such a slow start to the year, that feels possible again. Marte is hitting .259/.315/.456 with 10 homers and is playing the best defense of his career.
3B Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is quietly putting together one of his better seasons of the 2020s, slashing .269/.351/.467 with eight homers and flashing his elite third base glove at nearly as good a pace as ever. His name still carries a lot of weight in third base conversations; he’ll get some votes, no matter what.
1B Ildemaro Vargas
Vargas’ bat has cooled down quite a bit since his historic start to 2026. He’s still hitting a sturdy .290/.318/.454, but feels more likely to be considered as a reserve selection than a leading vote-getter.
Honorable Mention: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Pitchers are not selected by the fan vote. They are selected by player ballots and the All-Star Game managers. The National League’s manager will be Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, again.
The National League has quite a few talented pitchers, but Eduardo Rodriguez currently holds the fifth-best starting pitcher ERA (2.24) among NL hurlers. It’s going to be difficult to dethrone Christopher Sanchez or Jacob Misiorowski, but Rodriguez could find his way into the pitching pool, especially after his WBC heroics for Team Venezuela.
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Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
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