Happy Thursday — the workweek’s almost passed! Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W Roundup and daily Watch List. Day 70 of the WNBA season is here, following a significant development in the U.S. government’s attempt to bring Brittney Griner home. CNN reported yesterday that the Biden administration had offered a convicted Russian arms trafficker, Viktor Bout, in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US Marine convicted on charges of espionage in June 2020. (The United States has designated Whelan as “wrongfully detained,” same as Griner; Reuters reported in February 2021 that Washington and Moscow were engaged in talks over a prisoner swap that could have secured his release “within two to three months.”)
This proposal is reportedly being well-received by the Russian government, although it will likely take some weeks to iron out the details of how such a swap would ultimately work. The Putin administration had been looking to set up a Bout-for-Griner exchange; and the fact that this three-person deal was reported yesterday, after being rumored for a couple weeks, is probably a positive indicator towards its chances of succeeding. ESPN’s T.J. Quinn added that Griner’s trial is expected to end next Friday.
But first, read:
- Time’s Sean Gregory chronicled Brittney Griner’s life, from childhood depression to a love of basketball and community to the dangers she’s now facing
- Our Gabriella Lewis covered the NBA Academy Women’s Program inaugural games, showcasing elite international youth talent
- Our James Kay recapped the Commissioner’s Cup, from the efforts by the league office to playoff implications for Vegas and Chicago
- The Courier-Journal’s Brooks Holton talked to Hailey Van Lith about her social work through NIL endorsements
W Roundup
Connecticut: Signed combo guard Kiana Williams to a seven-day contract, her first with the team, after announcing combo guard Bria Hartley had suffered a torn left ACL. Hartley had suffered a torn ACL in her right knee in the Wubble.
Watch List, Thursday, July 28
(All times in Eastern, Game Of The Day in bold)
Minnesota @ Atlanta, 7 p.m., Twitter (Local: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports South)
Seattle @ Connecticut, 7 p.m., NBA TV (Local: FOX13/Amazon Prime video, NESN+)
Washington @ Dallas, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network (Local: Monumental, Bally Sports Southwest Extra)
Los Angeles @ Phoenix, 10 p.m., CBS Sports Network (Local: Bally Sports Arizona)
Credit to the Foreign Exchanges international news roundups, from U.S. foreign policy scholar Derek Davison, for helping streamlining my research
