The NBA draft is seven months away, but the league is already watching a handful of picks and protections.

For example: Though the Washington Wizards probably will select toward the end of the first round — a result of having the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s pick — there is no guarantee the Wizards will keep their own. The New York Knicks will get Washington’s first-rounder if it falls outside of the top 8.

The Wizards aren’t alone though. In total, 13 teams have either traded or swapped their 2026 first-round pick. That fluidity, plus the fact that nearly half of the league’s franchises don’t control their pick, will also play a major role as the NBA trade season heats up.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks combine for perhaps the most fascinating storyline to watch in the second half of the season. After a draft-night trade in the summer, Atlanta controls New Orleans’ first-rounder. Will the rebuilding Pelicans attempt a deadline move that improves or hinders the Hawks’ chances of selecting top-pick contenders such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer?

Not far behind is the drama unfolding between Oklahoma City and the LA Clippers, where LA’s spiral down the Western Conference standings could add another lottery pick to OKC’s treasure trove. Thanks to the Paul George trade of 2019, the Clippers owe the defending champions their unprotected 2026 first-round pick.

And the impact of potential Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis trades would be felt far beyond the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and the teams acquiring those stars.

To help understand what is at stake at the trade deadline and leading into June’s draft, here is a breakdown of the most important draft assets this year, the multiyear journeys to their current teams and the future of each pick.

It’s important to note that, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in December, the NBA is exploring a rule change that would limit pick protections to either top-4 or top-14. The change would help dissuade rebuilding teams from manipulating rosters at the end of the season to keep various protected picks.

Seven years later, OKC keeps winning the PG trade

The journey: How a 2026 unprotected pick landed in OKC

Remember the 2019 offseason, when the Thunder traded George to the Clippers for five first-round picks, two swaps, Danilo Gallinari … and a 20-year-old guard named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Not only did the Thunder acquire last season’s MVP, they drafted Jalen Williams with the Clippers’ first-rounder in 2022, the last condition of that trade will convey in June: The Clippers’ 2026 first-rounder goes to OKC, no matter where it falls. The way LA’s season has played out, the champs could be getting another potential superstar.

What is the status? Before the regular season, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) gave the Clippers the fourth-best odds of reaching the conference finals. DraftKings set a win total of 48.5, eighth best among all teams. But three months into the regular season, the Clippers are a game in the loss column behind the final play-in spot. There is some hope for West contenders growing anxious of the defending champions landing another high pick: The Clippers are 9-2 in the past 11 games after starting the season 6-21 amid separate controversies surrounding Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul.

The draft-night trade that might create a Finals contender in Atlanta

The journey: How a 2026 unprotected pick landed in Atlanta

There was a shock among team executives early on the first night of the 2025 draft. It wasn’t that the Pelicans moved up 10 spots to No. 13 and drafted Derik Queen. The shock came with a rebuilding Pelicans team trading away a likely lottery pick. As part of the deal, the Hawks received the more favorable 2026 first-rounder between New Orleans and the Milwaukee Bucks — the swap originated from the Jrue Holiday trade in 2020. At the time of the trade, New Orleans was coming off a 21-61 season and were in transition with new president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

What is the status? As predicted, New Orleans is at the bottom of the West standings after a 2-10 start led to the firing of coach Willie Green. The Pelicans won five straight games under interim coach James Borrego but have gone 1-10 since. BPI projects the Hawks to have a 52.1% chance at a top-4 pick and 14% odds of adding the No. 1 overall pick to a young core that just moved on from star guard Trae Young.

Oklahoma City is once again watching Philly

The journey: How a 2026 top-4 protected pick landed in OKC

Philadelphia signed Al Horford to a four-year, $109 million contract and re-signed Tobias Harris to a five-year, $180 million deal in the 2019 offseason. A year later, new 76ers head of basketball operations Daryl Morey traded Horford, a future first-rounder, and the rights to Vasilije Micic and Theo Maledon to Oklahoma City for Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier. The trade gave Philadelphia financial flexibility with the first year of former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons’ rookie extension kicking in the following season. The first-rounder was top-6 protected in 2025 but now is top-4 protected in 2026 and 2027.

What is the status? There was a point last season where it seemed Oklahoma City would be making a lottery pick just days after hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Instead, the 76ers went 4-24 after the All-Star break, kept the pick and selected VJ Edgecombe at No. 3. This season, Philadelphia is five games above .500 and as a result, the Thunder are likely to receive a pick in the late teens or early 20s.

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VJ Edgecombe splashes a big-time 3 for a 76ers winner in OT

VJ Edgecombe splashes a big-time 3 for a 76ers winner in OT

Utah and Washington retain their first if it remains in the top 8

The journey: How 2026 top-8 protected picks landed in OKC and New York

With the first year of Donovan Mitchell’s rookie extension set to begin and Mike Conley a free agent, the 2021 offseason saw Utah trade Derrick Favors to Oklahoma City before the start of free agency. For Utah, the cost of unloading the $20 million still owed to Favors was sending a pick that has now become a 2026 top-8 protected first-rounder.

At the 2022 draft, New York turned the No. 11 pick into three future protected first-rounders from the Thunder. Oklahoma City drafted Ousmane Dieng and New York received protected picks from the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Washington. The Wizards pick was top-14 protected in 2023, top-12 in 2024, top-10 in 2025 and is now top-8 protected in 2026. If the first is not conveyed, New York will receive Washington’s 2026 and 2027 second-round picks. (New York would later parlay that Denver pick into a top-4 protected first-rounder from Milwaukee, used to acquire Mikal Bridges in June 2024. A few months later, that Pistons pick was used when the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns.)

What is the status? It’s unlikely both New York and Oklahoma City will get these picks, but Utah is currently two games behind the Clippers for the league’s ninth-worst record. And after starting the season 3-20, Washington has won six of its past 11 games. The Wizards still have the fourth-worst record and last week’s Young trade sent out leading scorer CJ McCollum. Young, who has yet to debut for his new team, has also dealt with injuries this season.

Could the Spurs get the 2-seed and a fourth-straight lottery pick?

The journey: How a 2026 pick swap landed in San Antonio

We are nearing the four-year anniversary of the Spurs dealing Dejounte Murray to the Hawks. While Murray’s stay in Atlanta was short — he was eventually traded to New Orleans in the 2024 offseason — San Antonio continues to benefit. The Spurs received an unprotected first-rounder in 2025 (Carter Bryant at No. 14), the right to swap picks in 2026 and an unprotected first-rounder in 2027.

What is the status? Atlanta transformed its roster in the offseason, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The additions were supposed to help turn a perennial play-in team into a top-6 seed, but Atlanta is currently under .500. (The Hawks have, however, won five of their past seven games following a seven-game skid in late December and are 2-0 since trading Young). San Antonio is the complete opposite. The Spurs won eight games in mid-December, including three against Oklahoma City and have the second-best record in the West.

Cleveland and the cost of going all-in

The journey: How a 2026 pick swap between the Cavs, Hawks and Spurs was created

Give the Cavaliers credit for creativity ahead of last season’s trade deadline. Cleveland, faced with depleted draft assets from the Mitchell trade and in need of perimeter help, traded Georges Niang and Caris LeVert to Atlanta for De’Andre Hunter.

While their lone tradeable first-round pick (in 2031) wasn’t included, the Cavs did send three second-rounders (2027, 2029, 2031) and reswapped first-rounders in 2026 and 2028. The Jazz already had the right to swap picks with Cleveland from the Mitchell trade.

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights

It’s part of a convoluted pick swap scenario ahead of June’s draft. If those conditions are extinguished (For example, if Utah finishes with a worse record than Cleveland), Atlanta would have the right to swap first-rounders with Cleveland in 2026 and 2028. The Spurs would then have the right to swap with Atlanta as part of the Murray trade. Cleveland would swap with San Antonio.

What is the status? The Cavaliers were projected to finish among the Eastern Conference leaders, but injuries and inconsistent play has dropped the Cavs into a tie for sixth. If the standings remain unchanged, Atlanta will have the more favorable first of their own and Cleveland. The Spurs pick, projected to be late in the first round, will go to the Cavaliers.

Current order:

• No. 14. San Antonio (via Hawks)

• No. 18. Atlanta (via Cavaliers)

• No. 28. Cleveland (via Spurs)

The journey: How a 2026 pick swap between the Suns, Wizards, Magic and Hornets was created

Beal and Bane have never been teammates but are connected by pick-heavy trades.

When the Wizards traded Beal to the Phoenix Suns in 2023, Washington received four years of pick swaps (2024, 2026, 2028, 2030). A month later, Phoenix recouped some of the assets lost (two future second-round picks) by trading Orlando the less favorable swap between the Suns and Wizards’ first-rounders in 2026.

When Memphis traded Bane to the Magic two years later, the Grizzlies received the more favorable first-round swap between Phoenix and Washington (top-8 protected).

Those are a lot of moving parts. Here’s one more: In a salary-shedding move at the 2025 trade deadline, the Suns dealt Jusuf Nurkic and the least favorable swap of their own, Memphis, Orlando and Washington (top-8 protected) to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic.

What is the status? The Suns’ 2026 unprotected first-rounder was once considered a premier draft asset. But Phoenix has overachieved this season, leaving Memphis with the possibility of having the Magic’s first-rounder. That would leave the Hornets with Phoenix’s pick.

Current order:

A Trail Blazers playoff breakthrough would benefit the Bulls

The journey: How a 2026 top-14 protected pick landed in Chicago

As part of a three-team trade in the 2021 offseason, Chicago received Derrick Jones Jr. and a future protected pick from the Portland Trail Blazers for Larry Nance Jr. After reaching an impasse in restricted free agency, Cleveland acquired Lauri Markkanen via sign-and-trade with Chicago. (Markkanen was traded a year later to Utah as part of the Mitchell deal, while the Trail Blazers added Nance to the deal that sent McCollum to New Orleans at the 2023 trade deadline.)

That first-round pick sent to Chicago via Portland is top-14 protected until 2028.

What is the status? The Trail Blazers won just nine of their first 25 games this season, as all signs pointed to them retaining their first-rounder. But since Dec. 28, Portland has gone 6-2 to move two games behind Golden State for the West’s 8-seed. If the standings hold, Portland would need to win two play-in games for Chicago to get their pick.

Three more major storylines ahead of the trade deadline

Impact of AD, Giannis trades would cast a wide net

Besides the immediate impact on Dallas and Milwaukee, nearly a third of the league would be affected if Davis and Antetokounmpo are traded before the Feb. 5 deadline: Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Portland, San Antonio and Washington.

Prior deals have stripped both the Mavs and Bucks of future first-round picks. Outside of the 2026 draft, the Mavericks have no control of their first-round pick until 2031, while the Bucks have no control over their next five first-rounders.

For the Mavs a handful of 2024 trade deadline moves by former GM Nico Harrison helped the franchise reach the Finals but created a chain reaction of draft pick protection to watch. With Davis’ future in Dallas uncertain and as the roster shifts to build around star rookie Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks’ place in the standings will be worth watching over the next few seasons.

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Shams details the impact of Anthony Davis’ hand injury

Shams Charania discusses the impact of the hand injury Anthony Davis suffered, likely taking him off the trade market.

• As part of the trades to acquire Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington at the 2024 deadline — both moves helped propel Dallas to the Finals — the Mavericks traded a 2027 top-2 protected pick to Charlotte and a 2025 first-rounder (via the Thunder) to the Wizards.

• That first-round pick from OKC, acquired in a separate trade, resulted in the Thunder getting 2028 swap rights from Dallas.

• The Rockets have the two most favorable 2029 first-round picks between their own, Dallas and Phoenix.

• As part of the deal that sent Grant Williams to Charlotte in the Washington trade, San Antonio facilitated things by taking on Reggie Bullock’s contract. For their trouble, the Spurs acquired the most favorable of their own, Dallas and Minnesota (top-1 protected).

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers, Hawks, Pelicans and Wizards could be big winners if the Antetokounmpo saga ends with Milwaukee trading the two-time MVP and entering a rebuild. (The Bucks also traded three draft picks to acquire Damian Lillard, who was eventually waived and stretched, and are responsible for the guard’s $20.9 million salary each season through 2029-30.)

• In 2027, Atlanta will have the least favorable top-4 protected first-rounder from Milwaukee or New Orleans. The Hawks acquired the first in the Murray trade to New Orleans.

• Portland has the right to swap picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030. They also have the most and least favorable first-round pick of their own, Boston and Milwaukee in 2029. The Wizards have the second-most favorable of the three teams.

The Nets and their trade deadline dilemma

Before trading Mikal Bridges to the Knicks in the 2024 offseason, Brooklyn made the shrewd move to reacquire draft assets from Houston — control of 2025 and 2026 first-round picks — that the Nets lost when trading for James Harden in January 2021.

The logic at the time was for Brooklyn to build through the draft and then become competitive in the 2026-27 season ahead of the 2027 draft, when Houston has the right to swap picks.

The Nets started this season 3-16 but have gone 8-9 since and rank as one of the better defensive teams in the league. But those strides on the court could leave the Nets without a top-five pick in consecutive drafts. (One consolation prize: At least $40 million in cap space to build out the roster this summer.)

Now, a tough decision faces the Nets’ front office ahead of February’s trade deadline.

If Brooklyn’s goal is the best possible lottery odds, Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton and Haywood Highsmith could be ideal trade fits for a playoff team. But no matter the potential return in those deals, moving on from most of their starting lineup doesn’t bode well for next season, when Houston can swap their 2027 pick.

The LA Clippers

Despite falling outside of the top 10 in the West, the Clippers have little incentive to retool because they don’t control their own first-round pick until 2030. With limited picks to move because of the George trade, the Clippers agreed to swap 2027 first-rounders with Oklahoma City in exchange for the Thunder’s 2026 first. (The Clippers already owed their 2026 unprotected first to Oklahoma City.)

That 2026 least favorable first-round pick between the Thunder, Clippers and Rockets (top-4 protected) along with a 2028 unprotected first-rounder and the right to swap picks in 2029 (top-3 protected) were then sent to Philadelphia in the deal to acquire James Harden.

The 2026 PGA Tour schedule gets underway at the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday, Jan. 15. The season opener at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu comes a week later than normal after The Sentry was cancelled this year due to course concerns. That means there will be just one event on the Hawaii Swing this year, and some top players decided not to make the trip. Big names like Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, J.J. Spaun and Jordan Spieth, however, are among the golfers who are teeing it up this week.

The latest 2026 Sony Open odds from DraftKings Sportsbook list Russell Henley as the +1100 favorite. Matsuyama and Ben Griffin are at +1700, followed by Spaun at +1800. Morikawa joins Si Woo Kim and Robert MacIntyre at +2000. Spieth is +4500, just a bit behind defending champion Nick Taylor, who is +4000. Before locking in any 2026 Sony Open picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up over $8,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as this year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites. 

New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins:

Now that the 2026 Sony Open field is locked in, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard. 

2026 Sony Open predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2026 Sony Open: Henley, the betting favorite, stumbles and barely finishes inside the top 5. He’s a golfer to avoid this week. The 2013 Sony Open champion hasn’t been able to follow up on that success at this event with regularity. Since that time, he’s missed the cut twice and has three other finishes outside the top 30. Last year, he finished T10. He’s played just once since last year’s playoffs and finished 19th at the Procore Championship, so the model doesn’t love his value as a favorite this year. See who else to fade here. 

Another surprise: J.J. Spaun, a +1800 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The 2025 U.S. Open winner finished T3 in this event last year. He also brings some momentum into the new year after playing three times in the fall and finishing no worse than T11 in those tournaments. The model has identified him as a top-three contender this week, making him a golfer to back in your Sony Open best bets. See who else to pick here. 

New users can also check out the latest FanDuel promo code and get $300 in bonus bets at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins:

How to make 2026 Sony Open picks

The model also has identified three golfers with odds of +2500 or higher as top-10 contenders. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s picks here. 

Who will win the 2026 Sony Open, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Sony Open odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025.

2026 Sony Open odds, favorites 

Get full 2026 Sony Open picks, best bets and predictions here. 
(odds subject to change)

Russell Henley +1100
Ben Griffin +1700
Hideki Matsuyama +1700
J.J. Spaun +1800
Collin Morikawa +2000
Robert MacIntyre +2000
Si Woo Kim +2000
Keegan Bradley +2200
Maverick McNealy +2500
Corey Conners +3000
Harry Hall +3500
Aaron Rai +3500
Kurt Kitayama +4000
Chris Kirk +4000
Nick Taylor +4000
Keith Mitchell +4000
Adam Scott +4000
Jordan Spieth +4500
Rico Hoey +4500
Chris Gotterup +4500
Kevin Yu +5000
Nicolas Echavarria +5000
John Keefer +5000
Denny McCarthy +5000
Brian Harman +5000
Kristoffer Reitan +5500
Taylor Pendrith +5500
Jake Knapp +5500
Eric Cole +5500
Mac Meissner +6000
Matt McCarty +6500
Daniel Berger +6500
Michael Brennan +6500
Gary Woodland +7000
Neal Shipley +7000
Emiliano Grillo +7500
Billy Horschel +7500
Sam Stevens +7500
Pierceson Coody +7500
Michael Kim +7500
Webb Simpson +8000
Ryan Gerard +8000
Alex Smalley +8000
Vince Whaley +9000
Sahith Theegala +9000
Jordan Smith +9000
Haotong Li +9000
Tom Kim +10000
Tony Finau +10000
Seamus Power +10000
Matti Schmid +10000
John Parry +10000
Chandler Blanchet +10000
Lee Hodges +10000
Patrick Rodgers +11000
Bud Cauley +11000
Max McGreevy +11000
Luke Clanton +11000
Doug Ghim +12000
William Mouw +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Mark Hubbard +13000
Austin Eckroat +13000
Ricky Castillo +14000
Adrien Dumont De Chassart +14000
Zac Blair +16000
Daniel Brown +16000
Steven Fisk +16000
David Ford +17000
Beau Hossler +17000
Adam Svensson +17000
Keita Nakajima +18000
Takumi Kanaya +18000
S.H. Kim +18000
Christo Lamprecht +18000
Chad Ramey +19000
Kevin Roy +20000
Dylan Wu +20000
Erik Van Rooyen +20000
Ryo Hisatsune +20000
Nick Dunlap +20000
Adrien Saddier +20000
Cam Davis +25000
Alejandro Tosti +25000
Davis Riley +25000
Austin Smotherman +25000
Patton Kizzire +25000
Matthieu Pavon +25000
Brian Campbell +25000
Zecheng Dou +25000
Zach Johnson +25000
Chandler Phillips +25000
Adam Schenk +25000
Tom Hoge +30000
Kensei Hirata +30000
Gordon Sargent +30000
Seung Taek Lee +35000
Emilio Gonzalez +35000
Sudarshan Yellamaraju +40000
Kota Kaneko +40000
Hank Lebioda +40000
Brice Garnett +40000
Davis Chatfield +45000
Ren Yonezawa +50000
Pontus Nyholm +50000
John Vanderlaan +50000
Jeffrey Kang +50000
Yuta Sugiura +60000
Joe Highsmith +60000
Zach Bauchou +70000
Kazuki Higa +70000
Marcelo Rozo +70000
Danny Walker +70000
Vijay Singh +80000
Peter Malnati +80000
Rafael Campos +100000
A.J. Ewart +100000

So, Xabi Alonso becomes the tenth permanent Real Madrid manager of Florentino Pérez’s 21-plus-year presidential reign to be sacked without even completing a year in charge.

Just when the 44-year-old Madrid playing legend seemed to have calmed the stormy waters that had threatened to overwhelm him since autumn, the biggest sin in the entire dictionary of Must Not Commit for Bernabéu managers, losing to Barcelona when a trophy is at stake, has cost him his job. Those around Alonso — who leaves with Madrid only four points off the top of LaLiga, safely in the UEFA Champions League top eight and with a nervy Copa del Rey tie at Albacete on Wednesday — will look back at the final moments of Sunday’s Supercopa final and think about Álvaro Carreras and Raúl Asencio, who each had point-blank chances to score and take the final to penalties.

Alonso, in retrospect, stands condemned, at least in the eyes of Pérez — the only person whose opinion matters when a coach’s fate is concerned — of several offenses.

First: The damage done to Alonso’s public reputation and club credibility when, on substituting Vinícius Júnior in the victorious Clásico last October, the Brazil international erupted in anger while showing disrespect for his manager. Even in victory, the player’s actions hogged the headlines because he screamed into the night air, “This is why I’m going to leave this team. This is why I’m leaving!”

Pérez wants Vinícius to renew his contract, at all costs. So although Alonso palpably repaired much of the damage with his 24-year-old star, and on Sunday helped him produce his best goal and best performance since Carlo Ancelotti left, it’s now clear that irreparable damage was done to Pérez’s view of his coach.

Second: Losing to Barcelona in a big final remains, it seems, a capital offense. Just as a reminder, it has been about five weeks since I wrote in this very space, “If the 44-year-old coach, who won all there is to win in his playing career and then made history by making Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga champions for the first time, can beat Atlético Madrid in the Supercopa semifinal and either Barcelona or Athletic Club in the final, then he’ll finally be left alone to do his job until the end of the season. But to come home without a trophy? Alonso will almost certainly be sacked.”

Third: When Madrid played anodyne, point-dropping football against Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona, and then lost consecutively at home to Manchester City and Celta Vigo, there was a massive manhunt mounted, by the club and by the media, to find someone to blame. Correctly or not, and I think the answer is firmly “not,” it has been the coach — rather than the president or the players — who has been found guilty.

Fourth: Alonso, it must be said, hasn’t “played the game.” Managing upward is an increasingly key skill when you’re coaching at a big club — that’s true anywhere in the world, but particularly when your direct boss is the unaccountable Pérez.

Throughout his life, either as the son of the excellent player Periko Alonso; or while coming through the ranks at Real Sociedad; playing brilliantly for Liverpool, Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain; or making history by taking Bayer Leverkusen to their best-ever trophy season; Xabi Alonso has been the man. Venerated, respected, ultra talented, backed, fêted, desired, rewarded and awarded deity status. Don’t take my word for it, just think how he’s regarded by Spain (European and world champion), at Liverpool (hero of the greatest match in their entire history), local boy made good at Real Sociedad, José Mourinho’s lieutenant at Madrid and Pep Guardiola’s chosen linchpin while winning trophy after trophy at Bayern. He simply didn’t need to kowtow to anyone. Ever.

It’s different at Madrid and, so, when his friend and mentor, Guardiola, used a vulgar expression in support of Alonso before City won at the Bernabéu in December, it went down very badly indeed when Alonso’s postmatch response, teased out by a journalist, seemed to be sympathetic to what City’s Catalan coach was suggesting about Alonso’s relationship with Pérez.

Until very recently, Alonso, never rude, was standoffish and cool with the assembled, hard-nosed, some would say Pérez-aligned media who turned up to news conferences six times a week at the Madrid training ground. He changed his stance when he knew he was fighting for his continued employment: He began to expand on answers, share a joke, become a bit more touchy-feely, and it was working. But he played that game a little too late.

It was extremely telling when Alonso suggested to his players on Sunday in Jeddah that they form a guard of honor for Barcelona’s victorious players (as Hansi Flick’s men had done for them while they walked up to get their losers’ medals), but Kylian Mbappé usurped him and fiercely gestured to the squad that he, not Alonso, had the final word and that no way would they be forming two lines and letting the Supercopa winners feel honored. Very, very damaging imagery.

What’s a little bit shocking is that the Spanish football media, having set the table for an Alonso sacking over and over again in November and December, were utterly caught by surprise. Even playing pretty moderately, in victory against Sevilla, Real Betis and Atlético, Madrid’s players were clearly pulling for their coach, they were building results — admittedly from a low base — and they were looking very like steering Los Blancos into the extremely valuable top eight of the Champions League with two winnable matches in their sights this month. Marca’s headlines this morning included “Xabi revives the Mourinho style” and “What a miss from Carreras in the 95th minute.” No blame thrown at the coach. Their famous columnist, Alfredo Relaño, stated, “Xabi Alonso lost the final but saved his situation.” The much more hawkish, Pérez-oriented Diario AS used “Only Raphinha was better than Madrid” as their match headline, and the self-confessed ultra-Madridista columnist Tomás Roncero’s column read “Nothing to reproach you over.”

One of the biggest signs, in my opinion, as to the general mood of this singular, polemic, but highly successful, billionaire president, and something that Alonso could have paid more attention to, is the name of the stadium.

For the longest time, it’s been called the Santiago Bernabéu in honor of the man previously regarded as the greatest leader in Real Madrid’s history. More and more, and often in formal terms, it’s being called “the Bernabéu” — a change that, in my view, will preface a gradual, strategic and corporate-driven moving of Pérez toward the top of the podium of all-time presidents. This 78-year-old has, gradually but consistently, aimed at moving beyond his “Primus inter pares” (“first among equals”) status to be regarded as the all-time greatest. His costly and, so far, not wholly successful redevelopment of the stadium was supposed to be the jewel in the crown but, for a host of reasons, hasn’t hit home with the power he expected it to. I think, a couple of months away from his 79th birthday, he feels that time is flying, and he has none to waste.

He needs, desires, more league wins, more Champions Leagues, fewer sights of Barcelona lifting trophies, less whistling and jeering when Madrid play at their imperious HQ. He craves the formation of a European Super League. Right now, he’s being thwarted in too many of those desires.

Those previous nine coaches he sacked only a few months into their reigns usually, it must be pointed out, made way for more successful, more glorious periods for the club as European and domestic trophies were stacked up and the best players actively chose to move to Real Madrid. This fact is incontestable.

President Pérez, in my opinion, has blamed the wrong man, has ignored the real problems and, now that he has passed the baton to Álvaro Arbeloa, he has perpetuated the real flaws rather than cured them in sacking Alonso. But he won’t care about that opinion and, in the past, his irresistible force has defeated any apparently immovable object. This time? I’m unconvinced.

Bad luck, Xabi. You only partially contributed to this situation. But, as you always said yourself, Real Madrid is different. Real Madrid is unique. Good luck with what comes next.