Episode 23 | Hilary Knight's PWHL Sign-and-Trade, Lynx on Top, and USWNT drops one to Brazil

Hilary Knight's PWHL expansion saga ended with the wildest move of the process: Vegas signed her via an expansion franchise offer and immediately traded her to Detroit for a first-round pick. It was completely legal, it was a long time coming, and it tells you everything about how expansion teams are already thinking about winning before the draft even happens.Episode 23 breaks down both phases of PWHL expansion in full detail. We cover who got protected (and who got surprisingly left out, including Knight herself by Seattle), how Detroit and Hamilton built rosters that already look like playoff contenders, and what San Jose and Vegas are working with heading into next week's draft. We also react to Nelly Korda's dominant LPGA season and a stunning result at Roland Garros.This week we dig into:PWHL expansion phases 1 and 2: which players were protected, which teams are winning the early roster race, and the full story behind the Hilary Knight sign-and-trade that landed her in Detroit in exchange for a first-round draft pickNelly Korda wins the 2026 US Women's Open at Riviera Country Club for her second consecutive major and fourth overall, finishing first or second in seven of her eight tournament starts this seasonMirra Andreeva wins the French Open at 19 years old, becoming the youngest Roland Garros women's champion since Monica Seles in 1992, with her opponent being a qualifier who had to survive extra matches just to reach the finalUSWNT falls 2-1 to Brazil in the first of two friendlies in the 2027 World Cup host nation, with Sophia Wilson scoring her first international goal since returning from maternity leave, and real questions about defensive discipline under the pressure of 31,000 fansWNBA Commissioner's Cup standings check-in, a bold prediction for the championship game, and why the New York Liberty are quietly lurking in the standingsAlso on the show: Serena Williams' doubles comeback with Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championship, the Texas Longhorns winning their second consecutive college softball World Series with 1.5 million viewers per game (up 33% year over year), and Team USA's Women's Basketball 3-on-3 squad claiming the World Cup in Warsaw.Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage.Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comSubstack: substack.com/@raisingthegamepodcastEmail: [email protected]