Contextualizing Giannis' Trade Talks: Could Wembanyama Win DPOY Forever?

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Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely as he once again tries to repair his knee. Just a reminder: The Thunder have a pick swap with the Clippers if they want it. If these guys end up at Cooper Flagg…

Speaking of which:

Northwest Division Preview

Can anyone keep up with the thunder?

Best case scenario: This team stays healthy, wins 65 games and competes for, maybe even wins, the NBA title.

Worst case scenario: All is well during the regular season, but the Thunder are once again eliminated early in the playoffs due to inexperience.

Trust in Thunder: 💪💪💪💪💪

Best case scenario: Braun represents Kentavious Caldwell-Pope perfectly, Jokić is playing like a god and Murray is in All-Star form as Denver wins again against the West.

Worst case scenario: The younger players' development is slow and a frugal summer is taking its toll on them as Denver is eliminated early in the playoffs.

Trust in the nuggets: 💪💪💪💪

Best case scenario: Edwards continues to rise and Julius Randle plays his role perfectly to secure a new deal as the Wolves win the West.

Worst case scenario: Randle is a square peg in a round hole, Rudy Gobert is regressing and Edwards is losing momentum. Early end of the playoffs.

Trust in the wolves: 💪💪💪💪

Best case scenario: They hug the tank early. Utah doesn't let its pride get in the way, so it trades veterans to develop the young guys, and the team finishes in the top five.

Worst case scenario: The Jazz remain mediocre, winning 30-35 games and finishing 10th instead of securing a shot at a franchise piece.

Trust in Jazz: 💪💪

Best case scenario: Massive improvement from Henderson, Simons Cooks, Shaedon Sharpe stays on the field and Donovan Clingan looks like a starter…and they get a top draft pick.

Worst case scenario: Henderson looks like a bust after two seasons, Sharpe can't stay healthy, Clingan looks mediocre, and the Blazers end up going sixth or seventh in the draft due to bad luck.

Trust in the Blazers: 💪

Price predictions

Who will be named Defensive Player of the Year?

In the 1985/86 season, Alvin Robertson was named Defensive Player of the Year. In the fourth year of the award he achieved an average of a ridiculous 3.7 steals per game. That remains the highest single-season average in NBA history. Only 23 years old at the time, Robertson was a shooting guard for the Spurs and was in his second season in the NBA. Three other players won DPOY at age 23 (Dwight Howard, Jaren Jackson Jr. and another San Antonian named Kawhi Leonard). No one else has won it in their second NBA season.

Oh, hello, Victor Wembanyamawho happens to be the last Spur heading into a second season with a chance to win DPOY – he's actually the overwhelming favorite. Wemby doesn't turn 21 until January. If he wins this year's award, he'll be there far the youngest to do so.

Honestly, I have no idea when we can next expect someone else to win. There will be great defenders with worthy arguments, but in the end they may only win because of voter fatigue. With that in mind, here are BetMGM's favorites for the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award:

• Favorite: Victor Wembanyama (-150)
• Threats: Chet Holmgren (+1200), Evan Mobley (+1400), Bam Adebayo (+1600), Rudy Gobert (+1800)
• Darkhorse: OG Anunoby (+3000)
• My prediction: Wemby. I mean…could we just bet on next time? not win?

Giannis talking about trade?

He does Really Do you think the Bucks would deal him?

If you haven't read Sam Amick's article on Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, you should definitely check it out. It goes from the Bucks starting their first full season with Doc Rivers to the hope of a more cohesive roster to the following move that turned heads. (And by “everyone” I actually mean the aggregator army.)

When a Bucks employee walks by, Antetokounmpo grabs the man by the shoulder and asks a remarkably pointed question.

“If we don’t win this year, would you be fired?” Antetokounmpo asks his colleagues with an ironic smile. “Do you have that in the back of your mind: '(What) if this year doesn't go well?' Yes, if we don't win a championship, I could be replaced. Yes, that is the job we live for. This is the world we live in. This affects everyone.”

If this feels cluttered, that’s because… it is. Antetokounmpo has made a career out of several things: 1) He is an absolute monster on the basketball court. We saw this with his two regular season MVP seasons and his performance in the 2021 NBA Finals when the Bucks won it all. 2) He is Really good at playing the “oh shit” game with people who want to be disarmed. In his first two seasons I believed the performance was genuine, but he has learned to utilize his skill as he has become a more established veteran.

Almost three years ago, the Greek Freak led us to believe that he tried Oreo cookies with milk for the first time. A year and a half ago, he threw Mike Budenholzer under the bus after top-seeded Milwaukee lost to Miami. (He said he wished he could have guarded Jimmy Butler, but Budenholzer didn't tell him.) The coach was fired about a week later. last season, Antetokounmpo played innocent about the abrupt dismissal of Adrian Griffin. I didn't buy the modesty in these cases, but I appreciated the wisdom of the 29-year-old's comments.

But his latest comments? This could be a soft start to a trade request/demand (for him or through someone else) if the Bucks don't look like a legitimate contender against the defending champion Celtics and the conference's improving teams. Last season, Milwaukee was supposed to be right there with Boston, but we quickly realized it was the Bucks not in the Celtics class. The former paid off his coach for Doc Rivers and it just never came together. For a few years, Antetokounmpo was all about whether he might find something new when the Bucks weren't contending for a title.

Here's the good news, though: whenever he does When you pressure the Bucks directly or subtly, the team responds with a big move. In 2020, the front office received Jrue Holiday, who signed an extension ahead of a title run. Milwaukee needed to make a big move last year, so Damian Lillard was acquired. Not for one Second, I think Antetokounmpo believes he could be traded if the Bucks aren't good enough. However, I assume that he could look for a team change.

Bounce passes

Hall of Famer Rick Barry is 80 years old but will cook for you And Your loved ones at pickleball.

Josh Hart could be the key to the Knicks' offensive leadership.

New Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein broke his hand. He will be examined again in five to six weeks.

Most clicked in yesterday's newsletter: John Hollinger's preview of the best of the East, with a shocking runner-up pick.

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images )