PROOF LeBron saved the Lakers, Durant burning bridges + QB tiers REACTIONS

**Nick Wright** (0:09)
Welcome in What's Right? with Nick Wright, episode 487 This episode of What's Right? with Nick Wright is presented to you by the great people at Boost Mobile. Jam-packed show today, again, scheduling updates, gonna have a show tomorrow. Might be a little mailbag stuff, but there's so many things I want to get to today that I think some of them are going to be pushed to tomorrow's episode, including one of my favorite exercises every single year, projecting the next year's NFL Hall of Fame class as the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the class of 2026 is happening this weekend. The Hall of Fame game is tonight. I don't really care that much about the Hall of Fame game, but I care immensely about the actual Hall of Fame, so we'll do some of that. Also there is kind of a big picture sports media topic about what is and what is not in 2026 allowed to be discussed on sports television and what's not allowed to be discussed on sports television related to the Rogers McAfee reunion from a few days ago that I think we'll get into in tomorrow's show. So that's tomorrow's show. Next week, regular schedule, then a little sabbatical for the first time since the TV show started. So for the first time since September of 2017, I will have two consecutive weeks off leading into this football season. And so we'll be off for the end of August and then you guys know how it goes once football comes back. The Gambling Show is back. We are back to three, sometimes even four episodes a week. And we are rolling. But right now, there's a ton to get to. So much that some good topics didn't even make the main show. Straight to voicemail. Brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile. Madison Beer and Justin Herbert share some nice canoodling on the practice field. I'm not going to be able to do better than we did on the TV show responding to this yesterday. So, you know, find the clip on social or on YouTube or watch First Things First for that. Brew was really the star of that moment. But that was, you know, nice sweet moment. Maybe, you know, time and a place is what you're always told. No problem with what they did, where and when they did it. Maybe could have been improved. The commanders signed Steph Diggs. That maybe is a loss for the Chiefs. The Chiefs just having faith that Rashi Rice is going to get in shape and stay out of trouble, that Xavier Worthy is going to stay healthy, that the flashes they saw from Tyquan Thornton can be a real thing, that fifth round rookie Cyrus Allen can be the player that he looked like the first few days at camp before he got hurt. A lot of ifs going into the Chiefs receiving course. Stephon Diggs, I don't think is a great player anymore, even though he had a great season last year, a very good season last year with the Patriots, the Commanders, after they determined, I think, that that roster spot that they maybe had earmarked for Brandon Iuke, that Brandon Iuke is in no position to be playing football anymore. And so they go with Stephon Diggs and the Hall of Fame games tonight, Kenny Pickett, Carson Beck. The only noteworthy piece of that is the Cardinals deep down assuredly hoping Carson Beck looks awesome. No disrespected Jacoby Brissette, who is an excellent backup but a bad starter. Probably hoping that they hit a diamond in the rough with Carson Beck, see something from him today. And some late breaking news. Shout out Jonathan Taylor. Quietly building a, is he a Hall of Famer type of resume? Again, very hard to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gets a two year 44 million dollar extension with 39 million guarantee. Good for him. He was an all-time great badger, an all-time great college player, and he has been one of the most consistent backs in the league since he came in. A reminder for you guys, we do have for people that want to send long, thoughtful emails, our mailbag, what'swrightmailbag at gmail.com. Okay, we were going to start today, before we get to Aaron Donald and the Rams, before we get to Mike Sando's invaluable annual quarterback tiers, we were going to start with something I meant to do Tuesday, which was Katie doubling down on that the 2026 Sixers and the 2017 Warriors. What's the difference?
We are not going to start there because we're going to start somewhere else with basketball because, and we don't do this often, because I am going to respond to some of the reaction to a clip we put out a couple days ago about the Lakers being the biggest losers in LeBron's free agency decision and what generated the most reaction, which was me saying LeBron saved the Lakers. So, I want to separate the two topics here. First, let me address the idea that the Lakers were the biggest loser in LeBron's free agent decision. That is certainly a matter of opinion. Smart people can disagree on that. Whether or not the Lakers appreciated LeBron James while he was there, did him right, or did him in some ways right and in some ways wrong. All of that is a totally fair subject of debate, discussion. And if folks want to say, Nick, you have that stone wrong. You're a LeBron guy and you're glossing over the fact that they drafted Bronny. You're glossing over the fact that, you know, the damage that him wanting Russell Westbrook did, the those different things. And regardless of all that, it was never LeBron cast such a big shadow. It was never going to fully be Lucas team with LeBron there. And so they had to move on even for the minimum. It wouldn't have be that we can disagree on that. But that is a matter of opinion. And that so if you say, Nick, you're wrong. That's totally legitimate. I can think you're wrong, but that's a matter of debate.