What’s Wright - Nick Wright's Mailbag: Mahomes, Allen & Lamar ALL-TIME RANKING, Giannis to OKC? + NBA expansion

Welcome in to What’s Right, episode 441. Today’s a mailbag, a little homage to the classic Simmons format, and while some Fridays may become deep dives—like a careful, not‑rushed look at the Tiger situation—right now we’re taking your questions.

If Oklahoma City bows out in the second round, should they chase Giannis and move J-Dub?

No. Their depth, age curve, and cost‑controlled talent set them up for years, and Giannis now comes with lower‑body concerns, a huge extension, and a timeline shift that demands desperation from a buyer. Think New York or Houston types sniffing around, not OKC or San Antonio.

How would an NBA expansion draft actually work, and who might be available?

Two new teams usually get mid‑lottery picks and can select at most one unprotected player per team while inheriting the contract; clubs typically protect eight. The real action hits the deepest rosters—Oklahoma City would be sweating, with more than eight useful pieces and tough calls on who to expose—while most teams wouldn’t feel much pain.

Any Final Four plays?

I’d ride both short dogs: Arizona and UConn. I picked Houston to win it all, but Arizona’s looked like the steadiest group, and I respect what Hurley’s built even if I’m a Syracuse guy by heart.

Where do Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, and Burrow land all‑time when it’s over?

Mahomes projects to finish right behind Brady. Today I’d slot Lamar over Allen on resume, but I expect Allen to close stronger. I see Lamar ending in the Ben Roethlisberger neighborhood, Allen just outside the modern top ten, and Burrow around the Stafford range unless health and team results swing.

Has Lamar outperformed early expectations, and why do so many people prefer Burrow?

Some folks rank pure passers and discount what legs do to win, and I’ve fallen into that at times. Lamar has massively outkicked his draft slot and is an all‑time regular‑season force; one big postseason run would quiet most of the rest.

Give us your personal Mount Rushmore of sports moments.

Tiger’s 2019 Masters, LeBron’s chase‑down in Game 7, Mahomes’ overtime march to seal back‑to‑back over San Francisco, and Bolt easing up while owning the hundred—those still give me chills.

Sleeper World Cup pick that’s not the U.S.?

The winner almost always comes from the favorites like Argentina, France, or Brazil, but for a longer shot I’d take Norway if Haaland goes nuclear, with Croatia as a cheeky deep‑run candidate.

Should tennis dump Hawkeye and invite more human error, or even scrap replay in sports?

Hawkeye is fast and reliable, even if the old line‑call drama was fun, but replay’s creep in other sports wrecks rhythm and spirit—like millisecond pop‑off tags in baseball and forensic last‑touch reviews in basketball. Keep it narrow and obvious or it backfires.

What was your true ‘I made it’ moment in sports media?

Hosting for Colin the morning Durant chose Golden State was a pinch‑me day. Sitting with Kaepernick, a thank‑you DM from Aaron Rodgers on that topic, and hearing an NBA staff used a segment to pitch ownership were also surreal markers.

Rank non‑TV careers you’d excel at: NFL GM, NBA GM, or pro poker.

Best fit is NFL GM because there are exploitable edges and lots of decisions; poker’s second since today’s pros are machines and I still like to gamble a bit; worst would be NBA GM, where patience and a tiny move set can haunt you.

Now that you’re back to three shows a week, can we revive the book club?

Soft yes. I need a better format than reading long passages, and it’ll push me to read more, which I want.

Props to Demons and Monty, and thanks to everyone who sent questions. Appreciate you—see you next week.