What's Wright - NBA Trade Deadline REACTION, Anthony Davis to Wizards + Super Bowl DEEP DIVE | Nick Wright NFL

Welcome to What's Right with the Right, episode 424; we’re on the eve of the eve of the eve of the Super Bowl, and my house just learned we might be watching at Nana’s with a pack of kids, which is not exactly peak viewing, but we’ll sort it out and get to the game and the NBA trade chaos in a minute.

Quick warm‑up: the Kawhi All‑Star freak‑out ended how we all expected, the NFC’s Pro Bowl thing happened and I didn’t bother, and Jackson Hayes shoving the Wizards mascot was a wild and unnecessary cheap shot.

What’s the cleanest path to victory for each Super Bowl team?

Seattle can win this by letting that defensive line hurry Drake May, forcing third‑and‑longs, bottling up the run, and trusting an elite scheme and secondary to bait a great but young quarterback into mistakes.

Drake May’s regular‑season to postseason dip is real: far lower completion rate, five turnovers in three playoff games, six fumbles, and sacks piling up, while Mike Macdonald’s group has been nails on the road and brutal on young QBs.

New England’s lane is Drake using his legs to stay ahead of the chains, not letting Seattle tee off, leaning on Vrabel’s and McDaniels’ edges, and hoping Nick Emanwari’s ankle calms down, because I don’t think they can chase from behind; tight late favors the Pats, but the team more likely to hold a two‑score lead is Seattle.

Who has the most to lose and the most to gain?

Nobody’s set up to be labeled chokers, but the upside swings are massive for the coaches and quarterbacks: a Vrabel title off a four‑win takeover makes an instant best‑in‑the‑league case, a McDonald ring in year two as a head coach is unheard of, Drake May could claim the best‑QB-in‑football argument if he wins and plays well, and a Darnold win becomes the greatest QB reclamation on record.

What’s the key matchup, and what’s your pick?

Will Campbell versus DeMarcus Lawrence is the swing spot, because the Pats’ rookie left tackle has struggled all postseason and that Seattle front can wreck a game.

I’ll lay the points and go Seattle 27, New England 17, with both quarterbacks turning it over once and a pressure‑created Seattle defensive play flipping momentum; Diggs gets bottled up, Seattle moves JSN around to spark things, and May lives under fire near Burrow’s postseason sack record.

Weird to have a Super Bowl without your Chiefs?

It is, and outside of a Rams‑Bengals sack ladder I nailed, it’s the first recent one without a personal stake, which makes tomorrow’s prop show that much more fun.

You set five top playoff storylines; how did they age?

The Josh Allen breakthrough question was fair, and after talking with him I’m convinced his self‑belief can keep Buffalo from drowning in near‑miss noise; Rodgers and the Eagles were thought experiments and the Eagles flamed out, the second‑year QB run delivered with Drake in the big one and Caleb flashing, Seattle and the Rams largely looked like themselves, and I probably should’ve given the one‑seed Denver angle more love.

The Wizards are busy, and that Luka trade keeps aging badly, right?

Final tally is brutal for Dallas—Luka turned into Max Christie, a few future picks, and a short Anthony Davis stint with no run—an all‑timer of a miss, and I’m shocked the AD market was that thin because a Warriors swing there would’ve been fascinating.

Credit Washington for saying we’re not getting free agents anyway, so pair AD with Alex Sarr, Trey Young, and a top pick and try to pop in the East, while Dallas resets around Cooper Flagg.

How do you feel about Harden to the Cavs?

I don’t get it for Cleveland given Harden’s postseason track record and the Donovan fit, but I like it for the Clippers buying low on Garland, and the Lakers smartly added shooting by flipping Gabe Vincent for Luke Kennard even if it doesn’t fix the defense.

Thoughts on Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz and the rest?

Utah paid real picks, including an unprotected 2027 Jazz pick and a 2031 Suns first, which tells you Triple J’s market beat AD’s, and it signals a near‑term push with Kessler, Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey.

Boston swapping Simons for Vucevic is a fit play, CP3 should hit the buyout market, OKC takes a value swing on Jared McCain, Kevin Huerter to the one‑seed Pistons makes sense, and it looks like Giannis waits until summer.

Listener Qs: how will AD be remembered?

As a Hall of Famer whose injuries shortened a peak that had MVP potential, a centerpiece on a title team, and now likely stuck out of high‑leverage games for a while.

Would Sabonis put the Raptors in the East Finals?

I don’t see it, because his defensive issues and playoff history make that climb tough.

Was OKC’s pick hoard a master plan or luck with SGA?

Both—the strategy was sharp and the scouting hit big, and SGA reached a level nobody forecast, the way Harden exploded in Houston.

Would LeBron still revisit a Cavs return with Harden there?

Three ball‑dominant guys feels clunky, so I’d need to see how Cleveland plays this out before taking that seriously.

Our Super Bowl prop show drops tomorrow; subscribe on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify, big thanks to the team, and we’ll talk to you then.