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In a viral appearance on "The Tonight Show," Celtics star Jayson Tatum made his pick for next season's NBA MVP. Hilariously, Tatum nominated himself, much to the amusement of Jimmy Kimmel.
Jimmy Fallon: “Who do you predict will be the NBA’s next MVP?”
Jayson Tatum: “Can I say myself?”
Tatum also picked which teams will make the Finals next season, stating that his Celtics will face off in the Finals for a rematch against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum has never been short of confidence. Dating back to his rise at Duke, the basketball star has always had the utmost faith in his status as one of the best players in the world. Coming off this summer, however, Tatum has more right than most to speak with little humility.
Last season, with averages of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on 47.1% shooting, Tatum led the Celtics to the best record in the league and built a historic lead over the rest of the Eastern Conference. He followed it up with a dominant playoff run, leading the Celtics to their first NBA championship since 2008.
To top it all off, Tatum suited up for Team USA this summer en route to winning the gold medal. While his playing time was limited, Tatum made an impact on the floor and he will be among the favorites to get an invite to the next Olympic tournament in Los Angeles 2028.
As the cover athlete for NBA 2K and the recipient of a brand-new five-year, $315 million extension, Tatum has plenty of reasons to feel good about his future and he is justified to be confident in his ability to continue this stretch of greatness.
Heading into this next season, Tatum is poised to begin his prime at 26 years old and what we see from him over these next few years could be the best games we've ever seen him play. As a 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA athlete, and reigning NBA champion, Tatum is undoubtedly one of the NBA elites and he will be in the MVP conversation for years to come, just like he was last season when he finished 6th in voting.
As for the Celtics' title aspirations, there's no reason they shouldn't be the favorites going into next season. With mostly the same roster committed to return, the Celtics still have one the strongest rotations in the league with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White.
With those guys, there's no reason the Celtics shouldn't be able to maintain their pace as the best offense in the game. If they can also pick up on their defense, it could result in an even better campaign than the one they just had.
For Tatum to win MVP, his team will have to achieve a similar level of success but even that may not be enough. With stars such as Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, many candidates will be worthy of MVP honors and Tatum will have to give the voters a reason to pick him over any of the others.
Still, Tatum seems confident that he can set himself apart and have his best season yet as a pro. For his sake, he better prove himself right or the haters will respond in full force.
More must-reads:
- Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
- Insider offers opinion on Lebron James' thoughts on Lakers
- The 'Most NBA games played' quiz
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New York Knicks Predicted to Trade Karl-Anthony Towns For Dallas Mavericks Star
The New York Knicks have had a busy summer thus far as they have made multiple additions to their roster to try and improve off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks also made a head coaching change to begin the summer as they fried Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown. During free agency, New York added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to upgrade their bench at a cheap cost, which is an area that they struggled with last season. The Knicks do have one more roster spot open which they will likely use to add another veteran player to their bench. While the Knicks have focused on upgrading their depth this summer, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would see New York send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Dallas Mavericks for one of their star players along with depth. In the trade, the Knicks would acquire Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington from the Mavericks while Dallas would land Towns and Vit Krejci. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team involved in the trade and they would receive Caleb Martin and two second-round picks from the Mavericks. For the Knicks, it would be a tough decision to move on from Towns but they would be able to fill some glaring holes in their roster with their return in this deal. Thompson would give them a much-needed three-point sharpshooter in their starting lineup while both Washington and Gafford would be major additions to their frontcourt, especially on the defensive end. Despite this, the Mavericks may not want to move on from three of their key players to acquire Towns, who struggled in the playoffs last season, primarily on defense. While that may be the case, making this trade would be a massive upgrade to the Knicks’ lineup and depth that could make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference next season.
Canucks continue talks with Jack Roslovic, his ask poses problems
A team that has gone through several changes already this summer, the Vancouver Canucks remain active, currently engaged in discussions with unrestricted free agent forward Jack Roslovic. According to reports from Rick Dhaliwal and Cam Robinson, the organization has spoken to Roslovic on several occasions and are still interested in potentially signing him to a free agency deal. Roslovic posted 39 points in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25. He is reportedly seeking a two- or three-year deal worth just over $3 million annually. Roslovic could be a solid middle-six contributor for an NHL team, but there is some concern over whether he’s a needle mover. He could be a solution for Canucks, who need a true third-line center, but some wonder if he’s the best place to be using the little cap flexibility Vancouver has. A Roslovic signing would take up much of the $3.2 million available to add to the roster. Can the Canucks work the math out on Roslovic? At this stage of free agency, it’s about finding value in overlooked talent. Roslovic likely won’t be a dynamic top producer, but he has value. The question is if Vancouver can make the math work. He could provide reliable depth scoring, but is that where the money should go? Some believe the Canucks would be better served by taking a bigger swing. On his own, Roslovic likely doesn’t move the Canucks into contender status.
New Third Base Trade Options For Yankees Emerge
The Rolling Stones knew what they were talking about while belting out "You Can't Always Get What You Want." It's very possible New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will find himself humming that tune ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline. The Yankees, like several contenders, are shopping for a power-hitting third baseman. Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star slugger Eugenio Suarez sits atop everyone's list. Running a distant second and third are Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and Pittsburgh Pirates Gold Glover Ke'Bryan Hayes. After that, it could be slim pickings. Should Cashman find himself scrambling to make a deal, here are a couple of new names entering the conversation. "Amed Rosario would be a good fit for Yankees," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Monday. "Played a lot of 3B this year. .802 lifetime OPS vs. lefties (.845 this year). Suarez is top target but many would qualify as upgrades." Rosario is hitting .271 with five home runs and 18 RBIs this season for the Washington Nationals. But the nine-year veteran has big-market experience, making his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017. The 29-year-old is making $2 million this season and will be a free agent after the World Series, according to Spotrac. But wait, there's more. "Other possible third-base trade targets include Royals All-Star Maikel Garcia — in theory, Kansas City would have interest in one of the Yankees’ outfielders to play left field for them," The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported Monday. Garcia, who made the American League roster for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, is hitting .291 this season with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. The 25-year-old is in his fourth big-league season and is making almost $775,000 this season, according to Spotrac. Garcia still has four years of arbitration eligibility remaining, so he won't come cheap. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor Yankees Could Land Infielder With World Series MVP Comparison Will Yankees Use Red-Hot Prospect As Trade Bait? Yankees One-Stop Shopping Pirates?
Raiders' Star Details Difference Between Pete Carroll and Antonio Pierce
The Las Vegas Raiders struggled last season. One of their bright spots last season was tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers played out of his mind in his rookie season. Bowers set different records in the National Football League last season and is now considered by many as the best tight end in football. That is something huge for a player who his only entering his second season in the league. Bowers was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Raiders last season and by former head coach Antonio Pierce. That was a huge pick for the Raiders and Bowers can be seen as the best player in his draft class so far. But now Bowers will head into next season with a new head coach. His former coach, Pierce, was only the head coach for one season, and the Raiders decided to move on from him. The Raiders will now turn to veteran head coach Pete Carroll to lead the way for the Silver and Black next season. The Raiders are looking to get things going right away next season, and they felt like Carroll gives them the best chance to win and bring success to the franchise that has been looking to be consistent in winning games. Former head coach Pierce took over as the interim head coach halfway turn the 2023 season, and he showed that the Raiders can play better with him running the show. And heading into last season, there was a lot of excitement about getting the Raiders to be a better team. But Pierce did not have a good season in his first season as a head coach, and it was not good enough to keep him around for his second season. Bowers recently talked about the different coaching styles of Carroll and Pierce. “They’re pretty different, I’d say. AP was awesome. He was a true players' coach. He was always working with us and everything,” Bowers said on Bussin' With The Boys. “But Coach Carroll has a way of bringing everyone together.” It is going to be fun to watch Bowers go back to work next season. We will see what the second-year tight end has in store after his record-breaking rookie year. Bowers will have a much-improved quarterback as well. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and talk to us in 2025 about Bowers and more. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss all Raiders content in 2025.
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