Bron and Kawhi GONE?! AND Commissioner’s Cup Recap!

We break down the latest WNBA standings, why the Golden State Valkyries’ rise feels real, and what it could mean for Gabby Williams in the MVP race. Then we react to the Liberty winning the Commissioner’s Cup, grade the Aces’ key performances without A’ja Wilson, and pivot to early NBA free agency storylines that could reshape contenders. 

• WNBA standings check and why the Valkyries at No. 3 matters 
• Gabby Williams MVP case if Golden State stays top tier 
• Commissioner’s Cup result and what changes without A’ja Wilson and Satou Sabally 
• Jackie Young’s 31-point statement and what it reveals about the Aces 
• Concerns around Chelsea Gray’s decision-making night and Jewel Loyd’s efficiency 
• Liberty depth, lineup versatility, and what the expansion draft could take from them 
• Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart rhythm as a championship signal 
• Pauline Astier as a rookie swing factor off the bench 
• Jonquel Jones matchups and the looming A’ja return question 
• NBA free agency reactions: LeBron rumors, Marcus Smart to Houston, Kawhi to Toronto, Wizards valuing assets, Suns fit with Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks 

Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who’s anyone one about the WNBA and two about my show 

Transcript

Welcome And What’s On Deck

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show, it's the favorite show get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about the WNBA Commissioner Cup game, plus a little bit of the stand-ins, as well as NBA free agency. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment tell anyone who's anyone about the show. I'm trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you heard this before, okay, you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, y'all know how this goes. We're gonna let the ladies go first. We're gentlemen, right?

WNBA Standings And Valkyries Surge

SPEAKER_00 0:31

So WNBA standings so far. We have as follows Minnesota Lynx, number one, Las Vegas Aces, number two, Golden State Valkyrie's number three, Atlanta Dream, number four, New York Liberty, number five, Dallas Wings, number six, Indiana Fever, number seven, Washington Mystics, number eight. Everybody else, you know, thank you for trying hard. Now, off top, I just gotta say, I'm not surprised my sparks aren't in here, right? Like we've already stated that, you know, Kelsey, speed recovery. But these eight teams, pretty spectacular, pretty good. Mystics back into the playoff hunt. Honestly, I don't think too much has really changed since the last time we've talked. The main difference is the Golden, yeah, yeah, the Golden State Valkyries are number three right now. Like that's pretty spectacular. Yeah, they're moving up a little bit. They're moving up a little bit for sure. Kudos. They actually have the second best point differential currently, at least, in the WNBA. Yeah, they have knocked down some teams. That's wild. Could the Golden State Valkyries go far this season? Could they surprise some folk more than what they surprised them last season? Gabby Williams for the MVP. Tell you right now, if the Golden State Valkyrie remain top three, Gabby Williams gotta be MVP. Because we expect at least more from the Lynx than we did the Valkyries coming into the season. Same with the Aces. Same with the Dream, same with the Liberty. And if they're right in the thick of things, I think you got to put MV MVP considerations for Gabby Williams. So let's let's wait and see. I've already talked about the standings last week, so you know if you want to get my thoughts on it, we can go ahead and have y'all listen to last week's episode.

Commissioner’s Cup Missing Key Stars

SPEAKER_00 2:13

But this week, ladies and gentlemen, we did have something spectacular take place. The Commissioner Cup Championship. All right, it was a fi it was a alright, it was cool. I'm gonna say it was cool. I was gonna try to put a whole bunch of words to it. No, it was cool. Hear me out. The reason why I say it's cool and only cool, because we did not get a chance to see Asia Wilson play, nor Satu Sabali play in this game. Now, it was interesting to note a few things, but yeah, you know, those injuries did hurt personally. Now, the score was 93 to 85. The New York Liberty ended up winning. Keep in mind the Liberty are they're the first organization to win three Commissioner Cup championships, right? Brianna Stewart ended up winning Commissioner Cup MVP Award. She was the first to win multiple. That's cool. And again, the Liberty did so without Satu Sabley. And the Aces played well despite not having Asia Wilson. Off top, we got to talk about the Aces, right? Jackie

Aces Grades Jackie Shines Others Fade

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Young, she proved she's an all-W NBA caliber player, MVP talent, right? I've been said that before, we're just gonna say it again. 31 points, ladies and gentlemen. She really turned up. But again, seven assists, two steals, only two turnovers, top quality. Like Jackie Young did not the aces would not be in this game if Jackie Young did not turn up. And keep in mind, it in terms of production, she did her job without question. Like she showed up. Other people did not show up. And we're gonna talk about it. Kennedy Carter. She showed up. She might have is she the third best player on the team? We got Asia, right? We got Jackie. We know they two top dogs. But Kennedy, the way she be playing when she's on the court, there's a discussion to be had. Like she's uh she's easily the best player off the bench, which we got two players to talk about, ladies and gentlemen, why those two statements I just made about Kennedy should be somewhat disrespectful to those two players. But Kennedy has been playing phenomenal this season. So, I mean, like I said, I've told you all she's gonna be sixth woman of the year, especially if she if she keeps playing, keeps hooping at this level. We could be talking about Kennedy as part of the Ace's big three. Now, you know, when playoff hits, we expect players like Chelsea Gray to snap, but right now, Kennedy playing some really good basketball. And that's why I said it's gonna be really offensive to one of these players when I mention Kennedy as the third best player. Because Chelsea Gray, come on now. You know what I'm saying? The point guard. We're trying to figure out if it's an off-night for her or if this was a trend. And I'm talking about specifically without Asia Wilson. Because she scored seven points, three of 12 from the field. But here was the thing for me: seven assists to five turnovers, no steals, no blocks, no nothing. That's tough. That's tough. Chelsea, that was an off-night for you. On decision making and scoring, I wanted to see a little bit better. And this is you maybe as like a second option role. Because I mean, coming into the game, I'm sure we're thinking about Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Yes, focusing on Kennedy Carter, but in terms of big two dynamic duo, people are probably gonna look at them two first. So this is this was a little eye-catching for me, just a little bit. As well as Jewel Lloyd. I'm gonna throw some blame around, don't get me wrong, because it seems like you've fallen off a clip. I know when you were on the storm, right? You got to go shot happy. Efficiency wasn't quite your game, but dang, this is a two of nine from the field, one of seven from three. You have more games than you have two, you have too many of these type of games. Now, what does help out is three steals. Defensively, you are there. I'll give you that. But I would love to see Jewel Lloyd turning around. Because right now, this Jewel Lloyd looks tough. Like I told you all, off the bench, which is what her and Kennedy Carter will be doing. But Kennedy is easily outproducing Jewel Lloyd. Easily. And that's crazy to say because Jewel Lloyd, again, used to be a WNBA All-Star. She used to be viewed as one of them players. Like she called the Gold Mamba. That was the nickname. Now, I don't know. That's looking a little tough. So the Aces, overall, y'all might have actually helped out Asia in terms of perception. Because right now we're looking at the Aces like, okay, well, they do have some things to tighten up with, and maybe Asia does have a lot more responsibilities than what people realize. But keep in mind, too, ladies and gentlemen, it's it's it's it's not that glaring because also it was just one game, right? And the Liberty are a fairly deep team, and we know how much impact Asia Wilson actually brings to this team. Well, she has about 20, let's say 24 points, right? 11 rebounds, a couple assists, a couple steals, like one point something steals, maybe 2.2 blocks. That's what she's bringing on a nightly basis. Yeah, that's gonna, that's gonna be felt. Especially against a team like the Liberty. Now keep in mind, I said this earlier, for the Liberty, we gotta figure out if they're gonna win a title. Because this is the only team. The Aces mean. The Aces are the only team, and this was in 2022, to win both Commissioner Cup title and championship in the same season. Only team. Everybody else has not, I was about to say not come close, but some teams did come close. Like the Liberty won it and then lost it in the finals. You know what I'm saying? Like, we've seen stuff like that. The the it happens. The Lynx won Commissioner Cup champion and then lost it in the finals. So it happens. But the thing that I pointed out for these, a couple of these Liberty, a couple things.

Liberty Depth And Expansion Draft Stakes

SPEAKER_00 8:19

One, no, Satu Sabali, no problem. Now keep in mind it got a little dicey at one point in time. But Satu Sabali is somebody who can guard Asia Wilson. I'm not saying stop Asia Wilson. I'm talking, I said guard Asia Wilson. Mobility, that's something that Satu has, but also she can stretch the floor out. She can attack the basket if need be. We can do a little bit of playmaking. So, ladies and gentlemen, not having Satu Saboli, just imagine this lineup right quick. Sabrina Ionescu, Satu Sabali, Leone Feebish, Brianna Stewart, Jean Quell Jones. We're talking about four players off top with who are 6'4 plus. Like, Sabrina Ianescu is like 5'11. Yeah, that's a very versatile team that people are not going to want to see. Not at all. I'm sorry. So that's when that happens, like when Satsu comes into form, especially when everybody's cooking, oh my gosh, the Liberty are going to be disgusting work. Also, you got to think about the expansion draft coming up, right? Whoever is taking from the Liberty is going to be so happy. You can get potentially Banajaline Hamilton, Pauline Astier, Maureen Johannes, or Rebecca Gardner. Those are all four quality players that any team would love to have on their team as a starter right now. Like a lot of teams. So using these teams as using these players as building blocks, oh, that's going to be spectacular. Maybe same thing with anybody who picks from the Aces, but specifically from the Liberty, because they're fairly deep. I'm telling you that right now. Also, not trying to get too far ahead of the season rec. I do want to enjoy the season. Sabrina Ionescu and Brianna Stewart, are they hitting their stride? Because ladies and gentlemen, they just they both scored 20 plus points, which keep in mind, I did a little research. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but apparently they're 9-0 when they both scored 20 plus. Now that that 9-0 seems a little bit low. Like I can understand the zero, but the nine, I could have sworn every thought it would have been a little higher. That's just me, though. But Stewie with 25 points, and Sabrina with 26 points, fairly efficient. I'm not mad at it. I'm not mad at them at all. And that's what they're going to need, especially to win the championship. Again, they have depth. But you could tell that the Liberty were losing just a little bit when they were out of the game. Granted, again, no Satu. And we weren't making it easy for John Quell. We weren't trying to space the floor out and let John Quell eat. But overall, we do know that Sabrina and Stewie are the head dogs on this team. So when they're scoring, when they're getting 20, yeah, that's very important. So you kind of need that personally. But that's obvious too, though, correct? We can say that about any stars.

Pauline Astier’s Rookie Moment

SPEAKER_00 11:12

A person who I think needs to really get a little focus on is Pauline Astier. Because keep in mind, Pauline, one, they have a bunch of players. I already listed them off for the players in the expansion draft, right? But Pauline actually has been showing that she's pretty good. And I don't think it's just because she's on the Liberty, ladies and gentlemen. Like she's actually performing. Like she was driving, hitting tough defended shots, hitting tough shots in key moments. Like, don't get me wrong. Like, even if you're open, you still gotta knock down that shot. And Pauline is showing she can do that, plus have good decision making, ladies and gentlemen. Like she can run the point guard while Sabrina Ian SQ is either on the floor or off the floor. Or you can put Pauline off ball and she can still perform. I actually like Pauline. And again, she's a rookie, ladies and gentlemen. A lot of times people overlook rookies. And I'm telling you right now, I'm not overlooking Pauline. If I'm a team, I'm seriously considering taking Pauline off the Liberty's hands. Like she is looking pretty spectacular. I'm not saying Caruso, but I loved, I used to love the situation where we had Lonzo Ball and then Caruso as a backup point guard. And I love Pauline as a backup point guard because she can also close a game if need be. The Liberty have so much depth, and they just got to choose which one, which player is hooping that particular night. Commissioner Cup Championship, it was Pauline. She was playing well, she was getting a bucket. It makes me wonder what is her ceiling. Could she ever be an all-star? Could she ever be an all-WNBA caliber player? I am curious about that part. It's still early. But again, Pauline. She was busting some folks as TA. And finally, ladies and gentlemen, uh, we gotta talk about John Quel

Jonquel Jones And The A’ja Problem

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Jones, okay? Because, like I said, no Asia Wilson. And it's not like John Queel had the best night offensively. Defensively, she was cool with two blocks. Can she manage versus Asia Wilson? Like, is she gonna be able to dominate if Asia comes into the game? Because again, she's not like she dominated during the game, but she also didn't need to, right? Also, I don't think her team put her up for success in the moments that she was on the floor when Stewie and Sabrina weren't on the floor. So when Asia comes back, again, you're gonna have to be able to stretch the floor out. You have to. So can you knock down those shots? Can you get a bucket the way we need you to while also playing defense? I said earlier that Satu Sabley can guard Asia Wilson, but they also have a plethora of people to throw at Asia. You can put Leone Phoebe on her, you can put Brianna Stewer on there. You're gonna have to be able to put, though, John Quell Jones on Asia Wilson. When we're talking about stockiness and Gurf, John Quell's the only one that can probably match her weight for weight, pound for pound. Satu is like the closest one, but again, Satou's she got some strength to her. Asia might be a little stronger. So we're looking at John Quell to be able to guard Asia, but also force Asia to step out and guard you. Now that allows your other players to be able to attack the basket a little more carefree. Because their rim protector is now gone. Yeah, you still got Melissa Smith and you got Shane Parker Tiz. I hear you, all that good stuff. But you're removing a depoy player away from the basket. That's gonna be very valuable. So again, I'm looking at John Quell Jones that she's gonna be able to manage when Asia does return. Because again, I cannot stress this enough. Asia Wilson did not play. I'm not blaming you for not scoring the ball the way you should have, but to be fair, it's not like you had the best stats now. One of six from the field, oh of four from three. Luckily, you hit your free throws and you were still aggressive. But ladies and gentlemen, I do want to see a little bit more out of John Quell. But you know, again, overall, both these teams show that they're gonna be phenomenal. And I kind of hope that we see them in the in the finals. I kind of do. Like there's some other teams I'd like to see too. Now, don't get me wrong. The Dream could make it, the Lynx can make it. I'd be interested. But Aces versus Liberty, I do think that would be spectacular to watch for sure. Especially if the Liberty ended up winning, then we could talk about them as the only team that really had beaten the Aces in their championship run. And I was going to make an argument for Stewie and Asia as the GOATs. It's good conversations for sure to talk about in the future. But as of right now, ladies and gentlemen, like I said, that was the that was the Commissioner Cup championship game. It's pretty spectacular. And we at least know, barring injury, these two teams will go to the second round in the WNBA playoffs. Now, we talked about the ladies, right?

NBA Free Agency Gets Messy

SPEAKER_00 16:05

We're gonna talk about the men right face. NBA free agency. I told y'all, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna be a little wild. Okay. LeBron, for example, we're gonna start it off the cuff. R. Ray's saying he's not gonna come back to my Lakers. Now, on one hand, I'm happy. On the other hand, I'm ecstatic. Where he's gonna go now. He can go to a couple places, and he said that he's basing this off of not money, but titles. Like his championship aspiration. He's still trying to win a championship. Like everyone should, to be clear. So I'm curious where he's gonna go. Also, should I be happy? Because as I think about it, yeah, my Lakers don't have to pay that man 53Ms no more. But who we gonna pay? Who's gonna be available? Oh, we got that's another sketch for another day. But following this LeBron James timeline, this activity, it's gonna be interesting. Also, what happens with Bronny? Oh, wow, that's crazy. Does Bronny get more tick now or get any tick now with the Lakers? I'll be waiting to

Marcus Smart Joins Houston’s Mix

SPEAKER_00 17:11

see that one. Also, we lost Marcus Smart. That was crazy. That was a little tough. I thought he was gonna be able to, I thought we were gonna be able to keep him. It is what it is, though. He went to the Rockets. That's gonna be interesting. The team that he beat, he really auditioned for them. I get it. And you know what? That's a nice and smart signing by the Rockets. Because he can be that vocal leader, that vet that they need in addition to Fred Van Fleet to help out, keep the young boys and maybe Kevin Durant in check. Let's see what happens, though, because I think too Kevin Durant and Shen Gun could be on the outs potentially. They at least the Rockets seem to be willing to trade them at least. So let's see what happens with that. But they're not they're not off to a bad start, the Rockets meeting with the acquisition of Marcus Smart. My Lakers, eh. But let's see what happens with Braun. Let's see where he goes. We'll find out. Speaking

Kawhi Returns To Toronto Narrative

SPEAKER_00 17:58

of LA still, the Clippers, they traded Kawhi to the Raptors. So like they really just boomerang back. You know what? This could be the best NBA narrative. I'm talking about the giant killer returning to the team where he dethroned the Warriors. I understand they didn't have Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson eventually got injured. He was viewed, he has been viewed as the giant killer. I think his pairing with Scotty Barnes is going to be spectacular. Scotty's going to benefit both offensively and defensively. I always said that, not always, I've said that Scotty Barnes has top 10 NBA potential. And I think Kawhi is going to help bring that out a little bit out of Scotty. I can't wait to see this for now. Oh my gosh, ladies and gentlemen. Scotty can, Scotty can defend, right? He can stop someone from getting a bucket for sure, but he can also get a bucket himself. But now being paired with Kawhi, I think he's going to be able to get a new elevated offense. Especially over time. I'm not talking about right away, but definitely over time. So I'm looking for Scotty over the future to be one of them dogs that we can talk about in the NBA. I'm really looking forward to that, ladies and gentlemen. Also, is Kawhi's investigation like looming over their heads? Like, can someone let me know what happened, please? Because I'm still curious. Like, what's going on over there? Is that the reason why the Clippers let him go? Look, we just want to get rid of him and not even worry about it. Like, let me know somebody. I miss that Memo, if so. Like, it'd be crazy too if he gets a suspension after winning a championship. That's all I'm saying. That'd be really smooth. But that's enough about the Clippers, because they now out of relevancy, once again. The

Wizards Pass On Anthony Davis Talks

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Wizards are apparently shunning away Anthony Davis trades. This is real quick. I just wanted to say I never thought I was going to see the Wizards making smart business decisions. They're valuing their assets. And I, you know, there could be a conversation to be had of should they, right? Because of Anthony Davis' injury history. I think it's very smart of them to value their assets. Kudos. You keep you kept the number one pick in AJ Anise, DeBonsa, right? You prioritizing Anthony Davis. You signed Trey Young to a four-year deal. You could have maybe got him for three years. See what happens. You know, a tray contract, because, you know, trade means three. But overall, Wizards, kudos. You finally doing something right and smart. Like, good stuff. A for effort. We'll see about the result.

Suns Add Miles Bridges And Fit Questions

SPEAKER_00 20:28

And then finally, ladies and gentlemen, the Phoenix Suns, they got Miles Bridges, right? Here's my question. How is the Dylan Brooks and Miles Bridges duo gonna look? Like, don't get me wrong. I already understand that D Book is the star of the team, right? He's the engine that's gonna be driving this team. Jalen Green, you hope, does not. Right? Like maybe he shook off the Russ after last season coming back. You hope. But Dylan and Miles, I actually do kind of like them as a pair. No, I do. Like, I really, truly do. They can get you 15 a game, do a little defense, get you some quality rebounds, a little bit of playmake. Like Justin Smidge, they can at least pass the ball. But again, they're both good defenders who can score two-way player, two-way forwards. And that's what the Suns will need if they want to go a little further in the playoffs. Now, again, I don't expect them to go far, but we got to wait and see what happens, right? Like, currently they're missing a point guard. Yes, I know Devin Booker can play point guard. They missing the point guard. Like, if they can bring Jalen Green off the bench, that would be spectacular. Because then in the fourth quarter, alright, now Devin Booker can play point guard. But let D Book eat during the game, get his flow. Now he can play ISO game, but still run the floor, run the team. And you got players like Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, Dylan Brooks, all wheeling scores. Space the floor out. And then also, will Mark Williams or Kamen Malawatch step up at center? One of them needs to be able to do so. And it's crazy because Mark is supposed to be the guy who can do the job. Now, granted, you know, he's an older player. Both of them came from Duke, you know, they can't, they got good stock. They come from good stock. But Mark, you gotta step up because you're in the same class, draft class at least, that Chet was in. We remember seeing you. What were you? I know you at least played against Chet when he was at Gonzaga. So we do got a little bit of expectation of you because you are the older player. And you showed some promise, some talent back then. You could stretch the floor out with a little mid-range. The three, or at least the form for the three, seemed workable. Malawats, you know, it was okay. But I need him to increase his strength up. But one of you two needs to step up for the sun. But this trade of Dylan Brooks and Miles Bridges, I think it'll I think that pairing is actually gonna be able to be work. It's gonna work. And I ain't gonna lie to you, I think it's gonna be entertaining. I really truly do. It's like the rowdy boys on the on the Mighty Ducks team. I can see some some sort of version of

Final Thoughts And Listener Questions

SPEAKER_00 23:21

that. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, let me know your thoughts about the NBA free agency so far. Do you like it? Do you not like it? I'm curious. But yeah, that does conclude the end of the episode, ladies and gentlemen. Like I said, we talked about the WNBA standings, the Commissioner Cup games, as well as the NBA free agency. So I'm curious, what are your thoughts so far on the WNBA standings? Is there a team that's surprising you? Is there a team that's disappointing you? And then also the Commissioner Cup game, what did you take away from it? What did you what did you see that was surprising? That's what I want to know from you. And then also from the NBA Free Agency, was there anything that we talked about that caught you off guard that you didn't like? I want to know your thoughts. And what are your thoughts about the players in terms of where they should go? Let me know. But like I said, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone one about the WNBA and two about my show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.