Jaylen Brown Trade AND The 2026 WNBA All Star Starters Dilemma

We debate the 2026 WNBA All-Star starters and why the fan vote can elevate stars while leaving deserving players on the outside. Then we jump into NBA free agency chaos, including the Jalen Brown trade to Philadelphia and what it means for the Celtics, the 76ers, and the title race.
• Breaking down the announced WNBA All-Star starters and why the list mostly makes sense
• Comparing Caitlin Clark and Jackie Young using efficiency, turnovers, and overall impact
• Explaining the WNBA All-Star voting split between fans, players, and media
• Naming potential snubs like Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas and why narratives matter
• Spotlighting Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard, and Gabby Williams
• Reacting to Jalen Brown going to the 76ers and projecting the Maxey-Brown-Embiid fit
• Weighing Celtics consequences, Paul George overlap concerns, and title pressure next season
• Tracking what we still want to see from NBA free agency including LeBron’s decision
Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Also, make sure you're watching WNBA!

Transcript

Welcome And What We Cover

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Trey and as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about some WNBA All-Star voting as well as some 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. So I'm trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. If you wonder where I heard this before, that's because you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, like I said, we're gentlemen over here. Y'all have heard this before. We're gonna keep

WNBA All Star Starters Revealed

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saying it. WNBA goes first. Off top, ladies and gentlemen, right? The season will be commencing yet again from the Commissioner Cup. It has already taken place. So looking forward to she and Shamura Hoops. But we gotta talk about the starters for the WNBA's 2026 All-Star Game. Now they've already listed out the top 10 or the 10 names, so let's go ahead and talk about, shall we? Uh we got Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, Olivia Miles, Paige Beckers, Jessica Shepard, Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart, and Gabby Williams. Now, some of y'all might be a little disappointed at some of these names that I listed off. Ladies and gentlemen, I can actually say I'm not mad at the listing. I'm really not. Could we have swapped some other names out? We sure could have. But I mean, I'm not too mad at the names per se. Like the fever leading with three all-stars. Let's note that again. Right? They they they've been doing their thing. Shout out to Aaliyah Boston, who is leading her team, by the way, in win chairs. No, I'm sorry. That's Kelsey

Jackie Young Case Over Caitlin Clark

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Mitchell. Oh. Notice how I ain't saying Caitlin Clark. So if we if we do gotta remove someone, Caitlin Clark could be looking to be the first to go. That's interesting. You know, everybody's numbers are there to be clear. We're just trying to figure out how to differentiate between one all-star versus another. And I'm not saying these women don't deserve the all-star nod or starter nod. Saying there could be some other names. Like, all right, let's let's let's use Jackie Young from the Aces, okay? Jackie has been playing pretty daggone well this season, right? 17 points for rounding up, two 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, and only 2.1 turnovers. And keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, she's shooting 45% from the field, 39% from three, and 93% from the free throw line. Now, if you want to compare that to Caitlin Clark, we got 21, 4 and 8, right? Now, you got 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks. So we're comparable with Jackie. The scoring is up, but the efficiency is down, right? 43% from the field, 34% from three, 85% from the free throw line. So again, I think there's a world where Jackie Young, despite having almost like a four-point delta in points, I think it's safe to say she could have gotten the nod over Caitlin Clark. Again, we're talking about seven assists to two turnovers. And Caitlin's giving you eight assists to four point six turnovers. Things like that genuinely do matter. Now, again, the fan voting is probably what helped Caitlin Clark and Aaliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell get this starter vibe, uh get this starter

How WNBA All Star Voting Works

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vibe. Keep in mind, right, the fans actually account for 50% of the vote, ladies and gentlemen. You gotta remember that. Okay? And then you got the current players and the media panel each accounting for 25. So that's 100 across the board, right? 50% going to the fan voting, 25% going to the current players, and 25% going towards the media. So it's three different entities voting for these slots. And I'm very curious what what kept someone like Jackie Young out of contention? Was it media fatigue, maybe? Maybe we're tired of seeing the aces really thriving out here from a player perspective. Maybe we're trying to hype up the legacy of these aces. Or when we talk about starters, oh well, Asia hasn't played with an all-star starter, but you know, Paige Becker's is, oh, well, Caitlin Clark is. Okay, well, I hear you on that. I do. Or, or, or Nafisa Collier got two all-star starters on her team. They're supposed to get to the contest. I I hear those notions. I do. But again, ladies and gentlemen, what really takes Jackie Young out of the running? I think it was the fan votes. Personally. And that's not a slight at the other women who did make it, to be clear. That's just saying our fans, they gotta start turning it up. Like, again, Alyssa Thomas, right? 15 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.9 turnovers. All right, cool. That's a little high, but again, 8.4 assists. We're talking about a two to one assist turnover ratio, ladies and gentlemen. And I think there's a world where actually that's better than Jessica Shepherd's. Now, Shep has been playing some good basketball, to be clear. Alright? 14 points, 12 assists, five, I mean, 12 rebounds, five assists, 0.7 steals, no blocks, 1.7 turnovers. That's pretty good as well, too. But if we want to look at Jessica versus Alyssa, I think the thing that helps Jessica out is the fact that, well, she's her team is a little bit higher than what we anticipated. And mind you, Alyssa's team, the Mercury, they've been injured for sure, but they're a little lower. So, ladies and gentlemen, I do think that some of these ladies could be viewed as a starter, and some of them couldn't. Like, it's it's it's again going down to the fan voting, and I know for a fact the fever, the fever fans did their jobs. Now, it's looking like here the Lynx fans did their job. It looks like the Wings fans did their job. Tip of the cap. And I don't know how you don't allow Asia nor Brianna Stewart to be in the starting lineup. You know what I mean? Like that there's just certain things that have to happen. Like if Nafisa Collier were on the floor this season, she probably would have been a starter this season. I'm assuming. I think it's safe to assume that, right? So again, ladies and gentlemen, there are just things that are supposed to happen. But overall, I'm not necessarily mad at the starters. Again, Olivia Miles

Snubs And Why The Starters Fit

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has been playing like an MVP this entire season. And again, that's without Nafisa Collier. She gotta get some love. Natasha Howard, she's basically took over the role and responsibility of Nafisa Collier offensively and defensively. She's been the leading rebounder on the team. She might be like number two in terms of scoring, or possibly even number one, ladies and gentlemen. And that's nothing to scoff at because I just talked about Olivia Miles. They got Courtney Williams. They got Courtney, they got Taylor McBuckins. Like, ladies and gentlemen, the fact that she's doing what she's doing speaks volumes. And it just highlights that when the Feast of Collier really gets back, their team just about be star-studded, quality, talent across the board. But again, Natasha Howard has been playing some really good basketball, ladies and gentlemen. To the point that we may have to throw her in the de-point conversations for sure. Somebody may try to make an argument that she's most improved. Even though Shep's been playing some good basketball. So someone might be able to try to say she's most improved. And again, I understand why she's a starter because what she's giving 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks on 61% from the field. Don't worry about the three-pointers. I'm just saying, bro. That's like you know what I mean? Like that's not bad numbers at all, ladies and gentlemen. And again, her team is number one. And that was without their best player expectation wise coming into the season. Again, Paige Beckers, I've already talked about Paige and Spades, ladies and gentlemen. So you already know what she's doing. She's a hooper 50-40-90 caliber type player. She's what 6% from the free throw line away from doing that, and like 0.7% from the three-point line from doing the 50-40-90 club. I'm just saying. I've already talked about Jessica Shepard and what she's doing, looking a little so Sabonis-like. I'm not gonna say Nicola Yogi, like looking a little Sabonis-like, if you will. And again, getting to the starter spot, could she have been taken out? Sure. But she's been hooping this well. She's been hooping. Gabby Williams. People might try to say, let's take out Gabby. If you're looking at the numbers, right? Maybe you have an argument. Remember, I told y'all Jackie Young was given what 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks. Cool. Gabby given 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 steals, 2 a 0.2 blocks. Like it's a little bit different. Because Gabby's also gotten her team third in the standings. Like she is easily the best player on her team. And yet you can say, well, Dag, Jackie is what, second on her team and given better numbers than Gabby. Heard you. But again, Gabby's team isn't as renowned as the Aces are. Like the Aces have a machine that's ran pretty smoothly, if you will. The Valkyries are trying to figure stuff out still. So again, the fact that the Valkyries are number three, have gone to be number three seed in the standings, as high as number three seed, nobody was expecting that. So again, I understand why Gabby Williams is a starter. It's just tough to see someone like Jackie Young not a starter. Or Alyssa Thomas not a starter. I get it too. I can understand it. And again, especially when you think about fan voting as well. Especially when, you know, Alyssa did just hit Caitlin Clark. That might not have helped her out a little bit. That might not have. Because again, fans be voting, so you gotta note that. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, again, I don't really have a gripe or issue with the All-Star starters for the WNBA this upcoming season. Could we have made some changes? Sure. I don't have a gripe. And I'm looking forward to seeing this season because we get to see, and I've been talking about these girls, Olivia, Paige, and Caitlin. We get to see a new era being issued in, right? I love that. Can't wait to see it. So again, the starters, we locked in. Let's wait and see who the reserves are gonna be, because that's really gonna help out some arguments for sure. But everybody who's talking about, oh, well, Caitlin doesn't have a better team, or oh, Asia has, you know, a lot of some of these, some of these narratives are gonna be, or at least they're gonna try to change some of these narratives around over the next couple weeks. So I'll be looking forward to seeing how these how the rest of these rosters are gonna shake

NBA Free Agency Turns Personal

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out. But uh, we're gonna stay tuned and we're gonna now switch it over from the WNBA, ladies and gentlemen, to the NBA. Because I just need to say this real quick. Again, NBA free agency, it I told you all, it can be a little heartbreaking, it can be frustrating, irritating. All the eightings. I'll tell you right now, the fact that my Lakers could not get Jalen Brown, heartbreaking. Like Jalen Brown was traded. Let me say this again.

Jalen Brown To Philly Changes Everything

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Jalen Brown was traded, and he was traded to the 76ers. Like, I don't know who has been deeming Paul George as valuable as he has been, but Paul George has been getting hey man, listen, Paul Paul George has been in some trades. Alright, he has been in some sizable trades right now. The one for SGA that brought dividends. This 76ers one, I think, is gonna bring some dividends as well, too. Because the 76ers now have Maxie, Jalen Brown, and Joel Embiid. And if everybody's healthy, I think they got the player that they needed to go win a championship. Keep in mind they had the talent to do so last season. And I think now losing PG and losing Kelly Ubre, you still have some wonderful players on this team. Now I think a couple things you may want to add are like some more wings, right? Like I love VJ Edgecomb. I do. His athleticism is ridiculous, dumb, stupid, right? Like it's all that. He's a quality young talent. Rookie season was phenomenal. I hate the fact that it's just gonna be VJ and Jalen. Like, I love, like, don't me wrong, Dean Wade is cool. Like, we saw him from what, the Cavs. He was alright. He can stretch the floor a little bit, and that's what the that's what the 76ers are gonna need. They're gonna need somebody to stretch the floor out, especially because Maxi can shoot the 3-2, VJ can shoot the ball, Jalen can shoot the ball, but also they're putting all these shooters around Joel Embiid. So again, we got to start off with Joel Embiid's health, but you have a finals MVP. You have someone who's been a proven, who's had a proven success record, and it's not just because he was part of a good organization. The Jalen Brown has been improving every time he has entered, every season he has been in the league. He has. That's just a fact. It's subjective when I'm about to say this, but I think Jalen Brown was better than Jason Tatum. Talent-wise, I think JT had more natural talent. JB, I think, worked a little harder. And it showed in his play, again, JT has more natural talent. JB arguably delivered more. JT was forced to be the Celtics face of the league. Like he was forced by media to be the player that the Celtics fan were supposed to love and admire and rock behind. But keep in mind, again, Jalen Brown won finals MVP. Jalen Brown is the VP, at least one of them, of the M of the National Basketball Players Association. Like Jalen Brown is pretty daggone smart, and he's an intelligent guy. So when we're talking about on the court and off the court, intangibles, a lot of these things lean Jalen Brown for me. If we're looking at comparison, I think JT is like T Mac, and I think JB is like Kobe. J to be clear, T Mac had more natural talent than Kobe. Kobe worked harder. You could even try to make the narrative that T Mac was more marketable than Kobe. Like Kobe was more marketable because he was on the Lakers and he won with Shaq. But if it's just Mano Imano coming out the gates, I don't know. Maybe you can have that discussion. Maybe. But again, I think of this similar situation between Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. And I think the Celtics are going to be really upset with themselves for losing Jalen Brown. Not saying they should have traded Jason Tatum. They should have kept the two together because they were already successful with those two. You trying to trade JB. I get it, for Giannis, I still wouldn't have tried to trade him. I still would have kept in person because you've already won a championship before. You've already proven you can do it with these two. Tweak the roster, if anything, not change the core. And that's what they did. I think they're going to regret that. I think Jalen Brown is going to flourish with these 76ers, barring injuries. Like they have balance. Point guard, Tyrese Maxie. Tyrese Maxi played at an all-NBA caliber level this season. He even played in the MVP caliber level. Jalen Brown, similar thing. Matter of fact, there was a world where JB could have won MVP this season. And Joel Embiid, when he did play, he was still giving you 30 balls. Like he's still just got to be healthy. That's his biggest knock. But hey, guess what? Now you have two guys who you can pass the ball off to. And now Joel Embiid can just sit back and heal up. Because we already saw what Tyrese Maxi was able to do just last season with the 76ers and keep them afloat. We saw what Jalen Brown was able to do without his running mate. Now you mean to tell me JB has two other running mates on the team and he's still in the East. I think the 76ers are going to benefit greatly from this. So if we want to talk about who won this trade, I think the 76ers actually won the trade. Don't get me wrong, Paul George was snapping. Last season, Paul George was snapping,

Celtics Fallout And Title Pressure

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ladies and gentlemen. To the point that I was like, we might not be able to say pandemic P. But then Buddy got up there and did a 25-day bid or 25-game bid, right? Because he he got caught with them thangs on him. I forget what he was, I forgot what he actually took, apparently, but it was illegal in the NBA's eyes. And he's also getting up there in age two. So don't get me wrong. I think he can compliment Jason Tatum. But now we got to see a little bit more out of JT. And coming off that Achilles injury, I get it, right? He played 20 games and then playoffs. He also had to set out that game seven, though. I gotta remind y'all. So what Jason, what Jason Tatum comes back, are we gonna put too much pressure on Jason Tatum? Does JT need to attack downhill the way JB was doing? Because PG not quite attacking downhill. He was he was more of that skill score. Honestly, hell, him and JT will overlap in terms of roll on the court offensively. Because they both could look pretty dis pretty similar. They really can. So again, ladies and gentlemen, while the trade was cool, I think the 76ers really did win this. And it's gonna be frustrating too for them. Because they're gonna look back and see, dang, we could have, we could have won again or maybe even win multiple championships with Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. And for JB and JT, I'm gonna say this right now. We've been wondering who's the better player. And I think it's gonna come down to the championships end of day. Off top, there's a lot of pressure for players next season to win. And I'm not just talking about a couple games. I'm not talking about having a good regular season, I'm talking about winning title, ladies and gentlemen. Joel Embiid is one of those players. Could arguably say top four in terms of pressure. Luca Doncic is another one. And again, Luca's been saying, Hey, I want this person on my team, I want the Austin Reeves on my team. Heard you. So you essentially got the team that you requested. Maybe not exactly what you requested, but you were we did what you wanted. So there's pressure on you to develop to produce. There's also pressure on Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. Because again, ladies and gentlemen, Jason Tatum needs a title so that way he can get a finals MVP. Jalen Brown needs a title just so that he can say, see, I told you Boston I was better. Y'all lost out. Y'all messed up. So it's really pressure on JT more than there is JB. Because if Jalen Brown wins a championship, the 76ers win a championship before the Celtics do. Matter of fact, what if they face in the Eastern Conference Finals next season? I don't know if that happens from a Celtic standpoint. Celtics gotta improve a little bit, which they have thus far, right? They got Mitchell Robinson, so you got a little help off the bench. Or maybe he'll start. Yeah, I'll wait to see how that looks. But you got Mitchell Robinson, you got Jason Tatum, you got Paul George, you got Baylor Shireman, Derek White. That's an okay little roster. Alright. Mike Conley. Mike keep a job Conley, ladies and gentlemen. Kudos to Mike Conley, too, for staying, staying employed. 20-year career. Buddy like 6'1, not Uber athletic. Shout out to Mike Conley for being a savvy vet. Tell you right now, a lot of people could use Mike Conley on their team. Just keep it a buck with you. But the Boston Celtics, Peyton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser, like Neemus Cada, if a couple people make a couple jumps, alright, sure, maybe the Celtics can get back to the conference finals. But what happens if the 76ers face the Celtics again? And the 76ers beat the breaks off the Celtics and then win a championship. I bet you money that'll be Jalen Brown's favorite season all time. I promise you. Like, bro, the fact that he really got traded because he was excited that this was his favorite season and he saw what he could do by himself. The fact that he got traded for that, bro, it's disgusting work, man. I I I I hate Celtics, and I'm already a Lakers fan. We're not supposed to like y'all. I'm just disgusting in what y'all have done. It's really pissed poor. The only good thing about it is the fact that y'all gave us something to talk about over this weekend. I'm telling you that right now. That's the only good thing that came about this. Because, ladies and gentlemen, again, I'm disappointed in the Celtics, and I'm excited for the 76ers.

LeBron Watch Plus Closing Questions

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Because as of right now, we're gonna wait for NBA free agency. But as of right now, 76ers could be a favorite to win the title next season. But let's wait and see what happens because we got a lot more free agency to witness. So definitely stay tuned. Braun still ain't chosen the squad yet. And what if he goes to the Cavs? What if he go to the Wizards? That may be a little into the Sante. He got a couple of options for sure. He could spin the block and go back to the heat. That'd be some heat right there. He got a couple options. Or what if he goes to the Pistons? I'm just saying, we got a couple options. So we're gonna wait and see what happens with free agency. But ladies and gentlemen, I told y'all not to get too excited, not to get too upset. Because if you if I were really to be upset, I'd be pissed off that my Lakers, I'm sorry, that the Lakers, because we have not been making enough moves for me to keep saying mine. So the Lakers, aka former my Lakers, we ain't been doing enough. So yeah, I should be a little more upset, flabbergasted, annoyed, perturbed, everything. Every word, every synonym to bed that you can think of, mad that you can think of, I should be that. And I ain't coming off like that, because again, it's a lot of free agency. It's a lot of free agency. So maybe, maybe, yeah, we're not gonna win. Let me stop being optimistic. Let me get off this channel right fast. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So again, who are you, who are you liking for the WNBA starters? Or better question, who do you not like as a WNBA starter? Do you feel like one of the ten did not be are not deserving of so? Should somebody else have been listed as a starter? I'm curious are your thoughts. And then how do you feel about NBA free agency thus far? Right? Are you cool with it? Matter of fact, because and I gotta say this too, as analysts, we gotta chill out on some of these comments that we've made. Like I know Stephen A. Smith said, you know, my Lakers aren't gonna be able to win with an all-white cast. To be clear, yeah, we got four black people on team, and they'll probably be looking to defending more often than not, right? Like those will be the energy guys, the glue guys, the hustle guys. And I don't think we that competitive. It has nothing to do with us having a white roster or the or the or the majority of our starters being white. It has nothing to do with that at all. It has nothing to do with our big three being quote unquote white. Like it has nothing to do with that. We just don't have the talent. Like put our big three up. Jalen Brown, Tyrese Maxie, Joel and B. Then you got Luka Donczyk, Austin Reeves, Walker Kessler. We're getting dog walked right there. I'm telling you that right now, ladies and gentlemen. It has nothing to do with skin color. It has everything to do with the athletes hitting the floor. And our athletes just aren't right. I didn't say white, I said right. So again, ladies and gentlemen, I just had to make that public service announcement. But outside of that, what do you like about free agency? What do you not like about free agency? What's the biggest thing you waiting to see this free agency still to occur? I'm curious what you thoughts. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, like I said, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Kid the Bucket. Also, make sure you're watching WNBA. Hope you all are having a good one, though. Take care.