Published Jun. 9, 2026at9:00am
The 49ers scrubbed their usual June mandatory minicamp coincidentally just in time avoid the encroaching World Cup mayhem at “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium” — and won’t pop back to life again until late next month for the start of training camp and the dawning of the 2026 season.
But it never surprises me when 49ers conversation dominates even during their sleepiest times, which is generally what happened for this mailbag.
It also helps that 49ers talk helps me avoid spending any time thinking about World Cup coverage, discussion, traffic, security lines, or anything FIFA-related other than plopping the TV on and observing the pageantry and price-gouging from afar.
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Other topics: The Giants’ future, potential Valkyries’ upgrades, and the Warriors’ pending offseason, starting with the June 23-24 NBA draft.
As always, questions were edited for length and clarity.
I sort of cheated on the first one, since the question didn’t come directly from my mailbag prompt — but I have some thoughts, anyway. So let’s go …
Why would any other team bring Brandon Aiyuk in at this point, especially a team like the Commanders who are a young up-and-coming team who should limit the distractions/divas in their locker room? — @bodes89 via X.
If Washington brings in Aiyuk whenever the 49ers finally resolve this interminable situation, it’ll likely be because of two people: general manager Adam Peters, who was with the 49ers when they drafted Aiyuk, and Jayden Daniels, Aiyuk’s close friend and former college quarterback.
They might know a lot more about the motivations behind Aiyuk’s behavior. Or they might only know what we know — Aiyuk is a talented guy they can get as an immensely distressed asset.
Either way, the Commanders are certainly Aiyuk’s desired destination. And I think the main reason John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are stubbornly holding onto his rights months after they declared that he’d never play for them again is that they want to extract some kind of price for allowing Aiyuk to go to the team he’s been campaigning to join for years now — while he’s been under contract to the 49ers. If they can’t get a draft pick, at least they’re burning some time off of Aiyuk’s adjustment to a new team.
It’s been an incredibly odd journey. I won’t speculate on Aiyuk’s mindset other than:
While his odd 2024 negotiations were happening, I thought Aiyuk was growing a bit too pleased with his new social-media fame. There was some logic, of course. The bizarre comments and actions went viral and helped leverage the 49ers into signing him to a four-year, $120-million deal.
But the social-media signaling also became Aiyuk’s entire trolling personality with the 49ers and the world. He loved the attention. In some ways, I think he needed the attention. Which meant that he had to keep going with the hostility and weirdness while shutting down most other forms of communication — and that led him to throw away the money once he got hurt and refused to participate in the 49ers’ rehabilitation schedule.
Mostly, I think, to make sure he stayed viral. And that’s just bizarre.
It’s not hard to diagnose. Call it Social-Media Sickness or Click-Bait Contagion. I’m not saying the 49ers did everything completely correctly in the entirety of this affair, but signing him to a $30-million-a-year deal gave them certain logical presumptions about his willingness to earn that money just by showing up. Which he refused to do.
If I’m the Commanders, this would have me a little worried, whatever he’s been whispering to them. If he quit on a decent team once, he probably can do it again — just for the virality, right?
Aiyuk isn’t famous so much for being a good wide receiver, anymore. He’s famous for being an All-Pro troll and a hypothetically decent football player who’s coming off a major injury. But much more for being a troll.
One thing about Shanahan and (to a lesser extent) Lynch is that they don’t care much about all the things that obsess and enrage everybody else on social media. Which is entirely healthy and wise. At least in comparison to what we’ve seen from Aiyuk for most of two years.
Shanahan and Lynch aren’t in the mood to be pushed around by Aiyuk’s latest digital activities. They’ll keep prolonging this as long as they can, because they’re operating in the real world, not the fake one.
We often hear about the things Brock Purdy is already good at now. However, we don’t hear much about how much better he can be in the long term. Where do you think his potential can top out at? — @GaryFromTheBay via X.
I’m not the only one who has brought up Drew Brees as Purdy’s top-end comp; Purdy himself has suggested he considers Brees a model for his career.
I don’t think Purdy’s going to hit the highs Brees did for so long as a passer. He might come close a few years. It’s just impossible to know if anybody in their mid-20s will get to and stay at that kind of Hall of Fame level into their late-30s and early-40s, the way Brees did.
But Purdy’s mobility adds a dimension that Brees didn’t have. We saw the difference last season between Mac Jones’ struggles under a big pass rush and Purdy’s ability to extend plays and dash for first downs when necessary (though he obviously got snowed under in Seattle in the playoff game, just like any QB would’ve). He’s not Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, but if Purdy can develop in this area a little more, he could maybe make some of the game-turning plays with his legs that Russell Wilson used to.
When Purdy first started playing, I remember they used to call him “dot,” I think, because of how accurate he was. To my eyes he’s less accurate in the last season or so, less often hitting guys in perfect stride anyway. Am I imagining that? — @TheInternet5487 via X.
Why didn’t Purdy look as accurate last season? My short answer is just reciting the 49ers’ wide receivers last season, in order of receptions: Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jordan Watkins.
This, folks, is why Aiyuk was worth $120 million in the first place. Or at least a healthy and off-line Aiyuk was worth it. At his peak, Aiyuk was, by far, the 49ers’ tightest, toughest route-runner; and that high-level skill works perfectly with the best of what Purdy can do. It’s no surprise that most of Purdy’s best “dots” came on passes to Aiyuk, mostly on slant routes over the middle while Aiyuk was at full sprint.
But the last time that happened was during the 2023 season, when Aiyuk put up a career-high 1,342 receiving yards. The 49ers’ top yards by a receiver last season: Jennings with 643, Bourne with 551, and Pearsall with 528.
Also, seven of the 49ers’ 16 interceptions thrown last year came on passes intended for Jennings. That’s a lot.
Purdy just didn’t have guys running into open windows last year. So he had to force more passes. That often doesn’t look or turn out great. And he still completed a career-high 69.4% of his passes and had a 100.5 passer rating, eighth best among qualified quarterbacks.
That’s why the 49ers believe they can get a lot more out of their passing game with three new faces in the WR room — Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and De’Zhaun Stribling.
A football player wearing a helmet and number 13 jersey prepares to throw a football during practice on a grassy field.
The 49ers made big investments in their wide receiver room this offseason to aid quarterback Brock Purdy. |Source: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Will the Giants’ front office/ownership have the stomach to sell at the deadline? Last year was the first reasonable sell at the deadline I could recall. Do you think they will be able to start with pending free agents of note Luis Arráez and Robbie Ray, and potentially take it farther than that? — @ dbheise.bsky.social (opens in new tab) .
I’m not sure how the Giants can logically go farther into a selloff than inevitably moving Arráez and Ray in the next few weeks. Not that they wouldn’t want to get something for Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Tyler Mahle, or Harrison Bader if they could dump those contracts, but … well, who wants those contracts?
The Giants would almost certainly have to put one of their better prospects into any money-slashing deal and that’d be a non-starter for me and probably for them. They have to get more talented and younger, not less talented just to make the future payroll more palatable.
In your mind what is the chance for the Giants to turn it around in a way that does not negatively impact the future? What would it take for them to avoid an offseason filled with blamestorming? — *@* brentley.bsky.social (opens in new tab) .
I won’t spoil my first-ever Giants Scapegoat List, which is pending, but I also have to tip my cap to the “blamestorming” reference. That’s a new one for me, and it communicates it all.
First, I don’t think there’s much of anything that could happen over the next few months that would push Giants management to panic and burn up the future for immediate gain. Those prospects are the most valuable pieces of this franchise. Every future move should reflect that most important reality.
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But if you’re asking what would it take to make sure there’s a smooth path toward 2027 and, more likely, contention by 2028, I’d say the Giants could use a few more solid outings by Ray and continued raking by Arráez … so they could trade them both by the Aug. 3 deadline and actually get some decent prospects back.
Otherwise, whether Buster Posey’s running things or not next offseason (and I strongly believe he’ll still be calling the shots into 2027), I believe the Giants will try to glide into a workable rebuild, leaning on the expensive veterans to keep them around .500 while clearing the path for those prospects to take over the franchise in a few years.
Should I call it a Two Timeline Plan?
What’s the best-case scenario for the Giants for the next three or four months? — @wolfmanzack_ via X.
I initially was thinking they could semi tank and get another top-five pick next July but have since learned that as a big-market franchise, they’re not allowed to be in the lottery in consecutive years. And they’re picking fourth next month.
So, the best-case summer-into-fall scenario: Just don’t be embarrassing. Don’t lose anywhere close to 100 games (they’re on pace to lose 97 — yikes). Give indications that there’s something to the Tony Vitello era beyond what we’ve seen so far or get a clear idea that there needs to be a change. Get Bryce Eldridge established as a main guy. See if Devers, Adames, and Chapman can put up multiple solid months as a trio.
And show the world that 2026 was a painful turning point, not the start of something really, really bad.
A man wearing sunglasses, a gray jacket, and a white hoodie sits on a bench with a notepad and hand visible to the right, in a sports dugout.
Buster Posey is in his second season as the Giants’ president of baseball operations. |Source: Brad Mangin for The Standard
What do you make of all the former Giants minor-leaguers who are playing well elsewhere? Do the Giants have a talent development or self-evaluation problem? — @carlosanimals via X.
I think this question is mostly about all those great Kyle Harrison starts this season for the Brewers (though he just got blown up by the A’s Monday night), maybe with a note about how James Tibbs III is now one of the Dodgers’ top prospects. Or maybe a tribute to Wade Meckler? Old kudos for Joey Bart?
No, let’s stick with Harrison, who was only 23 years old when the Giants put him in the Devers trade last year, and yes, that’s the big one.
Maybe the Giants could’ve gotten Devers without including Harrison in the offer. It sure would’ve been better if they hadn’t. But they really wanted Devers and didn’t know he’d struggle like this. And Harrison might not have figured it out in the Giants’ organization, anyway.
Which is the larger problem for both the Giants and the Red Sox — why aren’t they be as good as the Brewers at identifying and making adjustments to talented young pitchers?
Here’s my grand theory on Posey’s view of pitching, which, by the way, I mostly share: If you’re struggling to throw strikes, you’re probably going to be a candidate to be traded, no matter how talented you are. To paraphrase Orioles TV analyst Ben McDonald, I don’t care what your velocity and spin rate was on ball four.
It turns out that Harrison was more than capable of figuring it out, at least for a little while. He just didn’t do it with the Giants. They need to get better at the development part before it gets to the final judgment part.
What is the announcing plan for the Giants? Seems like a lot of guys are in the rotation. — @BrayMb1 via X.
The first plan is to hope Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Jon Miller, and Dave Flemming all can call games forever, which I totally understand.
The second one is to use a regular rotation of other voices when the Big Four take time off, so they’re familiar to fans and comfortable in the booth — and can easily move into larger roles whenever it’s time for one or two new permanent broadcasters.
It sure seems like the Giants are aiming for Javy Lopez to be a big part of any refurbished broadcasting plan. And, if he wants the job, Hunter Pence certainly wouldn’t have to beg for a regular spot.
Other than that, the Giants are clearly taking a long look at Joe Ritzo and F.P. Santangelo for supporting roles.
And if I’m them, I’d consider checking to see if Chris Caray wants to move over from the A’s booth.
The Valkyries are a better team than they were last year, but they’re still not title contenders due to lack of size and offensive firepower. What player(s) do you think is a realistic option in the offseason that can put them in title contention? — @Slimmathedrippa via X.
I don’t watch enough other WNBA games or gather enough information from scouts and executives to spout out analysis for potential Valkyries additions, especially with a new CBA that I certainly haven’t studied carefully. (Wait: Has anybody?)
And Ohemaa Nyanin and Natalie Nakase absolutely know what they’re doing. Gabby Williams was a great addition last offseason, a perfect escalation of the Valkyries’ defensive mentality and more athletic than anybody else on the team.
It’s pretty amazing they’re this close this quickly, that we can talk about one or two final pieces to a potential championship-contending puzzle. And I wouldn’t put it past them to go relatively deep in this year’s playoffs without a “final” piece.
But what the Valkyries could use, generally, is a true offensive initiator — or a low-post scorer. They need someone who forces defenses to overreact, which would open up shooting lanes for Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton, Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kaitlyn Chen, Juste Jocyte, and all the other shot-makers on this team.
Could that have been Flau’jae Johnson? She probably wouldn’t have been the full answer, though Johnson sure would’ve been an interesting partial solution. But maybe Johnson wouldn’t have worked here.
The Valkyries still could use one or two more playmakers. My pal Marcus Thompson II keeps suggesting that USC’s JuJu Watkins is a dream target, but I’m not sure how the Valkyries can get in position to draft Watkins. If they’d been able to trade Johnson as the No. 8 pick this year for a 2027 first-rounder, that would’ve been a step. But they had to settle for a 2028 second-rounder from Seattle, and …yeah, it’ll take a bit more than that to get them JuJu.
A basketball player in green jumps to shoot while two players in purple watch during a packed indoor game.
The Valkyries traded Flau’jae Johnson to the Seattle Storm during the WNBA Draft. |Source: Kate Hua for The Standard
I know it’s almost inconceivable, but what are the chances the Warriors give Steph Curry a chance to compete on a contending team? He’s the only chip they really have to get substantially better in the distant future. I’m thinking something like Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren and one of OKC’s copious picks? — @ *girlsrockmovie.bsky.social (opens in new tab)*.
Nope. There’s no way the Warriors should even think about trading Curry unless he tells them that’s he wants. And he definitely hasn’t told them that and is unlikely ever to do it.
You run franchises praying for a player like Curry to spend his whole career in your uniform. Nothing more really needs to be said than that.
What is the likelihood that Draymond Green finishes his career with the Warriors? — @Bgj4Bob via X.
If Draymond and the Warriors can find a logical pathway this summer, which likely includes Draymond declining his $27.7 million player option for next season and signing a multiple-year deal for a lower average, I think it’s almost certain he’ll retire as a Warrior.
And I think it’s probable that the two sides already know the general parameters of this deal — maybe around two years, $40 million. As always, Draymond has a lot of value, mostly to the Warriors. Which is why he probably will end his career with the team that drafted him in 2012.
Who are the Warriors keen on taking in the draft? — @goldnblueblood via X.
I’ll just speak generally here, because Mike Dunleavy is fairly good about keeping draft information tight to the vest. And at 11, there are a lot of theoretical permutations for the picks ahead of them — so maybe locking in on one or two players wouldn’t be the best way to go. Sometimes it’s hard to even get a grasp on the top five or six.
However, this particular very talented draft class seems to be clarifying pretty quickly even through the top 12 or so.
There’s the excellent top four potential franchise players — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. Then there’s a lot of good guards who all seem headed to the 5-through-10 slots (Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries, and Mikel Brown Jr.).
Note: The Warriors probably aren’t so interested in a ball-dominant smaller player. They need big, athletic, two-way wings.
And it so happens that 11 could be the natural and perfect place to select either Tennessee’s Nate Ament or Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, both huge wings. Which is probably one of the reasons Dunleavy has told Steve Kerr (and Kerr has relayed in interviews, including this one), that he’s pretty sure that the Warriors will get a very good player with their pick.
Would the Warriors prefer the 19-year-old Ament even if his profile reminds everybody else of Jonathan Kuminga? Or would they go much older with the solid, huge, defensive-minded Lendeborg, who will be 24 at the start of next season?
I don’t know on that one. I’d lean to Ament, who has much more in his offensive toolbox, over Lendeborg, who almost certainly will be productive immediately but might be more of a replacement for Draymond than a complement to him. I’d certainly understand either pick.
A Tennessee basketball player in orange dribbles while guarded closely by a Michigan player in white during a packed game.
Nate Ament entered the NBA Draft after playing one season at Tennessee. |Source: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
What are the odds Macklin Celebrini enters the Montana/Rice/Bonds/Steph pantheon of Bay Area athletes? — @Bewinter408 via X.
I’m not really in the business of putting percentages on anything like this — or making broad comparisons across eras and sports. If you’re good, you’re good; if you’re great, you’re great; I don’t love trying to bang out precise comparisons to past legends until there are a few banners up in the rafters.
I’ll just say that Celebrini clearly is the most likely future multiple-time MVP out of the entire Bay Area sports landscape, and it’s likely not going to be too long before that happens.
The latest sign: Celebrini was Team Canada’s captain-by-acclaim in the recent World Hockey Championships, with Sidney Crosby’s blessings. I’m sure Celebrini will be formally given the “C” with the Sharks to start next season and it will be something he might wear for the next decade or more.
Will he join the pantheon? We’ll see. That’ll be determined by the championships he does or doesn’t win with the Sharks and many other factors. But the Sharks have never had a young player like this. Not many teams in any sport have ever had a young player like this.
To borrow a question from your podcast: What is your favorite place to eat at right now? — @ tdwaterhouse75.bsky.social (opens in new tab) .
I’ve never had a bad or even middling meal at Plow on Potrero Hill. The last time I went, somebody else ordered the corn millet muffin and I blacked out after taking one slice. When I woke back up, I’d eaten 75% of it.
I also need to give a strong nod to The House of Prime Rib, which recently hosted a fabulous dinner for the Warriors’ writers; and another nod to Monte Poole for setting it up.
Finally, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the reports and rumors about a Taqueria Los Coyotes reopening in the Mission district — after four long and dark years — come true.