During a recent episode of “Up & Adams,” hosted by Kay Adams, Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trey Smith discussed the Chiefs’ front office and the players’ confidence in their decisions.

“I think they’re the best, man. You look at their ability to find talent, especially deep in drafts. I mean, they found me, sixth round. ‘No one wanted me,'” said Smith. “I thought I was gonna be an undrafted free agent.’ Here they come, saving me. There’s a lot of guys they ended up finding deep in the draft. So for us, we have full confidence in them picking up talent in return, and that’s always an every-year thing. They are just great at it.”

The Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, now has one of his most challenging projects, reshaping the roster after a 6-11 season. Recent moves to address the salary cap have given the team a new perspective, with a stronger focus on the April NFL Draft.

Recent moves by the Chiefs

The Chiefs released Mike Danna and Jawaan Taylor and traded Trent McDuffie over the last few weeks, symbolizing an immediate shift in the team’s philosophy. The 2026 Chiefs are being built during this offseason, with more changes expected once free agency officially begins on Wednesday, March 11.

The expected return of Mahomes

While the front office continues to make moves that could change the trajectory of the team and help Andy Reid, they are also hoping for an earlier than expected return from Patrick Mahomes. In fact, according to an NFL insider, he could return sooner than initially projected.

Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer recently appeared as a guest on The Dan Patrick Show to weigh in on Mahomes‘ recovery and explain why he believes the quarterback could be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

“His pain threshold is different, his work ethic is different, so at first they were like, ‘Oh, you know, start of the season.’ I would probably hedge on him being back on the field sooner than that. By far. Because he just attacks things,” Glazer said. “The initial reports were kind of on the fringe there, but I want to tell you, Patrick Mahomes is different… He had already got his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point. He’s just different, he heals differently.”

Therefore, it is time to prospect a tiny list of players that have made above-the-average performances for their summer teams. It is important to note, the team winning record doesn’t matter for this prospect list. As this only covers for the individual performances despite the final result of the game.

In fact, none of the players below have an unbeaten record with their respective team. Although, only one player is most likely to get the Most Valuable Player award, the rest may have an inmmediate impact for his team in the 2022-23 NBA Season.

5 MVP prospects in Las Vegas Summer League

1. Chet Holmgren

The 7-foot-tall Thunder player has amazed the NBA world with his incredible ability to attack the rim. Holmgren was the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He is averaging 14 points with 9rebounds in 2 games so far in the Las Vegas Summer League.

2. Keegan Murray

The Iowa-born player has impressed since he debuted inthe California Classic tournament at the Chase Center. Murray was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Murray is averaging 21 points with 6 rebounds in 2 games for the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

3. Mac McClung

The Warriors’guard has made two astonishing performances for the current NBA Champions in Las Vegas. Despite he went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, he is proving himself to the NBA. He is averaging 19 points, with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

4.Trey Murphy III

The North Carolina-born player has made two impressive performances for the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas. The 17th pick overall in the 2021 NBA Draft keeps improving as his team needs his talent on the court. He is averaging 26 points with 7 rebounds with 2 steals.

5. Paolo Banchero

The first overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft was proving himself to the doubters. However, the Orlando Magic decided to keep him away from the court for the rest of the tournament. Nevertheless, it is important to mention his final stats. He averaged 20 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 30 minutes of play for 2 games played.