ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony has been very vocal regarding the San Antonio Spurs this week. While on The Ringer’s NBA Draft show, the founder and co-owner of Draftexpress.com said, “Every free agent, every veteran guard, they all want to play with Victor Wembanyama.” Interestingly, LeBron James is essentially a free agent this summer.
Several superstars like James and Paul George have the option to become free agents, while household names like Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and James Harden, among other big names, are unrestricted.
Givony added that the Spurs, who own the fourth and eighth picks in this month’s draft, aren’t content with taking several years to build around their generational talent.
While it’s vaguely assumed that the Spurs will look to make their biggest roster improvements via the draft and possible trades, free agency could prove a fertile ground according to Givony.
“Every free agent, every veteran guard, they all want to play with Victor Wembanyama.” -@DraftExpress on the San Antonio Spurs’ priorities this summer: They want to win.
🚨New NBA Draft Show🚨 -@DraftExpress joins to discuss his latest mock draft, Risacher, Edey, Sheppard, the Lakers, and the Spurs. -@tatefrazier on his favorite college basketball sleepers -Then PG Devin Carter breaks down his game @kingcarter2225 spotify.link/RxqTqetg8Jb
The case for LeBron James on the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama
Though no current MVP-caliber guys are on the market, the player widely considered the best of this generation could be. And while what will happen with his son, Bronny James, may determine where LeBron lands, the thought of the “King” in San Antonio hasn’t picked up steam with the talking heads, probably for good reason. But, perhaps that’s a bit ironic considering that James has been loosely linked to the Spurs in the past, pre-Wemby.
The all-time leading scorer’s love for Spurs Hall of Fame Head Coach Gregg Popovich is well documented. James has never shied away from expressing positive thoughts about the winningest coach in NBA history on or off the court. But while the ‘Would LeBron want to play for Pop and with Tim Duncan?’ rumor mill ran for several off-seasons as the legendary power forward neared the end of his career, it never went beyond that, at least not publicly.
The Spurs are in a much different predicament now. They have the player most thought to be the most prominent game-changer since James. They are in the process of building around Victor Wembanyama with multiple draft picks at their disposal through the rest of the decade, including a pair of top-ten selections and two in the second round later this month. And that leads to Bronny.
The former USC Trojan has reportedly only agreed to do prep-draft workouts for only the Phoenix Suns and his dad’s current team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Assuming that’s not a smoke screen, that would rule out the Spurs. If that’s the case, Popovich and company have another avenue in which to pursue the player regarded by some as the best to ever play the game.
The Spurs have tons of salary cap space. They will more than likely spend some money to bolster the roster this summer, but they’re not expected to go on a spending spree – certainly not enough to knock them out of financial contention should the biggest name make himself available.
Given their multiple paths, there appear to be little limits in how the Spurs can improve their roster. That could include a limitless reach at free agency’s prize.
