The Spurs are supposed to be the sensible team. They are supposed to be building around Victor Wembanyama, developing young players, and running things the way Gregg Popovich taught them. Instead, they picked up the phone and called LeBron James.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said this week on The Hoop Collective that there “was some sort of Spurs dialogue” in LeBron’s free agency. McMenamin was careful. He said he does not know if it was a pitch or just a conversation. But even a conversation is enough to make you sit up.
Twenty seven of thirty NBA teams reportedly reached out to James. That is basically the entire league checking in. But the Spurs standing out here is not a coincidence. It hints at something bigger.
Imagine LeBron and Wemby together. A 21 year old alien and a 41 year old who still plays like he has one MVP left in the tank. There is no obvious counter to that pairing. Wemby’s shot blocking and shooting range on one end. LeBron running the offense on the other. San Antonio would jump into the top tier of the West overnight.
The cap math is the tricky part. Wemby is up for a supermax extension the moment he is eligible, and the Spurs will not blink at signing it. Fitting LeBron in around that deal would require creative accounting and probably some tough decisions on the young core.
But this is San Antonio we are talking about. They have made harder math work before. They also have Peter Holt willing to spend, a stable front office, and a coaching setup that could rewire itself around a superstar wing.
The bigger reason it will probably not happen: LeBron is reportedly focused on going east. He has been linked to the 76ers, Heat, and Cavaliers all summer. His wife Savannah has reportedly weighed in on the family situation. Bronny is still on the Lakers. A move to Texas would be a heavy lift, both logistically and emotionally.
Still, this is worth noting for the future. If Wemby is going to lead the Spurs to a title, he needs help. Adding one of the greatest ever to accelerate that timeline is not a crazy idea. It is only crazy right now because LeBron has other priorities.
What this really shows is how much the Spurs value Wemby’s window. Popovich stepped away from full time coaching, Mitch Johnson is in charge, and the front office is thinking about how to shorten the gap between drafting a generational talent and actually winning with him.
A phone call to LeBron James is not proof of a plan. But it is proof they are willing to be bold. That should terrify the rest of the West.
Nikola Jokic is not getting any younger. The Thunder are already loaded but still young. If the Spurs decide to accelerate, they have the picks, they have the young players, and now they have shown they have the ambition.
LeBron will not end up in San Antonio this summer. Whoever he plays with next, he should probably keep an eye on Wemby’s Spurs. The next few years are going to be interesting in Texas.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
