Victor Wembanyama has exceeded expectations in his rookie season.
He won Rookie of the Year by a huge margin and garnered attention in the process. Wenbanyama also caught the eye of a few veteran players.
According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, one veteran player said he expects other veterans would ask for less money to play with Wenbayama.
Wenbayama was impressive last season, but the San Antonio Spurs have a lot of work to do to build a team around him.
Here are a few veteran players who could be candidates to take a pay cut to join Spurs and play alongside Wenby:
Anyone who has watched the Spurs this season has been highly frustrated with their point guard play. They struggled to get the ball to Wenbanyama all season. A refresh and upgrade at this point would mean a lot to San Antonio.
Fortunately, the “Point God” could become a free agent if the Golden State Warriors don't pick up his option. Chris Paul is nearing the end of his career, but he might be the perfect ball-handler to lead San Antonio's offense.
Paul averaged 6.8 assists last season, more than any other Spurs player this season. If Wembanyama pairs up with one of the league's best passers, it will create big opportunities. Just think of the lob passes he could make.
As a bonus for the Spurs, Paul would bring a veteran presence to one of the youngest teams in the league, and while Paul is not in high demand among a championship-contending NBA team, having a veteran presence on one of the youngest teams would be invaluable to the Spurs.
Paul would be a great addition to the Spurs team and there seems to be something perfect for him playing under Gregg Popovich.
Could DeMar DeRozan return to San Antonio? His contract in Chicago is up and he's an unrestricted free agent.
He has expressed interest in returning despite the Bulls' mediocre performance.
DeRozan says he wants to win, but Chicago needs to go in a different direction and consider breaking up the team, which begs the question: where can DeRozan guarantee wins?
No player of DeRozan's caliber is a favorite to win the championship.
Would you consider returning to San Antonio?
The Spurs and DeRozan had three good years together, despite not winning much. During that time, DeRozan further developed his playmaking skills, which will come in handy now with Wenbanyama. Wenbanyama's ability to spread the floor will give him more space to play in the midrange.
DeRozan would be a great addition to the Spurs locker room — not only is he a respected NBA veteran, but he's also a former Spurs player and understands the culture of the organization.
It will be a seamless fit.
D'Angelo Russell has been one of the Lakers' most polarizing players over the past few seasons. There was a lot of trade talk going around recently leading up to the trade deadline. At times it seemed like the Lakers were only re-signing Russell to use him as trade bait. Now, he has decided to opt out of his contract and sign with another team.
The Spurs could be an exciting place for him.
Los Angeles never traded for Russell last season, but he produced results in the regular season. He averaged 18 points and 6.3 assists on 45.6/41.5/82.8 shooting percentages. There is no guard on the Spurs roster right now who can balance scoring and playmaking, especially for Wenbanyama. Russell could be that guard.
It would be fun to watch Russell play under Coach Popovich, it could be a chance to see some real growth in his game, and it might be worth taking a little extra weight off the table to help the Spurs get back to the playoffs.
The next name on the list is more of a fantasy. This player isn't going to take a pay cut with his current team, so it makes sense he wouldn't take a pay cut to play in San Antonio. But let's have some fun. Join us.
Paul George appears to be at a stalemate with the Los Angeles Clippers over his next contract, and if the San Antonio Spurs acquire him, they'll be a playoff contender in the powerful Western Conference.
George had a great season with the Clippers, appearing in 74 games and averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting 41.3% from three-point range. His assist numbers have dropped this season, mainly due to playing with James Harden, but he averaged 5.1 assists last season.
Adding George's two-way ability to Wenbanyama will create an interesting duo on both ends of the court. George hasn't played with a rim protector like this since his days with Roy Hibbert at Indiana. Offensively, this game will be difficult to defend because Wenbanyama can dive or roll to the rim. Defenders will have to break through ball screens to stop George from shooting off of them.
Again, this is unlikely to happen since George isn't taking a pay cut and will get big offers in free agency from teams other than the Clippers. It would be a lot of fun, and the Spurs would be the team to watch every night.
