Victor Wembanyama, when healthy, is already good enough to compete for a championship.
In 2024-25, he averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the only players who finished above him on the estimated plus-minus leaderboard.
With the right roster around him as a centerpiece, San Antonio could realistically contend. And while this move could hamper the team’s depth, replacing two role players with one of the greatest offensive engines of all time would nudge the Spurs closer to the “right roster.”
This is a supercharged (and supersized) version of what San Antonio just did with Chris Paul. LeBron would make Wemby’s life significantly easier on the offensive end, set him up for plenty of wide-open looks and attract more defensive attention than any of his current teammates.
There’s a lot of positional and skill overlap with LeBron, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, but a wealth of creation is better than a dearth. And having LeBron would make it easier (though not necessarily critical) to trade one of the above for shooting.
Of course, including Bronny in the deal almost seems like a given. With his college production (or lack thereof), it’s easy to see his selection in the 2024 draft as a favor to his father. Keeping them together makes sense, and San Antonio might also be able to develop Bronny into a decent defender.
The team is no longer under the direction of Gregg Popovich, but it has a long track record of extracting every last ounce of talent out of projects.