Last week was certainly a tough pill to swallow for San Antonio Spurs fans. First, during the NBA All-Star Weekend, Spurs stars Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama were disqualified due to the technical challenge. Although this incident was gradually forgotten, the subsequent series of bad news was hard to accept.
Last Thursday, ESPN reporter Shams Charania reported that the talented sophomore from France, Wen Banyama, was ruled out for this season due to a blood clot in his shoulder. According to media reports, although Wimbanyama was confirmed to miss the remaining games of this season after being diagnosed with blood clots in his right shoulder, he was “emotionally in good condition” and was even spotted by fans shopping at the Ironside Antiques Mall in the city over the weekend. He also interacted with everyone who came.
On Saturday night, Charania said on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” that the Spurs “do not believe there will be any long-term issues with Wimbayama’s health and believe he will be able to return next season.” At the same time, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who rested due to illness in November last year, may not be able to return to the court to coach this season. This is a further blow to the team. Mitch Johnson is currently taking over the helm. Paul earlier expressed his views to the media: “The most difficult thing about this matter for all of us is knowing how important he is to our team, but more importantly, what he means to this (basketball) sport and his love for the game.”
According to official news, after returning to San Antonio from the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on February 16, Wimbayama reported “abnormal arm sensation” to the team doctor and underwent a series of tests. He was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a disease in which deep venous blood cannot return smoothly. The main cause is blockage of the tibial vein, popliteal vein, femoral vein and iliac vein. Thrombosis is a very serious problem for athletes. NBA insiders and veteran fans remember that Chris Bosh, who formed the Miami Heat iron triangle with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, was forced to retire due to thrombosis problems. Several players have encountered similar situations over the years. According to medical expert Dr. Brian Sutterer, “These blood clots could have traveled to Winbanyama’s lungs and killed him.”
In this regard, acting coach Johnson said: “Medical experts and people more experienced than all of us believe that Wimbayama will not return this season, but his long-term health and basketball career are fine.” He further added: “We have no reason to believe that he will not be ready to play next season.” Therefore, the Spurs will face a choice at this stage, whether to continue sprinting with the current lineup, or to adjust the layout and fight again next year.
Wimbayama is only 21 years old and has been the league’s blocking leader for two consecutive seasons. In his second year of his career, he has played 46 games, averaging 24.3 points and 11 rebounds, and is the mainstay of the Spurs. Now, with Wimpanyama out for the entire season, the Spurs may tend to train their players and leave more playing time to the younger generation of players. Why? Because the Spurs had serious gaps in their interior lineup, the team first had to send away Zach Collins in order to trade for De’Aaron Fox, which undoubtedly magnified the problem. Charles Bassey, the center who was originally serving as a substitute for Wimbayama, unfortunately sprained the medial collateral ligament of his left knee on February 3, making the inside line even weaker.
In order to strengthen the lineup, the Spurs signed Bismack Biyombo to a 10-day short contract. During the All-Star Week, the Spurs spent time internally studying the best rotation and lineup in preparation for the final battle of the season to grab a place in the play-in round. Obviously, these combinations are centered around Wen Banyama and the newly joined Fox. However, with the general out of action, a readjustment is inevitable. Stephon Castle should get plenty of minutes in the next game.
The Spurs are 12th in the Western Conference and are already far away from the play-off zone. It is not impossible for them to switch to “Tanzai mode” after leaving Wimbanyama, which includes allowing Fox to undergo surgery early to deal with the finger injury he originally planned to undergo surgery on. In addition, the team may also choose to let Paul go (cut him off), giving him the opportunity to join a championship team and challenge the playoffs in the remaining time of his career. If he really leaves, it will be a regrettable end to his Spurs career, after all, he had the potential to break through this season. It is reasonable for the Spurs to reach a buyout agreement with Paul. Next, let Fox and Cassell play together for a few games, then gradually let Fox rest and give the ball completely to Cassell, so that the coaching staff can observe whether he has the potential to become the core of the team in the future.
Cassell has been very competitive and has performed very well in the last 16 games, contributing an average of 17.3 points per game. Of course, he cannot carry the team alone, and giving him the ball is a necessary choice. It is imperative to let the team accumulate losses and improve their draft picks, while also allowing him to gain valuable practical experience and learn how to make it in the NBA. If the Spurs play badly, they may move up the draft order and eventually get the seventh pick in the first round of the draft. If the Atlanta Hawks eventually fall into the lottery zone, the Spurs will have the opportunity to have two top-10 first-round picks this summer, which will allow them to acquire foreign aid in addition to Fox, Cassell and Wimbanyama to build a more complete lineup.
Interestingly, although the Spurs have not had a good record this season (24 wins and 30 losses), their current cumulative wins are actually more than the season when Wen Banyama was selected in 2023 (22 wins). This means that even with only 29 games left, they still have enough time to tank and get a higher draft pick, so letting Paul leave will definitely happen. Next season will be the third year of Wimbayama’s career. What he needs to do is not only to get out of the haze of blood clots and return to full health, but also to continue to grow. For him, the Spurs acquired Fox through a trade this season. Although it is not a big-money operation to “go all out to win the championship”, it also puts more pressure on the team. Therefore, fans may want more than just making the playoffs in the 2025-26 season, or even to go further.
