Spurs rumors: San Antonio targeting ex-1st rounder with Victor Wembanyama connection
The post Spurs rumors: San Antonio targeting ex-1st rounder with Victor Wembanyama connection appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The San Antonio Spurs are gradually building a powerhouse team around Victor Wembanyama, preferring to slowly construct the perfect blend of the right young core and solid veteran talent to complement the 7'3″ Frenchman heading into his third season in the NBA. They have not seized opportunities to expedite their rebuilding process, preferring to keep their young talent instead of packaging them together in a trade for someone like Kevin Durant or perhaps even Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Nonetheless, with Wembanyama rapidly improving, it's only a matter of time before the Spurs become a powerhouse in the Western Conference once more. To push the Oklahoma City Thunder for West supremacy, the Spurs will need to load up on even more depth, as the two teams that made it to the NBA Finals proved that there is nothing more important in today's NBA than having many players on the roster who are playoff-viable.
To that end, it seems as though the Spurs are targeting a versatile big man who has strong ties to their franchise cornerstone. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Spurs are 'among several teams expected to have interest in Yabusele during free agency'. Yabusele and Wembanyama are very much familar with one another, being the primary frontcourt pairing that the France National Basketball Team relied on on their way to the silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yabusele, the 16th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, made his triumphant return stateside this past season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 50/38/73 shooting splits — a major improvement from the last time he stepped foot in the NBA.
He started in 43 games last season for the depleted 76ers and proved himself capable of being a small-ball center, as well as fitting on bigger lineups as a power forward, thanks to his defensive versatility and floor-stretching utility.
Guerschon Yabusele's potential fit on the Spurs
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Should the Spurs sign Wembanyama's compatriot in Yabusele, it's not quite clear what role the 29-year-old forward will be playing for them. He's not likely to start for the Spurs, as they have Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, and Keldon Johnson as options at the position, so he's probably going to end up being a backup big man for San Antonio.
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With Sandro Mamukelashvili, Charles Bassey, and Bismack Biyombo all being free agents, the Spurs certainly have more than enough room for the potential addition of Yabusele, who will add toughness and positional versatility to their frontcourt.
Related: Why the Spurs made right decision to pass up on Kevin Durant trade
Related: Fans hit Skip Bayless with Spurs receipts after bizarre 22-minute Thunder video
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