NBA Execs Eye Spurs as Cooper Flagg Landing Spot After Wemby's Season Was Shut Down

Some NBA executives are reportedly wondering if this season's San Antonio Spurs are about to embark on a path similar to that of the 1996-97 Spurs.

On Thursday, the Spurs announced they were shutting down superstar center Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, drawing some parallels to David Robinson missing all but six games for San Antonio in 1996-97 due to back and foot injuries.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps spoke to some NBA execs and scouts who suggested the situation with Wembanyama could turn out to be just as fruitful for the Spurs.

The Spurs went 20-62 without Robinson during the 1996-97 campaign, which allowed them to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.

The Spurs took another future Hall of Famer in Tim Duncan, who went on to lead the Spurs to five championships, including one in only his second season.

At 24-29, the Spurs have only the 10th-worst record in the NBA this season, so they're highly unlikely to enter the 2025 NBA draft lottery with anywhere near the best chance to land the top pick in the draft.

However, if Wembanyama's absence leads to consistent losing down the stretch, the Spurs could have an outside chance to secure one of the top selections in the draft.

Bontemps brought up the scenario of the Spurs possibly landing Duke forward Cooper Flagg, who would be added to a core that already includes Wembanyama and guard De'Aaron Fox.

The Spurs would be contenders for many years to come in that scenario, as all signs point toward Flagg being a star in the NBA. He's averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during his freshman season with the Blue Devils.

San Antonio would likely need the No. 1 overall pick to get Flagg, but even if that doesn't happen, there are plenty of other highly talented players set to be in the 2025 draft pool, including Rutgers' Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe and Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis.

Any of them would likely help San Antonio take a big step toward being championship contenders in the near future.