It’s only been a few days since Victor Wembanyama was officially selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs, but a viral tweet about his future by Clutch Points raised eyebrows. The now-deleted tweet (but reposted by Air Alamo) heavily implies that Wembanyama will someday play for the Lakers, given their long history of attracting top-tier big men. Take a look.
My man hasn't even touched down in San Antonio yet pic.twitter.com/IL9idfr5GE
— AirAlamo (@AirAlamo) June 23, 2023
Viral tweet mocked for having Wembanyama joining Lakers over Spurs.
It goes without saying that it’s far too soon to start the Wembanyama to L.A. rumors before even his first summer league game. Especially with the Spurs soon to have him under contract for at least the next four years, and as many as nine years, before he can become an unrestricted free agent. This is a result of how rookie deals and subsequent max rookie extensions are structured.
Of course, it is true that Los Angeles was able to trade for Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dwight Howard, and Anthony Davis, as well as sign Shaquille O’Neal away from the Orlando Magic. And each was arguably the best big man in the league at the time, something that Wembanyama projects to be in the near future.
Still, even if there was a falling out between him and the Spurs, they certainly wouldn’t trade him to the Lakers, given that they were once rivals. Remember when Kawhi Leonard once wanted a trade to the Lakers or Clippers but was instead traded to the Toronto Raptors?
That also ignores the fact that San Antonio otherwise has a great track record of holding onto its stars. Hall of Famers David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili spent their entire careers with the team, while fellow Hall of Famer Tony Parker spent a mere 18 seasons there. Spurs fans were quick to point out the flaws in the original post.
This is the saddest cope yet. At least Rockets can try to claim we're historical rivals. Lakers fans just come off as seething with jealousy over this
— Least Famous Jess🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@JessIsNotOK1) June 23, 2023
https://twitter.com/TrenttheOg/status/1672372900706279424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1672372900706279424%7Ctwgr%5Eac551a48dd33b88b49456014187a27df5c695c3e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FTrenttheOg2Fstatus2F1672372900706279424widget%3DTweet
Never say never, but it could be years until Wembanyama becomes available, if ever. Either way, he likely won’t be a Laker anytime soon.