It just hasn't been a good week for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, over the last 7 days, have seen their season turn sideways with superstar Victor Wembanyama being ruled out for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Additionally, coach Gregg Popovich has also been ruled out from a return to coaching this season and possibly going forward.
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown -- on Spurs' Victor Wembanyama and Gregg Popovich being in close contact since the team cornerstone's blood clot diagnosis, and where both stand in respective recoveries: pic.twitter.com/3XOgOrwBmk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
Both health issues mark a major setback to a franchise that seemed poised to roar back to life. DVT is a serious condition that causes blood clots and ended the career of Hall of Famer Chris Bosh. Luckily, it appears that Wembanyama's DVT isn't expected to be a reoccurring issue.
Still, it does put him out of action for up to 6 months and will be something they would have to monitor going forward. Then there is the unfortunate news surrounding Popovich. He has missed all 10 games this season after suffering a mild stroke, and it's possible that he may have already coached his final game with the Spurs.
If Popovich doesn't return to the bench next season, they could remove the interim tag and make Mitch Johnson the next coach. That would seemingly be the most likely option, with the Spurs tending to value continuity and Johnson having been with the team for six seasons.
Alternatively, they could opt for a more experienced approach and hire a championship coach, such as former Spurs assistant Becky Hammon. Hammon is set to enter her fourth season with the Las Vegas Aces but would be a terrific fit with the Spurs.
She has familiarity with the franchise and has already won two championships in the WNBA. Hopefully, Popovich will be able to return, but if not, Johnson will probably replace him, though Hammon would likely be the best fit given his limitations.
The solution to the Spurs problems has never been more clear.
Wembanyama's injury takes the Spurs out of play-in contention and should shift their focus to maximizing their pick in the NBA draft. Currently, they have the 10th-worst record in the NBA.
When combined with the unprotected first-round pick they have from the Atlanta Hawks, they could have two top 10 picks in the 2025 NBA draft. Having a high lottery pick isn't how they expected their season to turn out, but they'd be wise to embrace the tank.
They just lost to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans, who have the second-worst record despite having everyone except for Wembanyama. That means that they wouldn't have to do much to sink in the standings, with them reasonably being able to drop to as low as 8th in terms of worst record.
To ensure that happens, they could encourage DeAaron Fox to have surgery on his finger, which he would need in the offseason anyway, and potentially even waive Chris Paul.
The Spurs must embrace the tank to help them reach their full potential.
Dropping in the standings would give them more options, including improving their lottery odds, being able to trade up, or even just adding two top prospects and seeing if either or both turn into something special. That would be huge for an up-and-coming team, giving them two bites at a future star to pair with Wemby and Fox.
The Spurs' setbacks will hopefully soon be behind them with Wembanyama being healthy for next season, them potentially adding two top-10 picks, and having their coaching issues settled. But, in the meantime, they will still have to endure some short-term pain to succeed long-term.