Luka Doncic bombshell introduces a new way for Wembanyama to leave Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are used to keeping their superstar players for the long haul. Tim Duncan was a lifetime Spur. Manu Ginobili retired in a Spurs jersey. David Robinson never wore another jersey. Fans obviously hope that Victor Wembanyama will do the same.

Yet nothing is for certain in the NBA. Tony Parker played for another team before he retired. George Gervin played a season in Chicago before the end. And now Luka Doncic has dropped a bombshell quote that reveals an entirely new option to take Wembanyama away from the Spurs before he retires -- and it has a very real chance of happening.

Luka Doncic had already broken ground on a new option for superstar players: the shocking blockbuster. The Slovenian star was blindsided by his own team when the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. It would seem unthinkable for the Spurs to ever do such a thing to Wembanyama, but Mavericks fans would have said the same thing about Doncic before it happened.

The Lakers always seem to benefit from the insane decisions of other players and teams, and historically, they have loaded up on star talent seemingly as a gift to them for being the Lakers. Similar to how the Spurs have been blessed with the No. 1 pick when generational superstars are entering the league, the Lakers have been blessed with in-their-prime superstars being plopped onto their roster.

Doncic has spent his first summer in Hollywood doing a media tour, and the most recent stop was with Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal. In a wide-ranging interview that discusses his childhood, his role on the Lakers and even his acting career (which is dead on arrival) the conversation turns to Real Madrid.

A powerhouse of European basketball, the Spanish club operates as many do in Europe, with a multi-level operation where teenagers can come and be developed over time -- they do the same thing on the football side as well. At the age of 13, Luka Doncic joined Real Madrid and spent six years there, growing into a star. Real won three Spanish league championships with Doncic aboard, and he was the MVP of the EuroLeague as he led Real to that title as well.

In the WSJ interview, Doncic was asked point-blank whether he would like to return to Real Madrid and help them to win another championship before his career was over. Most NBA stars are savvy enough to deflect when faced with such a question. Doncic did no such thing, suggesting there is a real weight behind his words.

Would Doncic like to play for Real again before he retires? "For sure."

Victor Wembanyama could return to France before he retires

The league is seeing an unparalleled number of European superstars growing to prominence in the NBA right now. Nikola Jokic has won three MVPs, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has won two. Luka Doncic has been a perennial All-NBA player. Wembanyama is on the rise and expected to be a perennial MVP candidate.

American stars returning to their "first team" are remaining in the NBA. Chris Paul is doing something similar by signing with the LA Clippers again this season in what may be his final year in the league (his actual first team, the New Orleans Hornets, doesn't exist anymore). For international players, however, another option exists -- and Doncic just circled it with a highlighter.

Could Victor Wembanyama play in Europe again before he retires? There is obviously a strong appeal to the idea. Playing in front of friends and family, being back in a comfortable environment and speaking his first language? Mid-tier European players make the transition back to Europe all of the time; why couldn't superstars do the same?

One saving grace for Spurs fans here is that there is no single club that would draw Wembanyama back to France. He moved around between three different clubs during his teenage years, including a short stint with the Tony Parker-owned ASVEL Basket. No singular team has made the impact that Real Madrid did with Luka Doncic.

Wembanyama is 21 years old. The end of his career is an extremely long ways away. Could he one day leave the Spurs to play in France once again? Certainly. Yet he would never do so until the prime of his career was complete, and there is no reason to think he won't play out his prime on the Spurs. They are an organization with a very long track record of doing right by their stars and building an environment where they want to stay.

Yet something they will never be able to offer is that full-circle moment of returning to Europe to play again in front of hometown fans. Doncic has introduced an idea that will sit there for the duration of Wembanyama's career, and one day may be the storybook ending to what everyone hopes will be a long and successful basketball career.