4 San Antonio Spurs whose futures will be impacted by Victor Wembanyama

Just a couple of days ago, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the teams in the NBA whose future was quite uncertain. However, after winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, earning the No. 1 overall pick, and the right to select Victor Wembanyama, that has changed drastically.

The Silver and Black went from an uncertain future to a promising one in only a few hours. Wembanyama hasn't even played a minute of NBA action, but he's already changed the outlook for what was once a proud franchise. With Wembanyama, expectations have now changed for the Spurs. Because of that, there is a belief there will be some roster adjustments for the Spurs too.

Wembanyama doesn't just alter San Antonio's outlook, but he changes how the front office will build this team. It's only natural for that to happen when an organization acquires a player with as much upside and talent as Wembanyama. And heading into the offseason, his presence will unequivocally impact the future of several familiar faces across the franchise.

1. Gregg Popovich

At least on the surface, it appears that the acquisition of Victor Wembanyama could have a massive impact on the future of Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. The 74-year-old is the oldest head coach in the NBA, and it would be easy to assume Pop is closing in on retirement. However, the injection of excitement and hope back into the Spurs organization via Wembanyama could be the jolt Pop needed to get him to stick around a few more years.

Maybe that was his plan either way, but you'd have to imagine Pop can't simply walk away from the team now. Wembanyama, for his development, needs stability in San Antonio. And Pop has been the steadying foundation of the Spurs over the last few decades.

Of note, Popovich's contract with the Spurs expired after the 2022-23 NBA season, but the overwhelming expectation is he will be back as the team's head coach next season. 

I don't believe Pop and Webanyama are tied at the hip necessarily, but there is no question there's an expectation Pop will play an instrumental part in the early years of Wembanyama's career in the NBA.

2. Zach Collins

It's easy to see how the addition of Wembanyama impacts Zach Collins' future with the Spurs. Coming off arguably the best season of his career, in which he averaged 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 51.8% shooting from the field and 37.4% shooting from three-point range, it's no longer a foregone conclusion that the team will accept his team option for the 2023-24 season.

Collins can still play a role on the Spurs next season and beyond, but it's tough to see any possible road to being a full-time starter for this team. And that may be a bit of a turnoff for Collins at this point in his career, still only 25 years old. Either way, it's safe to say that Collins has either played his final game in a Spurs uniform or his days in San Antonio are dwindling.

From a team perspective, there's also a chance that the Spurs pick up his team option to keep an asset on the books. With just a $7.7 million salary next season, the Spurs would be somewhat foolish to let him walk, especially considering the season he just had. The Spurs could easily trade him for a veteran role player or a future draft pick.

Collins is probably the player on the Spurs most affected by the team's impending acquisition of Victor Wembanyama.

3. Charles Bassey

After signing a four-year deal despite initially starting the season on a two-way contract, there was hope that Charles Bassey would continue developing and growing on the fly for a rebuilding San Antonio Spurs team. In the 35 games he played for the Spurs before an injury prematurely ended his season, he averaged 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. However, with the addition of Victor Wembanyama, his role is now in jeopardy heading into next season.

Bassey is still under contract for the next three seasons at a little over $2 million per year, but it's hard to envision him playing many minutes with Wembanyama on the roster. With Wembanyama in the fold and the likely starter on opening night (alongside Jeremy Sochan), the expectation is the Spurs might want a veteran big or two to back up the team's young frontcourt duo. 

That could leave Bassey on the outside looking in at the Spurs' rotation. Maybe Bassey defies the odds and shows the Spurs enough during the offseason to warrant a fair shot next season, but that is hard to envision, given the circumstances.

4. Jeremy Sochan

When the league announced the San Antonio Spurs won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, one of my first thoughts revolved around Jeremy Sochan and how much easier the game will be for him moving forward playing next to Victor Wembanyama.

Even without Wembanyama, he had a strong rookie season in which he averaged 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds on 45.3% shooting from the field. Analysts already viewed Sochan as somewhat of an emerging difference-maker for the Spurs. His future in San Antonio and the league has become directly tied to Wembanyama.

If Sochan can develop a consistent jumper, there's reason to believe the frontcourt duo of Wembanyama and Sochan can emerge as one of the more dynamic and versatile frontcourt pairings in the league. And with the current construction of the team's roster, you'd have to imagine their immediate success will predominantly depend on this young duo.

For better or worse (and hopefully for better), Sochan's outlook and potential have certainly changed because of Wembanyama.