In information that shocked the NBA world and the nation of France, the Spurs introduced in the present day that they’ve traded Victor Wembanyama for the New Orleans Pelicans. Notice the excellence — not TO the New Orleans Pelicans, FOR the New Orleans Pelicans. In essence, in change for one participant, the Spurs shall be receiving your complete New Orleans Pelicans roster.
In what is definitely associated information, the Pelicans introduced that for the 2025-26 season, and presumably longer, they’ll play half of their house video games in Paris, France. Consequently, the Pelicans shall be enjoying each close to the French Quarter in New Orleans and in an precise French Quarter in France. For the video games in France, the workforce shall be often called the “Pelicans” as a result of the French phrase for Pelican is “Pelican”.
It seems that Wembanyama was consulted on this transfer earlier than it occurred. After I contacted him after the announcement, Victor requested me to convey his honest appreciation to your complete Spurs group for his or her assist throughout his quick keep in San Antonio, and to particularly thank them for permitting him to be a part of the primary bi-continental workforce in all of sports activities. Victor additionally stated that he’ll work laborious recruiting his teammates from the French Nationwide workforce. As a reminder, Victor and his countrymen gained the silver medal in final summer season’s Olympic Video games, which additionally came about in France.
The NBA has already accredited the commerce and waived wage cap issues primarily based on the Spurs’ dedication to commerce or launch sufficient current Spurs gamers or ex-Pelican gamers to get below the cap earlier than the beginning of subsequent season. The NBA’s willingness to go together with the transaction absolutely displays the league’s oft-stated want to develop its market outdoors of the USA and Canada. Certainly, Adam Silver introduced final week the league’s intent to develop to Europe, and this appears to be step one in that course of.
Inside sources point out that the transaction started with the Pelicans asking whether or not the Spurs would think about a commerce for Wembanyama centered round Zion Williamson. The Spurs apparently responded with one thing like, “Very humorous. I assume you imply Zion and the remainder of the workforce”, to which Pelicans responded with “Certain, OK, why not?” The Pelicans absolutely see Wembanyama as the kind of participant to construct a workforce round, even when which means constructing the rest of the workforce completely from scratch. With just one participant on their roster in the present day, the Pelicans actually have loads of room below the wage cap. They presumably additionally hope the Paris location for half their “house” video games shall be engaging to gamers and their free-spending wives and girlfriends. (Notice to self: Ought to that be wives or girlfriends?) In fact, purchases made in France will keep away from the upper costs ensuing from any tariffs, an added bonus each for Pelican gamers and the opposite NBA groups enjoying towards “Le Pelicans” in France.
From the Spurs’ standpoint, they know they’ll obtain the identical form of backlash that accompanied the latest commerce of Luca Doncic to the Lakers. However the Spurs obtain rather more on this change than the Mavs received for Doncic. The Spurs get your complete Pelicans roster versus the Mavs’ “haul” – FI-AD (Continuously Injured Antony Davis), Doug Christie’s son and draft picks. The Spurs apparently concluded that the power to merge two rosters into one will enable the creation of a right away contender, maybe this season, and for years to return. As an illustration, the Spurs might add Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy to their beginning line-up for tonight’s sport towards Orlando and tomorrow’s towards Denver – absolutely scaring the hell out of each of these playoff contenders. May the addition of the Pelicans’ roster enable the Spurs to make a late-run to the Play-In Tourney? In that case, the Spurs will grow to be the Staff That No One Desires to Play, even because the tenth seed.
Even when this doesn’t propel the Spurs into this season’s playoffs, lots of the gamers on the mixed roster can grow to be priceless commerce bait this summer season. The Spurs could make both two for one offers to cut back the variety of gamers on the roster, or take again draft picks from the workforce buying the surplus gamers. For instance, the Spurs might presumably get quite a few draft picks and/or high quality gamers in change for every of Zion, Murphy and C.J. McCullum. Although any workforce buying and selling for Zion could demand a boatload of H-E-B low cost coupons within the deal.
Some could marvel why the Spurs selected to make this announcement on the primary anniversary of Wembanyama’s message to Spurs’ followers final yr that he could be returning to France on the finish of the 2023-24 season, a narrative first reported right here. If Pounding the Rock readers have a look at the calendar, they need to have the ability to decide why this announcement is being made in the present day. The truth is, I appear to announce comparable breaking information yearly at the moment…
