Victor Wembanyama is as committed to the Spurs as they are to him

The Spurs superstar expresses faith in San Antonio’s process.

Before Victor Wembanyama even stepped foot in San Antonio, some people thought his time with the Spurs was limited.

San Antonio Spurs fans clamored for Gregg Popovich, Brian Wright and the rest of the front office to make some moves, or the young big man would bolt. Some on Twitter even photoshopped the 19-year-old into a Lakers jersey. Yes, it’s clear that Wemby is hell-bent on winning. However, to suggest that after a 22-60 season the rookie has a foot out the door is plain silly.

In his last press conference of the season, Wembanyama was asked if his confidence in the long term plan the Spurs have in place was shaken. The above video captures is full response, but to pull a key quote:

“I never for one second doubted,” Wembanyama said. “I never thought I wasn’t in the best situation. Of course I wish we were in the playoffs, I wish we didn’t lose 60 games. As much as I know it’s hard today, it’s for the long term.”

That doesn’t sound like a player who is looking for a way out after his first season. In fact, it sounds like someone who has the same long term vision that the Spurs seemingly have for building this roster. With a young roster and a cache of of draft assets, it’s likely San Antonio build around Wembanyama at a slower pace. Their star seems to be just fine with that.

And even if he wasn’t, the Spurs are in the drivers seat with his contract. They have team control for four years, and then will offer Wembanyama the rookie-scale max extension. Nobody can offer Wemby a better financial future in his first 9 seasons than San Antonio. Over the course of that deal, they should have the financial flexibility to build a contender around him.

So this summer if they don’t empty the tank for Trae Young or whatever superstar becomes available, don’t be alarmed. Wembanyama doesn’t seem like he will switch allegiances just because San Antonio isn’t a title contender in year two. The national media cycle and reactionary fans on social media will claim the sky is falling, Popovich should be fired and Wembanyama will demand a trade – and none of it will be true. A rebuild is a long and fun journey. San Antonio got the hard part out of the way in finding their superstar. It’s a good thing that he’s bought in, so they can take their time building the best possible team around him.