Spurs Targeting Draft Trade to Pair Victor Wembanyama with Bilal Coulibaly - Report
There won't be any surprises about what the San Antonio Spurs will do with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday, as star French prospect Victor Wembanyama will be waiting to hear his name called.
After that, it's anyone's guess what could go down, though there's certainly been rumblings about what could transpire. One of the more popular rumors is that of the Spurs potentially pairing Wembanyama with his Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly, who has flown up draft boards over the past month.
And now, a new report from Yahoo! Sports is revealing significant traction to this possibility.
The site reports that the Spurs have already been making calls to trade back up into the lottery after inevitably selecting Wembanyama, causing many around the league to believe that their intention is to pick Coulibaly.
"The San Antonio Spurs have made calls in search of acquiring a second lottery pick, according to league sources, and many opposing front offices are of the mind that Coulibaly is their target to pair with Wembanyama yet again," Yahoo! Sports wrote.
Rejoining his longtime teammate in the NBA is something that soon-to-be Spur Wembanyama has made clear is high on his wish list.
“Being a teammate with him again would be great. One of the best starts for his career and for mine,” Wembanyama said, per Yahoo!.
Wembanyama also didn't hold back how he views Coulibaly's talent, even going as far to call him a top-five player in this class due to the difficulty of their French league.
"Our pro league is light years away from many prospects in this draft class," Wembanyama said. "So, yeah, I believe he’s top five.”
After the Spurs inevitably select Wembanyama at No. 1, the true fun surrounding potential trades could begin, with Coulibaly seemingly leading the way of possibilities for San Antonio.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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