San Antonio Spurs Interviewed Donovan Clingan To Pair With Victor Wembanyama: Look Out, NBA

It’s NBA Draft Week.

Teams will be putting up smokescreens in order to disguise what they really want to do. We see this happen every year.

But the latest NBA Draft rumor is scary, whether it’s true or not.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the San Antonio Spurs worked out Connecticut's Donovan Clingan. They’re reportedly “increasingly interested” in pairing the 7-foot-3 Clingan with Victor Wembanyama, who they drafted No. 1 overall last season.

Still just 20 years old, Wembanyama was just named the unanimous Rookie of the Year. His seven-foot-five frame paired with fluid mobility and promising shooting ability left NBA fans believing that he could be the league’s next unicorn. 

A twin tower pairing of Clingan and Wemby would create nightmares for opponents. The league finally fully adjusted to the “small ball” style of play, and some teams don’t even employ a true seven footer. Trying to defend both Clingan and Wemby would give even the most seasoned NBA coaches fits.

Not to mention, that defensively, the Spurs would instantly be one of the best interior teams in the NBA. The shot blocking would be record breaking.

We’ve seen Twin Towers in the NBA before. Namely, the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Evan Mobley No. 4 overall in 2021. This selection was right after the Cavs traded for Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen. This pairing has helped the Cavaliers become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Offensively, Mobley and Allen create a little bit of a logjam. Neither of them are shooters. That’s the issue.

In San Antonio, Wembanyama made 1.8 threes per game. His outside jumper looked way more confident as the season progressed. While Clingan isn’t much of an outside shooter, Wemby’s versatility will let the Spurs get as creative as they want with the No. 4 overall selection.

Of course, the biggest position of need for the Spurs is a point guard. Pairing Wemby’s skillset with a true, bonafide guard who can pass and score will make the prized rookie that much more dangerous.

But rebuilds like this typically take forever. Wemby alone is awesome, but it’s going to take a few big swings for the Spurs to become serious contenders. And according to reports, the Spurs want to expedite this thing and become playoff competitors in the Western Conference next season.

Only Wemby and Devin Vassell are said to be untouchable in trade talks. The Spurs have a couple other nice pieces who could be dealt for a serviceable point guard.

Pairing Clingan and Webanyama is so damn crazy that Gregg Popovich might just be able to make it work.