Rich Paul Considered Pairing Victor Wembanyama With $215 Million All-Star

Wembanyama, 21, is talented enough to lead the Spurs to become a contender now, but the team has shown that they are not rushing the process. If all goes according to plan, the Spurs will be a title contender for the next decade, at least, so there is no reason to throw away their future to go all-in now.

Spurs still want to contend

While the Spurs were hesitant to give away valuable assets to trade for superstar forward Kevin Durant this offseason, they still made a big push for a star at February's trade deadline. The Spurs traded for All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox to pair with Wembanyama, creating a dynamic duo around their young supporting cast.

The Spurs have now built a core group of Wembanyama, Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper, and Carter Bryant. However, 27-year-old Fox is the oldest player of that group, meaning they are set for the future, especially with his new supermax contract extension.

However, there was a real scenario where the Spurs traded for a different star point guard to pair with Wembanyama.

Trae Young could have been a Spur

While the addition of Fox could turn out to be a great choice, the Spurs had their options. A new report from NBA insider Jake Fischer on The Stein Line reveals that when Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was represented by top agent Rich Paul, they were pushing for a move to San Antonio.

"There was a time, sources say, when Young's camp viewed him as an optimal potential playmaking partner for Victor Wembanyama. He has since moved to CAA but was repped at the time by Rich Paul, who appeared determined to place one of the All-Star guards then on the Klutch Sports roster — Young, Fox or Darius Garland— alongside Wembanyama," Fischer wrote.

Young, 26, is a four-time NBA All-Star and is arguably a more proven star than Fox, but the Spurs ultimately leaned toward the former Sacramento Kings point guard instead.

"Turns out that Fox's contract starting one year earlier than Young's, as a 2017 draftee, helped bring a sense of urgency to his future getting resolved before Young's," Fischer continued. "It became one of the factors -- along with Fox's well-known fondness for Texas — that helped get a deal done with the Spurs."

Due to Wembanyama's season-ending condition, the Spurs did not get enough of a sample size to see how well he and Fox play together, but the franchise will likely not regret passing up on Young in favor of their new star.

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