As generational a talent as Victor Wembanyama may be, the San Antonio Spurs have been here before. Kind of. Wemby followed David Robinson and Tim Duncan as iconic top overall picks in the franchise's history. They're now following suit in a different way with moves meant to surround their young cornerstone with veteran help.
In the summer of 1989, with Robinson en route after a two-year Naval commitment, the Spurs added Terry Cummings and Maurice Cheeks through two different trades.
In the off-season leading up to Duncan's second NBA season, the team added Mario Elie, Steve Kerr, and Jerome Kersey among multiple new pieces.
In signing Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, the organization continues what's now become a trend regarding the 7-foot centerpieces they've featured over the last three and a half decades.
How the Spurs bolstered David Robinson
Though he was drafted with the first overall pick in 1987, Robinson arrived in the Alamo City for good two summers later.
In wanting to reshape a roster that had gone 21-61 the season before, the Spurs traded three-time NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Terry Cummings, a power forward who himself had made a pair of All-Star games through seven seasons in the league. They dealt for Maurice Cheeks, then entering his 12th season, by trading Johnny Dawkins to the Philadelphia 76ers. They also signed 16-year veteran Caldwell Jones that summer and added Johnny Moore and Mike Mitchell, both of whom had starred for the Spurs in the early 1980s, during a season that lasted until the Western Conference Semifinals.
The off-season that led to the Spurs first title
Following Tim Duncan's stellar rookie year, the Spurs added many role players. Mario Elie had played a key part in the Houston Rockets' two championships in 1994 and 1995. Steve Kerr had just come off contributing to the Chicago Bulls second three-peat. The team also signed 14-year vet Jerome Kersey.
They joined a 1990s Spurs veteran core that featured David Robinson, Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott, and included Jaren Jackson and Will Perdue to win the franchise's first-ever NBA title in 1999.
The then and now
By adding Paul and Barnes, the Spurs are, once again, surrounding a young star with veterans. Like in both 1989 and 1999 (an NBA Lockout prevented usual off-season activity in the summer of 1998), the Spurs have youth on the roster. In '89, the franchise teamed Robinson with fellow rookie Sean Elliott and second-year guard Willie Anderson before trading Cheeks for another second-year guard in Rod Strickland during the season. In '99, Antonio Daniels was also in his second season while then 28-year-old Malik Rose contributed.
For the similarities, there are differences though.
Unlike those other two versions, these Spurs are very, very, very young. So while it stands to reason as to why they wanted to add experience, they won't contend for a championship this coming season. Their reality is different than it was then.
But an approach binds the Spurs three fabled big men and transitional teams built around them early in their careers. San Antonio hopes for similar results, even if not immediate.
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