Could the San Antonio Spurs be building a new arena?

In San Antonio, Texas there is now speculation that the Spurs are interested in the idea of an arena downtown, especially after landing highly touted prospect Victor Wembanyama No. 1 overall in the draft. This is also amid news that the San Antonio Missions minor league baseball team is interested in building a stadium downtown as well.

A collaboration between the two sports teams could be around the corner. “If both projects come to fruition, they could be built side by side. A source familiar with both ownership groups says they’re discussing the possibility of creating a downtown professional sports district that would bring together sports, dining and drinking,” per Greg Jefferson and Madison Iszler of the San Antonio Express News.

The thinking behind this collaboration is that it would provide an overall boost to the economy in creating this “sports district” in downtown.

“Co-locating the teams' facilities, the thinking goes, could bring a year-round stream of fans to the central business district, which is struggling to recover from the COVID pandemic, and touch off a wave of new restaurant and bar openings. Fans could make a night of it, buying drinks or dinner before walking over for a game,” per Jefferson and Iszler.

However, don't expect any immediate changes for the Spurs. They still have nine years left on their lease with the team's current stadium, the AT&T Center on San Antonio's east side. The lease officially expires in 2032. If anything, the team is simply exploring possible options for what could be in store once the lease is up.

With a superstar like Wembanyama joining the team, the next couple of years are the perfect time for the Spurs to leverage their star as a draw for a better arena if desired.

The Spurs organization has yet to comment.