The Spurs announced on Thursday that Victor Wembanyama‘s second NBA season has come to an early end after testing showed he has a deep vein thrombosis (a form of blood clot) in his right shoulder.
It’s a scary diagnosis, but the Spurs caught it early and are said to be optimistic that it will be an isolated issue. There’s a relatively recent NBA precedent to back up that belief — Brandon Ingram‘s 2018/19 season came to an early end when he dealt with essentially the exact same condition. He was able to return to action later that year and hasn’t had any blood clots since then.
Given that Wembanyama is a rising star who has a chance to become the long-term face of the NBA, his return to full health is obviously the top priority not only for the Spurs, but for the league as a whole. However, his absence for the rest of this season will have a fascinating ripple effect across the NBA that could have a significant long-term impact on either the Grizzlies or the Cavaliers — or both.
In the space below, we’ll dig into how Memphis and Cleveland will be affected by Wembanyama’s health issue, Bobby Portis‘ 25-game suspension, the Pelicans’ Javonte Green buyout, and more.
Let’s dive in…
