The Athletic: The Spurs lost the NBA Cup, but the rest of the league remains on notice

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LAS VEGAS — The notion of an Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty was boring before it even started.

That’s not an admission I make lightly. It runs the risk of appearing as if there’s some sort of rooting (against) interest from someone whose job it is to cover all 30 teams with an objective eye. But that’s not it at all.

The real rub, and the thing that had become a potential problem for the league as the Thunder laid wreckage to the regular season these past two months, was that the one-sidedness of their early 2025-26 journey just wasn’t all that interesting. Other than their pursuit of Golden State’s 73-win regular season record, anyway.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was clocking out after the third quarter on a regular basis because, well, his work was already done (As he put it in one of his many clever Instagram captions, “how can I go back and forth if I’m not really back in fourths?”) The gap between OKC and the rest of the league seemed to be widening by the day, even with All-Star Jalen Williams having missed the majority of the season because of injury (he returned on Nov. 28). For a basketball business that relies so heavily on providing compelling competition, with even the dynasties of old always managing to have at least one worthy foil to keep them honest, it was fair to wonder if this next half-decade was going to lack the sort of spice that has long made it so great.

And then Wemby made us wonder.

If the viewing audience carries one thing forward from this third annual NBA Cup — even beyond the New York Knicks being crowned champs by beating the Spurs, 124-113, in the finale on Tuesday — it’s going to be the Spurs’ semifinal win over Oklahoma City three days before, in which Victor Wembanyama planted the seeds of a possible rivalry while helping hand the Thunder their second loss in 26 tries along the way. All while playing just 21 minutes, no less.

But better yet, it was the cool and calculated way in which Wembanyama added water to those seeds with those postgame comments about the Spurs’ brand of basketball being so much more “ethical” than that of their foes. Wembanyama hasn’t copped to the exact meaning of his words, but it was widely perceived as a not-so-subtle dig at the Gilgeous-Alexander foul-baiting that is such a controversial part of his profile.

This is the stuff of which basketball beef is made.

Now make no mistake, the Spurs (18-7; tied for third in the West) aren’t the only West contender capable of providing a real threat to the Thunder’s dominance both now and down the line. But the difference between them and other candidates, such as Denver, Houston, the Lakers and Minnesota, and the thing that could give this matchup so much juice in the years to come, is the presence of a young superstar who is so young (21) and so transcendent that the length of the Spurs’ runway could rival that of the Thunder’s.

“I think we’re not quite there yet, but it’s a good sign that people see that it’s possible, because it’s not like we’re the second seed right now,” Wembanyama said on Monday. “I don’t think anybody right now can claim to have a rivalry with them in the league. They’re in their own tier. But in the future, if we can provide it (on that) stage, that’s good. And (if) we reach that level, of course, it’d be great to have a rivalry. If you’re at the top, and you have a rivalry, it means you’re in the best position to win titles. So I’m very interested by it.”

If the most interesting man in the NBA is into it, then it’s safe to assume the NBA is loving this development too, especially considering what comes next on the schedule. In less than a week, the Thunder will have their chance at comeuppance — and to quiet this fascinating conversation — when they play at San Antonio on Tuesday and then host the Spurs two days later (on Christmas Day). From there, the calendar segues quite nicely into the trade season that raises even more intriguing questions about what will come next for San Antonio.

If these first two months taught the Spurs anything, it’s that their supporting cast that surrounds Wembanyama is (beyond) good enough. The last few weeks were proof of that.

When Wembanyama missed nearly a month while recovering from a calf strain, the Spurs went 9-3 without him (De’Aaron Fox averaged 25.2 points and 6.5 assists during that span; Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper all averaged between 13 and 17 points). It was quite the relevant revelation, with their bevy of homegrown youngsters fitting in beautifully with the former All-Star (Fox) who came their way last season when he handpicked the Spurs as his destination of choice via trade from Sacramento. As Harper reminded the assembled media after the title game, “I mean, it’s our second time being out there all together (with a full roster). The sky’s the limit.”

This subplot matters a great deal, you see, because this Spurs front office has a deep collection of young talent and draft assets at its disposal that would make a superstar trade — like, say, for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo — far more feasible than nearly every other suitor around the league. It’s a tempting route to take, to be sure, but it also belies the history of this franchise that famously won five titles from 1999 to 2014.

It’s worth remembering that this particular organization — much like the Thunder — is well-versed in the art of building a sustainable winner.

Back before Brian Wright took over as general manager in 2019, with longtime Spurs architect R.C. Buford elevated to his CEO role, Buford and Gregg Popovich put together an all-time roster from the inside out. David Robinson’s injuries in the 1996-97 season were the gift that kept on giving, with Tim Duncan coming their way with the No. 1 pick that summer as a result of the standings crash that ensued.

Manu Ginobili (57th in 1999) and Tony Parker (28th in 2001, with longtime Thunder president of basketball operations Sam Presti playing a pivotal part in that process during his time with the Spurs) came their way after that. On the back-end of their incredible stretch came the 2011 draft-night trade with Indiana that landed them Kawhi Leonard with the 15th pick and, in turn, another ring in 2014.

When given the choice between taking a shortcut via trade or leaning into their promising prospects along the way, the Spurs — more often than not — did the latter. The similarities between then and now are impossible to miss.

After striking lottery gold (again) in 2023 by landing Wemby, this Spurs front office couldn’t have done much better than taking Castle (fourth in 2024) and Harper (second in 2025) to round out their already-solid group. Does that mean it’s good enough to truly challenge the Thunder? Even they don’t know the answer to that question just yet. But considering the messaging about the Spurs across the league, how they are widely expected to avoid the temptation to go all-in for a superstar like Antetokounmpo (or any other one, for that matter) before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, then it seems quite clear that they’re going to be patient during this process.

But does the loss to Knicks change that calculus — even in the slightest? Wembanyama wasn’t nearly as impactful as he had been in the semifinal, finishing with 18 points (7 of 17 shooting), six rebounds, two blocks and a minus-18 mark in 25 minutes. After the game, when an emotional Wembanyama took the podium long after every other player had addressed the media, he revealed that he’d lost someone close to him during a short and emotional session. Later in the evening, our Jared Weiss reported that Wembanyama’s grandmother had passed earlier that day.

Victor Wembanyama learned Tuesday morning that his grandmother has passed away in France, a team source told @TheAthletic.

Wembanyama was in tears during his post-game press conference and said, "I'm sorry, I lost somebody today."

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) December 17, 2025

Still, the answer to that bigger-picture question about whether this loss to the Knicks should change how the Spurs see their team — from this vantage point — is a resounding no. But the actual decision-makers, the ones who want nothing more than to derail that Thunder dynasty in the making, will have to keep evaluating this roster from here.

For the Spurs, these are good problems to have. For the Thunder, who remain the resounding favorites to become the first team since the Warriors in 2018 to win back-to-back titles, this is a (rival) situation worth monitoring.

Even with the way it ended.

“I don’t want to speak for them, but I’m assuming — and I felt — pretty frustrated because we lost the game,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I’m also feeling, (that) after 25 games in, I believe, that we’ve shown some signs that we can be a pretty good team. We’ve also shown that we have a lot of areas of improvement. And I think that’s where we’re living today. Hopefully tomorrow, we can continue to get a little bit better and minimize some of the things that we need to improve on.”

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