The San Antonio Spurs stood pat at the NBA trade deadline - and that silence spoke volumes. Despite chatter around potential moves and a treasure trove of draft picks to play with, the front office opted for continuity.
No flashy deals. No roster shake-ups.
And according to Victor Wembanyama, that decision sends a clear message.
“If there's any message to be taken from it,” Wemby said, “it's that we trust who we are, we trust the process. And what I love is that the front office trusts these guys just like I do.”
That kind of trust isn’t just lip service - it’s rooted in results. The Spurs are in the middle of their best season since Wembanyama entered the league in 2023.
Their recent 135-123 win over the Dallas Mavericks - part of a back-to-back set - gave them 35 wins through just 51 games. For context, they won 34 games all of last season.
This isn’t just a young team growing - it’s a young team arriving.
And while there was speculation the Spurs might get aggressive at the deadline - especially with a willingness to move 2022 first-rounder Jeremy Sochan and a stockpile of picks stretching deep into the next decade - the front office ultimately decided to ride with its current core. Wembanyama, for one, is all in.
“We're on the same page,” he said.
That sentiment is echoed in the locker room, especially by veteran guard Devin Vassell, who’s seen enough trade deadlines to know the anxiety they bring - even when you’re not the one being mentioned in rumors.
“Yeah, I would say so, for sure,” Vassell said when asked if the deadline was the toughest stretch of the season off the court. “There's a lot of uncertainty...
You never know what could happen. It's obviously a stressful time, but we're focused on the game.”
Vassell has been a steady presence in San Antonio since being drafted in 2020. He’s one of the team’s most consistent scorers, averaging 14.3 points per game this season, and he’s been among the Spurs’ top three scorers for three straight years. That kind of production doesn’t go unnoticed - not by the league, and certainly not by the front office.
Still, even for players not directly involved in trade talks, the deadline can be a mental grind.
“It’s definitely a lot,” Vassell admitted. “It’s a stressful time, not only for you, but players that you might know, teammates that you might know.
You look at your phone and you see something else and you just never know what’s going to happen next. I can’t wait for this trade deadline to be over, honestly.”
Meanwhile, De’Aaron Fox knows the feeling all too well. The Spurs’ second-leading scorer was traded to San Antonio last February after spending seven and a half seasons in Sacramento. It was his first time being moved, but not his first time navigating the unpredictable waters of deadline week.
“In my ninth year - well, let’s go with eight years - I’ve seen trades at least five or six of them,” Fox said. “I mean, I don’t know if I would say that’s what I’m expecting, but a lot of things happen at the trade deadline.”
This time, nothing happened. And that’s the story.
San Antonio is betting on its chemistry, its development, and the belief that this group - led by a generational talent in Wembanyama, a dynamic backcourt featuring Fox and Vassell, and a locker room that’s all-in - has what it takes to keep climbing.
The deadline has come and gone. Now, it’s about the games ahead - and whether the Spurs can turn trust into something more tangible come playoff time.