NBA Notes: Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, Mavericks, trade targets, Warriors

Spurs

Victor Wembanyama didn’t make excuses after the Spurs dropped Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The San Antonio star openly acknowledged he struggled in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, even after finishing with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in his Finals debut.

“I was bad tonight,” Wembanyama said, via ESPN. “It’s not more complicated than that.”

Despite posting numbers achieved by only a handful of players in Finals history, Wembanyama committed six turnovers, missed 15 shots and watched the Spurs squander a 14-point lead.

The good news for San Antonio? Wembanyama doesn’t sound concerned.

“This is why I’m not worried,” he said. “We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”

The Spurs managed just 16 assists and were outscored 23-14 in second-chance points, two areas they hope to clean up before Game 2.

“We let that one go,” Wembanyama said.

Mavericks

The Mavericks got their franchise cornerstone last year when they won the lottery and selected Cooper Flagg. This year, the lottery wasn’t quite as kind.

Dallas landed the No. 9 overall pick, but new general manager Mike Schmitz has already indicated the organization expects to find a rotation player there.

Some observers have wondered whether the Mavericks could instead use the selection as part of a larger trade package.

Dallas Hoops Journal recently floated several potential targets, including Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Magic guard Jalen Suggs and Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Whether any of those names are actually available remains unclear. But with Flagg now viewed as the centerpiece of the franchise, every move Dallas makes will be scrutinized through that lens.

Warriors

For the second time in three seasons, the Warriors find themselves in the lottery.

That’s not where Golden State expected to be.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Warriors enter a critical offseason as they attempt to maximize what remains of Stephen Curry‘s championship window while also planning for the future.

Curry will be extension-eligible later this summer, while Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis are among several key roster decisions facing the front office.

Golden State also owns the No. 11 pick in this month’s draft and has future first-round assets available if the organization decides to pursue another major move.

The challenge is obvious. The Warriors still believe they can contend with Curry leading the way. But at age 38 and coming off an injury-shortened season, the clock isn’t slowing down.

Neither, apparently, is the pressure to win.