West Notes: Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, Kings, Domantas Sabonis, Blazers

Spurs

Rookie center Victor Wembanyama compared the NBA to European leagues, and suggested he thinks that international basketball is more physical.

 “First of all, the court is more open [here]. It’s going fast, but it’s less physical,” Wembanyama told reporters. “I get fouled a lot, but not as much. Nothing to compare. Here, players are just flying. Out there, it’s more on the ground, pushing on the ground, big box-outs. Here, it’s great athletes, the best in the world. Way more talent. But I like this better, though.”

• Wembanyama has been shut down for the NBA Summer League, as we relayed here. The plan all along was for him to play just two games. 

Kings

Center Domantas Sabonis underwent thumb surgery earlier this offseason, Lithuanian national team coach Kazys Maksvytis said, via BasketNews.

Sabonis won’t be playing for Lithuania at the FIBA World Cup next month as a result.

“He tried to recover without the surgery, but it didn’t work, and he lost time,” Maksvytis said. “After the surgery, everything takes longer.”

Sabonis broke his thumb in December, but missed just one game because of it.

• Restricted free agent center Neemias Queta has been diagnosed with a stress reaction and a metatarsal capsule sprain in his right foot, the team announced in a press release. He appeared in five games last season and is still awaiting an offer.

Trail Blazers

The saga surrounding star guard Damian Lillard is continuing on, with rival teams suggesting the Blazers could wait until the trade deadline in February to make a deal. We have the full story on that here.

Lillard is angling for a trade to the Heat, but others have been involved in the talks, perhaps as a third team to help facilitate a deal.

“Now it’s going to be a process over perhaps this month, August, maybe into September, for Portland to try to extract as much as they can from Miami,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter. “It isn’t like Miami comes to the table and says, ‘Here’s everything we have for Damian Lillard. Here you go.’ It doesn’t start that way. They’re gauging what Portland has (had) offered to them elsewhere.”