On a night when Joel Embiid scored 70 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62 points, San Antonio Spurs rookie center Victor Wembanyama said the game is focused on the big men again. Wembanyama got to witness Embiid's big night up close, as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Spurs.

"A few years back, it was more of a guards' game," Wembanyama said. "But now, it's come back to a big men's game. I think it makes sense in terms of the game. We got guys, some guys all around the league who do a lot of stuff despite being very tall.

"It's the way the game changes. Now, we got to adapt."

Wembanyama scored 33 points in his head-to-had matchup with the reigning MVP. Following the game, the rookie drew praise from Embiid.

"He's great," Embiid said about Wembanyama. "I mean, he's got everything. Size, skill, got everything. There's nothing else to say. Bright future. He's already pretty good, but once he develops and his body also catches up, he's gonna bring a lot of problems for a lot of guys in this league. He's extremely talented."

Victor Wembanyama has been under a minutes restriction over the past few weeks. The San Antonio Spurs have also kept their prized big man from playing in back-to-back games over that same period. It's unclear when Wembanyama will be allowed to play in back-to-backs, but the minutes restriction may lift soon.

"Not by next game (at Philadelphia on Monday night), but perhaps after that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said when asked when Wembanyama might be able to play more.

The 7-foot-4 big man hasn't played more than 27:45 in a game since December 17. Over his last 12 games, Wembanyama has averaged 24.5 minutes per game. He's also missed one end of a back-to-back three times over the last month-plus.

During the Atlanta Hawks game against the San Antonio Spurs, TNT sideline reporter Dennis Scott shared some information from a chat with Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. One of the topics they discussed was a rumor that the Spurs could try to reacquire Murray.

When asked about the Spurs rumor, Scott said Murray told him: "Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is like a father to me, I would welcome that. But right now, I'm a Hawk, I'm going to stay professional and play the right way."

Scott shared Murray's approach to the trade rumors is the standard one most NBA veterans take.

"It's part of the business, I'm going to stay professional and be a good teammate," Murray told Scott.

The Hawks acquired Murray from the Spurs ahead of the 2022-23 season. Atlanta traded Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap for Murray and Jock Landale. This offseason, the Hawks signed Murray to a four-year, $114 million contract extension that will kick in next season.

Victor Wembanyama plans to participate in the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

All-Star Weekend runs from February 16 through 18.

Wembanyama is averaging 19.6 points and 10.3 rebounds on the season. 

The San Antonio Spurs have leaned into a youth movement around Victor Wembanyama. That could become even more stark, as San Antonio has made a pair of veterans available via trade.

The Spurs are open to trading forward Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman ahead of the February 8 trade deadline. Both players are on expiring contracts.

McDermott is making $13.75 million in the final year of his deal. The Spurs had trade offers for McDermott last season but chose to keep him. This year a trade is much more likely, sources told Marc Stein.

Osman is wrapping up his deal with $6.7 million left on his contract. San Antonio acquired Osman from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a salary-clearing trade ahead of the season.

Host Danny Leroux and Ben Golliver of the Washington Post catch up on the NBA season so far.

The two discuss Kawhi Leonard signing an extension with the Clippers, what the Warriors do from here, the Spurs’ path forward, the Lakers’ trade deadline and much more.

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed. 

The NBA has granted the San Antonio Spurs a $1.3 million Disabled Player Exception for Charles Bassey. Bassey is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL on December 10 while playing in the G League.

San Antonio can use the DPE to sign a player to a one-year contract for the rest of this season. $1.3 million is the set amount of the DPE, as it's half of Bassey's salary for this season. The Spurs have until March 11 to use the exception.

Dejounte Murray is now trade eligible after signing a four-year, $120 million extension this past offseason and the Atlanta Hawks are expected to begin escalating those conversations.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have been a pair of teams linked with Murray, but his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, could also join the bidding.

"We're still waiting to see exactly how his market shakes out, but one team that has a level of exploratory interest, I'm told, is his former team: the San Antonio Spurs," said Shams Charania. "The Spurs, obviously, building around Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, among their budding young talent. They have a stable of draft assets as well. They are going to take a very patient approach in their building approach. There's not a real level of urgency of going out there immediately, but they are going to be patient."

The Spurs traded Murray to the Hawks in June 2022 as they initiated their rebuild and had concerns about their ability to sign him long-term. San Antonio also has a clear need at point guard on their roster.

Giannis Antetokounmpo came away impressed after his first matchup with Victor Wembanyama. Antetokounmpo's Bucks beat Wembanyama's Spurs, but the rookie made an impression on the veteran superstar.

"He's special," Antetokounmpo said about Wembanyama. "He's going to be an extremely good player. He plays the right way. He plays to win. I've never seen anything like him."

The Spurs rookie said Antetokounmpo was one of the players he watched most growing up. Wembanyama also relished going against the Bucks star.

"It's always extra motivation, and I know I'm a competitor," Wembanyama said. "So I want to go at everyone and be the bad guy on the court. So it was a great matchup."

The San Antonio Spurs have applied for a Disabled Player Exception on Charles Bassey.

The exception would be worth $1.3 million.

Bassey tore his ACL and is out for the season.