Skip Bayless bluntly questions Victor Wembanyama's shoulder injury - "Wonder if the Spurs decided to shut him down"

San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The unexpected ailment will reportedly sideline him for the remainder of the season. However, NBA analyst Skip Bayless theorized that San Antonio could have an ulterior motive for shutting down its top player.

After competing in his first All-Star Game over the weekend, Wembanyama was set to lead the Spurs' playoff push over their campaign's final third. That changed following ESPN's Shams Charania's Thursday report about the standout sophomore's medical scare.

Per Charania, San Antonio believes Wembanyama is dealing with an "isolated blood clot" and could be "ready to go for the offseason and 2025-26 season." The league insider added that the setback came amid the organization's "aspirations" to secure its first playoff berth since 2019.

However, according to Bayless, the Spurs (23-29) may have been plotting to throw in the towel on their season to give Wembanyama extended rest. The longtime pundit noted that the team came out of the All-Star break well behind the Western Conference's final play-in spot. Thus, Bayless seemingly hinted that the franchise is better off tanking.

"This announced Wemby injury is just strange," Bayless wrote on X/Twitter on Thursday. "You have to wonder if the Spurs just decided to shut him down with 30 games left, with the team just 23-29, three and a half out of the play-in, just to eliminate unnecessary wear-and-tear on a still-fragile 21-year-old body."

To Bayless' point, San Antonio has the league's 10th-worst record and could fall a few more spots in Wembanyama's absence. Such a scenario would boost its NBA draft lottery odds and chances of landing another high-impact player ahead of his third season.

However, the Spurs made a win-now move before the trade deadline. They acquired star point guard De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal on Feb. 3.

Moreover, teams angling to shut down players typically don't use serious medical conditions as justification. Thus, it appears far more likely that Wembanyama's ailment derailed the organization's rest-of-season plans.

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Victor Wembanyama's blood clot issue is "not as serious" as Chris Bosh's

Victor Wembanyama is one of several high-profile NBA players who have faced blood-clot troubles.

Most notably, former Miami Heat star big man Chris Bosh was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in 2015 and 2016. The 11-time All-Star's blood clots ultimately forced him into early retirement.

However, according to the San Antonio Express-News' Mike Finger, Wembanyama's case is "not as serious" as Bosh's was.

Thus, it appears Spurs fans can breathe a sigh of relief that there likely won't be any long-term complications to their franchise player's health.

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