San Antonio officials began talks with Spurs on downtown arena before NBA draft lottery

San Antonio city leaders approached Spurs officials about building a new downtown arena months before the franchise landed the No. 1 NBA draft pick, the Express-News reports, citing text messages between the city and team management. The first confirmed mention of a possible downtown relocation followed the team's nationally televised matchup against the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome, the daily reports. Following the Jan. 13 game, Spurs general counsel Bobby Perez texted city manager Erik Walsh, writing, "We need more games downtown," according to messages obtained by the Express-News.