Top 3 Priorities for San Antonio Spurs During 2026 NBA Offseason
After coming within three victories of an NBA championship, the San Antonio Spurs now embark on an offseason equal parts promising and paramount.
Internally, they must still decide how they get over the hump. But the prospective answers are much less daunting knowing this group was right there and remains built around three players—Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle—who will continue to get better.
This should not be confused with a license to stand pat. The Spurs have a top-three star right now. Balancing patience with urgency is their mission.
Here's how they can successfully complete it.
3. Julian Champagnie's Team Option
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Julian Champagnie has a $3 million team option that comes out to under 1.9 percent of next year's salary cap. Bargains don't get much more absurd, which makes keeping him at that number feel like a no-brainer.
Still, the Spurs should consider declining it and giving him an immediate raise as part of a new deal.
San Antonio has over $34 million in room beneath the luxury tax this summer when factoring in cap holds that would bring it to 14 players. Bumping up Champagnie's 2026-27 salary in exchange for a hair cut during later seasons could help preserve the viability of this core.
Victor Wembanyama will be on a new deal in 2027-28. Stephon Castle's next contract would kick in for 2028-29. Dylan Harper is right behind him in 2029-30, which also happens to be the final year of De'Aaron Fox's current pact. Cheaper deals on the margins will quickly become imperative.
Time has a way of forcing personnel changes no matter what, but paying Champagnie now with the intent of lowering his cap hit in the out years would be a move geared toward both sustainability and flexibility.
2. Upgrade the Frontcourt Slot Next to Victor Wembanyama
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It feels weird to talk about the Spurs needing to lock down Julian Champagnie only to then insist they net an upgrade over him and Harrison Barnes, but here we are.
San Antonio has guards who play bigger than they are, so this isn't about stashing more size next to Victor Wembanyama—though, given how rough the secondary center rotation looked in the conference finals and Finals, that would be a bonus. It's about adding someone who puts more stress on opposing defenses as a shooter and, preferably, attacker.
You'll notice this does not describe Giannis Antetokounmpo. That's intentional. The Spurs need someone who does more to open the half-court. They enjoyed hotter stretches of shooting throughout the year but were just 14th in three-point-attempt rate and 15th in accuracy for the entire season.
Trey Murphy III would be ideal. He has real pull both on and off the ball, can do a little with the rock in his hands and wouldn't require the Spurs to give up a core salary if they include enough draft equity.
Michael Porter Jr. would be interesting as well, particularly if San Antonio can build a package around Keldon Johnson and a Barnes sign-and-trade. PJ Washington would be a dynamite addition if you trust his three-ball and bandwidth for logging spot center minutes.
Investigating Aaron Gordon's availability should frankly be a mandate. He may not check every offensive box, but he has improved a great deal from beyond the arc and can soak up some center minutes when Wemby is catching a breather. If the Houston Rockets wind up entering the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes and Jabari Smith Jr. is part of the outgoing package, the Spurs should try to grab him for themselves as a third-party facilitator.
Other trade targets to keep an eye on include Andrew Wiggins (player option), Mikal Bridges, Naz Reid, Max Strus and Royce O'Neale. Free agents who could fall into the non-taxpayer mid-level (or cheaper) range like Rui Hachimura, Kelly Oubre Jr., John Collins or some potential ring-chasing guy LeBron James might be worth a gander as well.
1. Extend Victor Wembanyama
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The Spurs' most important priority of the offseason also happens to be the easiest to tackle. Victor Wembanyama is eligible to sign his rookie extension, an agreement that will require very little negotiation.
Assuming a $165 million salary cap in 2027-28, his straight five-year max will run $252.7 million. If the Spurs include qualifying escalator language—which they will—a five-year max runs $303.3 million should he make All-NBA, win MVP and/or retain his Defensive Player of the Year crown.
Whatever version of the extension Wemby wants to sign, San Antonio must acquiesce. If offering the max with escalator language is enough for him to ditch a player option at the end of the deal, that would be great. If not, whatever.
The same logic applies if he wants a shorter contract (for some reason). Wemby just became the first player to win Defensive Player of the Year before his age-23 season while finishing third in MVP voting. The Spurs shouldn't care about what version of the extension he signs. All that matters is he signs one at all.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
