The San Antonio Spurs already made one of the biggest jumps in the league last season, reaching the NBA Finals before falling to the New York Knicks. That run may have caught people off guard, but it hasn’t changed the team’s approach: San Antonio still has room to add, and power forward looks like a spot worth targeting.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Spurs are exploring a group of five free-agent forwards as they prepare to use their full $15 million midlevel exception. Fischer said San Antonio has “its eyes on Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili and Detroit’s Tobias Harris in addition to Cleveland’s Dean Wade, the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, and the Clippers’ John Collins.”
Mamukelashvili is the most familiar name in that group from a Spurs perspective. He spent two and a half seasons in San Antonio before leaving in 2025 to sign a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Raptors. He made that move pay off in 2025-26, posting 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
He also had a $2.8 million player option for the second season, and the expectation was that he would turn it down after that performance. Reports say he has done exactly that, which leaves the door open for another decision - and possibly another look at San Antonio. The Lakers have also been linked to Mamukelashvili, so he should have multiple options.
Hachimura is another forward the Spurs are monitoring. The Lakers wing averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26 while shooting 44.3% from three-point range. He has developed into one of the league’s better shooters, and that kind of floor spacing would fit a Spurs roster that could use more reliable marksmen.
Tobias Harris brings a different kind of value. After two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, he has rebuilt his stock and remains a steady veteran presence.
In 2025-26, Harris put up 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. At 33, he doesn’t come with championship hardware, but he does bring the kind of experience San Antonio could lean on.
John Collins is younger than Harris but has plenty of mileage of his own, entering his ninth NBA season. With the Clippers in 2025-26, Collins averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Among this group, he stands out as the strongest rebounder, and that matters after rebounding became an issue for the Spurs in the Finals against the Knicks.
Wade rounds out the list, and he offers the defensive edge of the bunch. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Cavaliers in 2025-26. San Antonio was already one of the league’s best defensive teams last season, and Wade would add another layer on that end.
Free agency opens at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and the Spurs still have decisions to make. Two players from last season are already lined up for new deals, though.
Shams Charania reported that Julian Champagnie intends to sign a three-year, $45 million deal with San Antonio after the team declined his $3 million team option for 2026-27. Charania also reported that Harrison Barnes intends to sign a one-year, $8 million deal with the Spurs.
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