The Spurs may be headed toward a new home, but San Antonio should be making one thing crystal clear before the first shovel hits the ground: keep the games here.
Project Marvel, approved in November by 55 percent of voters, is already set to reshape the Hemisfair area with a new arena, dining options, convention centers, and public spaces. The Spurs are putting half a billion dollars into the effort, and the city is banking on the kind of traffic, tourism, and spending that owner Peter Holt says will come with it. Some residents still doubt the promised $1.3 billion in revenue will actually show up, but the team’s financial commitment has at least given the project real momentum.
That said, the money only matters if the Spurs are actually in San Antonio.
The franchise is scheduled for 41 “home” games each season, but not all of those have stayed put. Some have been played in Austin, Paris, and Mexico City, and in 2027 the Spurs already have a game lined up in Manchester.
That’s fine for building the brand, and it makes sense on some level. Victor Wembanyama is one of the NBA’s biggest draws, Austin gives the team a chance to grow its Texas fan base, and the overseas games help spread the league’s global reach.
Still, if San Antonio is expected to help cover the cost of a new downtown development through higher hotel taxes, the city has every reason to ask for more in return. More games in San Antonio mean more revenue for the city, plain and simple.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has already taken heat for approaching Project Marvel cautiously and insisting on “transparency" so taxpayers don’t end up carrying an unfair share of the burden. That stance may not be the popular one, but the logic behind it is hard to ignore. If San Antonio is going to commit to the Spurs, the Spurs need to commit to San Antonio.
And the most straightforward way to show that commitment is simple: play as many games as possible in the city that’s helping pay for the future.
In Other News...
Spurs Have One Summer League Name Fans Need To Watch Closely
After a trip to the NBA Finals and a loss to the Knicks, the Spurs are shifting into their summer evaluation mode with a 2026 NBA Summer League roster that gives the organization a fresh look at its young core and newest additions. The group includes 2025 first-round pick Carter Bryant, plus four 2026 draft selections, giving San Antonio plenty to monitor as it continues building around Victor Wembanyama.
Bryant is already drawing attention as one of the leagues players to watch, and the reasons are easy to see from the Spurs perspective. His athleticism, perimeter defense and three-point shooting all point toward the kind of complementary piece San Antonio wants next to Wembanyama, which makes his Summer League run more than just a developmental stop. The Spurs open play Thursday against the Hawks, and for a team still shaping its future, this is one of the more important auditions on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Face A LeBron Dilemma Fans Wont Agree On
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Mario Chalmers, who knows James from their Miami days, is not sold on the fit. His concern is less about talent than about what happens around a young team when a player with that much basketball IQ walks in, because the Spurs have spent so much time trying to grow their own voices and identity. For all the upside of adding a star of that magnitude, there is also the question of whether San Antonio would be asking its development path to bend too far around him. [Read more 🡒]
Keldon Johnson Gave Spurs Fans Hope And One Lingering Concern
Keldon Johnson gave the Spurs exactly the kind of jolt they wanted this season, showing up every night across all 82 regular-season games and doing it all without ever cracking the starting five. The production was real, too, with more than 1,000 points and steady contributions on the glass and as a passer, enough to make him one of the most reliable pieces in San Antonios rotation.
The concern, though, is what happens when the stage gets bigger. Johnsons scoring dipped once the playoffs arrived, and the slide became more noticeable as the postseason wore on, leaving the Spurs with a reminder that regular-season consistency does not always translate cleanly when the pressure rises. Even so, he remains a central part of where this team is headed, which is why his next step matters so much. [Read more 🡒]