The San Antonio Spurs don’t just have the edge over the Oklahoma City Thunder right now - they also look built to keep it.
Last season told the story in a hurry. San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in the regular season, outplayed the Thunder in the NBA Cup, and then knocked them out of the playoffs. The two teams may sit in the same conversation at the top of the West, but the Spurs have clearly claimed the upper hand.
That gap, though, isn’t enormous. The Spurs and Thunder are still being discussed as 1-A and 1-B, and the separation isn’t nearly as wide as some fans would prefer.
But the Spurs did the kind of offseason work that strengthens a lead instead of risking it. They didn’t lose a rotation player and added Tobias Harris.
Oklahoma City’s offseason, by contrast, leans more on hope. The Thunder are banking on recent lottery picks Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber to take a step forward, but they also lost Lu Dort, Isaiah Dort, and Aaron Wiggins. That matters.
San Antonio’s biggest advantage is at the top. Victor Wembanyama has moved ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, giving the Spurs the best player in the matchup. Oklahoma City may still have the deeper roster, but depth only carries so far when the other side has a star like Wembanyama and a core that looks sturdier over time.
That sustainability is where the numbers start to favor San Antonio, too. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said, "The Thunder, who are the deepest team in the league, are now one of the more expensive teams in the league," and the payroll picture backs that up. Oklahoma City has $216 million on the books this year, while San Antonio sits at $198 million.
The Spurs also project to stay cheaper over the next three seasons, sometimes by as much as $40 million. That changes once Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper get extensions, but the broader point still stands: San Antonio’s trio may end up better than Oklahoma City’s, and it might still come in at a lower cost.
As Tim MacMahon put it, "Forget the financial competition," said Tim MacMahon. "They're operating in a league where they're trying to compete with the San Antonio Spurs, who are going to have Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle, potentially for the next decade plus."
In Other News...
Spurs Have A Big Question As Their Guard Trio Takes On More
Mitch Johnson is pushing the Spurs toward a bigger role for their young guard trio, with Dylan Harper, DeAaron Fox and Stephon Castle expected to share the floor more often than they did a year ago. The idea is built on what the group flashed in limited stretches last season, and San Antonio wants to see those promising moments turn into something more stable as the minutes start to rise.
For that to work, the fit has to be cleaner away from the ball. Johnson has pointed to the need for the guards to sharpen the little things that make an overloaded backcourt function, especially spacing the floor and cutting hard to the rim. It is the kind of adjustment that could unlock the lineup, and also the part of the experiment that will decide whether the Spurs can keep leaning into it. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama May Need One New Weapon To Protect His Future
Victor Wembanyama already stands out as one of the leagues most difficult scorers to game-plan for, thanks to a skill set that stretches defenses in almost every direction. But as the Spurs continue managing his development, there is a growing basketball case for adding another layer to his attack, one that could make him even harder to defend while also helping preserve the kind of body that has to carry a massive workload.
The idea is pretty simple: if Wembanyama can become more dependable from the middle of the floor, he may not have to absorb so much contact at the rim or rely as heavily on the same high-impact possessions every night. His current touch from that area leaves room for growth, and for a player with his long-term importance in San Antonio, the payoff would not just be about scoring. It would be about building a path that keeps his game efficient, sustainable and a little easier on his future. [Read more 🡒]
Tobias Harris Just Changed A Tough Spurs Decision
Tobias Harris arrived in San Antonio as one of the more interesting offseason additions, and the fit already feels like a live roster question for the Spurs. At media day, Harris made it clear he is focused on winning and is prepared to handle whatever role the team asks of him, which is exactly the kind of flexibility a young team wants from a veteran forward.
The complication is obvious enough: Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie are the current starting forwards, and Harris gives the Spurs another proven option in that same mix. His place in the rotation will come down to what the team needs and how everyone performs, making this less about a simple signing and more about an early-season decision that could shape the way the Spurs line up. [Read more 🡒]