The San Antonio Spurs just got a useful reminder that big-time young talent does not always have to mean a crushing cap bill.
Victor Wembanyama’s five-year, $252 million rookie contract extension was already the kind of move that can shape a franchise’s future. It locked in the centerpiece of the Spurs’ rebuild, and it did so without forcing San Antonio into the financial straitjacket that would have come with a supermax deal worth more than $300 million over five seasons. That difference matters, because the Spurs are staring down a stretch where De'Aaron Fox’s maximum contract and future expensive extensions for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are going to squeeze the books.
The good news for San Antonio is that another Western Conference team just handed them a practical example of how to manage that reality.
On Friday, the Utah Jazz and Keyonte George agreed to a five-year, $157.5 million rookie extension. George, the No. 16 pick in 2023, turned in a breakout season, averaging 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game while posting career-high shooting efficiency. He was so productive that Utah even had to sit him at times during its tanking effort.
That deal should have the Spurs paying attention.
Castle and Harper are both expected to land contracts north of George’s number, but George’s extension still shows there’s room for young teams to get creative. Utah is not as far along as San Antonio and is probably three seasons away from true contention, but the Jazz are following the same basic playbook: keep the right young players, spend carefully, and avoid locking the roster into a corner.
George may end up as Utah’s third young star once Ace Bailey and Darryn Peterson are in the mix, and Castle could occupy a similar spot in San Antonio. The key, though, is that the Spurs may not need to hand Castle anything close to the maximum. If he accepts something in the neighborhood of George’s deal, San Antonio would still likely need to move Fox before Harper gets extended, but that would fit the shape of the roster the Spurs seem headed toward anyway.
And if that’s how it plays out, the payoff is obvious: enough flexibility to keep a real supporting cast around Wembanyama, with room later for players like Julian Champagnie, Devin Vassell, and Carter Bryant.
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Around the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed guard Stephen Thompson to a training camp contract and waived Jules Bernard, while San Antonio also made a small but notable move of its own. For the Spurs, these kinds of signings usually point to the same bigger question: which young guards can turn a short runway in camp into something more substantial once the real roster battles begin? [Read more 🡒]
Tobias Harris Just Put Keldon Johnson's Spurs Future In Doubt
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For Johnson, the path forward appears narrower than it once did. He should still bring the durability and pace the Spurs value, yet his minutes could be trimmed as the team sorts out its wing and forward group around Devin Vassell and Carter Bryant. In a rotation that keeps getting deeper, Johnsons role may not disappear, but it is no longer as secure as it looked earlier in the offseason. [Read more 🡒]