Victor Wembanyama is eligible for a massive new deal with the Spurs this summer, and the numbers are eye-popping. Multiple reports have the projected extension starting at roughly five years and more than $250 million, with incentives that could push the total past $300 million.
No one around the league is questioning whether San Antonio should pay him. The 7-4 French star has earned that kind of money, and the only real debate is how fast the Spurs get the contract signed.
But there’s another path being floated: Wembanyama taking less than the max.
That idea has picked up steam because of what Jalen Brunson did in New York. In 2024, Brunson chose to re-up with the Knicks on a four-year, $156.5 million extension rather than wait and chase a bigger payday.
That decision left $113 million in guaranteed money on the table, but it also gave the Knicks room to spend elsewhere. The payoff was a championship roster.
The thought here is simple enough. If Wembanyama were willing to follow that kind of example, the Spurs could create the financial flexibility needed to chase LeBron James.
Wembanyama has already put himself in rare company since arriving as the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. He has become the NBA’s most dominant two-way player, won unanimous Defensive Player of the Year honors, made All-NBA First Team, and helped push San Antonio back into championship contention. He also led the Spurs to an NBA Finals berth, where they were manhandled by Brunson’s Knicks.
Now the question is whether the Spurs’ franchise centerpiece might do something off the floor that matches the unselfishness he shows on it. A hometown discount would be a dramatic move, but it would also open the door to a very different kind of title run in San Antonio.
In Other News...
Spurs Just Sent A Clear Message With Their Riskiest Draft Bet
The Spurs have spent the last few years building real momentum around Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and the payoff has already been obvious in the form of a Finals trip. So when San Antonio went into the 2026 NBA Draft and used the No. 20 pick on Jayden Quaintance, it fit a pattern the front office has leaned into since the rebuild started to accelerate: keep chasing difference-makers, even when the safer route is sitting right there.
Quaintance is the sort of bet that tells you where the Spurs think they are in the cycle. He brings the kind of upside teams usually reserve for much earlier in the draft, but his college rsum is still thin enough to leave plenty of questions attached to the selection. For a franchise that has surged all the way to 62 wins and the Finals, the message is less about playing it safe and more about refusing to settle now that the foundation is in place. [Read more 🡒]
Tarris Reed Jr Is Already Giving The Spurs Something They Needed
The Spurs did not sit still on draft night when they went after Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26, and the early returns are easy to notice. Reed has already been on the floor in summer league wearing silver and black, and his first impression has centered on the kind of interior presence San Antonio has been looking to add around its young core.
In one of those games, Reed flashed exactly why the Spurs were willing to move up for him, giving them activity on the glass and a physical edge in the paint. His size and strength stand out immediately, and if that carries over, he could become the sort of frontcourt weapon that changes how defenses have to deal with Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. [Read more 🡒]