Losing an NBA Finals leaves a mark, and the Spurs are building like they never want to feel that again.
That’s the clearest takeaway from their new depth chart. San Antonio got all the way to the title round with a young group, only to run out of answers when the margins tightened.
Brian Wright appears to have taken that lesson to heart. The roster now looks built to survive the kind of attrition that exposed them last time.
The biggest change is the sheer amount of help behind the stars. Last year, Mitch Johnson didn’t have enough bodies he trusted in the NBA Finals, and that thin rotation undercut one of the team’s strengths from the regular season. This time, the Spurs have experience, reinforcements and a lot more ways to keep pressure on opponents.
The guard room is the loudest example. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Ja’Kobi Gillespie give San Antonio a pile of playmaking and shot creation.
Fox is expected to have a different kind of summer after being forced to recover from a hamstring pull quickly following hand surgery rehab. The expectation is that he comes back with a vengeance.
Castle keeps climbing, too. The younger half of Area 51 took a leap in year two, and there’s reason to think there’s more coming.
He already gets into the lane at will and brings real defensive bite. If the three-point shot becomes more consistent, that changes the equation fast.
Then there’s Harper, whose talent is impossible to miss. The ex-Rutgers star is the kind of player people naturally want to see in the starting group, but coming off the bench gives San Antonio a second-unit punch that most teams can’t match.
Gillespie adds more depth, and David Jones-Garcia remains a restricted free agent. The expectation is that he returns on a standard contract, possibly taking Jordan McLaughlin’s roster spot.
On the wing, the Spurs have a clean mix of scoring, defense and steadiness. Devin Vassell remains one of their premier two-way pieces, a six-year vet who can score on all three levels and punish teams whether they overplay him or give him room.
Julian Champagnie brings value as a rebounder and defender, and he’s become one of the league’s deadliest microwave shooters. Carter Bryant is still coming along, but the tools are obvious: aggression, athleticism and the kind of upside that points toward a top 3&D wing if the reps keep coming.
Harrison Barnes rounds out the group with reliability and veteran calm, plus the ability to catch fire if opponents lose track of him.
The frontcourt may be even more imposing. Victor Wembanyama is the foundation of everything, the present and the future, and the most unique player in the league.
After only a few seasons, he’s already viewed as a top-five player, and he was the best player in the playoffs. The scary part is that he’s still getting better.
Tobias Harris adds another layer. He gives the Spurs scoring and versatility, with enough flexibility to handle small-ball center if needed, though it shouldn’t have to come to that. He’s been around the league for 13 years, knows every trick, and still brings underrated defense.
Behind Wembanyama, Luke Kornet and Tarris Reed Jr. give San Antonio different looks. Kornet brings experience.
Reed brings strength and athleticism. Both are expected to matter in their roles and give the Spurs more paint presence than they’ve had in a long time.
And then there’s Jayden Quaintance, the 20th overall pick. He won’t be available right away, but once healthy, he’s projected to be one of the best defensive bigs in the NBA. When he returns, the Spurs will be even bigger.
That’s the point of all this. The stars matter, but the depth is what failed them before.
San Antonio has tried to fix that. On paper, the roster now looks deeper, sturdier and far less vulnerable to the kind of collapse that ended their Finals run.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Face A Real De'Aaron Fox Contract Problem
De'Aaron Fox gave the Spurs the kind of postseason burst they were hoping for at the start, but the finish line looked a lot different. His play tailed off in the Western Conference Finals and then dropped again in the NBA Finals, enough to revive the old concerns that have followed him into San Antonio: whether the speed that made him such a dangerous guard is starting to fade, and whether that matters even more now that the games are at their biggest.
It is not just a short-term wobble, either. Fox is on a max deal worth $221.7 million over the next four years, and that kind of money changes the conversation fast when the production is uneven. Around the league, his contract has already drawn harsh reviews, which leaves the Spurs with a tricky question as they build around Victor Wembanyama: if Fox is not quite the co-star they envisioned, what exactly is the best way to use him? [Read more 🡒]
Julian Champagnie's Extension Signals A Bigger Spurs Squeeze Is Coming
Julian Champagnies new extension is another sign the Spurs are trying to thread a very narrow financial needle as they build around Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. San Antonio chose a three-year, $45 million commitment rather than a longer one, a tell that the front office is already planning for the cap squeeze that comes with keeping a young core intact while preserving room for future moves.
The bigger picture is less about Champagnie alone than the way the Spurs are staggering contract decisions to avoid painting themselves into a corner. Every extension, every expiration date and every roster choice now has to fit a long-range plan, and that means the team is weighing how much flexibility it can afford to give up before the next wave of decisions arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Face A Massive De'Aaron Fox Decision
With Victor Wembanyama now locked in on an extension, the Spurs are already looking ahead to the next phase of roster building, and that has put De'Aaron Fox squarely in the middle of the conversation. San Antonio is weighing whether to keep the guard as part of the core or use him as a way to reshape the roster and trim money, a decision that says as much about the teams long-term direction as it does about Foxs fit.
Brandon Ingram has surfaced as a possible target in that kind of shuffle, giving the Spurs a very different type of offensive piece to consider around Wembanyama. The idea is still fluid, and the larger question is whether San Antonio wants to lean into continuity with Fox or pivot toward a different lineup balance as the front office keeps sorting through its options. [Read more 🡒]