The Western Conference may be getting deeper, but the San Antonio Spurs just caught a break.
Golden State’s summer has gone off the rails, and that matters in a West where every contender is trying to gain ground on the Spurs. Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up with the Miami Heat, and it also looks like LeBron James could land with another team instead of the Warriors. After years of sitting near the top of the conference, Golden State missed the playoffs last season and now appears headed for another year on the outside unless something major changes.
That’s welcome news in San Antonio, where the Spurs are coming off a Western Conference title and now look like the team everyone else is chasing. They backed that up by knocking off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, a result that hinted at a real shift in the balance of power. The Spurs also got through the Minnesota Timberwolves, a win that helped force Minnesota into a retool.
The Wolves may be better in some ways, but they also changed their shape in a way that could make them easier for San Antonio to handle. They gave up their three-man big rotation to add LaMelo Ball at point guard. That should help Anthony Edwards, but it may leave Minnesota more exposed against the Spurs and even the Denver Nuggets, a team the Wolves have handled well in the past.
San Antonio, though, didn’t sit still. The Spurs added Tobias Harris, Tarris Reed Jr., and Jayden Quaintance, strengthening power forward and completely reworking their center group. A deeper frontcourt could make an already strong team even tougher to deal with.
That’s the part the rest of the West has to hate: the Spurs improved while the conference around them kept trying to catch up. Oklahoma City is still there, but San Antonio beat the Thunder eight times last season, including in the regular season. That kind of edge is hard to ignore, and it’s why the Spurs should still be viewed as the favorites to get back to the NBA Finals.
Golden State’s problems only add to that picture. Even if the Warriors were healthier next season, they’d still be carrying one of the oldest rosters in the league.
And with the NBA making tanking less appealing, there won’t be many soft spots to lean on. Portland and Utah are expected to be better too, which could push the Warriors further down the standings and leave the Spurs with different teams to worry about.
In Other News...
RC Buford May Have Just Signaled Spurs' Real LeBron Stance
The Spurs have spent the offseason acting like a team that knows exactly what it wants to be, even with LeBron James floating around the rumor mill. Instead of chasing the kind of splash that changes the entire conversation overnight, San Antonio leaned into its usual formula by keeping its core intact, adding Tobias Harris and bringing in rookie picks, a quieter path that fits the franchises long-running preference for building rather than forcing a shortcut.
RC Bufords latest comments only sharpened that picture, because the CEO sounded energized by the group the Spurs already have and the additions they made. A LeBron scenario would obviously alter the roster in a dramatic way, but for now the more revealing part may be what San Antonio has chosen not to do, leaving the door open to speculation without actually stepping through it. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Fans Can Finally Exhale About Lu Dort And Wembanyama
For Spurs fans who have spent the last few seasons bracing for every matchup with Lu Dort, the news out of the latest three-team trade should bring a little relief. Dort is headed from Oklahoma City to Atlanta in a deal that also involved Dallas, ending one of the more uncomfortable recurring subplots for San Antonio because of the way his physical style has been viewed around the league.
The concern was never just about hard defense, but about how reckless it could look when matched against a player like Victor Wembanyama, whose frame makes every awkward collision feel magnified. Dort has already been at the center of one ugly moment, when he was ejected after a flagrant foul on Nikola Jokic in February, and the Spurs can at least take some comfort in knowing that particular headache has been moved out of the Western Conference picture. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Got A More Concerning Jayden Quaintance Update
Jayden Quaintance arrived in San Antonio as the Spurs 20th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft with plenty of long-term appeal, but his path to the court already comes with a setback that has kept him out of sight this summer. The big man missed the entire Summer League after knee surgery tied to injuries he suffered in college, leaving the Spurs to wait on a player they clearly value for the future.
The team has said it will keep providing recovery updates, which is the part that matters most right now for a franchise trying to balance patience with development. For a rookie expected to grow into a meaningful piece, the next stretch is less about immediate contribution and more about how his rehab progresses, and how soon San Antonio can start getting a real read on what it has in him. [Read more 🡒]