The Utah Jazz just handed Keyonte George a contract that does more than lock in one of their rising guards. It also sends a clear warning shot across the league, and San Antonio should be paying close attention.
George agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $157.5 million extension, and that number now sits there as a very real benchmark for the Spurs. When the time comes for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper to cash in, Utah’s deal is going to be part of the conversation - maybe a big part of it.
George, 22, turned his third NBA season into a true breakout in 2025-26. He jumped to borderline stardom and put together a line that looked more like an All-Star résumé than a young player’s growth spurt: 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.5 three-point field goals made per game on .456/.371/.892 shooting. Utah now appears to have him positioned as a bridge between its youth movement and its veteran frontcourt stars, and that makes him a cornerstone.
For the Spurs, the comparison is impossible to ignore. Castle, 21, and Harper, 20, are both in that same young-guard lane, and both are already producing at a level that could put them in line for max-level rookie extensions. They’re not identical players, but they’re the kind of talent that makes teams start sweating the calendar.
George’s extension could make that sweat even colder.
His deal lands below the rookie-max line, but it still pays him $31.5 million per season over five guaranteed years. That gives Castle and Harper’s camps a fresh reference point, especially if either player keeps climbing the way San Antonio expects. Harper flashed superstar potential as a rookie, while Castle has turned his first two seasons into an early case for being the, "Best two-way guard in the Association."
That’s where the real squeeze starts for San Antonio. Castle becomes extension eligible in 2027, and Harper follows in 2028.
If both keep developing, it’s not hard to imagine them asking for salaries well beyond George’s number. And now there’s a precedent for pushing for five guaranteed years with no options if there’s any uncertainty at all.
The money picture gets crowded fast. De'Aaron Fox is owed $57,406,428 in 2028-29, and Victor Wembanyama will $47.52 million in that same season. Devin Vassell is set for $27.5 million, while Julian Champagnie will make $14.65 million.
Harper’s rookie-scale deal doesn’t exactly make the math easier, either. He’ll be due $17,172,994 in the final season of his current contract. Add Castle’s extension once it kicks in during 2028-29, and the Spurs’ payroll starts climbing into territory where the second apron becomes a real factor.
It’s tempting to say the answer is simply to move money out of the way. But that’s not so simple either.
Fox will be making $61,365,492 in 2029-30, and Carter Bryant, Champagnie, and Vassell all become free agents in 2029. That means the Spurs may have to make trades sooner rather than later if they want to keep the whole thing from getting unwieldy.
So while San Antonio does have a two-year window to keep rolling as it is, George’s extension is a reminder that the bill is coming. And when it does, keeping Castle and Harper together may be a lot pricier than it looks right now.
In Other News...
Pelicans Add Intriguing Guard With More At Stake Than Camp Depth
Markquis Nowell has landed a training camp deal with the New Orleans Pelicans after spending most of the 2023/24 season on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, another reminder of how fluid the late-summer market can be for guards with recent NBA and G League experience. Around the league, teams are still sorting out the bottom of their rosters and their camp competitions, with Minnesota also adding Stephen Thompson on a training camp contract and moving on from Jules Bernard.
For San Antonio, the broader picture includes another familiar type of move in this same window, with the Spurs bringing in Jayden Nunn as they continue to evaluate backcourt depth and developmental options. Nunn spent most of last season with the club's G League affiliate in Austin and logged meaningful minutes there, which fits the pattern of these signings: players with enough recent professional mileage to matter in camp, even if the real test still lies ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Give Summer Standout A Real Chance To Earn More
Jayden Nunns work with the Austin Spurs this summer has earned him another look from San Antonio, as the guard has landed a training camp roster spot with the big club. Nunn, who also took part in the 2026 NBA Summer League, now gets a legitimate chance to show he belongs in the Spurs plans rather than just being another camp body.
The setup gives him a clear path to keep pushing for more, even if the most likely short-term outcome still leads him back to Austin for the G League season. For a player trying to turn a strong summer into something bigger, this is the kind of opportunity that matters, with San Antonio still sorting through the rest of its camp group and keeping the door open for a few more additions. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Face One Risky Steph Curry Question Around Wembanyama
Any conversation about a Steph Curry trade is still firmly in the speculative lane, but it has an obvious appeal for a Spurs team trying to build around Victor Wembanyama. The Warriors guard is the kind of star who would instantly reshape a franchise, and if his contract situation ever pushed Golden State toward listening, San Antonio would be one of the more intriguing teams to watch. The fit is easy to imagine from the outside: a veteran superstar easing the offensive burden on Wembanyama while giving the Spurs a different kind of championship timeline to consider.
The hard part, of course, is the price, and that is where the discussion gets tricky for San Antonio. Any serious pursuit would almost certainly require the Spurs to part with one of their prized young guards, the sort of move that forces a team to choose between patience and urgency. There is also another path floating around the league chatter, one built around a different veteran guard and a pile of draft capital, but every version of the idea leaves the same uncomfortable question hanging over the Spurs' future. [Read more 🡒]