Last season didn’t end the way the San Antonio Spurs wanted, but the path back to the top might be opening faster than expected.
The reason is simple: the NBA has now gone eight straight seasons with a different champion. After the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals, the league officially hit eight different title winners in eight years, a run that has turned parity into the defining theme of the moment. If that pattern keeps rolling, San Antonio suddenly looks a lot more dangerous.
The Spurs are in a spot that a lot of contenders aren’t. Three of their four best players are on rookie-scale contracts, and they’re still far enough below the second apron to keep improving the roster. They’ve also already started patching obvious weak spots, including their lack of depth at power forward and center.
That matters because the league’s new collective bargaining agreement has helped flatten the landscape. It has created more balance, but it has also made it harder for great teams to stay great. San Antonio appears to be one of the rare exceptions.
None of this means the road is clear. The Oklahoma City Thunder still stand as a major Western Conference threat, even after having to shed salary this offseason.
And the Philadelphia 76ers have loaded up by adding Jalen Brown and LeBron James to a group that already includes Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe.
That kind of move could make the Knicks’ route back to the Finals much tougher, which in turn would make a repeat less likely. If the East gets even more difficult, the door opens wider for someone else.
And if the league keeps producing new champions, San Antonio has the kind of talent base that can capitalize. Victor Wembanyama gives them the best player in the NBA.
De’Aaron Fox is an All-Star. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are both rising fast.
If Wembanyama, Castle and Harper keep developing at a rapid clip and Fox bounces back, the Spurs could end up looking like the team to beat. It won’t be easy getting back to the Finals, but the recent trend points in one direction: San Antonio may be closer to another title than it first seemed.
In Other News...
Thunder Are Already Talking Revenge Against The Spurs
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs spent the spring making life miserable for Oklahoma City, and the results were as decisive as they were memorable. San Antonio took both the regular-season and postseason series from the Thunder on the way to the 2026 Western Conference Finals, leaving a contender that prides itself on toughness with plenty of reason to circle the matchup when the calendar flips again.
Cason Wallace has already put a name to what comes next, acknowledging the Spurs control of the series while making clear the Thunder are carrying that disappointment into the new season. Oklahoma City has refreshed its roster heading into 2026-27, and with another run at San Antonio looming, this has the feel of a rivalry that could take on a sharper edge quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Camp Suddenly Has A Real DeAaron Fox Problem
The Spurs are heading into training camp with a legitimate decision to make at point guard, and it is not the kind that can be waved away as routine preseason sorting. DeAaron Fox and Dylan Harper sit at the center of it, with the veterans experience and the younger guards upside giving San Antonio two very different paths as it tries to settle the backcourt and define the tone for the season.
What makes the situation more interesting is that the answer is not locked in just because Fox arrived with the higher profile. Mitch Johnson is expected to sort the rotation based on what he sees on the floor, and the Spurs could still revisit three-guard looks with Stephon Castle if the matchup demands it. Those combinations have not gone especially well before, which is why this camp battle feels less like a formality and more like an early test of how flexible San Antonio really wants to be. [Read more 🡒]
Harrison Barnes Deal May Signal A Bigger Spurs Deadline Plan
San Antonios signing of Harrison Barnes to an $8 million contract looks less like a simple veteran addition and more like a roster move with the trade deadline in mind. The deal gives the Spurs added salary-cap flexibility, and when paired with other expiring contracts and draft capital, it gives them another tool if they decide the roster needs a midseason upgrade.
Barnes cannot be traded until December 15, so this is not an immediate relocation play, but it does give the Spurs another movable piece once the calendar opens up. If the season pushes them toward a different path, his contract could end up being part of a larger package, and that is what makes this signing worth watching beyond the surface-level fit. [Read more 🡒]