Adam Silver has made his feelings on the second apron pretty clear, and he’s not backing off now. The commissioner recently said he’s “not embarrassed to say” the rule was designed to be “more NFL-like,” and he cited the fact that the NBA has had eight different champions in the last eight years. It was the second time since July that he’s defended the apron system, but that doesn’t mean Spurs fans should panic.
Silver can talk tough all he wants, but he doesn’t get to dictate the whole setup by himself. A collective bargaining agreement takes two sides, and the players’ association has its own pen on the document. If the commissioner wants the current restrictions to stay exactly where they are, the NBPA is the group that can make that a problem.
That matters in San Antonio, because the Spurs are trying to build around a young core that could define the franchise for years. Silver’s comments may sound ominous, but they’re not the final word. The current deal will expire eventually, and when that happens, the league and the union will be back at the table cutting deals and making concessions.
“There’s always things that they want. There’s always things that we want. I think in any partnership, there’s trades made along the way,” Silver said.
That’s the sound of a negotiator, not a man who has locked the outcome in place.
The league has been here before, too. In 2011, owners came in wanting a hard cap, then backed off after a 161-day lockout. Players took a hit when revenue sharing dropped from 57% to about 51%, but the hard cap idea still disappeared.
Nobody can guarantee the NBPA wins the next round, but the owners can’t guarantee they do either. Lockouts cost games, and eventually one side has to bend. If the union stays together, Silver and the rest of the owners will have to give ground in some form.
Silver’s own remarks also hand the union some ammunition. He said there was no “unintended consequence” from the current system, but the league’s reality tells a different story.
A Jaylen Brown trade to Philly is one example, and LeBron James is set to make just under $4 million after a season in which he averaged 21/6/7. Those kinds of oddities are tied directly to the current CBA, and the players’ association is sure to use them.
For the Spurs, the timing is what makes all of this so important. Victor Wembanyama’s five-year, $252 million extension begins in 2027-28. Stephon Castle becomes extension-eligible next summer, and Dylan Harper follows in summer 2028, with his raise landing in 2029-30.
Now line that up against the union calendar. Either side can opt out after the 2028-29 season.
If the players push and the league gives in, a new CBA could be in place right as Harper’s extension starts. That would be the sweet spot for San Antonio to keep Wemby, Castle, and Harper surrounded by quality talent.
There’s risk attached to all of it, including the possibility of a fight that costs games in the 2029-30 season. But that’s the kind of risk the NBPA may be willing to take.
Spurs fans want to see this group grow together and stay intact with a real chance to chase titles for years. The nightmare scenario would be watching that unit get split apart by the league’s formula, which is exactly why the players holding firm matters.
In Other News...
Spurs Star Is Becoming Team USAs Biggest 2028 Olympic Problem
The early conversation around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics already has Team USA looking like the favorite, but the frontcourt picture is where the questions start. A lot of the veteran American names that help define the current core figure to be gone by then, and that leaves a familiar issue for the Americans as they look ahead to a field that could also feature Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For the Spurs, though, the looming headache is much more personal. Victor Wembanyama is expected to be front and center for France after his breakout Olympic run, and his presence alone could turn the gold-medal path into a problem for the U.S. Team USA can still talk about depth and talent, but against a player like that, the conversation is really about whether it will have enough size and stability to answer when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Look Built To Silence Houstons Rising Hype
Houstons early start to training camp, capped by a preseason stop in Macau, has only sharpened the sense that this is a season of expectations for Ime Udokas team. The roster has changed enough to invite optimism, with Fred VanVleet back in place and a core that now leans on Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun to push the next step. Still, for all the noise around Houstons upside, the Spurs remain a stubborn benchmark in the division and a reminder that promise does not automatically translate into progress.
San Antonio has had Houstons number enough times to make skepticism feel warranted, especially once Victor Wembanyama settled into his role as the face of the franchise. The matchup history matters because it shows where the Rockets still have to prove themselves, and last season only reinforced that gap in a series that tilted firmly toward San Antonio. Until Houston shows it can consistently handle the Spurs length, pace and talent, the rising hype around the Rockets will stay just that. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Can't Waste Wembanyama By Making Him Create Everything Alone
Victor Wembanyama has already shown why the Spurs can build around him on one end of the floor, but the next step is making life easier on the other. Kevin OConnors latest look at Wembanyamas playoff scoring efficiency pointed to a simple truth for San Antonio: the young star is too gifted, and too important, to spend too many possessions trying to manufacture everything for himself against set defenses.
The Spurs still have room to grow his offensive package, and thats part of what makes the long view so encouraging. But if San Antonio wants to get the most out of Wembanyama right now, the emphasis has to be on helping him attack from more comfortable spots rather than asking him to solve every problem alone. The talent is obvious, the ceiling is enormous, and the challenge is matching that with an offense that keeps creating cleaner chances for him. [Read more 🡒]