The Spurs have spent the summer reshaping their center rotation, and the move points straight toward one tantalizing idea: Victor Wembanyama and Jayden Quaintance sharing the floor.
San Antonio is a little more than a week from its first preseason game, but that frontcourt experiment hasn’t happened yet. The Spurs added two centers in this year’s draft to back up Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, bringing in Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. in a clear bet on youth over experience. Three 10-plus-year veterans were out, two rookies were in, and the long view was obvious.
The biggest swing is Quaintance. San Antonio saw enough upside to take on the injury risk and grab him at No. 20 after he slid out of the lottery.
Reed Jr. was the steadier addition, the safer prospect meant to balance the gamble. Put together, the two picks give the Spurs options - and maybe a future they can actually build around.
The most intriguing part is what Quaintance could look like next to Wembanyama. San Antonio has barely used Wembanyama with another center full-time since early in his rookie year, and last season’s double-big looks - including French Vanilla - never really got a real playoff run. That’s a clue Mitch Johnson may not trust Wembanyama and Kornet to handle big minutes together.
With Quaintance, though, the fit could be different. He brings more athletic pop than Kornet, which makes him a stronger lob target.
He’s also more mobile and more switchable on defense while still giving the Spurs rim protection. In other words, he can do a lot of the same work as Kornet, only with more juice.
That could make a Wembanyama-Quaintance pairing much more dangerous on the defensive end, with both bigs able to clog the paint.
It also raises the question of what comes next for Kornet. The Spurs can’t really afford to keep him for the final three years of his contract. A more realistic path might be keeping him around for a couple seasons, then moving him once they’ve got two possible replacements waiting behind Wembanyama.
Of course, the whole thing depends on the offense holding together. Spacing would matter a lot.
Stephon Castle developing as a shooter would help, and so would Wembanyama playing the four next to another floor-spacer like Devin Vassell. Quaintance would also need to find ways to fit offensively, even if the job is mostly the simple stuff: crash the glass, set hard screens, and roll.
That’s the formula the Spurs may be betting on. Even if the offense is only decent, two elite rim protectors who can also handle work away from the basket could cover a lot of ground. And if the long-term picture eventually becomes a starting five of Dylan Harper, Castle, Carter Bryant, Quaintance, and Wembanyama, San Antonio could be looking at something much bigger than a one-season experiment.
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Spurs Make Their Jayden Quaintance Priorities Clear With Recovery Plan
Jayden Quaintances first stretch in San Antonio is being shaped less by the calendar than by caution. The rookie center is working back from a right ACL injury, and the Spurs continue to frame his rehab around patience and long-term development rather than any immediate need to get him on the floor. For a team that has openly valued his defensive upside, the message has been clear: there is no reason to force the process.
The timeline reflects that approach, with no return date announced and little expectation that he will be ready for the regular-season opener. Quaintance also underwent an additional meniscus clean-up procedure in July, another reminder that this recovery is still in the careful, early stages. For now, the Spurs appear willing to let the injury answer to its own pace, betting that a slower path is the right one for a player they see as part of their future. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Training Camp Battle Could Get Complicated Fast
Training camp is barely underway, but the Spurs already sound prepared for the kind of lineup debate that can follow a deep roster into October. Mitch Johnson has made it clear he wants to use the groups versatility rather than force a single look too early, a sensible approach for a team trying to sort out roles while keeping enough talent on the floor.
The challenge is that there are more legitimate starting candidates than available spots, with De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, Tobias Harris, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama all pushing for heavy minutes and meaningful responsibility. Johnsons willingness to try different combinations should help San Antonio learn what works, but it also sets up a camp where every rotation decision will carry a little more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Backcourt Crowding Just Created A Real 2026-27 Dilemma
The Spurs are staring at a crowded backcourt picture for the 2026-27 season, and it could become one of the more interesting rotation puzzles on the roster. The idea of using De'Aaron Fox alongside Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper gives San Antonio plenty of ballhandling and pace, but it also forces the coaching staff to think carefully about how to keep all three guards involved without shortchanging the rest of the lineup.
Fox has already shown a willingness to make it work with the younger guards, which matters as the Spurs try to build continuity around a group that may need time to sort out roles. Harpers push for more minutes is only going to sharpen the conversation, and the real question now is how long San Antonio can balance development, talent and hierarchy before the depth chart starts demanding a clearer answer. [Read more 🡒]