Victor Wembanyama has made his preference clear: if the San Antonio Spurs use their lone open standard roster spot before the season, he wants it to go to Evan Fournier.
The Spurs still have one standard spot available heading into the 2026-27 NBA season. Taelon Peter is already on a training camp deal, and San Antonio is expected to bring in more players for preseason action, but only one of them can crack the standard roster, likely on a minimum contract.
Wembanyama’s push came during a conversation with French content creator Reda, when he was asked, "Which teammate from the French team would you like to bring to the Spurs?"
"I would say Evan Fournier," responded Wemby.
Fournier spent 12 seasons in the NBA and averaged 13.6 points over his career. His most familiar NBA stop was Orlando, where he put up 16.2 points across parts of seven seasons. He also served as one of the veteran voices for France at the Paris Olympics alongside Rudy Gobert, helping guide a young national team.
At the Games, Fournier scored 10.3 pretty ineffecient opints in the knockout stage, but his leadership stood out. Since leaving the NBA in 2024, he has played in Europe and earned All-EuroLeague Team honors with Olympiacos. Overseas, he’s been described as a reliable off-ball scorer who can hit shots and bring some physclity to the backcourt.
A return to the NBA would come with a different role than the one he had before. Fournier started in the league for seven seasons, and San Antonio’s backcourt is crowded behind De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and even Jordan McLaughlin, so minutes would be hard to come by. Still, the chance to chase an NBA title could make the idea appealing if Fournier has any interest in coming back to the United States.
In Other News...
Stephon Castle Gets An Early Spurs Test That Could Mean Everything
Opening week will give Stephon Castle a quick read on where his game stands, and the early schedule does not exactly hand him a soft landing. The Spurs are set to see the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets right away, two teams with a reputation for strong perimeter defense, which means plenty of ball pressure and little room for a young lead guard to get comfortable. For San Antonio, that makes these games more than just a tough start. They are an immediate look at how Castle handles the role the team has put in front of him.
Castle showed real progress last season as both a scorer and a passer, and the next step is proving he can keep building when defenses start crowding him from the jump. The ball-handling has to hold up, the scoring has to translate against pressure, and the early returns should tell the Spurs plenty about his growth. It is the kind of opening stretch that can reveal a lot fast, even if it leaves the bigger question of how far he can climb for later. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Get Opening Night Test Against The Team Everyone Is Chasing
The NBAs opening-night slate for the 2026-27 season already comes with plenty of star power, and the Spurs are right in the middle of it. San Antonio will be part of a three-game showcase that also includes Celtics-Pistons and 76ers-Knicks, a lineup that puts the leagues most talked-about teams on display before the season even settles in. Exact game times have not been set yet, but the stage is clearly built for a high-profile start.
For the Spurs, the assignment is about as direct as it gets: an opening-night meeting with Oklahoma City, the team everyone else is chasing. It is also the kind of game that immediately places Victor Wembanyama in one of the leagues biggest early-season spotlights, with other marquee names such as LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helping define a loaded night around the league. For San Antonio, it is a strong signal that the league expects the conversation to run through them again. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Fans Can Finally Start Planning Around A Big 2026-27 Start
Spurs fans already have the first pieces of the 2026-27 calendar to work with, and that is enough to start sketching out what next fall could look like. The league has released part of San Antonios schedule, including preseason and regular-season dates along with broadcast information, so there is at least some clarity now around when the next chapter begins and how it will be shown.
There is also the added wrinkle of the Emirates NBA Cup 2026, where the Spurs landed in Group C with the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Kings. The full Cup schedule is still due Aug. 12, which leaves the complete picture unfinished for now, but it does give San Antonio another early-season marker to watch as the team prepares for a potentially busy start. [Read more 🡒]