Victor Wembanyama has already changed the way the San Antonio Spurs can build, and that might be the sharpest part of their long-term edge.
The Spurs look set up to stay competitive for years because they’ve found a way to stay ahead of the NBA’s dreaded second apron. That rule was designed to punish expensive teams and create more parity, but it has drawn plenty of criticism because it can force strong teams to move good players. San Antonio, at least for now, seems to have a workaround.
The contrast with the Oklahoma City Thunder is hard to miss. OKC is on track to pay Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren a combined 85% of the salary cap next season. The Spurs, by comparison, are only expected to have one player on a max contract next season: De'Aaron Fox.
Fox didn’t quite match that contract in the playoffs, but Wembanyama was a different story. He went well beyond expectations, and the source material even suggests he may have established himself as the best player in the NBA. Even with that kind of value, he recently accepted a massive pay cut, giving San Antonio more room to maneuver and helping the team keep its distance from the second apron.
That decision could ripple through the roster. If Wembanyama is willing to leave $50 million on the table, the Spurs may have a template for the next wave of stars who come through the door.
Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are the names to watch. Both could eventually land max deals worth 25% of the salary cap, but the question is whether they might one day follow Wembanyama’s lead and take less.
That possibility is still a ways off. Castle won’t be eligible for an extension until next summer, and Harper won’t be eligible until the summer of 2028. Still, if both players eventually sign for under the 25% max, that would give San Antonio even more breathing room under the second apron.
There’s a bigger ripple effect here, too. If Castle and Harper come in below the max, the Spurs’ big three could consume less than 80% of the salary cap. That would leave them in a much better position than OKC’s star trio and could give San Antonio a real edge over other contenders.
Take that logic far enough, and the league itself might have to react. The source points out that the NBA and the NBA players’ union could consider changing or even eliminating the second apron. The earliest the CBA can be renegotiated is in the fall of 2028.
For now, the Spurs still have a window. Over the next two seasons, they’ll have a much smaller payroll than the Thunder, and that gap matters before Wembanyama’s and Castle’s new contracts kick in. If San Antonio uses that stretch well, it could not only build a contender - it could help expose the flaw in the second apron itself.
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Spurs Have A Real Reason To Watch OKCs Latest Power Play
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The ripple effects matter far beyond Denver, where Oklahoma Citys maneuvering has already touched the Nuggets roster and tax situation. Spurs fans should have their eyes on the Thunders broader web of deals too, because Oklahoma Citys transactions with Atlanta can chip away at San Antonios own draft outlook through a swap on the Hawks 2026 first-round pick, a small but meaningful wrinkle in a conference race built as much on asset management as wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookies Bring One Immediate Frontcourt Question Into Focus
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Both rookies fit the Spurs long-term need for more depth and physicality inside, but their paths to that role are not identical. Quaintance arrives as a promising piece with a delayed start to his rookie year, while Reed is positioned to make a quicker case for minutes, leaving the Spurs with an immediate question about how quickly this new mix can settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Found A Sneaky Move That Matters In June
San Antonio added a familiar kind of veteran insurance in Tobias Harris, a 15-year NBA veteran whose presence should give the Spurs a sturdier look in the frontcourt. The move is aimed at strengthening the power forward rotation and adding another option who can score and handle different lineup combinations, a useful trait for a team still sorting out its depth.
For the Spurs, the appeal is less about changing the top of the roster and more about finding dependable minutes when the second unit comes in. Harris brings the kind of bench scoring and versatility that can settle a game when the offense stalls, and the hope in San Antonio is that a seemingly modest addition now could pay off when the margins get tighter later in the season. [Read more 🡒]