The San Antonio Spurs are walking into the 2026-27 season with expectations that would have sounded outrageous not long ago.
After reaching the NBA Finals in 2025-26, the reigning Western Conference champions are now staring at a 59.5-win projection from BetMGM - the highest in the league outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sit at 60.5. That number puts San Antonio in rare air, even for a franchise that once stacked up five titles from 1999-2014 under Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan.
And yet, this group has a case.
San Antonio last reached the NBA Finals in 2014, when it beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games. This time, Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs will try to bounce back from their five-game loss to the New York Knicks and turn a breakthrough season into something even bigger.
The question is whether 59.5 wins is actually in reach. The answer, at least based on the way this roster is shaped, is yes.
Hitting 60 wins in back-to-back seasons would be no small task, but it feels far more realistic than Wembanyama somehow duplicating Hakeem Olajuwon’s 1993-94 season, as Tracy McGrady is predicting. That kind of leap would be absurd.
Getting San Antonio to 60 victories? Not nearly as wild.
Oklahoma City is the obvious obstacle. The Thunder have been close to the 60-win bar for three straight years, missing it by just three games in 2023-24 when they finished with 57. Right now, they look like the Spurs’ clearest competition in the West, and the team most capable of stopping San Antonio from getting back to the Finals.
Still, if the Spurs really belong in the Thunder’s tier - and plenty of people think they do - then clearing 60 wins at some point next season is a fair expectation.
A lot will depend on health and availability. If Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox all log enough games to qualify for regular-season awards, then it would take a major collapse, or the sudden rise of another powerhouse, to keep San Antonio from topping its projected win total in 2026-27.
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 🡒]