The twist here is that Wembanyama accepted nearly $50 million less than he could have in order to help the Spurs build a contender around him. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year opted for the 25% maximum instead of the 30% maximum, which would have paid him $303 million over five years. <\/p>\n
Wembanyama and his teammates proved to be the class of the Western Conference in 2026, but had a hard-fought battle with the Thunder in the conference finals. That seven-game series looked like a preview of the next five years as the two teams are loaded with talent. <\/p>\n
The Spurs will soon need to lock up other pieces of their young core, and Wembanyama taking less money will make that easier. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper look like the other two piece of an emerging \u201cBig Three\u201d for San Antonio and both are likely to command max deals eventually. <\/p>\n
Castle, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, is an elite defensive guard who improved on an impressive first campaign this year. He set career-highs in points (16.7), rebounds (5.3), assists (7.4), steals (1.1) and minutes (30.0) per game, while also improving both his field goal (47.1%) and three-point (33.2%) percentages. <\/p>\n
Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, had an up-and-down rookie season before finding his footing as a key piece in the playoffs. Before the postseason, the 20-year-old averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 22.6 minutes per game. He was better in the playoffs and at his best in the Finals, where he averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.<\/p>\n
Wembanyama\u2019s contract reflects his priorities<\/p>\n
At 7\u20194\u201d and 235 pounds with incredible athleticism, Wembanyama is like nothing the NBA has seen before. The two-time All-Star took his game to another level this season. He averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.0 steals in 29.2 minutes per game. That helped the Spurs to the NBA\u2019s second-best record at 62\u201320 and put them a path to the NBA Finals. <\/p>\n
Wembanyama would have fully been within his rights to chase the supermax deal he eschewed. It could be argued no player contributed more to his team\u2019s success than the former No. 1 pick did. While it would have been the smarter move financially, he likely looked at the landscape and saw how deep the rest of the contending teams around the NBA are. <\/p>\n
The Knicks team that topped San Antonio in the Finals had five starters who could hurt opponents regularly. Oklahoma City is just as deep and has several key pieces locked up long term. If the Spurs want to find the title that eluded them this season, they will need to be similarly loaded. <\/p>\n
San Antonio currently has De\u2019Aaron Fox under contract over the next four seasons for more than $220 million, while Devin Vassell will make $80 million over the next three seasons. Keldon Johnson will make $18 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent, and Tobias Harris was given a two-year, $30.8 million deal in free agency. Julian Champagnie will also make $45 million over the next three seasons.<\/p>\n
Those deals add up to an expensive bill without even factoring in what will eventually need to be given to Castle and Harper. <\/p>\n
Wembanyama\u2019s selfless decision just handed a ton of flexibility to the Spurs as they attempt to build what could be a lasting dynasty.<\/p>\n
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