Making the NBA Finals sure makes the time fly. The Spurs’ 2025-26 season only ended a month ago, and we’ve already gotten through the NBA Draft, the vast majority of free agency (thank goodness they aren’t caught up in the LeBron James Decision 4.0 or Kawhi Leonard trade debacle) and most of Summer League. With that in mind, it’s time to start looking ahead to the next season. Even though they are pretty much returning the same roster, plus the additions of Tobias Harris, Jayden Quaintance and Tarris
Reed, there are still some questions to ponder as we enter the inevitable doldrums of the offseason.
How will the Spurs manage their guard trio this time?
This was a question going into last season after the Spurs had experienced a shocking rise in the draft lottery to 2nd overall with the chance to take Dylan Harper. They already had reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and they had traded for De’Aaron Fox a few months prior and promised him an extension. This left some wondering if they should go for need over talent and draft someone like Kon Knueppel instead (*cough* Kevin O’Connor), but the Spurs stuck with their instincts and were rewarded with a guard rotation that almost never saw a drop in productivity when someone was injured or sat while playing a huge role in leading them the Finals.
The question now is, will the same approach work again next season? There have been unsubstantiated rumors that Harper may not be willing to accept a bench role for a second season, and whether that’s true or not, are the Spurs even considering it, or is possible they start their three-headed monster? Such a decision would likely move Devin Vassell to the bench, both for reasons we’ll get to below and because they’ll need more size in the line-up if Fox, Castle and Harper all start. Vassell would likely accept that role not only because he is unselfish, but he’d probably sub in relatively quickly since, if the trio were to start, they technically don’t have a back-up point guard, so there would be some staggering of guard the rotation.
Whatever approach they go with next season, questions will remain how long they can keep it up. They won’t be able to pay all three when all is said and done, so is Fox on borrowed time with the franchise, with Castle due an extension in 2028 and Harper in 2029 — a year before Fox’s contract ends? That part is not a question the Spurs have to answer this season or even the next, but it will keep hovering in the background for the foreseeable future.
How does the addition of Tobias Harris affect the rotation?
While everyone understood that power forward was an area the Spurs could improve this offseason, most viable options were considered out of their price range, so it was a pleasant surprise when two-way veteran Harris agreed to sign for essentially the midlevel exception. Not only that, but Harrison Barnes agreed to re-sign on a low deal despite knowing he would likely play a minimal role for the first time in his career, and Julian Champagnie re-upped on a new, team-friendly deal. Now that they’ve gone from a bit thin to stacked at the position, how does it affect the rotation?
Regardless of how or if spots 1-3 change, PF may be an open battle in training camp between Harris and Champagnie, with both featuring different strengths and weaknesses. While the Champagnie is a more reliable three-point shooter — which may be needed with the starters, especially if Vassell is moved to the bench and/or at least one of the guards don’t become more consistent — there isn’t much else to his offensive game, and his decision-making on defense can be sporadic. On the other hand, Harris has a more well-rounded game on both ends, including a midrange game that the Spurs were lacking, but is that what the starters need?
Another aspect to consider is who would fit better with a bench rotation that will include Keldon Johnson, Carter Bryant and Luke Kornet, plus a point guard or Vassell. That is a deep group but lacks outside shooting, which again begs the question if Champagnie’s shooting would be more helpful off the bench. Logic seems to point to Harris starting and Julian coming off the bench, but when it really comes down to it, both would probably be fine in either role. And if one of them gets hurt, you can’t ask for a much better fill-in plan that Barnes. As is the case with the guards, depth is a good problem to have.
What can Victor Webmanyama do next?
It’s hard to believe that Wemby is pretty much a consensus top three player at this point but still has so much room to improve. He posted career highs in points (25), rebounds (11.5) and field goal percentage (51.2%) while making the All-Star team, winning Defensive Player of the Year, coming in third in MVP voting, making the All-NBA and All-Defense First Teams and leading the league in blocks. And yet, there are plenty holes in his game to fill.
For starters, as good as he already is on offense, he could be a better three-tier scorer. He shot a league average 35% from three on a 5.5 attempts, which was back to his rookie rate after attempting almost 9 per game in his second season. While “average” is pretty good for a big man, he was wildly inconsistent at times and was sometimes a bit stubborn about moving down low when they weren’t falling. He also lacks a midrange game, which can get him in trouble when he tries to drive but gets stuck. Developing a signature move in that area could go a long way in providing an outlet when the defense swarms. It would also help him with protecting the ball better, as his attempts to drive from the perimeter resulted in turnovers too often.
Finally, perhaps his biggest focus this offeseason should be strength and stamina. While he was robbed of some chances to work on that last summer thanks to deep vein thrombosis, that is not the case this summer (although rest needs to be a priority as well). He managed some impressive big-minutes games during the playoffs, but he was drained in the fourth quarters by the Finals, which played a role in their four blown leads.
The sky is the limit for Wemby, and if he can improve his offensive game, stay healthy and play more minutes, he could be lifting the MVP trophy by the end of next season — although the ultimate goal will be the Larry O’Brien trophy.
