The San Antonio Spurs’ first order of business was re-signing their own, they didn’t stop there. Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes, who shared the Spurs’ power forward spot most of the year were locked down in Day 1 of the NBA’s free agency period. The Silver and Black rewarded Champagnie with a new 3-year, $45 million contract and brought back Barnes on a 1-year, $8 million deal.
Though Champagnie supplanted Barnes in the starting lineup last season, time will tell if who starts in 2026-27 because
…Tobias Harris joined the Spurs on a 2-year, $31 million deal after helping Detroit earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference last year. Harris ranked second on the Pistons in scoring with 18.1 points per game while grabbing a team-high six defensive rebounds per game.
His 30 points (including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc), 9 rebounds, and 3 steals were crucial in Detroit’s Game 7 win over Orlando in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
Harris has been a double-figure scorer in all but his first two seasons in the NBA. He’s started every game in the last nine years, despite bouncing from the Pistons to the Clippers to the 76ers and back to Detroit in that span.
Of course, Barnes had his own nine-year starting streak before Champagnie’s skill set and effectiveness moved him to the bench the second half of last season.
The Spurs still have their full bi-annual exception (about $5.5 million) remaining for the last two full roster spots. From last year’s Western Conference championship roster, Bismack Biyombo, Jordan McLaughlin, Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, and Lindy Waters III remain unsigned as unrestricted free agents.
Guard David Jones Garcia and forward Harrison Ingram have two-way qualifying offers, making them restricted free agents. The Spurs can have up to three players on two-way contracts.
Outside the lines, the Spurs made a splash Thursday night by signing “free agent” coach Billy Donovan as the team’s lead assistant following Sean Sweeney’s departure for the head job in Orlando.
Donovan spent the last six seasons as Chicago’s head coach. Despite never claiming a Central Division title and making just one playoff appearance with the Bulls, he brings championship pedigree with his back-to-back national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007.
After a college coaching career that also included a national runnerup finish, another Final Four, and three more Elite Eight appearances, Donovan made his way to the NBA in 2015-16. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a Northwest Division championship and the Western Conference Finals.
Now, he’ll be helping Mitch Johnson and the Spurs as they try to keep the Thunder from advancing no further than that in the years to come.
No bias on Tobias
Fan reaction to the Tobias Harris signing was mixed on social media, but the Spurs earned generally good reviews from around the league.
Sports Illustrated’s Dan Lyons rated the Harris signing an A-, recognizing him as “one of the few Pistons to elevate his game in the postseason” and calling him “a rock-solid signing” for the price.
Bleacher Report said the full mid-level exception seemed a little high for Harris at his age (soon to be 34). But BR’s staff still gave the signing a B due to Harris’ veteran presence and playoff experience.
Zach Harper from The Athletic also weighed in with a B, calling Harris a “very good short-term option” who the Spurs just need to “consistently knock down outside shots.”
Looking at the offseason as a whole, Kurt Helin from NBC Sports gave the Spurs an A-. He said Harris is “a good role player who can catch-and-shoot corner 3s and put the ball on the floor when needed; he’s a good veteran fit for them at a position of need.” Helin also praised the re-signing of Champagnie and the Spurs’ focus on bigs in the draft.
Harris video makes the grade
One thing we can all agree on … Tobias Harris brought it with his free agent announcement video:
Wemby World Cup vibes
And speaking of videos, this clip of Victor Wembanyama’s pinpoint free kick is making the rounds on social media. His French countrymen are on the short list of World Cup favorites, but if they end up needing any help …
