It has been an oddly slow week on the Spurs’ free agency front. Ever since the moratorium period ended at 11 AM on Monday, everyone has been waiting for Victor Wembanyama to sign has max rookie contract extension, which would be worth up $251 million (25% of the salary cap) over five seasons, beginning in the 2027-28 season. The wait for it to happen has been odd but of not of concern, mainly being chalked up to him being on vacation in France.
Now, we’re getting news that there might be a reason
for the hold up, but it isn’t for any concerning reason, such as the Spurs are holding back or he’s unsure if he wants to commit. On the contrary, rumor is starting to swirl that he may actually be considering signing for less than the max to provide the Spurs more financial flexibility in the future, as was first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. This came after Wemby had tweeted for the first time since March and only 69th time ever, sending a promising but cryptic message of, “Spurs Family, I am here to stay. Whatever it takes.”
This likely won’t be confirmed until they officially announce the new contract, but RC Buford, Brian Wright and Mitch Johnson are reportedly in France, so news could come any minute now. No one was expecting Wemby to pull a Tim Duncan on his first ever contract extension of his career, but it’s possible he is seeing teams having to break up star cores to avoid second apron ramifications and wants to assure they can keep their core together, with Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper likely set for big paydays (even if not max extensions) in the coming years.
His extension can be upgraded to a supermax worth $300 million (30% of the salary cap) if he earns All-NBA honors or wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year in the 2026-27 season. It is unclear how that would be applied if he signs for less than the maximum.
