The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most talented young teams in the NBA, and you could make the case that no other roster has a brighter future than this one.
Despite losing 4-1 in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks, there likely isn’t one basketball fan out there who believes this team has seen its last taste of championship basketball, and it’s all thanks to that young core.
Victor Wembanyama is the centerpiece, of course, but recent lottery picks Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are expected to develop into stars as well.
Entering the summer, the Spurs didn’t have much to worry about in terms of housekeeping except for one player, and they were able to bring him back on a relatively inexpensive deal.
Spurs Praised For Julian Champagnie Re-Signing
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley compiled a list of the NBA’s “sneaky-good” free agency signings so far this offseason, and Julian Champagnie’s new deal with the San Antonio Spurs was heralded as one of them.
“This past season, as the San Antonio Spurs were morphing from a young team finding its way to a 62-win juggernaut, two of their rotation regulars were posting net differentials north of plus-7.0 points per 100 possessions: Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie,” wrote Buckley.
“Champagnie is a 6’7″ sharpshooter who can credibly defend multiple positions. He’s also 25 years old. Contenders are routinely tripping over themselves to find viable three-and-D wings with this kind of size, and San Antonio just secured the prime-year services of one for mid-level exception money. Insert your favorite applause gif here.”
Before free agency officially began, the Spurs declined a $3 million team option on Champagnie’s contract and inked him to a new, three-year, $45 million deal.
It was well deserved, too. The St. John’s product was a breakout star for San Antonio this past season and proved to be a key member of their young core.
He was especially important in the NBA Finals, becoming the team’s most consistent three-point shooter.
Throughout the series against the New York Knicks, Champagnie shot 40.5% from three-point range with 7.4 attempts per game.
Now, they have him on a reasonable deal for at least the next three years.
Spurs Have Julian Champagnie on a Team-Friendly Deal
Buckley points out that the San Antonio Spurs will be paying Champagnie $15 million per year on his new contract, and that is a relatively inexpensive annual value when you compare it to some other NBA players.
“The former will hold blank-check status for as long as he calls the Alamo City home. The latter somehow just signed on the dotted line at a wholly reasonably pay rate of $15 million per season, or less than half of the 2026-27 salaries owed to Jerami Grant, Dejounte Murray and Immanuel Quickley.”
That isn’t to say those three players aren’t deserving of their salaries, but it’s a testament to the Spurs and their front office.
San Antonio has several large contracts to worry about in the near future. Wembanyama and Castle will surely command max paydays.
Having deals like Champagnie’s on the books will only help in those endeavors.
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