The Spurs may have a costly Julian Champagnie call before he reaches market.
John Hollinger of The Athletic estimated that Champagnie could command about a five-year, $100 million extension from San Antonio this summer. The point would be to get ahead of 2027, when he can reach unrestricted free agency if the Spurs let his current deal play out.
San Antonio is not projected to be expensive in 2026-27, but that can change fast. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant become extension eligible within two years.
That gives the front office a reason to act early. Hollinger wrote that San Antonio could wipe out Champagnie's cheap team option and replace it with a longer deal on descending money.
The structure matters. A five-year agreement worth about $100 million would pay Champagnie just south of nine figures in new money on top of the team option, while spreading the cost over five seasons. The Spurs could start at the maximum value and decline his salary by 8 percent each year.
Nothing has been reported as agreed. For now, it is a projection of how San Antonio might keep a rotation player before its young core gets costly.
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