Julian Champagnie's days on Spurs may be numbered, if latest rumors are true

Where would the San Antonio Spurs be without Julian Champagnie? With injury after injury, the Spurs have relied on him to fill several roles, and they have thrived with him helping to fuel their success.

Of course, Champagnie's value to the Spurs is a double-edged sword. He is criminally underpaid, with him making only $3 million this season and set to make $3 million next season.

With him proving to be a key rotation player on a stellar team, another franchise may be eager to try and steal him away. This is unless the Silver and Black works out an extension that would keep him in San Antonio for longer.

Even then, there is also the looming threat of a potential expansion draft, which could be just a couple of years away. Expansion is rumored to be announced as soon as this summer. That would fast-track the addition of two new NBA teams.

That's exciting but also means that existing NBA teams will only be able to protect eight of their players in an expansion draft. It could mean that even if the Spurs re-sign Champagnie, he could be selected in the expansion draft by a new team looking for an affordable starter.

Julian Champagnie's days on the Spurs could be numbered

Losing him would be a blow to the Spurs, especially if it's for nothing. After all, his 3-point shooting has been key to their offensive success, with coach Mitch Johnson prioritizing spacing more this season. That resulted in Champagnie earning playing time over former Spur Jeremy Sochan.

That proved to be a fantastic call, with his shooting helping to open up driving lanes for De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. Defensively, his length, size, and versatility allow him to guard multiple positions.

Champagnie makes the Silver and Black more switchable with him on the floor, especially when he's playing power forward. While not everyone's favorite Spurs player, Champagnie's impact this season is undeniable.

Even so, with Fox, Castle, Harper, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, Carter Bryant, Keldon Johnson, and whoever is selected in this year's draft, Champagnie may be the odd man out.

San Antonio already has plenty of depth on the wing but less so at power forward. Champagnie is able to play both positions, which is valuable. Still, Bryant may soon start, and San Antonio could draft a four.

That might make Champagnie expendable, and the Spurs may leave him unprotected in a potential expansion draft as a result.