7 Ways the new CBA will impact the Spurs' future plans

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) recently passed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that could dramatically change how the league operates. The San Antonio Spurs are part of that landscape, and these details could have significant ramifications for the team going forward. 

This CBA comes as the Spurs wrap up another long rebuilding season and prepare to enter a potentially franchise-altering summer. That begins with the NBA Draft Lottery, where they are guaranteed the best odds at landing the number one pick in this year's draft. Even if they don't, other prospects will be on the board, ones that could eventually become stars.

The chances the Spurs draft one of those players appear to be very high, but with a new CBA in place, the mechanisms to build around that player may have changed, and the team will have to adjust. With that said, here are seven ways the new CBA could affect the Spurs' long-term plans.

7: The Spurs now have a third two-way roster spot

Ever since the league created two two-way roster spots under the last CBA, the Spurs have made good use of them. Now, under the new CBA, teams can have three two-way players. That means 18 players can be on the roster, up from 17, and the Spurs will benefit from that new rule. The team has a long history of bringing in young, unheralded players, but they weren't always able to retain and truly develop them. This change allows teams to get younger without counting against the salary cap.

That last part is especially intriguing, considering many of the Spurs' championship teams tended to be on the older side due to roster limitations. Of course, the Spurs are one of the youngest teams in the NBA now, but the new rule means they can try out more prospects. Charles Bassey started on a two-way contract, but San Antonio later signed him to a 4-year, $10M contract. More players could eventually follow suit and make the 15-man roster. It's not the biggest rule change, but it will allow the Spurs to do what they do best: identify and develop talent.

6: Luxury tax teams can't buy second-round picks from the Spurs

With 15 second-rounders over the next seven drafts, there is no way the Spurs will utilize all of them. With that being the case, San Antonio probably would have looked to trade some of those picks for cash. Teams can send or receive up to $5.9M in cash considerations, and franchises such as the Golden State Warriors have spent up to $3M in exchange for an early second-round pick.

However, under the new rules of the CBA, that will no longer be the case. Teams like the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers, who are each well over the luxury tax line, will no longer be able to use cash considerations to acquire second-round picks. Although that wouldn't directly affect the Spurs on the court, it was a way to get the team extra spending money to offset its operating costs.

While they could still trade second-round picks for cash, most big-market teams are well over the luxury tax threshold and ineligible to pay for them. Meanwhile, smaller-market organizations are less likely to trade cash for picks since they tend to build through the draft.

Spurs fans shouldn't lose sleep over this new CBA rule. Still, with salaries steadily rising, the Spurs could have used the revenue from trading their abundance of second-rounders to contenders over the next few seasons.

5: The addition of a second-round pick exception

For teams with cap space, signing their second-round picks was relatively simple. However, for teams above the cap, it was more complicated. San Antonio is well aware of this after previously having to use exceptions to sign second-round picks to multi-year deals. They did so in the past with Dejuan Blair and Tre Jones.

When San Antonio is finally back over the salary cap, they could use the newly created second-round pick exception to sign those players rather than relying on an existing exception. That would allow the Spurs to use that money elsewhere, perhaps to sign a veteran player.

This rule likely won't impact the Spurs soon, but it could be helpful down the road, especially with their surplus of second-round picks. This rule seems to make second-rounders more desirable than before since good teams often had limited ways of signing them to long-term deals.

Now they can, although many have already traded away most of their second-round picks to teams like the Spurs. With the franchise hoarding those assets, other teams over the cap but under the luxury tax could seek out the Spurs for a trade.

One example could be a team with the 28th pick in the draft opting to trade back with the Spurs, who have multiple high second-round picks. This deal could be an attempt to save money while adding a couple of cheap young players with upside. This new CBA provision opens up several fascinating possibilities for the Spurs.

4: Luxury tax teams can't acquire buyout players

This rule is much more consequential for a rebuilding team like the Spurs. With the Spurs well under the salary cap, they became the ideal trade partner for organizations over the cap. Rumors suggested the Spurs could have been a landing spot for Russell Westbrook and his massive contract at the deadline. Had they acquired him, they would have waived him, allowing him to sign with a contender. 

Under the new CBA, the Spurs could still acquire those expiring contracts and waive them. However, those players can't sign with luxury tax teams like the Clippers. That likely won't affect the Spurs next season since they will still be rebuilding. But when they are back in the playoff fold, it could help them. It wasn't long ago that the Spurs were viable options for buyout candidates, but they often got passed over for teams like the Lakers and Heat.

Thanks to this new rule, a small-market team like San Antonio would have a better chance of signing those players. If the Spurs get their hands on the number one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and a certain 7'3" prospect, this CBA provision could help them add cheap veteran talent to their roster.

3: The Spurs can re-sign their first-round picks to longer contracts

The Spurs have a long track record of signing players to affordable contracts that tend to look much better in retrospect.

This rule will allow the Spurs to sign other future first-round picks to long-term deals, even if they aren't max-contract players, which could play directly into their hands. They selected three players in the first round last year, and each will be extension eligible during the 2025 offseason.

That means Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley would all be eligible for five-year extensions. Of course, it's still very early in their careers, but this new provision will give the team that option if they pan out.

Considering the team has 13 additional first-round picks over the next seven drafts, this provision could be a game-changer for San Antonio. Even though it is unlikely the team uses all those picks, with consolidation being the more likely scenario, it still potentially gives the Spurs more control over their first-round selections.

2: The Spurs can offer Devin Vassell a five-year contract extension

One change directly impacts the Spurs. They can now offer Devin Vassell a five-year rookie extension without having to sign him to a max contract. That's a big deal since the Spurs can lock Vassell up for six seasons, including the final year of his rookie deal. Had this rule been around last season, the Spurs could have done the same with Keldon Johnson, ensuring that two young, talented wings are on affordable long-term contracts.

Considering Johnson signed for less than $20M a year, Vassell could and should ask for more, and the Spurs will likely oblige so long as they get him under contract for an extra season. That would be especially important since the salary cap will skyrocket after next season. Even if San Antonio agrees to a five-year deal for, say, $110M with Vassell, that could lead to significant long-term savings for the team.

That doesn't account for the strong possibility he will continue to improve. Assuming Vassell does, it could be among the best contracts in the NBA in just a few seasons.

1: The Spurs won't have to worry about dramatic salary-cap spikes

Who can forget the summer of 2016, when the NBA salary cap jumped more than $30M? That rare occurrence changed the course of NBA history and possibly cost the Spurs a championship. Had the NBA and NBPA agreed to cap smoothing, the salary cap wouldn't have jumped nearly as much as it did, and the Golden State Warriors wouldn't have been able to sign Kevin Durant to a max contract.

The Spurs lost to Golden State in the 2017 Western Conference Finals. Limiting salary cap increases to a maximum of 10% prevents scenarios like that from happening again and ensures competitive balance. It also keeps small-market teams from needing to spend dramatically in any given year to reach the salary cap floor.

After all, teams are required to spend at least 90% of the salary cap, and if the cap were to rise from $122M to, say, $150M in one season, San Antonio would be required to dole out $135M. This rule would also prevent contract extensions from getting out of hand and slow down the rising cost of salaries. That's great for San Antonio but not so much for the players.

The new CBA appears to lend itself toward increasing parity in the NBA. Considering the Spurs are a small market team, it should serve them well.