Victor Wembanyama's sacrifice sets Spurs up to keep Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle

The San Antonio Spurs got some help from Victor Wembanyama when the superstar decided to take less in his contract extension. He accepted 25 percent of the salary cap in year one, despite being eligible for 30 percent. Wemby is already the best player in the NBA, so taking less money sets San Antonio up to extend Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle to be their Big 3 for years to come.

Brad Stevens just split up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown because the duo was set to make 70 percent of the Celtics' cap. The Executive of the Year thought that was too debilitating to their cap sheet. San Antonio should be able to get their three stars in that range and have plenty of room to build out their roster.

It all started with Wemby. He deserves significantly more than the 30 percent of the cap he was eligible for. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year will be the MVP favorite throughout the length of his new contract. The Alien took less to leave the Spurs room to keep his co-stars and create another dynasty in the Alamo.

Victor Wembanyama took less to keep the Spurs in title contention

Wemby is all-in on the Spurs. He wants to win multiple championships and knows San Antonio needs talent around him.

Difficult decisions are coming. Stephon Castle is extension-eligible next summer and was just the second leading scorer on a team that reached the NBA Finals. Harper can get a new deal in the summer of 2028. They will both be in line for max or near-max contracts by the time they can be extended. Even giving them 25 percent each would give San Antonio room under the second apron to build their roster.

The Spurs would love to get Castle and Harper in the 20 percent range to keep their three best players at 65 percent of the cap. That is the ideal scenario, and it started with Wemby setting the precedent by taking less.

No team wants to be over the second apron. Even the defending champion Knicks let Mitchell Robinson walk in free agency to avoid it. Every dollar counts in this era. The Spurs saved nearly $9 million per year with Wemby being at 25 percent of the cap instead of 30. That opens the door to keep Castle and Harper, while maintaining depth.

San Antonio will lose pieces. De’Aaron Fox will eventually be a casualty of the young talent’s growth. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson will have to take pay cuts to stay with the Spurs. They must replenish the depth they lose through the draft. Rookie-scale contracts are massive and the easiest way to get excess value.

Victor Wembanyama is still getting a massive payday. He signed a five-year contract that is projected to be worth $252.3 million. The savings set the San Antonio Spurs up to keep Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper and maintain one of the best Big 3s in the NBA for years to come. Wemby is all about winning, and the Spurs keep reaping the benefits.

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