Spurs could be entering Luke Kornet's final season with the team

Nothing about Luke Kornet's game says his time in San Antonio is running out. Despite some postseason hiccups, he's done exactly what he was signed to do. He's been the steady and disciplined backup for Victor Wembanyama, letting him rest without the defense completely falling apart. But the apron is almost like the Grim Reaper in the way it comes for teams, whether it's "deserved" or not.

The Spurs are approximately $8 million below the first tax apron. That's manageable for now, but it won't be forever. Victor Wembanyama's extension kicks in next season, and the Slash Bros won't be far behind. Kornet, meanwhile, is going into year two of a four-year, $41 million deal with a team option on the final year.

A contract like that easily becomes fodder when a front office needs more flexibility, so Kornet's future could be out of his hands based on how the young guys perform.

Tarris Reed Jr. is the real variable

San Antonio didn't just draft a backup center this summer. They traded back into the first round to get one. Tarris Reed Jr., taken 26th out of UConn, is considered a lot more ready than the other Spurs rookie big. At 6'10", 260 pounds, he's built to defend bigger centers and battle on the glass immediately.

That's exactly the profile you want if you're grooming a replacement.

Plainly, Kornet's timeline isn't strictly a payroll question. It's a Reed's-read-for-real-minutes question. If he proves it fast, SA has both the motive and the cover to move on from Kornet sooner rather than later.

Quaintance adds an even larger wrinkle to the Spurs situation

The other half of the plan doesn't help quite yet. Jayden Quaintance is expected to miss the start of the year, and the team's own expectation is that he won't be back until sometime in 2027. So, the "two young centers ready to take over" plan is really a one-rookie plan right now.

Even if Reed impresses quickly, the Spurs probably aren't walking away from what Kornet gives them until there's more than one healthy body behind Wemby. If JQ comes back in January and finishes the year strong and healthy, Luke's future in Alamo City gets bleak.

There's also a real case for patience that has less to do with the calendar. San Antonio was still noticeably worse defensively without Victor in the postseason, even with Kornet there. Fixing that is a real need, not a luxury. Forget the box score this year. The one thing worth tracking is how fast Tarris looks ready. That could quickly reveal the answer to the "final season" question.

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