Spurs’ latest move cements their free agency dominance over rivals

The San Antonio Spurs made their first big move of free agency by re-signing forward Julian Champagnie, which could have huge ramifications going forward. The Spurs re-signing Champagnie to a three-year, $45 million deal is the best-possible scenario, considering his value to the team and his potential value across the NBA.

In fact, The Athletic's John Hollinger recently predicted that he'd receive a 5-year, $100 million deal from the Spurs. Saving $5 million annually is a great piece of business by the Silver and Black.

Not only will it save them money this season, but it will also save them salary over the next two years, especially if the contract declines each year.

The Spurs were wise to re-sign Julian Champagnie for cheap

The fact that San Antonio was able to re-sign a legit starter for just $15 million annually is impressive, but so is Champagnie. His combination of solid positional defense, steady shooting, and underrated rebounding was a huge part of the Spurs' NBA Finals run.

He connected on an impressive 39.6% of his 6.7 3-point attempts per game in the NBA Playoffs. The fact that his shooting held up in the postseason despite the Spurs facing several stingy defenses further proves he's worth every penny.

Speaking of money, due to the second apron, Spurs fans are already concerned about this team's ability to remain together long-term. Particularly with Victor Wembanyama set to make up to $300 million on his next deal and De'Aaron Fox on a max contract.

That's not to mention potential 25% max extensions for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Therefore, re-signing Champagnie inevitably means that another player probably won't return. Keldon Johnson seems like the obvious answer.

The Spurs are well-positioned to contend long-term

Johnson is under contract through the end of next season, but it seems likely that the Spurs will let him leave in free agency. It's also interesting to note that Champagnie's new contract is set to end the same summer that Devin Vassell's does.

It also coincides with the last year of Harper's rookie deal. Odds are, the Spurs will keep Champagnie and Vassell for three more seasons barring a big trade and then let both leave in free agency. The goal is to give this team as much time together as possible before transitioning over to a core of Castle, Harper, and Wembanyama.

In the meantime, bringing Champagnie back for the next three years gives San Antonio a better chance at winning a championship. Great signing.

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