Spurs uncovered NBA trend that will dominate the next half decade

Although they have one of the smallest payrolls in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs will soon become very expensive. Superstar Victor Wembanyama could sign a supermax contract worth at least $250 million in just two years. Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox's max contract kicks in next season.

Fortunately, they have Stephon Castle on a rookie-scale contract for two more years. Better still, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are on rookie deals for three more years.

In theory, signing cheap contracts to offset max salaries is a simple solution. However, it is far more difficult than one might expect. After all, it isn't just about signing cheap contracts.

It's about having cheap rotation players who can actually play meaningful minutes on a competitive team, but most of those players are reasonably paid.

The Spurs are masters at finding cheap rotation players

San Antonio is currently paying Castle, Harper, and Bryant a combined $26.7 million even though they are all key rotation players. Not only that, but they are paying backup Luke Kornet just $10 million on average over this season and the next three years.

Then there is Julian Champagnie, who is being paid $3 million this season and next year even though he's starting. All of that is to say that the Spurs have done a fantastic job of offsetting big contracts with cheap deals.

That was a staple of the Tim Duncan era, too. Finding undervalued players and signing them to cheap contracts has been a staple of the Spurs' strategy. That helped the Silver and Black keep their Hall of Fame Big 3 together.

The Spurs are setting the trend, not following it

The team underpaid Danny Green, Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair, Patty Mills, and Boris Diaw for the majority, if not all, of their tenure. Later the likes of Bryn Forbes, Jonathan Simmons, and a trio of 29th overall picks, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Keldon Johnson, continued that tradition.

While the harsh collective bargaining agreement penalizes teams with large payrolls, San Antonio seems uniquely positioned to navigate the luxury tax. Yes, they will eventually have to make tough decisions when Castle's and especially Harper's extensions kick in. One such decision is having to potentially trade Fox in three seasons.

Nevertheless, the Spurs will have a first-round pick in every draft going forward. That, along with a history of finding second-round and free agent gems, means they have not only uncovered an NBA trend but are also setting one.