The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as one of the most successful teams in the 2025-26 NBA season. After finishing the regular season with a 62-20 record, the Spurs entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
It’s the first time the Spurs have made it to the postseason since the 2018-19 season. Most of the credit belongs to first-year head coach Mitch Johnson and to a young roster that has stepped up big.
One player who’s made a big leap is forward Julian Champagnie, and the Spurs will face an expensive decision on the 24-year-old this summer.
Champagnie will be eligible to sign a four-year, $87 million contract extension with the Spurs if his $3 million team option for next season is not exercised, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported.
“He is also extension-eligible in July if the option is exercised,” the insider added.
Julian Champagnie’s Breakout Season With the Spurs
Along with the rest of the San Antonio Spurs’ roster, Julian Champagnie has progressed well in 2025-26.
After going undrafted in 2022, Champagnie has had to prove his worth throughout his career.
The franchise picked up Champagnie off waivers in 2022-23, and he has since become an everyday starter for the team. He’s climbed the ranks in the organization, from a two-way player to a standard NBA contract in the summer of 2023.
The fourth-year forward has put up career numbers in San Antonio this season. Playing in all 82 games (68 starts) in the regular season, he has career-highs in points (11.1), rebounds (5.8), and assists (1.5) per game. Champagnie’s ability to knock down threes and be a defensive presence has become valuable for the Spurs in their playoff run.
Transitioning into the postseason, Champagnie has continued his momentum. He’s averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 43.2/36.6/83.3 shooting splits while starting in all 15 games with the Spurs.
He may not have the same popularity as Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper have gained over the past month. Still, Julian Champagnie’s numbers have spoken for themselves in determining his value for the Spurs.
Whether the Spurs extend the 24-year-old this summer or not, he’s in line for a large payday at some point in the future.
What Other Moves Will the Spurs Assess This Offseason?
Among the multiple topics that San Antonio will assess this offseason, the franchise’s superstar, Victor Wembanyama, is in line for the largest rookie extension in the NBA this offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports.
“Starting on the day after the NBA Finals — he can officially sign on July 6 — and the Spurs can agree on a five-year, $251 million extension,” the insider wrote. “The extension will include All-NBA, MVP, or Defensive Player of the Year language that increases the total value of the extension to $301 million if one of the three league honors is reached in 2026-27.”
Also, with the emergence of rookie guard Dylan Harper, the Spurs will take a look at De’Aaron Fox.
Harper’s 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 52.1/31.4/82.7 shooting splits in the postseason are hard to ignore. Especially when De’Aaron Fox, who’s faced injury concerns in the playoffs, just signed a four-year, $229 million extension with the Spurs in August.
“That sort of development would force tough conversations about whether Fox could remain part of the future if he was coming off the bench,” said The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
Ultimately, the Spurs are set up for generational dominance. Determining the building blocks around Victor Wembanyama will be the tricky part.
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