By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-06-15 14:06:43
2026年6月13日星期六，在圣安东尼奥霜银中心进行的NBA总决赛第五场比赛跳球前，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1) 独自静思。
周六在NBA总决赛中被纽约尼克斯队淘汰后，和马刺队的其他队友一样，朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 承认，这次失利比他作为职业球员经历过的任何一次都要痛苦。
然而，即使在赛季结束的惨痛失利中，尚帕尼也拒绝让伤痛成为他唯一的感受。自豪感同样油然而生。
“老实说，我们做到了不可思议的事情，”这位24岁的前锋说道，“我觉得在训练营开始时，没有人会料到我们能打进总决赛……我认为我们超出了预期。”
鉴于维克托·文班亚马和他的队友们比预期更早地杀入总决赛，下个赛季人们对他们的期望只会水涨船高：不夺冠，便算失败。
对于马刺队总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 和他的管理层团队来说，周六总决赛第五场的失利，吹响了他们致力于帮助球队跨越夺冠难关的休赛期号角。
这一过程的第一步将在下周的NBA选秀中迈出。届时，得益于2022年德章泰·默里 (Dejounte Murray) 交易中与亚特兰大老鹰队的选秀权互换，马刺队拥有第20号签，以及三个次轮签（第35号、第42号和第44号签）。
而这一过程中最简单、最毋庸置疑的一步，则会在此后到来。
文班亚马下赛季将履行他新秀合同的最后一年，年薪为1670万美元，这堪称NBA历史上性价比最高的合同之一。而到了今年7月，他将有资格签署一份为期五年、总价值2.51亿美元的超级顶薪提前续约合同。
如果文班亚马在2026-27赛季入选最佳阵容、荣膺MVP或斩获最佳防守球员奖项，他的续约合同最高可飙升至3.01亿美元。
届时，马刺队唯一需要考虑的问题，就是该把运钞车开到哪里了。
“他以各种方式对比赛产生的影响，不亚于我所见过的任何其他球员，”主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说道，“这话的分量，大家自己去体会吧。”
这个夏天将伴随着围绕达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 在球队未来的疑问拉开帷幕。
这位全明星后卫在去年夏天签署了一份为期四年、价值2.29亿美元的提前续约合同，这将使他的合同一直延续到2029-30赛季结束。
28岁的福克斯不断上涨的身价，加之新秀后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的异军突起，使他成为了在新合同到期前可能被交易的候选人。
在马刺队第五场失利后，福克斯表示，他希望继续成为马刺队成长蓝图中的一部分。
“（我们希望）继续共同努力，显而易见，无论作为个人还是作为一个团队，都要继续变得更好，”福克斯说道，“这是我们第一次真正经历这样的考验，所以这绝对是未来建队和提升的基石。”
随着休赛期的到来，马刺队还需要对另外两名轮换球员——哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 和朱利安·尚帕尼做出一些相对较小的决定。
34岁的巴恩斯是马刺队前十得分手中唯一即将成为自由球员的人。而尚帕尼下赛季拥有300万美元的球队选项，这在NBA的标准下是一笔微不足道的数目。
球队要么执行该选项，要么与这位首发前锋谈判一份长期合同。无论哪种方式，预计尚帕尼下赛季都会回归。
马刺队有兴趣带回巴恩斯，前提是这位老将前锋愿意接受比本赛季1900万美元更低的薪水，并接受角色弱化的定位。
就巴恩斯而言，他会考虑回归。
“在各个方面，他们都是一家一流的组织，”他说道。
球队其他即将成为自由球员的则是边缘轮换球员——凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk)、乔丹·麦克劳克林 (Jordan McLaughlin)、俾斯麦·比永博 (Bismack Biyombo)、梅森·普拉姆利 (Mason Plumlee) 和林迪·沃特斯三世 (Lindy Waters III)。
在吸引外部自由球员方面，一旦自由市场于6月30日开启，马刺队将拥有一个价值约1500万美元的中产特例。
无论是通过选秀、自由市场还是交易——亦或是三者结合——预计马刺队在休赛期计划中的目标都将是一名球风强悍的大前锋、一名擅长顺下袭筐的大个子，以及提升3D（三分与防守）阵容深度。
无论发生什么，都不要指望这支12年来首次打进总决赛的马刺队核心阵容会发生大刀阔斧的改动。
正如尼克斯队所证明的那样，他们凭借一群在一起打球多年（其中一些人甚至从大学时代就在一起）的球员赢得了总冠军，在争夺总冠军的过程中，阵容的延续性至关重要。
马刺队相信，他们下一次预期的飞跃将主要来自于通过积累经验而实现的内部提升。
“以前处于这个阶段的球队，通常都有一群在一起打了很久的球员，”约翰逊说道，“这些家伙今年是第一次经历这些，第一次打季后赛、分区决赛和总决赛。他们通常在第二年和第三年会表现得好得多。”
无论休赛期尘埃落定后阵容的具体细节如何，约翰逊都明确表示，他期待马刺队在秋天重新开启对队史第六座总冠军奖杯的追逐。
“我们不会退缩、不会眨眼、不会动摇，”约翰逊说道，“我们会一直坚守在这里，直到拿到（明年的）赛程表并确定我们的下一场比赛。我们会变得更好。”
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Why the Spurs' biggest offseason question is the easiest to answer
Why the Spurs’ biggest offseason question is the easiest to answer
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) takes a moment before tip-off during Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
Like the rest of his Spurs teammates in the aftermath of Saturday’s NBA Finals ouster against the New York Knicks, Julian Champagnie admitted the defeat stung worse than any he had experienced as a pro.
Even in season-ending defeat, however, Champagnie refused to allow hurt to be the only emotion he experienced. Pride was also present.
“We did the unthinkable, honestly,” the 24-year-old forward said. “I don’t think anybody had us to be in the championship (round) when training camp started. … I think we exceeded expectations.”
Given Victor Wembanyama and Co.’s earlier-than-anticipated run to the Finals, those expectations stand only to rise next season: championship or bust.
For Spurs general manager Brian Wright and his front-office group, Saturday’s Game 5 defeat against the Knicks signaled the starting gun on an offseason meant to get the team over the title hump.
The first step in the process comes in next week’s NBA draft, when the Spurs own the No. 20 pick — thanks to a swap with Atlanta stemming from the 2022 Dejounte Murray trade — as well as three picks in the second round (No. 35. No. 42 and No. 44).
The easiest, no-brainer step in the process will come later.
Wembanyama, who will play next season on an expiring $16.7 million rookie-scale contract that ranks as one of the biggest bargains in NBA history, becomes eligible to sign a five-year, $251 million maximum extension in July.
Should Wembanyama earn an All-NBA selection, MVP award or Defensive Player of the Year honors during the 2026-27 campaign, his extension escalates to a maximum of $301 million.
The only question for the Spurs at that point will be where to back up the Brinks truck.
“He affects as much of the game in every single way as much as any other player I’ve ever seen,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “Take that for whatever it’s worth."
The summer will kick off with questions surrounding De’Aaron Fox’s future with the team.
The All-Star guard inked a four-year, $229-million extension last summer that keeps him under contract through the end of the 2029-30 campaign.
The 28-year-old Fox’s rising price tag, combined with the breakout of rookie guard Dylan Harper, make him a candidate to be traded before his new deal expires.
After the Spurs’ Game 5 defeat, Fox said he was hopeful to remain a part of what the Spurs are growing.
“(We want to) continue to work together, continue to get better obviously as individuals and as a team,” Fox said. “It’s our first time really going through something like this, so it’s definitely something to build off of.”
As the offseason dawns, the Spurs will have smaller decisions to make with a pair of other rotation players in Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie.
The 34-year-old Barnes is the lone impending free agent among the Spurs’ top 10 scorers. Champagnie is on a team option next season for $3 million, a paltry sum by NBA standards.
The club will either exercise that option, or negotiate a long-term deal with their starting forward. Either was, expect Champagnie to return next season.
The Spurs would be interested in bringing back Barnes, provided the veteran forward will accept a discount from the $19 million he earned this season, as well as a diminished role.
Barnes, for his part, would consider a return.
“They’ve been a first-class organization in every way,” he said.
The club’s other free-agents-to-be are deep bench players — Kelly Olynyk, Jordan McLaughlin, Bismack Biyombo, Mason Plumlee and Lindy Waters III.
When it comes to attracting outside free agents, the Spurs will have a mid-level exception worth roughly $15 million once the marketplace opens June 30.
Either via the draft, free agency or trades – or a combination of all three — the Spurs are expected to target a physical power forward, a rim-running big man and 3-and-D depth in their offseason plans.
Whatever happens, don’t expect wholesale changes to the core of the Spurs’ first Finals squad in 12 years.
As the Knicks proved by winning a title with a collection of players who have been together for years — and some of them since college — continuity matters when chasing a championship.
The Spurs believe their next expected leap will come mostly from internal improvement through gained experience.
“Teams that have been in this space before typically have a group of people that have played together for a long time,” Johnson said. “These guys are going through that for the first time this year, and then in the playoffs for the first time, the conference cinals and the Finals. They’re typically a lot better in year two and year three.”
No matter the details of the roster once the offseason dust settles, Johnson made clear he expects the Spurs’ chase for the franchise’s sixth championship to resume in the fall.
“We’re not going to flinch, blink, waver,” Johnson said. “We’ll be here until whenever we get (next year’s) schedule and figure out our next game. We’ll be better.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News