By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-06-27 14:21:20
时间刚过午夜，上周二的夜晚渐渐过渡到周三凌晨，睡眼惺忪的马刺总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 从球队选秀作战室走出，宣布了他对于休赛期剩余时间的首要任务。
“睡觉，”莱特轻笑着说。
别误会。莱特和他的管理层决策团队最终会补上他们早该拥有的小憩。但现在还不行。
选秀尘埃落定——四名新秀即将加盟——马刺的下一项夏季业务将于周二下午5点NBA自由球员市场开启时拉开帷幕。
作为一支正在崛起的球队的总经理，这支球队以超乎最乐观预期的时间表意外打进了今年的总决赛，莱特深知，在22岁的超级巨星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 步入巅峰边缘之际，他需要做些什么来保持马刺的上升势头。
需要做多少工作，因人而异。
“好消息是，我们有很多球员会回归，”莱特说。
确实如此。上赛季西部冠军马刺得分榜前十的球员中有九人下赛季有合同在身。
唯一即将成为自由球员的是34岁的老将前锋哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes)，他的角色和上场时间在整个赛季中逐渐减少，尤其是在马刺对阵纽约的总决赛系列赛中。
另一项重要的内部事务涉及首发前锋朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)，他的合同下赛季附带价值300万美元的球队选项。
马刺要么执行该选项，以一份对球队极其友好的合同让球队最高产的三分射手再留一年，要么撕毁尚帕尼的合同，重新谈判一份更长年限的合约。
无论哪种方式，尚帕尼预计下赛季都会回归马刺。
“在审视我们目前的状况以及需要完成的工作时，这是一支很棒的团队，”莱特说。“我们会继续做好尽职调查，但我们信任我们拥有的这支球队。”
回归球员名单——就目前而言——包括全明星后卫达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)，他去年秋天签下了一份4年2.29亿美元的续约合同，该合同将从下赛季开始生效。
福克斯的年龄（28岁）、新秀后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的崛起，以及一份在未来四个赛季将变得越来越昂贵的合同，引发了人们对他球队未来的质疑。
尽管莱特承认这些质疑的现实存在，但他重申了球队在进入休赛期时对福克斯的承诺。
“我们对达龙充满信心，相信他作为球员的实力，相信他为我们所做的一切，以及他对这支球队的意义，”莱特谈到球队的二号得分手时说道。“这一点丝毫没有动摇。”
如果莱特听起来不像一位急于对一支赢下62场比赛、且是49年来最年轻的总决赛球队进行大换血的总经理，那是因为他确实不是。
自从文班亚马在2023年以状元秀身份到来那天起，莱特围绕这位身高2米24的法国人建队的方针就从未动摇过。
他希望打造一套能够长期共同成长的阵容。
在打造冠军球队的问题上，莱特坚称，球员们自己会决定节奏。
“我总是说，场上的球员们会决定我们前进的速度，”莱特说。“他们今年开得真的很快。”
尽管如此，尽职调查终究是尽职调查。马刺会做好他们的工作，寻找迈向下一步所需的拼图。
尽管在上周的选秀中选中了两名防守意识强的大个子——肯塔基大学的杰登·昆坦斯 (Jayden Quaintance) 和康涅狄格大学的小塔里斯·里德 (Tarris Reed Jr.)，马刺仍然在市场上寻找体格强壮的球员来充实前场轮换。
一旦周二自由球员市场开启，外界普遍预计马刺将询价洛杉矶湖人队前锋八村垒 (Rui Hachimura)、洛杉矶快船队前锋约翰·科林斯 (John Collins) 和波特兰开拓者队中锋罗伯特·威廉姆斯三世 (Robert Williams III)，他们都是完全自由球员。
金州勇士队中锋克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porzingis) 仍然是一个有吸引力的选择，前提是马刺能以折扣价签下这位经常受伤的30岁全明星。
其他值得淘宝的选择包括克利夫兰骑士队前锋迪恩·韦德 (Dean Wade)、丹佛掘金队后卫小蒂姆·哈达威 (Tim Hardaway Jr.)、费城76人队后卫昆廷·格莱姆斯 (Quintin Grimes)，以及马刺刚在总决赛中见过的纽约神射手兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet)。
马刺在进入休赛期时，薪资总额将低于奢侈税起征线约4100万美元，并且远未触及两条惩罚性的硬工资帽线，这让他们在应对巴恩斯和尚帕尼的情况，同时逛自由球员市场时拥有灵活性。
球队将拥有价值1500万美元的中产特例和550万美元的双年特例，可用于吸引外部自由球员。
那些期待马刺在自由球员市场上大撒金钱、星光熠熠的人并没有仔细关注。
“我们始终会以有条不紊的方式，分析哪些操作对这支球队有意义，”莱特说。
这一过程将随着周二自由球员市场的开启而继续。
对于莱特和他的管理层团队来说，很快就能睡个好觉了。但现在还不行。
“你得不到任何承诺，”莱特说。“任何事情都没有保障，但我知道我们的团队致力于努力工作并保持团结，而这正是我们要做的。”
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 plan a ‘methodical’ approach to summertime free agency
Why the Spurs plan a ‘methodical’ approach to summertime free agency
It was just after midnight, as last Tuesday evening bled into Wednesday morning, that a bleary-eyed Spurs general manager Brian Wright emerged from the team’s draft room and announced his top priority for the remainder of the offseason.
“Sleep,” Wright said with a chuckle.
Make no mistake. Wright and his group of front-office decision-makers will get their long overdue catnap eventually.
But not yet.
With the draft in the books – and four new rookies on their way – the Spurs’ next order of summertime business begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday with the opening bell of NBA free agency.
As the GM of an up-and-coming team that made an unexpected run to this year’s Finals beating even its own wildest timeline, Wright knows he has some work to do to keep the Spurs’ arrow pointed upward as 22-year-old superstar Victor Wembanyama enters the outskirts of his prime.
How much work there is to do is in the eye of the beholder.
“The good thing is we got a lot of guys that are coming back,” Wright said.
That is true.
Nine of the Spurs’ top 10 scorers from last year’s Western Conference champions are under contract for next season.
The lone free-agent-to-be is 34-year-old veteran forward Harrison Barnes, whose role and playing time diminished throughout the season and especially during the Spurs’ Finals series against New York.
The only other major bit of internal business involves starting forward Julian Champagnie, whose contract comes with a team option worth $3 million next season.
The Spurs will either exercise that option and bring their most prolific 3-point shooter back for one more season on a laughably team-friendly deal, or tear up Champagnie’s contract and renegotiate a longer-term pact.
Either way, Champagnie is expected to return to the Spurs next season.
“In reviewing where we are and what we need to get done, it’s a great group,” Wright said. “We’ll continue to do our due diligence, but we believe in the team that we had.”
The list of returnees – for now – includes All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who signed a four-year, $229-million extension last fall that kicks in next season.
Fox’s age (28), the rise of rookie guard Dylan Harper and a contract that grows increasingly expensive over the next four seasons have given rise to questions about his future with the team.
Though Wright acknowledged the reality of those questions, he reiterated the club’s commitment to Fox heading into the offseason.
“We have the ultimate faith in D’Aaron and who he is as a player, what he’s been for us and what he means to this team,” Wright said of the club’s second-leading scorer. “There’s no wavering in that at all.”
If Wright does not sound like a GM itching to make wholesale changes from a roster that won 62 games and became the youngest Finals team in 49 years, it’s because he isn’t.
Since the day Wembanyama arrived as the No. 1 pick in 2023, Wright’s approach to building the team around the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has been unwavering.
He wanted a roster that could grow together over the long haul.
When it comes to constructing a champion, Wright insisted, the players themselves would set the pace.
“I’ve always said the guys on the court will dictate how fast we go,” Wright said. “They drove really fast this year.”
Still, due diligence is due diligence. The Spurs will do theirs in looking to add the pieces required to take the next step.
Despite drafting a pair of defensive-minded big men in last week’s draft – Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance and Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr. – the Spurs are still is the market for beefy bodies to help fill out their frontcourt rotation.
Once free agency opens Tuesday, the Spurs are widely expected to inquire about Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins and Portland center Robert Williams III, all of them unrestricted free agents.
Golden State center Kristaps Porzingis remains an intriguing option, if the Spurs can nab the oft-injured 30-year-old All-Star at a discount.
Other bargain-shopping choices include Cleveland forward Dean Wade, Denver guard Tim Hardaway Jr., Philadelphia guard Quintin Grimes and New York sharpshooter Landry Shamet, who the Spurs just saw in the Finals.
The Spurs will open the offseason approximately $41 million below the luxury tax threshold and well behind both punitive payroll aprons, giving them flexibility to address Barnes; and Champagnie’s situations while also shopping the free-agent marketplace.
The club will have access to a $15-million mid-level exception and a $5.5-million bi-annual exception with which to entice outside free agents.
Those expecting a star-studded free-agent splash from the Spurs have not been paying attention.
“We’re always going to be methodical in our approach and our analysis of what moves make sense for this team,” Wright said.
That process continues with the start of free agency Tuesday.
For Wright and his front-office staff, sleep will come soon. But not yet.
“You’re not promised anything,” Wright said. “You’re not guaranteed anything, but I know the group that we have is committed to doing the work and staying together and that’s what we’ll do.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News