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.

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.

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.”