Spurs’ Julian Champagnie just got an insane $100M contract plan originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the San Antonio Spurs had a rough ending to the NBA Finals, blowing multiple leads and even having a chance to win it all if a few bounces had gone their way, there were still multiple players on the roster who had a great series. That includes youngster Julian Champagnie, who was an undrafted free agent just a few years ago.
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The idea that Champagnie was on one of the most team-friendly contracts in basketball definitely put San Antonio in a good spot to add other pieces to the roster over the past year or so, but that ship has now sailed, with many suggesting that Champagnie is going to get paid what he deserves.
One reporter went as far as to say that there’s even a possibility that he could get $100 million on his next deal, which seems absolutely insane for a player who was just looking to stick in the NBA a few years ago.
“Thus, they have an obvious incentive to wipe out Champagnie’s cheapo team option for the coming season and sign him to a new contract for descending dollars, instead of waiting until he’s an unrestricted free agent in 2027 and then paying full freight.
“That likely entails committing to something like five years and $100 million or so, i.e. paying him just south of nine figures in new money in addition to the team option and spreading that money over five seasons. To further smooth the cap hit, San Antonio could start the contract at its maximal value and decline his salary by 8 percent each season,” John Hollinger wrote.
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This is where things get difficult for teams like the Spurs.
They obviously have a slew of young talent, and if things go as planned over the next few years, San Antonio should end up with at least one ring. However, these contract situations make things very difficult at times.
Young teams often break up because it’s difficult to keep young cores together in the NBA. San Antonio will need to be smart in what it does, but keeping Champagnie around should be a priority.
