Spurs To Sign Julian Champagnie To Three-Year Contract

Champagnie’s new deal is technically an extension off the $3MM he made in ’25/26. But that distinction doesn’t materially change the fact that he’s now under contract for the next three seasons rather than one.

A former undrafted free agent who played his college ball at St. John’s, Champagnie got his NBA start on a two-way contract with the Sixers in the 2022 offseason. He was released by Philadelphia in February 2023 and claimed by San Antonio a couple days later.

After impressing San Antonio down the stretch of the ’22/23 campaign, Champagnie was promoted to a four-year, $12MM contract in July 2023. Champagnie is celebrating his 25th birthday in grand fashion, as he’ll earn more money next season than he did in his first four years combined.

Champagnie, who has played in 82 regular season games each of the past two years, emerged as a full-time starter for San Antonio in ’25/26, averaging 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 38.1% from three-point range in 27.6 minutes per contest. He’s an important floor spacer for the Spurs, who made it to the NBA Finals in 2026 before falling to the Knicks.

While Champagnie will agree to a three-year, $45MM deal, it’s essentially tacking on an additional $42MM over two years to the $3MM he would have made had the option been exercised. It’s a similar structure to the contract Andrew Nembhard signed with the Pacers a couple years ago.

Champagnie’s increased cap hit for next season will give the Spurs another mid-sized salary to potentially use for upgrades down the line. It’s also a reasonable salary for a 3-and-D player who has helped the team rise up the standings.

According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), San Antonio is tentatively $28.0MM below the luxury tax line, giving the team the ability to use the full mid-level exception. The Spurs still have plenty of financial flexibility to make trades if they wish.