One win in three games. It came against a team missing six players.
San Antonio lost to Oklahoma City by 12 and to Houston by 4. Then it beat a short-handed Dallas by 16.
Source: ESPN recap of Houston game; Hoops Rumors, Oct 26. Dates are US local.
Victor Wembanyama France
1-for-13 in the opener. Then 25 points and 13 rebounds against Houston. He said it is normal to be worse than in the playoffs, but "not normal that we're as bad as we've been so far."
Tobias Harris: 0 games
He is out with a calf strain. The coach gave no date, but said the wait should not be long.
What the team says
Coach Mitch Johnson said the team's floor is too low. Devin Vassell said the group is still riding last year's high.
First, four lines that limit what a team can pay
- $165.0MThe salary cap. Above it, a team cannot sign free agents with its own money. It needs special tools.
- $200.4MThe tax line. Go over it and the team pays the league extra money.
- $209.0MThe first apron. A fence. Teams that used certain tools can never cross it this season.
- $221.7MThe second apron. A taller fence with even tougher rules.
Source: Hoops Rumors, 2026-27 hard-cap guide; Bleacher Report.
The Spurs' payroll sits just under the tax line
Payroll is every player's salary added up. The Spurs are $33.4M over the cap, $2.1M under the tax line and $10.7M under the first apron.
Cap lines: Hoops Rumors, Bleacher Report. Payroll: our sum of Basketball-Reference contracts ($198.32M). ShamSports lists $198.28M. Sources differ by under $0.04M.
$2.1M
of room under the tax line
$10.7M
of room under the first-apron fence
$33.4M
over the cap. No free agents, except through special tools.
Where the money goes: Fox first, then a big pack
Tobias Harris has played zero games and is paid 89% of what Wembanyama is paid this season.
Source: Basketball-Reference, 2026-27 salaries. "Other" is Bryant, Quaintance, Reed, McLaughlin and Peter. Wembanyama is still on his rookie deal this season.
The coupon that built the fence
The Spurs were over the cap, so they could only sign Harris with a special tool called the mid-level exception. Think of it as a coupon for teams with no room.
Hoops Rumors says using the full coupon locks the team under the first apron for the whole season. That is the $209.0M fence.
Harris signed on July 1 for two years and about $31M. The deal has no options.
Sources: ClutchPoints, Bleacher Report, Hoops Rumors (hard cap, one outlet).
If you follow the team, or bet on it
- Three games is a small sample. Treat every number here as early.
- The Spurs allowed 30 or more points in the first quarter three games in a row, says Hoops Rumors.
- Wembanyama is 5-for-28 from three, counting preseason and week one, says NBA.com. Houston's coach saw the same thing and still lost.
- The three-guard starting group of Fox, Castle and Harper has a +1.4 net rating together, says NBC Sports. That is only three games.
- We have no betting odds in our sources. Check your book, and only risk what you can lose.
Sources: SB Nation week in review (quotes NBA.com, NBC Sports); Hoops Rumors.
Next season, the star's pay jumps by $26.6M
Wembanyama signed a five-year extension on July 10. ESPN reported $252M. It starts in 2027-28 at about $43.5M.
AP says he could have asked for more than $300M and took less. That keeps room for the other young stars.
Sources: NBA.com, AP, Al Jazeera (ESPN figure); yearly pay from Basketball-Reference. 2031-32 is a player option.
Picks: one chip they can use, one they cannot
A first-round pick is a ticket to draft a player. Teams trade them like money.
Atlanta's 2027 firstSpurs own it. No strings.A trade chipcan be sent outSpurs' own 2027 firstalready owed
Kings if picks 1-16
Thunder if 17-30Source: Hoops Rumors, traded 2027 first-round picks (Sep 11); Pounding the Rock.
What a trade needs
With $2.1M to spare under the tax, a deal that adds pay has little room. Our read: a deal would likely send out about as much salary as it brings in. That is a read, not a report.
The deadline
Feb. 11, 2027, at 3 p.m. ET. No source we found says a trade is close.
Outside voices are cooling on San Antonio
Four national rankers dropped the Spurs 5 to 7 spots in one week. Rankings are opinions, but they show the mood.
Source: SB Nation week in review, Oct 26, listing each outlet's rank.
The next three games
Tue Oct 27vs Kings7 p.m. CT
Wed Oct 28at Jazz8 p.m. CT
Sat Oct 31vs Wolves7 p.m. CT
NBA.com's John Schuhmann calls the next 12 games soft. He expects the Spurs near the top of the West by mid-November.
Source: SB Nation week in review, quoting NBA.com.
The calendar: months of quiet, then a rush
The money moves happened in July. The pressure shows up in October. The next real chance to change the roster is the February deadline. Spacing is not to scale.
Sources: Hoops Rumors (options), Hoops Rumors via Yardbarker (deadline), ESPN, AP, NBA.com.
Sources and method
Scores and recaps: ESPN, AP. Stats and standings: NBA.com. Contracts: Basketball-Reference, ShamSports. Cap and picks: Hoops Rumors.
Payroll is our sum of listed 2026-27 salaries. Sources differ on room under the tax line, from $2.1M to far more, so we show our sum. Fox's total extension value is reported differently by different outlets, so we show yearly pay only. The Spurs do not publish contract terms. More on the desk: VizNBA editorial.
Start with a small number
The Spurs are 1-2. One number may explain more than the box scores: $2.1 million. Follow the board to see why.
Three games, one win
Two losses, then a win over a Dallas team missing six players. Wembanyama and the coach both say the start is too low.
Four lines on a spreadsheet
The cap, the tax line and two fences called aprons. Every team plays inside them.
Right under the line
The Spurs pay about $198.3M. That is $2.1M under the tax line and $10.7M under the first fence.
Where the pay goes
Fox is paid the most. Harris, who has not played, is paid almost what Wembanyama is.
The coupon that built the fence
Harris was signed with a special coupon for teams with no room. Using it locks the Spurs under the first fence.
Next season costs more
Wembanyama's pay jumps by $26.6M in 2027-28. Fox's pay keeps climbing too.
The chips they can trade
They own Atlanta's 2027 first. Their own is already owed. Any deal likely has to match salary.
What happens when
July was about money. October is about wins. February 11 is the next big date.
The mood outside
National rankers dropped the Spurs 5 to 7 spots. Fans and bettors should treat three games as a small sample.
The payoff
The roster is full. The best tool left is time. If that fails, February 11 is the day.
The whole board
One win, one fence, $2.1 million. Drag around, or read it as one page.