How San Antonio Spurs Have $50 Million to Trade for a Superstar

How San Antonio Spurs Have $50 Million to Trade for a Superstar originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Already in this young NBA offseason, the San Antonio Spurs have brought in win-now players such as Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk, adding to De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama.

Earlier in the summer, the Spurs were linked to the likes of Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, although they didn’t make a real push for Durant, and Antetokounmpo is yet to ask for a trade.

With their current, well-rounded depth chart, it makes sense that the Spurs are content with their current roster heading into the season, although it’s far too early to rule out a trade.

If anything, their offseason moves made a trade more likely, as it is much easier for them to match the salary of a superstar on a bloated contract.

Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, and Olynyk add up to $49.9 million in salary next season, and only Johnson has $17.5 million owed to him next season. Both Olynyk and Barnes are poised to hit free agency, providing a team interested in parting with their best player some flexibility heading into the 2026 and 2027 free agency classes.

On top of that, the Spurs still have plenty of draft picks. That means players like Antetokounmpo are still within reach, and if the season gets off to a slow start for a team with playoff hopes, a star could demand a trade, and the Spurs are poised to pounce.

Even if they don’t pull off a trade, with Barnes and Olynyk coming off the books next summer, the Spurs could make a bid of their own in free agency to add a player like John Collins, Anfernee Simmons, or Mikal Bridges, who are all unrestriced free agents, or they could save that money to offer Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant lucrative rookie exteniions down the road.

The Spurs have a lot of options and are seemingly poised for long-term success.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

How San Antonio Spurs Have $50 Million to Trade for a Superstar

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