Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama creates ‘problem’ for NBPA after shocking supermax decision
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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama creates ‘problem’ for NBPA after shocking supermax decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Victor Wembanyama had a much bigger payday waiting for him, but he chose to leave it on the table. Coming off a Defensive Player of the Year award and a trip to the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs, the 22-year-old qualified for a five-year, $302.8 million supermax contract.
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Instead, he signed a standard five-year max deal for $252 million that includes a player option in the final year. He gave up roughly $50 million so the Spurs would have the financial flexibility to build a long-term contender, specifically allowing them to eventually re-sign young players like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
Wemby's decision went public just minutes before the new players' union executive director, David Kelly, held his first press conference in Las Vegas. Kelly made it clear that the union is not happy with this growing trend.
He referred to the league’s strict $221.7 million "second apron" cap rules are forcing star players to take pay cuts just to keep their teams from being broken up. Jalen Brunson made a similar financial sacrifice in New York before the Knicks went on to win the championship in June.
"(The CBA) should not put a player in a position where he has to carry the burden in order to keep a team together," Kelly said. "A system that does that, we have a problem."
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— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 11, 2026
Minutes before news broke that Victor Wembanyama passed up on the Supermax to help the Spurs try to keep its powerhouse roster together long-term, NBPA executive Director David Kelly held his introductory press conference and made it clear that the union is preparing… pic.twitter.com/JcVEoXbkkN
Kelly took over the players' union back in February after Andre Iguodala left, and he didn't hold back about wanting to soften or completely get rid of the second apron. He argued that the league pitched the rule as a way to level the playing field, but it was really just a sneaky way for owners to control spending.
He pointed straight to the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown to the 76ers this summer, proving that teams simply can't afford to keep two supermax stars together under these rules.
A real fix isn't going to happen anytime soon, though. Kelly also claimed that any changes require both sides to agree, and the current deal can't be renegotiated until an early opt-out window opens after the 2028–29 season.
Until then, more stars are going to find themselves facing the exact same tough choice Victor Wembanyama just made.
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