Victor Wembanyama is about to stack up a lot of paper this offseason.
The San Antonio Spurs star big man Wembanyama is expected to secure a five-year, $252 million max extension from the team this offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN reported on Thursday. Marks adds that Wembanyama’s new contract is expected to include All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP language, which could bring its total value up to $303.3 million.
Wembanyama, 22, still has one year left on his rookie contract with the Spurs after this season. But as a member of the 2023 NBA Draft class, he will officially be eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer.
Notably, Wembanyama’s max contract can only top out at $252 million in base salary (25 percent of the salary cap) as his injuries cost him his eligibility for NBA awards during the 2024-25 campaign. However, the “Derrick Rose Rule” would allow Wembanyama to trigger a raise to 30 percent of the salary cap (that aforementioned $303.3 million number) if he wins MVP, is named Defensive Player of the Year, or makes an All-NBA team next year.
Wembanyama has lived up to all of the hype in his third NBA season, averaging 24.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game. That has helped the Spurs rise up to second in the Western Conference with a stout record of 38-16.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama still has some noteworthy doubters within the basketball community. But barring the standard risks of injury, scandal, etc. in between now and the offseason, Wembanyama is about to become a very (very) well-paid man.
