Bleacher Report kept the San Antonio Spurs second in its latest NBA power rankings, three spots ahead of Minnesota after the Timberwolves signed Jonathan Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Aug. 26. Bleacher Report updated its NBA power rankings the same day and kept the San Antonio Spurs second, three spots ahead of Minnesota.
Kuminga picked the Timberwolves over the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Portland Trail Blazers, and the deal includes a player option for 2027-28. Minnesota pitched him as a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. The Atlanta Hawks declined a $24.3 million team option on Kuminga in June. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds over 16 games with Atlanta after arriving from Golden State in a February trade.
Andy Bailey remained at fifth in Minnesota without changes. He noted that the Spurs "entered the offseason with few (if any) needs" and could have competed based solely on internal growth. Tobias Harris was the addition he named, alongside Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle. Bailey raised the possibility of Harper moving into the starting five.
Harris, 34, signed a two-year, $31 million contract in July. During last season's 63 games with the Detroit Pistons, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes, with shooting percentages of 46.9% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.
Wembanyama signed a five-year rookie-scale maximum extension in July that begins in 2027-28, projected at $252 million. It includes a fifth-year player option and a 15% trade kicker. If the Supermax escalators had been triggered, the total value could have increased to approximately $303 million.
A day before free agency opened, San Antonio declined a $3 million team option on Julian Champagnie and signed him to a three-year, $45 million extension that begins this season. That deal is fully guaranteed.
San Antonio finished last season with a 62-20 record and made it to the NBA Finals. The Spurs eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference Finals after trailing the series 3-2. New York won the NBA Finals in five games.
Minnesota finished with a 49-33 record and was eliminated in the conference semifinals. During the summer, the Timberwolves acquired Ball in a trade, sent Julius Randle to Brooklyn, and traded Naz Reid to Charlotte.
A starting five of Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, and Champagnie went 21-3 together in the regular season and outscored opponents by 18.5 points per 100 possessions. That was the second-best mark among NBA lineups, behind Oklahoma City. The same group is under contract for 2026-27. Wembanyama was named Defensive Player of the Year last season.
San Antonio is over the $165M salary cap but is below the $209M first apron and is hard-capped at that level. It still has the $5.1M bi-annual exception available.
The Spurs start their season on October 20 with a game against Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. CT, broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Their Christmas Day game is at New York.
