The San Antonio Spurs have decided to guarantee wing Julian Champagnie’s contract for the 2024-25 season. Champagnie, who started in over half of the team’s games during the 2023-24 season, will remain with the Spurs. The decision, made before the August 1 deadline, is attributed to the favorable terms of his affordable contract.
**Spurs Confirm Julian Champagnie’s Contract for 2024-25**
Julian Champagnie has completed the first year of his four-year, $12 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, which pays him $3 million annually. The contract is non-guaranteed each season, giving the Spurs the option to decide on his status for the 2025-26 season before August 1 next year, with the final year of the deal in 2026-27 also being a team option.
After three seasons with the St. John’s Red Storm (2019-2022), Julian Champagnie went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He then signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and made his NBA debut. However, after just two games, he was waived by Philadelphia in February 2023.
Champagnie quickly signed another two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs, where he impressed in 15 games, leading to a long-term contract in the summer.
The 23-year-old made a significant impact for the Spurs in the 2023-24 season, playing 74 games and starting 59 of them. He averaged 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, with shooting averages of 40.8% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range in 19.8 minutes per game. A highlight of his season was a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left against his former team, the 76ers, on April 7. Despite his clutch shot, the Spurs lost the game 133-126 in overtime.
Despite playing major minutes for the Spurs last season, it is unlikely that Champagnie will continue to be a regular starter for the team after they added an influx of talent in the offseason, which includes Harrison Barnes in the forward position.
The Spurs failed to improve their win-loss record in 2023-24, finishing with an identical 22-60 slate from the year prior. This result came despite adding generational talent Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. San Antonio also failed to make the postseason for the fifth consecutive campaign, last making the playoffs in 2019 in the final year of their NBA-record 22 straight playoff appearances.
