NBA offseason notebook: Wembanyama’s recovery, Raptors’ tax dilemma, Jazz lean harder on youth
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San Antonio, Toronto and Utah enter the 2025-26 campaign facing very different pressure points, from a franchise centerpiece’s health to cap concerns and an extreme youth movement.
Spurs pin hopes on Wembanyama’s return
The central question in San Antonio is how Victor Wembanyama bounces back after deep vein thrombosis ended his second NBA season. Club officials believe a full recovery could put the 7-foot-4 star in the running for both first-team All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year honors in his third year.
Spacing around him remains a problem. According to ESPN’s Zach Kram, guards De’Aaron Fox, rookie Stephon Castle and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper combined to shoot just 30.4 percent from three-point range last season, a figure that includes Harper’s collegiate numbers. Fox owns a career mark of 33 percent, Castle has yet to establish a track record and Harper is untested at the professional level. With Fox under contract long term, the front office may eventually have to confront roster changes if perimeter efficiency does not improve.
Raptors sit in an expensive middle tier
Toronto is projected to finish $1.1 million above the first luxury-tax apron, making it one of six teams currently over that threshold. The other five—Boston, Denver, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City and Phoenix—have all reached a No. 1 seed or a conference-final appearance in the past two years; the Raptors have missed the playoffs three straight seasons.
The club’s payroll includes roughly $40 million annually for Brandon Ingram and $32.5 million for Immanuel Quickley. Management is banking on that investment paying off in a weakened Eastern Conference, yet the roster’s high price tag could look risky if chemistry lags.
Jazz double down on youth
Three seasons into a rebuild, Utah made another sharp pivot toward younger talent. Of the 11 players who logged at least 800 minutes last year, only four were older than 23, and three of those—Collin Sexton, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson—were moved this summer.
Lauri Markkanen, now 28, is the lone core veteran who remains. Recent additions Jusuf Nurkić, Georges Niang, Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson are expected to provide rotation depth, but organizational focus is on emerging players. Utah added two more first-round selections and intends to give extended minutes to forward Taylor Hendricks, last year’s lottery pick limited to three games as a rookie after surgery.
Source: Hoops Wire
