Jakob Poeltl’s contract sheds light on what the Spurs may be doing

As the front office juggles all that 2021 cap space and a glut of interchangeable pieces on the perimeter, the Poeltl re-signing lends some structure to their vision.

The big splash of the Spurs’ offseason came last week when they locked in one of the returning pieces from the Kawhi Leonard trade by re-signing Jakob Poeltl. The deal, worth just over a reported $26 million through three years, didn’t come as a total shock, but it could be a bolder move than many give it credit for.

For a team with ample raw materials, it’s not been clear how the Spurs will put them together—at least not in ways that matter for winning teams. Can they establish a defensive identity? What will their defensive style be like? Which young player(s) develop star-level upside, and how would the other pieces complement on offense? Most of these questions remain unanswered, but the draft selection of FSU’s Devin Vassell, Brian Wright’s comments afterward, and now the commitment to Poeltl give us an outline to work with.

Let’s start with the Poeltl contract and work our way backwards.