The San Antonio Spurs have a star in the making. After De’Aaron Fox was out with an ankle sprain in Game 1, a 20-year-old Dylan Harper filled in for him with a historic performance. In his first playoff start, Harper matched Magic Johnson as the only rookie with a 20-10-5-5 game. He plays beyond his age and is already a prolific contributor for the Spurs. He’s going to be a coveted asset, one that Spurs will eventually have to prove they want to keep.

However, former NBA player Jeff Teague feels this may not end well for them. He drew parallels to James Harden’s situation with the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he infamously left Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook months after making it to the NBA Finals to join the Houston Rockets.

“They going to get put in the same situation as James Harden was in OKC,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast. “You see it, everybody see it. It’s like writing. Eventually, he’s going to go to the USA thing and somebody going to say, ‘You should be having your own team.'”

In James Harden‘s case, he was willing to stay with OKC. Having won 6MOTY, he was asking for $4-5 million more on his contract than what the Thunder offered. But the team wasn’t on board with the idea, and traded him to the Rockets, where he signed an $80 million extension. So little needs to be said about a star finding value in this league. If there is potential, the suitors will make themselves available.

Give some teams that option now, and they would fight over getting Dylan Harper.

While on ‘Starting 5’, Kevin Durant spoke about how competitors congratulated James Harden when he signed with the Rockets. He felt like it was their tactic of filling Harden’s ears with the possibility of being the ‘man’ on a team. Dylan Harper is on that trajectory, already showcasing elite skill and awareness for his age. He may have a lot of players around the league trying to poach him, or Harper feels he is prepared for a bigger role one day.

The Spurs aren’t going to move away from Wembanyama being the cornerstone. Hence, it’s really about whether Dylan Harper can balance his personal ambitions with the team’s demands. Could he be prepared to lay down and sacrifice like Manu Ginobili did for San Antonio? It would be a lot to ask for a player as richly talented as him.

A big positive here is Wembanyama’s nature. He enjoys playing selfless basketball first, which is the reason Stephon Castle and Harper have gained high acclaim. Sharing the spotlight will not be an issue.

But the finances could be. How can the Spurs manage to bypass the punitive CBA?

Spurs can learn from the various models around the NBA

To keep a meteoric talent like Dylan Harper alongside Wemby and Stephon Castle, the San Antonio Spurs need to be willing to spend money. That is the bottom line when it comes to building a core around three genuine superstars in the NBA. Assuming they are willing to, how do they manage the second-apron implications? There are some ways to bypass the stigma around continuity and keep the core together.

First is the model introduced by the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson. Look at the names on the Knicks’ roster. There’s no way they should all co-exist without James Dolan being ripped out by tax payments. Yet, the Knicks aren’t even in the second apron. It’s all been made possible because, right now, Brunson is only their third-highest-paid player. When signing his extension, the ‘Captain’ left over $100 million on the table to allow the Knicks to build a competitive roster.

The Spurs would also want to maintain their competitive edge in the West. Hence, could Victor Wembanyama lead by example and leave money on the table? Could there be a uniform sacrifice from all three to avoid disturbing the team’s dynamics? That’s something we could find out soon, as Wemby will be eligible for a massive extension during the summer.

The other way is to follow their arch-rivals, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They will become expensive next season onwards, when extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams kick in. OKC relies on creating depth by organically raising talent. Ajay Mitchell will remain a low-cost option for a few more years, and so will Jared McCain. Sam Presti’s skill set allows him to manipulate the roster around the stars. So everyone but them is dispensable.

The Spurs could do something similar, keeping only a portion of their core compact. Everything else can keep revolving to ensure they never flirt with financial penalties. Either way, if the plan is to keep Dylan Harper, the Spurs will have to keep their wallets loose.