The San Antonio Spurs brought back Jordan McLaughlin on a new deal. Nobody outside the organization really cared. That is exactly how they want it.
Re-signing McLaughlin barely registers as a ripple in free agency. The same goes for Harrison Barnes who came back earlier this month. These are not the kinds of moves that get talked about on ESPN. But they are precisely the kind of moves that tell you what the Spurs are trying to build.
Victor Wembanyama’s extension is the headline. That was always going to be the story of their summer. The addition of Tobias Harris is second on the list. But everything else has been about keeping their own guys and filling in around the edges. Julian Champagnie, the 25-year-old shooter, also got brought back. The Spurs are not chasing stars. They are doubling down on what they already have.
What does Jordan McLaughlin actually give them?
McLaughlin is not here for his stats. In 332 career games across Minnesota, Sacramento, and San Antonio, he averages 3.8 points and 2.5 assists in 13 minutes a night. Last season with the Spurs he played 44 games and averaged 2 points in 6.4 minutes. In the playoffs it was 1.9 points in 4.6 minutes across ten games. Since coming over from the Kings in the De’Aaron Fox trade back in February 2025, he has put up 2.2 points and an assist in 6.5 minutes over 62 games.
He is a 6-foot guard who played at USC, earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention twice, and made the conference’s All-Freshman team. He is a locker room guy. A practice guy. A guy who knows his role and does not complain about it. That matters to this team.
Barnes was the first domino
Harrison Barnes has been a steady hand since he got to San Antonio. In 77 games last season he averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from three. Across two seasons with the Spurs he has started 134 of 159 games and shot 41.1 percent from deep. He helped get them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Barnes is a 14-year veteran with 1,070 career games. He was the seventh pick in the 2012 draft out of North Carolina, made the All-Rookie First Team, and won a championship with Golden State in 2015. He also helped the Kings end their playoff drought in 2023. The guy has been part of building winning cultures everywhere he has been.
With McLaughlin back, the Spurs now have 17 players on the roster. That leaves one open spot. Based on everything they have done so far, it is probably going to be another low-key signing. Another piece that fits rather than a splash that changes the conversation.
That is the whole point.
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