The NBA's Next Dynasty: Knicks or Spurs?

Now that the New York Knicks have held their championship parade through the Canyon of Heroes, it’s time to start thinking about next season. Will we see confetti fall from the Madison Square Garden rafters again next June? 

The focus is now on the future, more specifically, adding young talent via the NBA Draft and free agency. Regarding the latter, June 30 is the date teams are permitted to start negotiating with upcoming free agents. The reality is there isn’t a set formula for winning an NBA championship.

The Knicks and Spurs, for example, represented two very different models of team building. New York’s approach involved making several trades to build a star-driven championship roster. San Antonio went with a build-through-the-draft approach with Victor Wembanyama as the centerpiece. 

So here’s the big question that needs an answer: Are the New York Knicks or San Antonio Spurs better positioned to be an NBA championship contender for the next decade?

The Case for the Knicks 

The case for the New York Knicks took an intriguing twist days after the Knicks won the championship. Team owner James Dolan told WFAN radio in New York that “we cannot go into the second apron”, referencing the Knicks salary cap situation. Yes, he’s talking about the NBA’s biggest market team that plays at Madison Square Garden, also known as “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

As far as the immediate future is concerned, the Knicks starting five of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are all under contract next season. Brunson, who was already considered one of the league’s top players, now has an NBA championship and Finals MVP attached to his name. 

Looking at the NBA team apron tracker, New York is projected to be around $16.5 million below the second apron of $222,000,000 for the upcoming season. Where Dolan’s comment comes into play would be the Knicks' ability to re-sign bench players Mitchell Robinson,  Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson, who are all about to become free agents. 

There is no question that these Knicks get the edge regarding having a roster of prime-aged stars that are hungry to keep things going after winning the franchise's first championship in 53 years. The reality is that Towns, Anunoby, and Brunson are all making over $37 million and have player options coming up in the near future.

The Case for the Spurs 

Getting back to the original question, the answer seems to be a no-brainer that the Spurs are much better positioned to contend for an NBA title over the next decade.  Having one of the youngest rosters in the NBA gives San Antonio a long runway to build something special. Some might consider this year’s trip to the NBA Finals one of those difficult, failed tests that will serve as the motivation to push this young team over the championship hump.

It's not going to be easy to forget about the historic Game 4 collapse in which the Spurs were winning by 29 points. The Knicks came back to win the game 107-106. So instead of the series being tied 2-2, New York took a commanding 3-1 lead.

San Antonio, as an organization, knows a little something about winning championships from having won five of them between 1999 and 2014. 

All Wembanyama has done in his first three seasons is win the NBA Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. More importantly, at only 22, he helped make the Spurs legit NBA championship contenders again. Add in a young core that includes Stephon Castle, 21, Dylan Harper, 20, Carter Bryant, 20, along with Julian Champagnie, 24, and the next chapter of the Spurs championship story is just getting started with a much higher ceiling.

Knicks vs. Spurs Superstar Comparison 

So strong arguments can be made for both the Spurs and Knicks. Many consider Wembanyama the biggest long-term asset in basketball. There is no doubt that the Knicks have an extremely talented core with Brunson being the star player capable of delivering clutch performance after clutch performance. 

New York finally winning is such a big deal that superfan and Hollywood A-lister Ben Stiller is working on a documentary about his favorite team in what he has described as a “dream project.” 

But will he see another Knicks championship in his lifetime? 

Here's a closer look at how the Knicks and Spurs compare in key categories.

The early NBA championship favorite is…

The NBA championship odds for the upcoming season are out, and the New York Knicks did not open as the favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook. At +800, they are sitting behind the  OKC Thunder (+250), who won in 2025, the Spurs (+250), and the Boston Celtics (+550). 

Plus, the NBA has not seen a repeat champion since 2018 when Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back titles. 

There are still the unknowns of what moves teams will make during the offseason, with the biggest one potentially being where Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo ends up landing. If he gets traded to the Boston Celtics, it could make the Knicks' chances of repeating even more challenging.

What if, and this is a very big if, Joel Embiid stays healthy for the NBA regular season? Philadelphia has yet to advance past the second round since the Philadelphia 76ers drafted the former league MVP. 

Which Team Would You Bet on in 2030? 

This is one of those questions that's difficult to answer in 2026. You have a Knicks roster that's built to win now. On the flip side, as long as Wemby is wearing a Spurs uniform, the club is going to be in the championship conversation for the next five to 10 years.

New York will remain an extremely attractive destination for free agents. But will the Knicks be able to afford any without shaking up their core? It seems unlikely.

San Antonio is a much smaller market, yet the franchise seems to be in the championship conversation much more frequently than the L.A. Clippers, Chicago Bulls, and 76ers. 

The reality is there are several unknowns,s such as significant injuries, free agent signings by other teams, along with future draft picks that will turn a current lottery team into a serious threat to dethrone the league’s top teams. 

What This Finals Matchup Tells Us About The NBA’s Future

There is no guarantee that the Knicks or Spurs will be back in the 2027 NBA Finals. What this season’s matchup showed us is that, if done correctly, two completely different NBA team-building models can produce championship-caliber results. 

But will the NBA see a repeat champion again anytime in the near future? 

The Knicks veteran core is expected to remain intact next season, so count them in for the short term.

Then there are the Spurs, who have finally returned to NBA championship relevancy following an extended postseason draft. Get used to hearing Victor Wembanyama’s name a lot during June.