The league's annual general manager survey has San Antonio winning the title and Victor Wembanyama sweeping MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and best-young-core honors.
The Spurs are the people's choice this time around, at least among the people who run NBA front offices. In the 25th annual survey of general managers, San Antonio was tabbed as the top pick to win the championship with 50 percent of the vote, a season after falling to the Knicks in five games in the Finals.
Victor Wembanyama was the other big winner. The 22-year-old center received the most MVP votes at 77 percent, a jump from finishing third last season behind Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver's Nikola Jokic. GMs also named him the player they would most want to build a franchise around, with 93 percent support, and he picked up Defensive Player of the Year buzz as well. Both his MVP and build-around percentages set records for the survey.
The Spurs also ran away with best young core, getting 87 percent of the vote thanks to Wembanyama alongside 21-year-old Stephon Castle, the No. 4 pick in 2024, and 20-year-old Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in 2025. Elsewhere, executives expressed uncertainty about the 76ers heading into the season.