It’s often hard to anticipate which contracts are going to be meaningful for a franchise down the line. Normally the focus in hindsight is on infamous deals that cripple teams for years, but sometimes the opposite happens. Without Stephen Curry signing a team-friendly extension because of health concerns, the Warriors wouldn’t have been able to get Kevin Durant, for example.
The Spurs might have stumbled on one of those valuable contracts, although obviously not at the same level as Curry’s. Jakob Poeltl’s extension was fair at the time he signed it, but now that he has gone from being a 15-minute a night backup to legitimate starter, it has turned into amazing value and could help the Spurs build a winner.