Spurs solidify Zach Collins' Victor Wembanyama partnership with shiny new extension

The San Antonio Spurs have signed veteran center Zach Collins to a 2-year extension, further tying him to Victor Wembanyama.

There will almost undoubtedly come a time when Victor Wembanyama is the San Antonio Spurs' full-time center. As the rookie's otherworldly preseason performance gives way to his official NBA debut next week, though, the Spurs are doubling down on his frontcourt partnership with veteran big man Zach Collins.

Collins has agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension with the Spurs, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal ties him to San Antonio through the 2025-26 season.

San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins has agreed on a two-year, $35 million contract extension, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Deal secures Collins through the 2025-2026 season. pic.twitter.com/8fDlK5Tz0j

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 22, 2023

Collins signed a three-year, $22 million deal with San Antonio in the 2021 offseason following his injury-plagued tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 25-year-old been healthy for the Spurs since returning from an ankle injury midway through 2021-22, establishing himself as a worthy starter at center next to Wembanyama during exhibition play over the last couple weeks.

Collins averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during preseason action, shooting 57.9% overall and 35.7% on a relatively high volume of three-point attempts. He feasted on smaller defenders down low after switches, and just as importantly, provided additional rim-protection and physicality in the paint with Wembanyama largely checking wings and forwards, serving as a roamer defensively.

The two-way versatility of Collins' game makes him a seamless fit next to the French wunderkind as he continues adding weight and getting comfortable with rigors of NBA play. Collins is no star, but his ability to stretch the floor and operation in dribble hand-offs while serving as the Spurs' resident enforcer on the other end is a rare and increasingly valuable combination of attributes, traits that made him a lottery pick back in 2017.

The Spurs open the regular season on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.