Spurs: PG Dejounte Murray (6-4, 4th year), SG Derrick White (6-4, 4th), SF DeMar DeRozan (6-6, 12th), PF Keldon Johnson (6-5, 2nd), C Jakob Poeltl (7-1, 5th) Pistons: PG Killian Hayes (6-5, 1st), SG Josh Jackson (6-8, 4th), SF Saddiq Bey (6-7, 1st), PF Tyler Cook (6-8, 2nd), C Isaiah Stewart (6-8, 1st) Gay gives them a fine, one-year option, but an older core as teams de-age and become more athletic around them.TV/radio: Bally Sports Southwest+ WOAI-AM 1200, KXTN-AM 1350 and FM 107.5 (Spanish)
The Spurs have a decision to make, if they feel it is necessary to keep this group around, amid short-term limitations on the payroll. It is future cause for the Spurs to not extend Gay and have up to $47 million to spend in 2020, potentially to sign a younger talent. All of their contracts, unless DeRozan declines his player option, will stay until 2020-21, making for an old core and a questionable group to succeed in the packed Western Conference Gay and Aldridge will be 35 and DeRozan at 31.
That also means this Gay-DeMar DeRozan-LaMarcus Aldridge core, barring a trade, sticks around for another two seasons.
That's enough, for now, to sign a maximum-contract free agent, and just $4.44 million in guarantees currently sits on the 2021-22 payroll that's without factoring rookie-scale deals and future signings. They would only have $86.4 million guaranteed, with about $32 million to spend in free agency. Salary aside, by handing Gay a two-year deal, the Spurs still have ample flexibility by the time 2020-21 arrives. While his contract decreases in salary by the season, he still makes $13.04 million, but without the experience and longevity of the Spurs' forward. Ingles also averages two fewer points per game. Trevor Ariza ($15 million) and Andre Iguodala ($16 million) both entered their age-33 season on these new salaries, which can become a talking point if San Antonio eyes extension conversations.Īnother example, Joe Ingles is a year young than Gay. A $15 million average annual salary ranges in the ballpark for small forwards in their mid-30s. The Spurs can hand Gay a two-year extension for $30 million. Frankly, with the aforementioned minimal funds left, their best option is to keep the UConn product, rather than lose one of their top scorers and sign a potential roster-downgrade. Will that become the case with Gay? If so, the Spurs can go over the salary cap to retain him. That resulted in Gasol's three-year extension in 2017, Patty Mills' four-year, $50 million deal that same offseason and keeping Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker around for at least 15 years each. However, the Spurs have shown undoubted loyalty to their main contributors. Even then, their projected cap space remains limited. That eliminates free-agency flexibility, unless the team releases Pau Gasol and his unguaranteed salary this could free up $9.7 million, as just $6.7 million of his salary will stick to the cap. The Spurs have $108.67 million in guaranteed money committed to their next payroll. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the NBA's salary cap will rise to $109 million in 2019-20. So far, though, based on his performance with the Spurs, he has earned this extension. He will be 33 when it starts, with the downside of his NBA tenure near. If Gay continues this pace and stays healthy, he makes for an interesting extension candidate in San Antonio.Īt 32-years-old, the Baltimore, MD product's next contract has the chance to become his last, multi-year deal.