San Antonio Spurs: Grading The Offseason
Re-Signing Danny Green
It was originally reported that Danny Green would be re-signing with the Spurs for four years and $45 million — a major discount given his market value and the impending rise of the NBA’s salary cap. Giving San Antonio such a bargain not only kept Green’s three-point shooting and elite wing defense around for the long-term, but it also kept max cap space open to land Aldridge.
But that discount took a serious step into absurd territory when it was reported that his deal was actually worth an even $40 million over the next four seasons, with a player option for the final year. It didn’t save the Spurs any additional cap space, but it did save owner Peter Holt some money.
Danny Green's deal with the San Antonio Spurs is $10 mil flat each season, 4 years, last a player option @BBallInsiders
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 17, 2015
This deal is easy to feel good about, not only because Danny Green is such a talented player, but because he showed incredible loyalty to the Spurs and their pursuit of championships. Green returned the favor for the franchise that gave him his shot at being a relevant NBA player and turned him into one of the league’s most coveted 3-and-D free agents this summer.
Green’s playoff shooting woes — 34.4 percent from the floor, 30 percent from three-point range — helped doom San Antonio in their epic first round series with the Los Angeles Clippers, but pairing him with Leonard gives the Spurs quite possibly the most terrifying defensive wing tandem in the league. Keeping Green was a big offseason priority, but only the Spurs would be able to accomplish that task while also swaying him to take a discount to keep cap space open for the summer’s biggest haul.
Grade: A
Next: The Big Score Of The Summer