San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon has opted out of his contract. So long as his contract is affordable, the Spurs should re-sign Dedmon.
The San Antonio Spurs have entered the tiers of the greatest franchises in NBA history. While the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls may have more championships than San Antonio, the Spurs have been unprecedentedly consistent.
With free agency and the 2017 NBA Draft nearing, the next stage of Spurs history is rapidly approaching.
San Antonio has done an exceptional job of finding and developing unheralded players. The next test is arriving, however, and there’s no guaranteeing that the Spurs will be able to retain the services of a key young player.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, center Dewayne Dedmon will decline his $3 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent.
"San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon will decline his $3 million player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told The Vertical."
Although this may be a disappointing turn of events for the Spurs, it was both expected and less devastating than it may seem.
Dewayne Dedmon was scheduled to make $3.5M next season. There was never a chance he was opting into that. There's more $$$ out there for him
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) May 30, 2017
So long as the cost is efficient, the San Antonio Spurs should re-sign Dewayne Dedmon.
Dedmon is a solid player who found a way to be of great value to the Spurs in 2016-17. He’s far from a star, but he’s a quality contributor who has value to the Spurs in both the short-term and the long-term.
The question is: can the Spurs afford to re-sign Dedmon?
Cost Matters
When it comes to Dewayne Dedmon, the elephant in the room must be addressed. Centers were egregiously overpaid during the summer of 2016, and while Dedmon has value, he’s not worth the type of contracts that were handed out a year ago.
The San Antonio Spurs should re-sign Dedmon, but the one and only way for that to make sense is if he can be had at an affordable cost.
Timofey Mozgov was signed to a four-year deal worth $64 million, and both Bismack Biyombo and Joakim Noah landed four-year deals worth $72 million. Neither player justified the contract in 2016-17, but both were paid what the market dictated their worth to be.
If Dedmon receives a contract that’s even in the range of those deals, it would be irrational for the Spurs to re-sign him.
If the Spurs manage to re-sign Dedmon to a multi-year deal after first dealing with Patty Mills and Chris Paul, however, it would be worth exploring. He has value on both ends of the floor and can help fill a void on the roster.
If the Spurs can’t re-sign Dedmon for a cost that still opens the door for Mills or Paul, however, it would be wise to let him walk.
Defensive Value
The San Antonio Spurs have built a 20-year stretch of success on the commitment to defense. The offensive schemes have changed and a heavier emphasis has been placed on certain aspects of the game, but defense remains San Antonio’s bread and butter.
Although rim protecting big men aren’t terribly difficult to find, Dedmon already knows the scheme and proved his worth in 2016-17.
Dedmon finished the 2016-17 regular season with averages of 13.4 rebounds, 9.9 defensive rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 steal per 36 minutes. San Antonio allowed averages of 97.5 points per 100 possessions with Dedmon on the court and 102.7 points per 100 possessions without him.
Dedmon also ranked No. 9 amongst NBA centers in Defensive Real Plus-Minus during the 2016-17 campaign.
By re-signing Dedmon, the Spurs would further add to the confidence being built by a potential defensive anchor. He received scarce opportunities with the Orlando Magic, but he’s become a quality player in San Antonio.
As far as the defensive end of the floor is concerned, Dedmon has the type of value that San Antonio needs to keep up.
The Spursian Way
The San Antonio Spurs have an uncanny ability to get the best out of players who may have underwhelmed elsewhere. Prime examples on the current roster include Danny Green and Jonathon Simmons.
Dewayne Dedmon may be another example of such being true, but his sample size is small enough that skepticism is warranted.
Dedmon has the potential to be a shot-blocking rim protector and high-level rebounder. That’s a valuable combination of skills, but it’s not impossible for the Spurs to find in either the NBA Draft or free agency.
Although a daunting task, San Antonio certainly has the track record of a team that can replace a player of Dedmon’s caliber sooner rather than later.
While next man up may be the Spursian way, rotating players in and out on a yearly basis is rarely a productive way to build a team. Thus, with Pau Gasol soon to be 37 years of age, the Spurs will need to find a source of stability at center.
Even if Gasol accepts his player option for 2017-18, one can’t help but feel as though the Spurs would benefit from bringing Dedmon back for 2017-18.
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So long as the contract is reasonable, the San Antonio Spurs should re-sign Dewayne Dedmon to avoid a collapse.