The San Antonio Spurs probably won’t be landing their big fish this summer, but did well to re-sign a fan favorite in Patty Mills to a bargain deal.
The Golden State Warriors are the new kings of team-friendly discounts, but the San Antonio Spurs have been doing this for decades now. Despite Patty Mills having played his way out of the team’s price range, the two sides were able to reach terms early in 2017 NBA free agency.
As first reported by ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Mills has agreed to sign a four-year, $50 million deal to stay with the franchise he’s played six of his eight NBA seasons for.
Considering the 28-year-old Aussie could’ve made anywhere from $14-20 million on the open market with a team more desperate for his services, locking a fan favorite like Mills down for a $12.5 million annual salary is the kind of bargain discount that’s basic clockwork for a prestigious organization like San Antonio.
Last season, Mills averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game, with 72 of his 80 appearances coming off the bench. However, he stepped up when called upon in eight regular season and six playoff starts, and his 41.4 percent from three-point range was a welcome boost off the bench.
Mills competes on the defensive end, he knows his role in running the offense with the second unit and his status as an overqualified backup/fringe starter created an interesting dynamic heading into free agency.
Was Mills good enough to start for a competitive team elsewhere? Was he good enough to start on a Spurs team competing for championships after Tony Parker‘s injury and the only other options being 20-year-old Dejounte Murray and rookie Derrick White?
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When Gregg Popovich continued bringing Mills off the bench behind the rookie Murray following Parker’s season-ending playoff injury, it was not surprising to hear the Spurs’ name in conjunction with some of the summer’s biggest free agents, especially Chris Paul. A star point guard to bridge the gap between an aging and hobbled Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray’s time only seemed natural, and CP3 was hands down the best theoretical fit.
However, another Texan team beat San Antonio to the punch that would’ve required a gut-check on San Antonio’s bench depth. When the Houston Rockets pulled off their trade for Paul, the only remaining options were clearing out max cap space for a 31-year-old Kyle Lowry or overpaying for a 31-year-old George Hill.
Lowry would’ve given the Spurs a Big Three alongside Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, and Hill is an underrated two-way force who can spread the floor and was a Pop favorite during his first stint in San Antonio. Unfortunately, once Paul was off the table, the Spurs’ optimal choice was gone, making the decision to gut the team’s bench depth a difficult one.
This move does not keep San Antonio on par with the ongoing super-team arms race between the Warriors, Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and possibly Boston Celtics, if Danny Ainge ever decides to use his assets or signs Gordon Hayward.
It does, however, provide the Spurs with a reliable option to plug into the starting lineup until Parker proves he can return healthy or Murray proves he’s ready for the pressure of the full-time starting job.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
Short of trading Danny Green and LaMarcus Aldridge to clear out significant space, re-signing Mills means the San Antonio Spurs won’t be landing that big fish this summer. Considering the Spurs just won 61 games as currently constructed and were able to lock Mills in on a bargain deal, that’s not the end of the world.
Grade: B+