NBA FREE AGENCY
Key Free Agents: F DeMar DeRozan (2020-21 salary – $27.7M), F Rudy Gay ($14.5M), G Patty Mills ($13.5M), F Trey Lyles ($5.5M)
Other Free Agents: C Gorgui Dieng ($1M), F Keita Bates-Diop (Two-Way), G Quinndary Weatherspoon (Two-Way)
San Antonio is going to be busy on draft night as they always are, but NBA free agency is going to be the most important part of the offseason for the Spurs. 4x All-Star DeMar DeRozan is one of the biggest names available in a weak free agent class this year, which is why the Spurs will have their hands full in terms of trying to bring him back to San Antonio for at least a fourth season.
While most teams do not have a lot of cap space this offseason, the Knicks, Mavericks, Heat and even the Raptors are a few of the teams who could possibly look to sign DeRozan in the offseason. New York has been the most talked about team in terms of potentially signing DeMar DeRozan, especially since they have a ton of cap space to offer him a max contract, but we should not be so quick to count out the Spurs yet.
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DeRozan has said before that he has enjoyed his time with the Spurs and will not count them out when weighing all of his options in NBA free agency. While they may not be an immediate championship contender, the Spurs can basically match any contract offer any other team gives him since they own his bird rights and can offer him a max contract starting at 35% of the cap with 8% raises up to five years on the contract.
If the veteran wing wants to be paid, then staying in San Antonio may be the best move for him, but if he wants to chase championships, then going back to the Eastern Conference may be the way to go. The Spurs are going to do everything they can to bring DeRozan back, but if he leaves, it is not the end of the world.
San Antonio is going to have a ton of financial flexibility this offseason and with an estimated $52.3M in cap space, the Spurs could go after some other key free agents should DeRozan sign elsewhere. Will Barton, Norman Powell, Evan Fournier, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr., are cheaper, potential options for the Spurs to target on the wing in the event that DeRozan departs San Antonio and Lauri Markkanen has emerged as a possible free agent target for the Spurs in their frontcourt.
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Aside from DeMar DeRozan being a free agent, veterans Rudy Gay and Patty Mills are also set to be free agents. With both of them being on the back-halves of their respective careers, signing with a potential contender could be the path set out for them, but Mills has spent the last 10 seasons of his career in San Antonio and likely will be willing to negotiate a new contract to stay.
With plenty of cap space and the opportunity to change things up, the Spurs are definitely going to be an active team in NBA free agency, something they are not normally known for. The Spurs have a bunch of young, athletic, and high-potential players on their roster, making them a sneaky attractive team for pending free agents.
