The curious case of Devin Vassell: Should he stay, or should he go?

San Antonio Spurs wing Devin Vassell hasn't had the season that many expected from him, but there is still reason for optimism. Vassell's roller-coaster play has shaken fan confidence in him. He initially missed the first 9 games of the season, then came off the bench for 11 games, played well in his new role, and then rejoined the starting lineup.

However, he struggled shooting from outside, leading to a nightmarish February where he averaged just 13.9 points while shooting 39.2% from the field and 25.7% from three. Fortunately, he's been far better in March, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while boasting a 60.9% true shooting percentage, up 13.5% from February.

If he can play closer to that level, then the Spurs could find themselves in a unique situation with Vassell and his contract.

The curious case of Devin Vassell: Should he stay, or should he go?

Vassell signed a 5-year, $120 million extension last season, but his play this season has led to concern that he wouldn't live up to his contract. Particularly with him being paid nearly $30 million this year. That is unlikely to be the case, however.

The beauty of Vassell's contract is that it declines over the next four seasons as the NBA salary cap is set to rise by 10% over each of those years.

That means that if he can find a way to contribute on both ends alongside De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Victor Wembanyama, then he could be a cheap third or fourth option that teams often don't have.

San Antonio was still wise to give him a 5-year contract extension, considering how restrictive the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is. If Vassell can efficiently average around 17-20 points and play solid defense, then he would easily live up to that contract.

Especially since it wouldn't overlap much with Wembanyama's impending max contract, which is still two seasons away, and Castle's rookie extension—still three years away. Even with Fox expected to sign a max extension this summer, Vassell's declining contract is still manageable.

That makes the decision to keep him around much easier, with the hope that he can give the Spurs a big scoring boost alongside Fox, Castle, and Wembanyama. If that were to happen, it's something that the new CBA doesn't really allow for, with the Spurs having potentially four players who could average 20+ points per game.

All in all, despite a roller-coaster season, Vassell has still shown flashes of being the player the Spurs expect him to be. If he can be the Spurs' third option behind Wembanyama and Fox. Or, hopefully, the fourth option behind the emerging Castle, then he'd be a steal considering the unique structure of his contract.