Capologist estimates what Spurs could offer Devin Vassell in extension talks

The San Antonio Spurs are on an early vacation after finishing the regular season with a 22-60 record and missing the NBA Playoffs for a franchise-record fourth consecutive year. While the team wallowed near the bottom of the standings for most of their 82-game schedule, this offseason could offer them an excellent opportunity to turn their fortunes around.

Although the Silver and Black have the best odds at taking home the first-overall pick when the league hosts its annual Draft Lottery next month, no one can promise the ping-pong balls will bounce in their favor. Whether or not Victor Wembanyama lands in the 2-1-0, the front office will have many tasks to perform, including drawing up a long-term deal for Devin Vassell.

We could crunch the numbers and calculate what a reasonable extension might look like for Vassell. Thankfully, prominent capologist Bobby Marks already did the math for us in his latest post for ESPN+, listing an average annual value starting at $17M. That still leaves the Spurs with $41M in cap space this summer since that contract begins kicks in the 2024-25 season.

Vassell averaged a career-high 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on .439/.387/.780 shooting splits this season, but nagging knee pain and a resulting arthroscopic surgery derailed his breakout campaign. The 22-year-old swingman missed 44 games, and his scoring efficiency and per-game stats took a nosedive after he returned to the court in early March.

Despite all the setbacks for the third-year shooting guard, he should be a core part of San Antonio's rebuild. And with the new collective bargaining agreement allowing teams to sign their first-round draft picks to five-year rookie-scale extensions, a five-year $85M deal for Devin will be a bargain as the salary cap expands, especially if he reaches his All-Star ceiling.

Marks also mentions Tre Jones is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this offseason, and his impending restricted free agency is a topic we covered last week. The Spurs will have multiple personnel decisions to make in the next couple of months, so buckle in for another bustling offseason chock-full of player movement as San Antonio reconfigures their roster.