The Pros and cons of the Spurs letting Patty Mills go

The Pros of the San Antonio Spurs retaining Patty Mills

I try to be a positive person, so first let’s examine the pros. For starters, Patty is a veteran and knows how to win championships. That, of course, is obvious. He bleeds Silver and Black and embodies everything the Spurs organization stands for.

Culture is of the utmost importance for the Spurs, and Mills can help instill those core values into the minds of a roster filled with young spring chicks. This type of thing to have from a leadership perspective is invaluable, especially on a team where culture and the way things are done is so important for team chemistry. 

Patty can also still produce on both ends of the court and based on the way Mills takes care of his body, he should still provide valuable minutes for at least two to three more years. This season, Mills shot 37.5 percent from downtown. Compare that over his last ten seasons with the Spurs and you don’t really see a significant decline. 

He also still averaged 10.8 points coming off the bench, which is nothing to shake a stick at. At 32 years old, he is getting up there in terms of NBA age, but that should almost be a non-factor when you look at what he brings as a leader.  

And, maybe most importantly, Patty Mills is an absolute fan favorite. On most clubs, this doesn’t mean much when you are talking roster shifts and opening assets to potentially sign a star caliber player. But in this city, it does. The people of San Antonio and the Spurs are family.

The fans are some of the most passionate in all sports. By keeping Mills on, the Spurs front office gives its fanbase that goodwill gesture which may be needed more than one may think, given the fact that some not-so-successful years may be in the direct future of the franchise. 

With that said, there are some cons to keeping Mills on for another season.