The Spurs have made their stance on Devin Vassell crystal clear

Former San Antonio Spurs lottery pick Devin Vassell's future with the team appears to be on shaky ground. The Spurs nearly traded Vassell in a deal to land Kevin Durant.

While that deal fell through, it hints at the team's plan for him. His massive $27 million annual salary would likely be moved as matching salary in a big trade involving a star, say a Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster.

Barring that, the Spurs may be stuck with Vassell, but that may not be such a bad thing. His contract looks suspect at the moment, but his salary is basically set at a flat $27 million over the next four seasons.

With the salary cap expected to rise by around 7% annually, his deal will steadily look better. Particularly if he can bounce back from what we all agree was a disappointing 2024-25 season. It's certainly possible.

Devin Vassell still has a role on the Spurs, for now

Look, the Spurs don't need Vassell to be a star. They have Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for that. Instead, they need him to get back to basics.

He's an elite shooter, even though there is plenty of truth to him hitting tough shots and clanking wide-open jumpers. Him settling into a Danny Green 2.0 role would be a huge development for San Antonio and is very much in Vassell's wheelhouse.

Fans forget, but he was considered a three-and-D wing when he got drafted and was lauded for his team defense, even as a rookie.

Unfortunately, his offensive development has come at the expense of his defense. However, it's clear that his peak as an offensive player isn't enough to make him a top-3 player on a great team.

If he can settle into a role as a high-volume shooter, shooting at least 37% from three on seven-plus attempts per game, it would go a long way to helping this team solve their shooting woes.

Defensively, Vassell has never been a lockdown defender, but he has the size, length, and agility to make an impact on that end. If he can revert back into a good team defender, then the Spurs could really clamp down on opposing teams without sacrificing offense. That alone could change the outlook of this year's team.

Devin Vassell fills a need but is still expendable

Unlike Green, he's far from useless on offense when his 3-point shot isn't falling, nor is he comically bad at dribbling. In fact, Vassell has historically been terrific shooting inside the arc, even drilling 54.4% of his 9.0 attempts per game in 2023-24.

Vassell could be nasty as a fourth or even fifth option, mixing in some pull-ups and random athletic bursts to the basket for poster dunks that make you wonder why he doesn't do it more often.

Whether the Spurs can afford to pay him $27 million a year over the next four years, especially with Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox max extensions, is doubtful.

Even so, if he can fill the aforementioned role to perfection, then he could become far more tradeable down the road. $27 million is a lot for a player that fans have lost faith in but perfectly fine for a legit starting guard who can score efficiently and defend.