Spurs should play hardball in Jeremy Sochan contract extension talks

Jeremy Sochan is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he's eligible for an extension. He and the Spurs could have agreed to a deal over a month ago, but for some reason, no deal has been struck. That leads me to believe that they either can't come to an agreement on the details, or San Antonio wants to take another season to determine whether the former Baylor Bear is worth a long-term contract.

Unfortunately, he only has himself to blame either way. Sochan is a stellar defender, but his offense leaves much to be desired. He's lost his spot in the starting lineup, and now his future is in question, but he can fix some of that this season.

What is fair value for Jeremy Sochan?

He'll have to be the one to determine that with his play on the floor. Had he remained a starter, I could have seen the Spurs giving him $20-25 million per year, but he's coming off the bench now. We're talking somewhere in the $15 million range now, and that could be the issue.

Keldon Johnson is making $17.5 million, and if you're Sochan, you have to feel like you bring more to the table than KJ does at this point. But Johnson was a starter when he got that deal, and he had just averaged 17 points per game in his third season. Such is not the case for the 6'9" defensive ace, and as important as defense is, it's just not valued the same as scoring.

Personally, I think it's in the best interest of the team to keep the Polish Prince around. His defense is too important. But again, much of that will be up to him. He's been working hard this summer, by his own admission. EuroBasket would have been his first chance to show everyone what his transformation looks like in real action, but a calf strain kept him out of the tournament.

That was a gift and a curse. The strain wasn't reported to be serious enough to jeopardize his fourth season in the league, so as long as nothing else happened, it put him in a position to be ready for the year. You don't want your guys getting injured overseas when their most important commitment is to the NBA. But it robbed us of a chance to see him put on a show.

Sochan is a restricted free agent next summer, so that gives the Spurs options. They don't have to rush anything. But it's also unlike them to wait until the very last minute to sign their players to extensions. So, it really feels like they're already playing hardball with him, and this year will be imperative in truly deciding if he'll wear silver and black for at least a few more years.