OCTOBER 3: The Spurs have officially signed Vassell to his contract extension, the team announced today in a press release.
OCTOBER 2, 5:09pm: Vassell’s extension is a straight five-year deal with no options and features $135MM in guaranteed money, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that Vassell can earn another $11MM in incentives.
OCTOBER 2, 4:09pm: Guard/forward Devin Vassell is signing a five-year, $146MM rookie scale extension with the Spurs, his agents at CAA Sports tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Given how much money they’re committing to him, clearly the Spurs view Vassell as a long-term cornerstone of their rebuild alongside No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, 2022 lottery pick Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson, among others.
Vassell, 23, was the No. 11 pick of the 2020 draft after two years at Florida State. The Georgia native had a breakout third season in 2022/23, averaging 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals on .439/.387/.780 shooting.
However, Vassell was limited to 38 games (31.0 minutes per night) last season due to a left knee injury, which required surgery in January.
Back in June, there were rumors the Spurs might be looking to add another lottery pick. General manager Brian Wright shut down any speculation that the team would entertain trading Vassell, and now San Antonio is inking the young wing to a new contract.
If Vassell’s extension is fully guaranteed, he will earn $29.2MM annually on his new deal, which will begin in 2024/25. He will make $5.89MM this season.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, despite the significant financial commitment to Vassell, the Spurs still project to have $45-60MM in cap room next summer, so they could be a major player in free agency.
The Spurs have a history of signing their productive first-round picks to rookie scale extensions. Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Johnson all inked extensions with San Antonio in recent years, though Murray and White have since been traded.
Vassell is the sixth player to agree to a rookie scale deal this offseason. The full list — as well as the players who are eligible for their own extensions — can be found right here.
Holy moley. $29MM a year. To me, that is All Star level salary. Vassell is a complimentary piece. I get that salaries are rising, but he made out well.
I think they both did honestly. Kinda reminds me of BI and think he’s still got a lot of room to improve.
Agreed it’s high, I do rate him as a solid starter on a good team. But I see this as an overpay, especially as he’s the 3rd best player on a “rebuild team” behind Johnson and Wemby which isn’t a great position to be.
It’s about the same as Herro and Poole got, who I think are both proven better players(still over pay for them though, let alone Vassell).
Vassell is more skilled than both those guys easy. Warriors couldnt get rid of Poole fast enough for being a dud on D, and Herro rode the pine during that quirky Heat run. He’s proved nothing.
@cdg Put either of them into that team LY and they put up much higher numbers(which is already higher than Vassell put up LY). No disrespect to him I like his game and think he could get much better, but a low efficiency 18ppg on a tank team on high usage doesn’t prove he’s better or worth that kinda bag. Plus I can’t even say if he’s any good on D as he’s never been competitive.
And arguably Poole had a big hand in a team winning a chip and is an 20+ppg player while contending. Herro has already deservedly won 6MOTY and averaged 20+ the last 2 years on a good team with other options while proving he can contribute in the off season(this year exempt). He’s not better than either. I think he may be eventually but not RN. (FWIW I don’t rate Herro or Poole that much but they’re clearly better than Vassell RN).
That’s wrong, he’s a far more complete player than Johnson. Keldon is a nice role player but he may not even be a starter. Question is whether Devon can stay healthy.
It won’t be in a few years time. TV money is almost here. It makes some sense when you consider a) it doesn’t start until next year, and b) it goes as long as 5 years.
@Shea no argument, but let be honest. A 3rd option on a tank team being offered an average of 28mm is is an over pay, in comparison to other extension contracts offered.
It’s not Lamelo, Edwards, Hali, Bane Max level. But it’s still 2nd tier which I just don’t think he is (YET). Is he worth more than Quickley, Toppin, Cole Antony, KJ Martin etc. I wouldn’t say so, just bloated stats as a high usage option on a terrible team. So are they all expecting the same or higher? I doubt any get anywhere near that.
“Is he worth more than Quickly, Toppin, Anthony, Martin?”
Yes. His defense is solid and he drops over 18 a game. IQ and Toppin aren’t close to his play.
Now, is 29M per for 5 an overpay. My answer is yes…for now.
“He drops over 18 a game”. Yea he does. But on much higher usage and mins than those guys while actively tanking.
He was arguably the 1-2 option LY on a terrible team actively tanking letting him put up numbers. You can’t say any of those in the same position wouldn’t put the same number in. And as for D I’m pretty sure spurs were the worst in the league defensive LY so again I’m not sure how good he can be. It’s all false stats on a tank team. He is good but he hasn’t proved value for that level contract.
Have you seen him play? There’s a reason he was a lottery pick.
No argument he’s good, but so are everyone else I mentioned. Just different circumstances.
But again you can’t say any of those other guys putting up 12+ on lower opportunities wouldn’t look as good or better on Spurs LY. (Toppin exempt…Thibs)
It’s definitely a bet that he’ll continue to grow from here. Needless to say, the Spurs must feel confident in that being the outcome. Time will tell.
Aside from Quickley, those guys simply aren’t on his level even now talent-wise. And you make it sound like putting up stats on a bad team MUST reflect badly on all of the players involved. Sometimes it does but not always. It’s up to a front office to look through the noise and determine whether a given player would be a winning player or a losing player, regardless of the surrounding environment. It may not be an easy task on a bad team with a lot of moving parts, but it is possible.
The bottom line is the Spurs believe Vassell is, or will be, a clear positive player on good teams. And as a fan, I can see the same future for him. But as I mentioned elsewhere, he does have more work to do, particularly defensively.
Again, I agree he has shown clear growth, and his ceiling is higher, arguably than all the players I mentioned. But I stick to what I’m saying if any had the free rein on offence he had, we can’t say they wouldn’t step up or surpass what he did. I still think IQ and Martins talents are more rounded RN. And had Obi had the opportunity to grow, I think his ceiling would be higher.
But no. Putting up numbers on a bad team isn’t a detriment to what he has done. But considering the argument on “herb Jones was a better rookie than Jalen Green”(which I couldn’t disagree with more) because he was on a competitive team. Or Cade and Mobley not getting ROY because Barnes team played better, it’s clearly a big factor. What I’m saying is you can’t take his numbers a gospel when other players weren’t a million miles from him in much different situations and less opportunity, which you have to bear in mind in these young players. Sexton was a good example, free reign made him look the best guy in Cle only to drop off when a team is actually trying.
I hope he takes a leap, and with Pop he should. I’m just saying he hasn’t shown enough to get the same money Herro and Poole were questioned if the were overpaid, when they have been clearly better and proved they can do it when it matters(albeit both being poor on D).
But you’re right it’s up to the FO to block the noise, they see him behind closed doors and clearly think he will be worth the pay. Spurs are one of the best teams for that so FWIW I hope we all eat our words in a couple years. But RN it’s an overpay.
Never even heard of this person..
Casual
Late lottery pick on a team that hasn’t been relevant in a decade. Don’t need to be a casual to not know who this guy is. It’s not like the spurs play marquee games… Duncan retired a long time ago.
Wannabe message board elitist.
I gotta be honest me neither. And I watch a lot of hoop. Guess I passed on SA last year
Wow !! I knew this guy was a shooter but can see that he’s so much more. Good for him and I don’t think the Spurs would do this unless they knew they had someone special in their midst.
Those stats were on one of the worst teams. If he can repeat them and win then it’s a good deal, but if he can’t then it’s a big overpay.
It’s not an overpay since the contract doesn’t start till after this season. In 3-4 years, making 29/30 million dollars a year will be the norm for starting players. All-stars will be making 50-60 million if not more a year. If Vassell had not gotten hurt last season his numbers would have been better than Keldon’s. I think it’s a good signing and commitment for the Spurs.
Also $135 million is guaranteed, $11 in bonus. So it’s a $27 million/year contract starting in 2024. It could go $2 million dollars higher per year, but that’s a good thing.
The offense has been better than anyone could have expected while the defense has been the opposite case, but at least he has the length and anticipation to improve. If he can make gains there this extension will easily be worth it. If not, it still shouldn’t be awful as he has the potential to be the 2nd/3rd best piece on a contender.
Personally, I think everyone is going to look a little better defensively by default with the addition of Wemby, better health, and more consistent lineups.
I liked this player coming out of FSU, and if his teammate was already drafted (as it appeared he would be), I wanted the NYK to draft him (over Toppin or Haliburton).
He’s really (just) played to my expectations (not beyond). If this is the salary that he can command by doing that, then so be it. But is it? There really is no way to know now, and there is little reason to get ahead of his market which wouldn’t form until next off season, unless you’re getting some type of discount.
SAS traded away Murray supposedly because they didn’t want to pay him, and he signed for less $$ earlier this off season, also as an early extension.
Don’t really watch Spurs. I liked him in the draft. Knicks were looking at him. He’s got good size and upside. Looks like Spurs believe. That’s a big payday.
I guess they want to let Wemby know. We are getting good talent. Go get it ……..
Nice contract. At least the rockets aren’t the only ones overpaying. Make that money while you can
He fits with Wembanyama …. They have to pay dudes like this, so they can hit the Salary Cap floor. They have a young roster, and no immediate plans to add $30 million + in salary via free agency or trades unless for a very good young talent.
Spurs understand players need to develop. They ain’t going back to the Finals overnight. Fan base is cool with losing games right now. They will add an elite talent to their current group with a Top 5 pick in next years draft. They will get one of the dudes that Portland should have got to add to their young guys.
Great value honestly. Vassell was injured a lot last year but could have easily been in the MIP discussion with his play. He’s by far the best Spur (until Wemby shows otherwise), and 1 of 2 foundation blocks for the future. They just need to hit on one more player in the draft, hope Sochan becomes the utility player they hope he can be, and slowly swap in/out talent.
I could use just one million wow. I would even share it with some people on this site. What a overpay by 10 million a year. Another clueless team