Grade: Devin Vassell Signs $135 Million Contract Extension with Spurs

[Uriel]

Meanwhile, his Florida State teammate Patrick Williams, who was drafted #4 overall, is still waiting for his extension.

[heyheymymy]

Even if SA got 5 or 6 and took say Ausar, Jarace etc equivalent I would still be excited about the non Wembanyama core leveling up.

Vassell was showing tons of promise, Sochan exceeded expectations and seems like a quick learner, those two elevating their game would open things up for KJ more. Someone like Tre, Zach or Malaki could settle in.

Like someone above said, Victor is bonus gravy to an already progressing team.

Now we didn't have to pick 5 or 6, we got #1 so it feels like an embarrassment of riches and I bet even 20 games in you'll see Vic start clicking alongside the pre Wembanyama core which is also getting meteoric themselves and barring injuries this could be a surprisingly compe ive season for the Spurs.

[Seventyniner]

I would be surprised if Vassell took a flat deal, and very surprised if he took a declining deal. iirc his next contract can only start a certain percentage above of the final year of this extension unless he gets some sort of designated max.

[spurraider21]

officially announced by the club

[spurraider21]

I would be surprised if Vassell took a flat deal, and very surprised if he took a declining deal. iirc his next contract can only start a certain percentage above of the final year of this extension unless he gets some sort of designated max.

its all part of the negotiation, different concessions made on either side

- length of deal
- average salary
- total guarantees
- how much of the $ is in the form of incentives (and of which variety? likely to be earned, or unlikely)
- salary structure (ascending, descending, flat, etc)
- trade kicker
- no trade clause
- ETO/team option/player option

its possible the spurs were insisting on a lower total amount, but relented to the current deal so long as the salary was structured in a way beneficial to them

obviously we wont know until we see the details, but i wouldnt necessarily rule it out

[spurraider21]

we need some internet sleuths to get to work and enhance the footage so we can see the exact terms and salary breakdown

[KobesAchilles]

I know it sounds silly. But I hope to goodness that Vassell doesn’t lead the team in shots per game. Same with KJ. They don’t need to improve much. Just hit open shots and defend. Let Wemby cook. If Vassell is a little worse stats wise but better efficiency, then this is a win.

Also I am really looking forward to a Sochan/Wemby pick n roll. This might be an unstoppable combination with Vassell getting so many open looks.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I like it. Good signing. Spurs obviously see him as a major piece moving forward.

[spurraider21]

awesome. it is very team friendly in terms of structure, but he does get a bump back to 27 in the last season to protect him going into his next contract. plus all the bonuses being in the unlikely category is a huge W

[buttsR4rebounding]

The 4th year will be the year Wemby likely gets a Super Max deal. The cap hold, of course, will be much lower. Could be last chance to bring in a highly paid player. Could be the reason it wasn’t straight 27s as I suggested earlier.

[rankingtear]

Why do you believe a descending deal for DV hurts the team?

The last year should not be too low for that 2nd extension.

[rankingtear]

Cap guy is doing work. More flat structure rise next off-season because bad free agent class and tons of teams with space. Dip when Wemby huge extension kicking in. Last year is more manageable for that extension.

[poopbox]

My guess is the injury concerns aren't high level and they're the reason why Zach will have to wait for an extension.

They were never a concern. They had to play it up because what was the alternative? Coming out and saying "we are trying to lose as much as possible and the only way we can is to not play Devin because he has taken quite a leap in his ability to make shots and if we actually play him a lot this year it impacts our chances of getting the number one pick"

You don't go from concerned about your knees to here is almost 150 million if you are actually concerned about the knees.

[Mr. Body]

They were never a concern. They had to play it up because what was the alternative? Coming out and saying "we are trying to lose as much as possible and the only way we can is to not play Devin because he has taken quite a leap in his ability to make shots and if we actually play him a lot this year it impacts our chances of getting the number one pick"

You don't go from concerned about your knees to here is almost 150 million if you are actually concerned about the knees.

Zach Collins, the guy who missed two years, doesn't have injury concerns? Okay, bro.

[poopbox]

I know it sounds silly. But I hope to goodness that Vassell doesn’t lead the team in shots per game. Same with KJ. They don’t need to improve much. Just hit open shots and defend. Let Wemby cook. If Vassell is a little worse stats wise but better efficiency, then this is a win.

Also I am really looking forward to a Sochan/Wemby pick n roll. This might be an unstoppable combination with Vassell getting so many open looks.

Devin actually does need to lead the team in FGA because he is by far our best offensive player. Most of Wemby impact is going to come on the defensive end and creating open shots early in his career, and Devin needs to be the person getting those open shots rather it's 3's or cutting to the basket. I'd go so far as to say if Devin is the leading scorer and taking the most shots for the spurs then they might actually be a play in team

[poopbox]

Zach Collins, the guy who missed two years, doesn't have injury concerns? Okay, bro.

I thought you were talking about Devin.

Who cares what the spurs do with Zach Collins. Centers and backup centers are a dime a dozen. The spurs should NOT at all be worried about how do we keep Zach Collins here.

[spurraider21]

there are more cap-knowledgeable people than me, but Vassell coming off a 27 mil salary in the last year of his deal would be eligible for an extension with a first year salary of 37.8mil, and with 8% increases, up to 5/222

or of course he could forego an extension and just be eligible for a regular max contract as a free agent in 29/30, up to 30% of whatever the cap is then

kinda silly to look at future extensions when he just inked a 5 year extension, but the salary manipulation there is intentional

[exstatic]

Zach Collins, the guy who missed two years, doesn't have injury concerns? Okay, bro.

It was one injury, and the first surgery, performed by the Blazers surgeon, was botched. Once he was connected with the Team USA surgeon, he had a second surgery, normal recovery, and hasn’t been injured since, or shown any recurrence of the original ankle thing.

[heyheymymy]

Damn brilliant structure.

Front load the 29, 27, 27 while the team is still salary flexible.

Love the year 4 carve out for additional franchise flexibility. Good thoughts that it may be built into Victor's super max. Feels like someone in FO has a longterm vision for sure.

Year 5 bookend should coincide with Vassell's best performance and most established development and the expanding cap so it may feel like a bargain with that context.

[itzsoweezee]

I guess I’m the one of the few Devin fans here. I think he’s going to be really good, like all-star level good. Wrapping him up for five years is a great deal.

[KobesAchilles]

Devin actually does need to lead the team in FGA because he is by far our best offensive player. Most of Wemby impact is going to come on the defensive end and creating open shots early in his career, and Devin needs to be the person getting those open shots rather it's 3's or cutting to the basket. I'd go so far as to say if Devin is the leading scorer and taking the most shots for the spurs then they might actually be a play in team

Eh I feel like Wemby should lead the team in shots. It could be close. But I don’t want to pigeonhole Wemby by saying he should mainly focus on defense. Our whole offense should center around him a good deal. If Wemby is anything like rookie Duncan, he is going to struggle with double teams. I’d rather him learn to pass as the main threat then as a secondary person not in rhythm. Get him touches early and often.

[spurraider21]

Eh I feel like Wemby should lead the team in shots. It could be close. But I don’t want to pigeonhole Wemby by saying he should mainly focus on defense. Our whole offense should center around him a good deal. If Wemby is anything like rookie Duncan, he is going to struggle with double teams. I’d rather him learn to pass as the main threat then as a secondary person not in rhythm. Get him touches early and often.

i see where he's coming from though.

offensively, i'd continue to assess what wemby can handle, and then keep adding to his plate as he continues to show he's able to handle it. i dont want him to go out there day 1 and try to do too much offensively to the point where he's forcing shots or dribbling into trouble. can start him off lighter as a "finisher"... pick and roll, pick and pop, dunker spot, transition, etc. and you kinda slowly start increasing his responsibility as you go without overdoing it

but defensively, you just turn him loose. at least for now, let him expend all his energy on that end. fly across the lane, defend aggressively in the perimeter, fly to the glass, etc. let him do that knowing he's not going to also be asked to do that and also exhaust himself on offense with too much responsibility. we know a wemby who exerts his energy on defense will yield good results. but offensively it could lead to ugliness

offensively, should be a balanced enough approach to the point where everybody will have the energy and will to fight on defense, including keldon/vassell who slouched on that end last year. who exactly ends up leading the team in shots isnt something that really concerns me, though right now Devin is by far the best iso scorer we have

[KobesAchilles]

i see where he's coming from though.

offensively, i'd continue to assess what wemby can handle, and then keep adding to his plate as he continues to show he's able to handle it. i dont want him to go out there day 1 and try to do too much offensively to the point where he's forcing shots or dribbling into trouble. can start him off lighter as a "finisher"... pick and roll, pick and pop, dunker spot, transition, etc. and you kinda slowly start increasing his responsibility as you go without overdoing it

but defensively, you just turn him loose. at least for now, let him expend all his energy on that end. fly across the lane, defend aggressively in the perimeter, fly to the glass, etc. let him do that knowing he's not going to also be asked to do that and also exhaust himself on offense with too much responsibility. we know a wemby who exerts his energy on defense will yield good results. but offensively it could lead to ugliness

offensively, should be a balanced enough approach to the point where everybody will have the energy and will to fight on defense, including keldon/vassell who slouched on that end last year. who exactly ends up leading the team in shots
isnt something that really concerns me, though right now Devin is by far the best iso scorer we have

I feel like y’all are underestimating Wemby though. I don’t think we should start him lightly at all. Get him the ball. Learn his spots. Where he likes to be posted up. Ofc get him open buckets in transition and as the finisher in the roll game. But he needs to have the ball in his hands often. He’s a walking mismatch. You take advantage of that as often as you can.

The dude has all the skills and tools to be an elite offensive player right away. Get him the rock.

[spurraider21]

I feel like y’all are underestimating Wemby though. I don’t think we should start him lightly at all. Get him the ball. Learn his spots. Where he likes to be posted up. Ofc get him open buckets in transition and as the finisher in the roll game. But he needs to have the ball in his hands often. He’s a walking mismatch. You take advantage of that as often as you can.

The dude has all the skills and tools to be an elite offensive player right away. Get him the rock.

i mean yeah, if he shows he can handle more, give him more. but he's also 19, will be adjusting to the nba. not just the compe ion level and different rules/game, but the 82 game schedule, the longer travel, the bigger media frenzy that we have here compared to france. going to be a lot going on for him.

[The Truth #6]

Devin can shoot the three and get his spots and shots in the midrange but I haven't seen him be a threat off the dribble as far as getting to the rim consistently. So I'm curious if he's added whole new elements to his game or improved on what he was already doing. Maybe his bulk is helping him back people down. It will all be interesting to see.

It's possible the next two years Devin will get the most touches he will ever get before Sochan and VW fully come into their own and take over the team. To me, Sochan will eventually be the second banana. He scores so easily and randomly and makes it seem natural, at least when he's on a roll, whereas before DV had to work hard to get his fadeaways to go down.

But we'll see.