Report: Spurs to make Davis Bertans minimum contract offer

[poeticism707]

I suspect in the new era the Spurs are entering, they are about to value cap flexibility the most bc they will need that third banana from FA either this season or the next and they don't have assets to trade for another player or into the draft lottery that they can spare. (I mean all these trade ideas are floating around for Mills, Diaw, Danny, Tony, Anderson, practically everyone we have guaranteed outside of LMA and Kawhi, but we don't have an indication that they will even move Boris, and some of these guys are too old to be too valuable and others too young and unproven, and I am sure Spurs would rather not trade Danny, the one asset that could really interest some teams, so I am assuming the guaranteed guys stay put).

Therefore, FA is the only way to get significantly better right now and thus they can't tie their cap with projects which at this point Bertans still is + he's risky bc of his injury history.

Bonner has been a project for 10 YEARS.

Signing Bertans to a two year minimum deal is nothing.

[SAGirl]

Regardless of injury history, the money I'm talking about for Bertans is PEANUTS. Any time the Spurs go cheap over peanuts it ends up bad. They dumped Scola to lose 2.5 million and it cost them big for years.

Didn't Scola have a $14 mill buy out? That was long b4 I followed this team.

For the current situation, it does look like right now they are valuing cap space above everything else for a FA signing. That should please some guys bc the only way we will get a true difference maker is through FA right now and well, you know the rumors.

For Bertans, he would be of most value to us as a stretch 4, which we don't know if he can play at the NBA. He's a good shooter but he might be the big man Jarell Eddie, or Daye part 2 in the NBA. He might be bad Tiago, injured 60-70% of the season. He might be Decolo, with some deficiencies in his game that prevent him from cracking the rotation, although having some intrigue to their game, but eventually getting further behind others and wanting to go back to Europe after all. We just don't know. He wasn't a European star like Boban, who still got a one year contract from Spurs this past season and the Spurs have already paid the tax this past season.

There is some risk involved with being frugal bc they want to make moves somewhere more significant and Bertans doesn't move the needle much for them this season. But they already paid the tax this past season and are probably aiming to get under it this summer.

It's a risk you are right, but they probably calculated that risk looking at the entirety if Bertans potential + injury history.

[SAGirl]

Bonner has been a project for 10 YEARS.

Signing Bertans to a two year minimum deal is nothing.

It seems to me he probably has been offered Simmons contract. 2 years but only the first one is guaranteed.

[xellos88330]

I am glad to see that the Spurs are finally engaging in talks with this guy. I think he can contribute rather quickly. The Spurs definitely need his range. The biggest key for me is that you can have another long decently athletic guy who can do multiple things on offense. He creates a lot of space and with his size he can shoot over the top of most players. My biggest concerns with this guy isn't the injuries, but rather if he can slash to the basket with the ball while remaining under control, and his defensive ability should he be switched on a smaller player. He is lean, but is his mobility as good as it is on offense?

[kobyz]

Was the worst player of laboral in the semi final series against barca, if you saw him play in that series you don't want any part of him...

[GSH]

A two year deal would be dumb. They need to protect themselves with optional/unguaranteed years 3 & 4. That takes cap room, but it's worth it. It's not like Durant is coming.

And they shouldn't cheap out either. If it takes more than the minimum it's worth it, like a 4/6 or 4/8, etc

You've likely never seen him play, but you're ready to sign him for four years to your fantasy team? But you can't decide whether he would sign a -money contract with unguaranteed years 3&4, or whether it would take $8M over 4 years to get the deal done? So you don't really know if he's good enough to demand a better deal, but you're ready to sign the out of him now, at the expense of salary cap. I haven't heard anything like that since Isiah Thomas got booted from the Knicks.

"Davis" has historically been a first name. It's only been recently (relative to human history) that's it's become a last name.

You're right. Most people don't know that Julius Caesar's first name was really Davis. And Davis was the most popular first name in ancient Mesopotamia... but for girls.

Didn't Scola have a $14 mill buy out? That was long b4 I followed this team.

There is some risk involved with being frugal bc they want to make moves somewhere more significant and Bertans doesn't move the needle much for them this season. But they already paid the tax this past season and are probably aiming to get under it this summer.

It's a risk you are right, but they probably calculated that risk looking at the entirety if Bertans potential + injury history.

Baskonia started out asking for $14M buyout for Scola, which was ridiculous. They finally negotiated it down to $3M.

The biggest risk in this deal is that Bertans will out-perform, and the Spurs will have to pay market for him after two years. There are worse problems to have - like being cap-limited, or becoming a "repeat offender" on the luxury tax.

Was the worst player of laboral in the semi final series against barca, if you saw him play in that series you don't want any part of him...

Yeah, he's not exactly a lock to be a successful NBA-level player. He didn't get picked in the first round, which means he wouldn't have gotten the 3 year rookie guarantee back when he was drafted. Throwing a long contract at him now would be sort of ridiculous. If he develops into a good player, the Spurs will pay him what he's worth at that time.

[TD 21]

Only time you've been happy with the Spurs FO is when they gave Danny Green his contract lol I'm jk bro.

A two year deal would be dumb. They need to protect themselves with optional/unguaranteed years 3 & 4. That takes cap room, but it's worth it. It's not like Durant is coming.

And they shouldn't cheap out either. If it takes more than the minimum it's worth it, like a 4/6 or 4/8, etc

Maybe for the Spurs. For him, while he's obviously not a high end prospect, he's a legitimate enough one, that they'll be lucky to get him signed for the minimum. Should they succeed, he'll obviously want to get to his second contract quickly.

Keep in mind, he'll already be 24 later this year, he's had two torn ACL's and he had sub par athleticism to begin with. Even if he proves himself to be a legitimate NBA player, the window for someone like him to make relatively significant money isn't particularly wide.

[SAGirl]

Baskonia started out asking for $14M buyout for Scola, which was ridiculous. They finally negotiated it down to $3M.

The biggest risk in this deal is that Bertans will out-perform, and the Spurs will have to pay market for him after two years. There are worse problems to have - like being cap-limited, or becoming a "repeat offender" on the luxury tax.

Yeah, he's not exactly a lock to be a successful NBA-level player. He didn't get picked in the first round, which means he wouldn't have gotten the 3 year rookie guarantee back when he was drafted. Throwing a long contract at him now would be sort of ridiculous. If he develops into a good player, the Spurs will pay him what he's worth at that time.

Thanks for the Scola explanation. That was long b4 my time following the team. I kind of agree with you in the bolded statement and its kind of what I have been saying and I do like Bertans. I think if he's healthy he will outperform bc his shooting is tremendous, but he is by no means a sure thing specially bc of the injury history.

[T Park]

I'm all for giving him a shot, but I don't understand outright excitement for a 23 year old who has had two serious knew injuries to the same knee. No way would I like more than a 1 year deal.

other than hes a dead eye shooter and most scouts and GMs are comparing him to Klay Thompson?

Yeah i can see why youd be super ing down on the guy.

[T Park]

training camp invite? i doubt he makes the team

Hes making the team. The guy is a taller more athletic Marco Belinelli.

Jesus Christ people

[T Park]

I am glad to see that the Spurs are finally engaging in talks with this guy. I think he can contribute rather quickly. The Spurs definitely need his range. The biggest key for me is that you can have another long decently athletic guy who can do multiple things on offense. He creates a lot of space and with his size he can shoot over the top of most players. My biggest concerns with this guy isn't the injuries, but rather if he can slash to the basket with the ball while remaining under control, and his defensive ability should he be switched on a smaller player. He is lean, but is his mobility as good as it is on offense?

his profile says he can slash to the hole in one or two dribbles.

He shoots extremely well off screens, so he fits in perfectly already

[99 Problems]

Having Kiwi or Bron locking down on Klaymond Curry KD whoever gets you only so far. The game about the 3 and you gotta outshoot Klaymond Curry Iggy Barnes Dray those 3 ball shooters to win big.

[r0drig0lac]

Hes making the team. The guy is a taller more athletic Marco Belinelli.

Jesus Christ people

Korver is your comparison. unlike Marco, he can really play defense (or at least he strives)

[MVPCues]

other than hes a dead eye shooter and most scouts and GMs are comparing him to Klay Thompson?

Yeah i can see why youd be super ing down on the guy.

LOL. All for giving him a shot, but not a long contract is super ing down on the guy? If 2nd and 3rd years are partially guaranteed or team option, I'm fine with that also. It isn't like this thread is a surprise. I called he would be on the team next year as soon as the playoff exit happened and speculation started. Kind of obvious choice given the last year rights and with his recovery and solid play. If he can bring that shooting and his knee holds up I'd be as happy as anyone else...well..maybe not as happy as you. Bottom line is he suffered an ACL injury in 2013. Up to that point, it looks like he appeared in 24 rs games. After his recovery he played in 47 rs games and suffered the same injury (not as bad though) to the same knee. He has a whopping 30 games under his belt after that recovery. I'm supposed to get excited about that? Cautiously optimistic is the best I can come up with.

If you think my post was "super ing down on the guy", your just super ing high on the guy.

[ceperez]

Having Kiwi or Bron locking down on Klaymond Curry KD whoever gets you only so far. The game about the 3 and you gotta outshoot Klaymond Curry Iggy Barnes Dray those 3 ball shooters to win big.

Yep, GS is showing that its all about the 3 point shot. Spurs will unfortunately need to out shoot them and that is a tough to do.

Any theories about being bigger and pounding in the paint to win have been debunked by the OKC loss.

[objective]

You've likely never seen him play, but you're ready to sign him for four years to your fantasy team? But you can't decide whether he would sign a -money contract with unguaranteed years 3&4, or whether it would take $8M over 4 years to get the deal done? So you don't really know if he's good enough to demand a better deal, but you're ready to sign the out of him now, at the expense of salary cap. I haven't heard anything like that since Isiah Thomas got booted from the Knicks.

...

Yeah, he's not exactly a lock to be a successful NBA-level player. He didn't get picked in the first round, which means he wouldn't have gotten the 3 year rookie guarantee back when he was drafted. Throwing a long contract at him now would be sort of ridiculous. If he develops into a good player, the Spurs will pay him what he's worth at that time.

I've probably watched 20+ games of Bertans this season alone including every shot attempt, rebound, assist, turnover, and block in the euroleague and every finals game in the ACB and plenty of other ACB games. I'm the guy who promoted Boban while he was playing in Serbia, check the think tank. I've probably watched more combined games of all the Spurs stash players than than anyone on this forum save one or two, going back years.

Do posters not realize that 4 year deals are the way to go with second rounders? , it's what the Spurs did with Blair! A 2+2. It's the smart thing to do to tie up a player.

And the numbers I put up are peanuts. We're talking 1.5-2% of the cap. That's nothing. The dollars are less important than the years.

[TheGoldStandard]

Yep, GS is showing that its all about the 3 point shot. Spurs will unfortunately need to out shoot them and that is a tough to do.

Any theories about being bigger and pounding in the paint to win have been debunked by the OKC loss.

It was OKC's athleticism an smart decision making that had them a game 6 choke away from advancing to the Finals. The biggest downfall for OKC was Westbrook reverting and Durant shrinking. Having two mobile bigs who can rebound kept them in games, pushed the warriors and slowed down their transition points. It also helped that those same bigs could actually shoot their own shot to keep defenses honest.

Bertans coming in helps the bench for sure if he can carry his 3 point shot to the NBA but the fundemental necessity for players who can rebound and keep possessions alive will be key for any deep run. The bench needs a lot of bolstering.

[cjw]

Am I the only ones who's not happy about this news? Min contracts are only for a year or two. Wanted longer.

Hopefully longer than Boban's one year deal, but doubt it looks like Simmons' mostly non-guaranteed deal. That said, it's not as meaningful as he'll remain under the Spurs control as a RFA after 1-2 years and there will be more than ample cap space.

[Chinook]

Hopefully longer than Boban's one year deal, but doubt it looks like Simmons' mostly non-guaranteed deal. That said, it's not as meaningful as he'll remain under the Spurs control as a RFA after 1-2 years and there will be more than ample cap space.

If the Spurs don't land a big fish this summer, they'll almost certainly be looking to for one next summer. Even if they land someone like Durant, they'll have the cap space to try to get someone like Ibaka as well. I'd rather the team not have to worry about Bertans for a while.

[TDomination]

Hopefully he's athletic enough to guard the 3 spot. Would love him at the 3 as to not rely on him for rebounding and such if those are his weaknesses

[TheGoldStandard]

Hopefully he's athletic enough to guard the 3 spot. Would love him at the 3 as to not rely on him for rebounding and such if those are his weaknesses

Meet our new stretch 5

[look_at_g_shred]

Meet our new stretch 5

You killin me with those pop statements

[objective]

Hopefully he's athletic enough to guard the 3 spot. Would love him at the 3 as to not rely on him for rebounding and such if those are his weaknesses

Ehhh ... he can probably keep the slower threes front of him. He could guard Kyle Anderson types I'm sure.

But he does hustle and play with some fight in him which could help him stay on the court.

[ceperez]

It was OKC's athleticism an smart decision making that had them a game 6 choke away from advancing to the Finals. The biggest downfall for OKC was Westbrook reverting and Durant shrinking. Having two mobile bigs who can rebound kept them in games, pushed the warriors and slowed down their transition points. It also helped that those same bigs could actually shoot their own shot to keep defenses honest.

Bertans coming in helps the bench for sure if he can carry his 3 point shot to the NBA but the fundemental necessity for players who can rebound and keep possessions alive will be key for any deep run. The bench needs a lot of bolstering.

Spurs have neither the offensive talents of Wesbrook-Durant or the bigs like Adams, Ibaka and Kanter.

Unless Spurs grab a few talents away from Dubs, they can't compete next year.

[TheGoldStandard]

Spurs have neither the offensive talents of Wesbrook-Durant or the bigs like Adams, Ibaka and Kanter.

Unless Spurs grab a few talents away from Dubs, they can't compete next year.

That's why they need to cut bait and focus on rebuilding with a better bench and young talent.