He was asked to play power forward for most of his minutes and delivered by posting the best rebounding season of his career, contributing on the boards on both ends. While it’s hard to make a case for San Antonio to make his return a priority, he’ll be missed if he does leave.ĭespite missing time with a heel injury, Gay got to show his worth with the Spurs. He accomplished both tasks, so it’s not entirely surprising he’s opting out. Gay joined the Spurs with the hopes of making the playoffs and reestablishing his value after several losing seasons and suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Rudy Gay was never a long term solution, but he will be missed On a one-year deal, he’s a perfect stopgap as the starter at the shooting guard position and a killer trade asset. On a longer contract, Green could become a negative asset due to his less than ideal fit and age.
In the past two seasons he’s played around the same amount of minutes per game while only suiting up for 68 and 60 games, respectively. His numbers are largely worse than they were in his prime and his durability is apparently starting to falter. Green just turned 31 years old on Friday (happy birthday, Danny!) and while he doesn’t have as many miles on his legs as most guys his age, his decline has already started. Had Green opted out, they would have had to figure out whether re-signing him long term makes sense. His contract is in that sweet spot where matching salaries is easy, so if San Antonio wants a particular player back, they should be able to get it.Īnother reason why the Spurs are lucky he’s opting in is that it allows them to defer a tough decision. A veteran wing on an expiring contract who can defend multiple spots and who could re-discover his shooting in a different system should fetch the Spurs a first round pick. If Leonard is moved, Green becomes a great trade chip. If Leonard stays, Danny should start at shooting guard or be the primary backup at the two wing spots for a Spurs team hoping to contend. It’s hard to project next season’s rotation until the Kawhi Leonard situation is settled, but Green should help the Spurs no matter how things shake out. The second Green opts in, he will become a great asset, both on and off the court.
The Spurs get to keep one of the few players that was expected to be available on what’s now a one-year deal at the very reasonable price of $10 million. Players that can do that and sink an open shot are valuable. His ability to defend on the break is inching toward legendary.
He can guard three positions and provides plus shot blocking for a guard. With all due respect to All Defensive second team member Dejounte Murray, Danny is the best perimeter defender on the Spurs’ roster not named Kawhi. Yet Green opting in is clearly a win for San Antonio.ĭespite his decline on offense, Green is still great on the other end. Those two facts have led to him having plenty of detractors among Spurs fans. He’s a bad fit on an offensive system that values versatility. Green is not an elite shooter anymore, and it’s hard to see him returning to his previous level. Danny Green in his current contract is very valuable Now that the more pressing matters are in the past and the deadline to make those decisions are becoming official, let’s take a look at the way those decisions will shape the team. We let you know about them, but haven’t yet explained exactly how those choices affected the Spurs. PtR’s latest T-shirt features Lonnie Walker IV, and it’s as unique as he is.ĭanny Green’s reported decision to opt in and Rudy Gay’s decision to opt out are the perfect example.