DeMar DeRozan had a strong first season with the San Antonio Spurs. While his raw numbers may have declined from their peak with the Toronto Raptors, he shot over 48 percent from the field, his highest mark since his rookie season. He averaged new career-highs with 6.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game as well, and the Spurs nearly topped the No. 2 seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
With only one guaranteed season left on his contract followed by a player option, there has been quite a bit of speculation about a potential extension for the former All-Star. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday that the Spurs and DeRozan are indeed discussing a new deal, though nothing is imminent. He addressed the rumors on Spurs media day.
DeMar on his contract situation: "Man, I just want to hoop. My whole career I never even once had that play on my mind...That's never been my focus...However it unfolds, that's how it is supposed to unfold."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) September 30, 2019
DeRozan's contract situation is somewhat tenuous on both sides. When a team does not have cap space, it can sign veterans to extensions worth only 120 percent of their current salaries. DeRozan is currently making just over $27.7 million. He would, therefore, be eligible for a new deal starting at around $33.3 million. That is below his max, and DeRozan is a four-time All-Star who might expect such an offer.
But San Antonio has little reason to negotiate a new deal for DeRozan right now. The Spurs are loaded with young guards primed to improve this season. DeJounte Murray is set to return after tearing his ACL before last season. Derrick White broke out last season and even managed to earn a spot on Team USA's World Cup roster. Lonnie Walker IV was one of the best players at Summer League. Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli are still on the roster as well.
It could be argued that those other guards did more to get San Antonio into the playoffs than DeRozan did. While his raw numbers were bigger, the Spurs outscored opponents by 4.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the bench last season. They had a net rating of 0.0 when he played. This is a trend that extends back to DeRozan's Raptors days. His poor defense and one-on-one style may produce big numbers, but his ability to impact winning at the team level is questionable.
If anything, the Spurs could stand to shed a few guards. But Murray is already eligible for an extension. White will be in a year. If the Spurs were to extend DeRozan, keeping their young players would become difficult.
DeRozan is 30-years-old. Given traditional NBA aging curves, he is likely to be less valuable at the end of the year than he is now. Extending DeRozan mitigates risk, as it prevents him from reaching free agency, but it would also cost more money. The Spurs have traditionally erred on the side of caution when it comes to veteran extensions. LaMarcus Aldridge is the most recent example. He signed a new deal prior to the 2017-18 season.
This is a lesson that they have perhaps learned through experience. The Spurs forced Kawhi Leonard to wait a year before signing his rookie extension in the summer of 2014 because it allowed them to free up extra cap space in 2015 to land Aldridge. Zach Lowe reported in 2018 that the move bothered Leonard, who forced his way out of San Antonio in the trade that brought DeRozan to the Spurs.
If the Spurs are deadset on keeping DeRozan for the long haul, it might, therefore, behoove them to extend him now rather than risk giving him the chance to walk away. But they are going to have to draw a line somewhere. They are not going to give long-term deals to DeRozan, White and Murray at their likely pricepoints if one of them is going to come off of the bench. How the Spurs balance their present in DeRozan with their future in White, Murray and even Walker will spell out what their plans are for the next several years.
