According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the San Antonio Spurs have re-signed guard Devin Vassell to a five-year, $146 million. Vassell missed a significant chunk of time last year as a knee injury sidelined him in January. He only ended up playing 38 games on the season.
However, when he was healthy, Vassell was having an incredible season for the Spurs. In his 38 appearances, Vassell played 31.0 minutes per game and averaged 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 38.7% from behind the three-point line. Heading into next year, the 23-year-old guard is poised to take yet another jump with San Antonio’s new core.
The Spurs picked Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he’s set to be their franchise centerpiece moving forward, but Vassell has a chance to be a great secondary star.
Not only will Vassell likely take on an important role as the team’s second-leading scoring option behind Wembanyama, but he could end up being one of the team’s primary ball-handlers.
Tre Jones should be the team’s starting point guard, but Vassell is by far the most talented wing they have on the roster. If he can take another jump next season as a scorer and ball-handler, the Spurs will be in a perfect position moving forward.
Extending Vassell helps the Spurs secure a future with all of their core pieces in place. Wembanyama is under team control for the next four years, Jeremy Sochan is under team control for the next three years, Keldon Johnson has four years left on his contract, and guys like Jones, Sidy Cissoko, and Malaki Branham all have multiple years left on their contracts, too.
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