Spurs Sign Rudy Gay to 2 Year, 17 Million Dollar Contract
In yet another surprising move this offseason, the San Antonio Spurs signed Rudy Gay to a two year deal for 17 million dollars.
Well, that came out of nowhere. Despite virtually no reports of even being interested in the 30 year old forward, the San Antonio Spurs signed Rudy Gay to the two year Non-Tax Payer Mid Level Exception.
Stats: 18.7 Points, 6.3 Rebounds, 2.8 Assists, 1.5 Steals, 0.9 Blocks, 45.5 Field Goal Percentage, 37.2 Three Point Percentage
The Fit:
This is a slightly risky signing considering Gay will be coming off an Achilles injury suffered just 30 games into his season with the Sacramento Kings. Despite the risk, Gay does fill a need for the Spurs as he has made a career out of scoring. San Antonio finished the season last year 14th in the NBA averaging 105.3 points per game.
It became evident how much the Spurs relied on Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker to generate offense for the team after both were lost to injury during the playoffs. Prior to his injury during the regular season, Gay was averaging 18.7 points per game on 45.5 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from three, which was the second best percentage from deep during his career. He was also playing relatively well on the defensive end of the floor.
Defense isn’t really a concern for the Spurs, who finished the season with the best defense in the league. Furthermore, the Spurs were able to get a more than passable defensive effort out of David Lee last season, who was a notoriously bad defender throughout his career. Coach Popovich has a way of improving the flaws in veterans’ games.
Regardless, Gay was brought to the Spurs for his offensive punch, and hopefully he will be able to come back from his injury. History has shown most players who suffer a torn Achilles tendon struggle to return to their pre-injury self, the two most prominent examples being Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups.
It is worth noting, however, both Billups and Bryant suffered the injury towards the end of their careers. A more hopeful model would be Wesley Matthews. Matthews suffered the injury in March of 2015 and was averaging 15.9 points per game prior to getting hurt. He still hasn’t gotten back to the same per game average, however, this past season he averaged 13.5 points per game and shot a respectable 36 percent from three point range.
If Gay is able to recover in a similar manner to Matthews, he could pay dividends for the Spurs on the offensive end. Considering Gay opted out of 14.5 million dollars to break away from the Sacramento Kings in order to play for a contender for considerably less, this feels like a win for the Spurs. And, should Gay perform at a high level surrounded by more elite talent than he’s been around in quite some time, with a player option for next year, Gay could cash in on one final big payday next summer.
Grade: B (with upside for more)
The injury worries me. So does the fact that every team Gay has left has improved after he’s gone. However, considering this is the Spurs, that’s not nearly as big of an issue. The injury however is. Brandon Jennings still hasn’t looked the same after he hurt his Achilles in early 2015.
If Gay can still create his own shot and score like he did before the injury, this could be a huge steal for the Spurs in the Western Conference Weapons Race.
