Now that the 2018 NBA Draft has concluded, the offseason continues to move along for the San Antonio Spurs. Here are some important dates to watch in the coming months before next season begins.
June 29 – Player Option Decisions and Restricted Free Agents Tendered Qualifying Offers
The Spurs have three players who need to make decisions with their player options before June 29 – Rudy Gay, Danny Green, and Joffrey Lauvergne. Gay will be declining his player option and he will enter unrestricted free agency July 1.
According to the San Antonio Express News, Green is likely to exercise his player option and stay with the Spurs next season, while Lauvergne is leaning toward declining his player option and possibly looking for a more lucrative deal overseas.
The Spurs have until June 29 to tender qualifying offers to their restricted free agents, Kyle Anderson, Davis Bertans, and Bryn Forbes.
The Express News reported the Spurs will tender the qualifying offer to make Anderson a restricted free agent July 1, and Bobby Marks of ESPN is expecting the Spurs to make both Bertans and Forbes restricted free agents as well.
June 30 – This is the last day to trade any contracts under the 2017-18 salary cap year.
July 1 – Teams can start communicating with unrestricted and restricted free agents. If both sides agree on a deal, a verbal agreement can be reached.
Tony Parker will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 and he can begin having conversations with the Spurs or other teams about playing for them next season.
July 2 – 5 – The Spurs will participate in the 2018 Utah Summer League. While the rosters haven’t been announced, one would expect Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV, and Chimezie Metu to be on the rosters. This assumption is based on the Spurs usually sending players in their second year to Summer League and their first and second round draft picks of that year.
July 6 – The moratorium is lifted and free agents can officially sign contracts. If a restricted free agent like Anderson, Bertans, or Forbes signed an offer sheet, the Spurs would have 48 hours to match the offer sheet and keep that player, or decline to match the offer sheet, and the player would now be on the other team’s roster.
July 6 – 17 – The Spurs will participate in the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League.
July 13 – If Anderson, Bertans, or Forbes are made restricted free agents, this would be the last day the Spurs can rescind the qualifying offer from either player if they haven’t signed an offer sheet or re-signed with the Spurs. After July 13, the Spurs would need permission from the restricted free agent to rescind the qualifying offer.
July 16 – In the event the Spurs were to offer Kawhi Leonard the supermax extension he qualified for, this would be the first day they can offer the extension.
August 1 – This is the last day for the Spurs to waive Brandon Paul before his $1.3 million salary becomes guaranteed for next season.
October 16 – If Leonard were presented the supermax, this would be the last day for him to sign the extension.
Sometime in the offseason – Though he’s still under contract for next season, Manu Ginobili will also take time this summer to decide whether he wants to continue playing basketball professionally, or retire. There’s no set date for when Ginobili will make his decision, but last year, he made his decision on July 18 to announce that he would play another season in the NBA.
