Most San Antonio Spurs fans wanted the team to sign John Collins this offseason with all of the ridiculous cap space they had. They weren’t able to accomplish that, but they did use all of their cap space to clean up some of the gaps they’ve had on the roster the last few years, namely shooting.
Not only did they shore up some shooting, but the Spurs also were able to bring in Doug McDermott, Thad Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, Zach Collins, Chandler Hutchison, Jock Landale, and Bryn Forbes (again).
Not all of those guys will still be with the Spurs going into the next season as they are bound to be over the 15 man roster limit to start the season. In the meantime, here is a visual of what the cap space currently looks like, courtesy of Project Spurs’ own Paul Garcia.
Here's where the Spurs' cap sheet stands based on real time transactions (no cap space left):
They still haven't officially signed Forbes and Landale.
They have the Room exception ($4.9 million) and veteran minimum left to use. pic.twitter.com/UGMwVjlIac
— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) August 14, 2021
While some of those numbers might look big, not all of them will stay that way as Aminu, Hutchison, and Young could all potentially come off the books as free agents. While Collins signed a three-year deal, there are some built-in ways for the Spurs to get out of it.
Here is the breakdown of his contract with guarantees that could soften the blow on the salary cap for the Spurs if they end up drafting forwards they like in the next draft or two.
Breakdown of the Zach Collins contract in San Antonio:
2021-22- $7M (full guarantee)
2022-23- $7.35M (50% guaranteed)
2023-24- $7.7M ($0 guaranteed)Total guarantee is $10.675M
This is a sold contract for both San Antonio and Collins.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 12, 2021
This will give the Spurs the continued flexibility to go out and potentially sign a bigger free agent in the summer of 2022. If they move on from Collins after one year and waive him, they could get up to $34.5 million in cap space.
They could also waive Drew Eubanks, who is on a non-guaranteed contract as well. They could renounce rights to Hutchison and let Young and Aminu walk. This allows the Spurs to once again be active next summer and bring in a major free agent or some lower-tier veterans on short contracts to help some of the younger guys along.
This Spurs team has a Vegas win total of 28.5 and expectations are low, which makes it a perfect time to commit to low-cost free agents who can help in the short term. Despite losing guys like DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs are much better off for it when it comes to spending their money.
They have the chance to get guys like Luka Samanic, Devin Vassell, and Tre Jones more playing time to really see what they can bring to the team and will be able to extend other guys they are likely to keep with Keldon Johnson being a primary focus there.
While they didn’t get a big-name guy, the Spurs ultimately won this offseason and set themselves up nicely for the future.