Sunday Zach Collins and the San Antonio Spurs agreed to a two-year, $35 milion contract extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Entering his third season as a Spur Wednesday, Collins has bounced back strongly from early injuries in his career during his three years with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Last season with the Spurs, Collins came off the bench to begin the season, but once Jakob Poeltl was traded to Toronto, he became the Spurs’ starting center. Even before the season ended, Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said Collins would be the team’s starting center going into next season (2023-2024 season).
Collins’ production has increased in his first two seasons with the Spurs and though it’s just preseason, he’s showing more continued improvement.
- Collins in 21-22: 28 games, 17.9 mins, 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks
- Collins in 22-23: 63 games, 22.9 mins, 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 blocks
- Collins in 23-24 preseason: 4 games, 21.7 mins, 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.4 blocks
Early in the preseason, Collins and Victor Wembanyama have discussed how they’re building chemistry on the floor together, because they can both play inside and out. Both players can shoot from three, so only one of them has to be in the paint on each possession of offense. Both players also have the ability to attack inside with space, with Collins mainly relying on his post-ups to get jump hooks over smaller defenders.
Defensively, Collins is much more of a traditional big who plays near the rim. With Wembanyama’s versatility, Wemby is able to create havoc from the perimeter or near the basket.
Collins and Wembanyama are part of the Spurs’ new big starting lineup that features Jeremy Sochan at 6’8″, Devin Vassell at 6’5″, Keldon Johnson at 6’5″, Wembanyama at 7’3″, and Collins at 6’11”.
The Financial Impact
While Collins’ extension hasn’t officially been signed yet and the contract numbers won’t be known for a few days publicly, the deal should be for $16.7 million in Year 1 and $18.1 million in Year 2 due to an extension of 140% based on the average annual salary with 8% raises.
With Collins earning $16.7 million and $18.1 million, his contract will account for just 12% of the cap each season.
Regarding the Spurs’ cap space now for next summer, San Antonio can open anywhere from $7.9 million to $22.1 million depending on decisions with their own free agents, players on non-guaranteed deals, and where the picks they have land in the draft.
