NBA Free Agent Rankings: Where's Spurs PG Tre Jones?
The biggest decision the San Antonio Spurs will face in free agency this summer regards the future of point guard Tre Jones.
Jones, 23, averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 assists in his third professional season and is expected to have a big payday this summer.
The Athletic ranked Jones as the No. 14 free agent in the NBA this summer.
"Jones is a restricted free agent on a rebuilding Spurs team with $35 million in projected cap space, so rival teams are unlikely to view him as a gettable target unless they go crazy on an offer sheet," The Athletic writes. "This could mute his market a bit, but the other angle for San Antonio is that it could sign him to a declining money contract. The Spurs don’t really need the extra cap room right now, so they can afford to start him at a high number, but signing for three or four years with 8 percent salary declines could provide great value in the out years."
Because he is one of the league's best free agents, Jones should have considerable interest in free agency as a high-performing role player. Luckily for San Antonio, the team will get an opportunity to match an offer sheet that any team may sign him to. The Spurs can certainly afford Jones, but the question remains whether San Antonio would want to keep him.
While Jones is good, there may be better options out there, especially if the Spurs can find a way to trade back into the NBA Draft's first round and take a point guard. San Antonio may feel that it wants to develop someone with a higher ceiling, and Jones would ultimately take reps and playing time away from that player.
That being said, Jones has been a good get for the Spurs since drafting him with the No. 41 pick in the 2020 draft, and San Antonio won't just give up on him unless a team completely overvalues him and puts the front office in a position to give away too much money.
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