In a major surprise, free agent guard Danny Green has quickly agreed to a four-year, $45 million dollar deal with the San Antonio Spurs, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Rather than testing the market, Green will stay with his current franchise.
Danny Green agrees to 4-year, $45 million deal to return to Spurs
In a major surprise, the Spurs locked up their free-agent shooting guard right away. This has major implications on the Spurs’ pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Spurs immediately followed this agreement by trading center Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks, clearing the salary needed to offer LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract. As we noted on Tuesday, San Antonio needed to move salary to be able to give Aldridge what he wants.
Green drew interest from the Pistons, Kings, Knicks and many other teams, but ultimately elected to stay with the franchise that elevated him to this status. Green was one of 10 Spurs to enter free agency in the summer, but he wanted to be back.
"Hopefully, I'll be back," Green said after the Spurs lost in the playoffs to the Clippers. "I love San Antonio. The fans have always supported us, from day one. It sucks that we had such a special group, and things may be changing and not be the same again."
Green is an elite three-point shooter who turned into a great perimeter defender in San Antonio after a slow start to his career in Cleveland. He has been an instrumental part of the Spurs’ offense since the 2012-13 season.
The 28-year-old averaged a career high in points last season with 11.7 per game. He shot 43.6 percent from the field and was 41.8 percent from behind the arc. On top of that, he can play great defense in the Spurs’ system. Green did struggle in the playoffs, hitting just 30 percent from deep while scoring 8.3 points per game in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
San Antonio is doing it’s best to keep it’s core intact despite a lot of possible changes. They’re bringing back the big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, but they are also still targeting LaMarcus Aldridge. They know exactly what they’re getting with Green, and in this NBA, where three-point shooting is so prized, he’s a perfect fit. The pieces are falling into place for the Spurs to continue to be one of the league’s best teams.
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