Lost in the San Antonio Spurs' stellar season is the play of guard Devin Vassell. He is quietly in the midst of his most impactful season, and his importance to the Spurs can't be understated. Especially with him now missing time due to injury.
Vassell is having the year many had hoped for, with his shooting numbers bouncing back from last season and him being more impactful on defense. His settling in as a fourth option, averaging an efficient 15 points per game, is precisely what the team needs from him.
Particularly with all of the injuries this season. Not only that, but he's proven that he can scale his game up by posting big numbers when Victor Wembanyama or De'Aaron Fox is out of the lineup.
All of that is excellent, but the Spurs have a long-term Vassell problem: they may soon reach a point where they can no longer afford him.
The Spurs have a Devin Vassell problem on their hands
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After all, he is set to make around $27 million annually for the next three seasons. And while that is around the going rate for a good starter, San Antonio will begin paying Fox a max salary next season and Wembanyama the season after.
Those two players alone could eat up more than a hundred million in salary in the 2027-28 season. Combined with Vassell's salary, the Silver and Black would be shelling out more than what they are paying the entire team now to just three players.
That means that the Spurs will have to tighten their belt financially. They already did so by not extending Jeremy Sochan but could eventually have to let players such as Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson leave in free agency.
Vassell may also eventually need to be traded in the name of cutting costs, though moving on from him could be trickier. While Johnson has thrived in his role as a sixth man, and Barnes, as a seasoned sharpshooting vet, is not as vital as Vassell. That somehow makes him both tradable and indispensable at the same time.
The Spurs may eventually have to trade their X factor. Devin Vassell
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I'd go as far as to say that Vassell is San Antonio's X-factor, and he has shown that several times this season. Against the Denver Nuggets, he drilled 7 threes [in a blistering 35-point outburst.](https://airalamo.com/devin-vassell-charged-spurs-win-makes-one-thing-crystal-clear)
That resulted in San Antonio making the in-season tournament. He also hit seven threes in the first half on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to scoring 29 points.
Not convinced? He's averaged 15 points and shot a scorching 44% from three in three games against the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. That included putting up 23 points in their NBA Cup semi-finals game.
His ability to generate offense for himself—even against great defenses—and improved shot selection have resulted in one of his best shooting seasons.
It also makes him the ideal fourth option, with him being a reliable enough offensive weapon and occasionally being able to lift the Spurs by putting points in droves.
The catch is that when San Antonio signed him to his contract extension, they did so hoping that he would be a second option. He may be somewhere in between, too inconsistent to be a second or third option but better than a fourth option.
Fortunately, with Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper on rookie-scale contracts for one, two, and three more seasons, respectively, San Antonio can afford to overpay Vassell for a couple of seasons. After that, they may have to look for cheaper options. In the meantime, San Antonio has the perfect scoring threat to complement their big three.