The San Antonio Spurs are going to be absolutely lethal next year and may even be considered the title favorites. The additions of big men David West and LaMarcus Aldridge were some of the biggest moves made this summer. However, what people fail to notice is how almost every one of their free agents decided to re-sign, other than Cory Joseph, and build another championship contender.
Danny Green, Kawhi Leaonard, and Manu Ginobili all stayed put and re-signed. Leonard deservedly got himself a max deal, but there’s one player who sacrificed more than anyone: Danny Green. Without Green’s flexibility having a roster this talented wouldn’t have been feasible, they just wouldn’t have had the money for it. Green took a 4 year $40M contract, way below his market value. Some people even say that he could’ve gotten a max contract, or at least close to it, if he had explored the market for himself. And why not, Green is an absolute sniper from deep and can play defense right up there with the top wings in today’s game. Green finally opened up on his thoughts regarding his contract. Following from Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News:
"People keep saying that I took less. I think I took what I was worth." — Danny Green
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneySAEN) July 21, 2015
This quote shows that Green is being overly humble. Sure he can say something along the lines of, “I took less money so the Spurs had more spending money and we could build into a championship contender,” but to say he’s only worth $10M annually is asinine. “3-and-D” players such as Green are getting more and more crucial to today’s play style. Getting to keep him at that low of a price was an absolute steal, but that’s what we’ve all come to expect when you have the pedigree San Antonio has.
