According to Shams Charania, Rudy Gay will agree to a 2-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs worth $32 million. The 32-year-old forward will be sticking around with the Spurs in the Western Conference.
Free agent Rudy Gay plans to sign a two-year, $32M deal to return to the San Antonio Spurs, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019
San Antonio Spurs Signs Rudy Gay
Gay’s decision to stay with the Spurs was a wise one. After struggling to find his place in the lineup during the 2017-18 season, Gay bounced back in the 2018-19 season. The forward averaged 13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He also shot a career-best 50.4 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three and 81.1 percent on free throws.
Gay, among other small forwards, ranked ninth in player efficiency rating and ninth in the real plus-minus differential.
How Staying in San Antonio Benefits Gay
If any player needed a career renaissance, it was Gay. Playing on the Spurs has transformed Gay into a useful player on both sides of the floor, and since last season, a more efficient one. Offensively, Gay is solid on pick-and-roll and isolation player for his position and age.
Defensively, he can cover both players in the pick-and-roll with adequacy. Overall, Gay has become the player that he used to be when he first came into the league. Staying in San Antonio will add more years to his career, as well as great pay he rightfully deserves.
Greg Popovich’s ability to create roles for secondary contributors to succeed is a key reason why he’s received so many accolades in his coaching career. Gay’s transformation over the past two years is a perfect example of that. Staying in San Antonio, Gay would most likely be a starter long-term, perhaps for a full regular season. Putting Gay with a solid core consisting of Demar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Dejounte Murray when healthy will make San Antonio legitimate threats in the Western Conference for the next few seasons.
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