NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell has agreed to a five-year, $146 million contract extension with the team according to Andrew Morrison, Rich Beda, and Mitch Nathan of the CAA Basketball agency who represent him.
The former No. 11 overall pick out of Florida State in the 2020 NBA Draft is fresh off his third and best season in the NBA, averaging a career-high 18.5 points and 3.6 assists per game for the Spurs in the 2022-2023 season.
Vassell only played in 38 games for San Antonio last season after suffering from a knee injury in January that required arthroscopic surgery, but it’s clear the Spurs believe he will be one of the foundational in their young core moving forward with the franchise.
Vassell became just the sixth player in his 2020 NBA Draft class to reach their rookie-scale contract extension, joining Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Isaiah Stewart, and Desmond Bane and essentially solidifying that he will be a member of the Spurs for at least the next four seasons.
He’s shown steady improvement throughout his short career with the Spurs every single season since joining the league, which all culminated last season in his breakout year.
As a rookie, Vassell started in just seven games for the Spurs, appearing in 62 games where he averaged just 17 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and just 0.9 assists per game. His next season his role and production would take a jump up, averaging 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in his 71 game appearances which included 32 starts.
Last year aside from notching career highs in points and assists, he did as well in field goal percentage hitting 43.9% of his shots and three-point percentage draining 38.7% of his attempts from behind the arc.
“He’s becoming a very confident shooter,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich of Vassell said last season. “He wants the ball, he’s not afraid of the challenge. It’s fun to watch him.”
Vassell is a part of the Spurs’ young emerging core which includes Tre Jones from his draft class, 2019 first-round pick Keldon Johnson, 2021 first-round pick Jeremy Sochan, and this year’s No. 1 overall pick and potentially generational superstar Victor Wembanyama.
More must-reads: