NBA Free Agency: Should Spurs Re-Sign Keita Bates-Diop?
San Antonio Spurs small forward Keita Bates-Diop faces an uncertain summer as he tests the free agency market.
Bates-Diop, 27, averaged 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds on 50 percent shooting, which all mark either the highest or the second-highest numbers of his career. That's why The Athletic ranked Bates-Diop as the 11th-best small forward in this year's free agency class.
"Last year, for a miserable Spurs team, Bates-Diop was … kinda good? He shot 39.4 percent from 3, albeit on limited volume, and 55.7 percent inside the arc," The Athletic writes. "He’s a solid rebounder, held up fine defensively (to the extent anyone on the Spurs did, anyway), and has become a very crafty operator around the basket despite meh athleticism. Realistically the 3-point shooting is likely to regress, but Bates-Diop could flourish on a better team as a jack-of-all-trades type backup at either forward spot."
The Spurs could use Bates-Diop's craftiness, especially if he continues to improve at the rate he is. He could provide some strong minutes in the frontcourt. However, San Antonio may be in a bidding war for his services this offseason.
"Entering his prime seasons, Bates-Diop would be a strong value pickup for teams offering the taxpayer or room exception," The Athletic writes.
Bates-Diop made a little less than $4 million on his last contract and will warrant a raise. San Antonio can afford him and can deliver him the largest amount of money, giving the team an edge in the sweepstakes, but the question remains whether the team would want to given its current depth at the position.
"The Spurs also have full Bird Rights on him and ample cap room, so they could bring him back, but they also have other priorities at the forward spot with Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson," The Athletic writes.
Should he return to the Spurs next season, Bates-Diop would almost certainly come off the bench, and if a team can offer him a better situation with more opportunities to play, it may be the last we've seen from him in San Antonio.
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