NBA Free Agent Rankings: Where's Spurs PG Tre Jones?

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tre Jones is one of the NBA's best free agents this summer.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 9, 2023

NBA Free Agent Rankings: Where's Spurs PG Tre Jones? /

In this story:

San Antonio Spurs

The biggest decision the San Antonio Spurs will face in free agency this summer regards the future of point guard Tre Jones.

Jones, 23, averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 assists in his third professional season and is expected to have a big payday this summer.

The Athletic ranked Jones as the No. 14 free agent in the NBA this summer.

"Jones is a restricted free agent on a rebuilding Spurs team with $35 million in projected cap space, so rival teams are unlikely to view him as a gettable target unless they go crazy on an offer sheet," The Athletic writes. "This could mute his market a bit, but the other angle for San Antonio is that it could sign him to a declining money contract. The Spurs don’t really need the extra cap room right now, so they can afford to start him at a high number, but signing for three or four years with 8 percent salary declines could provide great value in the out years."

Because he is one of the league's best free agents, Jones should have considerable interest in free agency as a high-performing role player. Luckily for San Antonio, the team will get an opportunity to match an offer sheet that any team may sign him to. The Spurs can certainly afford Jones, but the question remains whether San Antonio would want to keep him.

While Jones is good, there may be better options out there, especially if the Spurs can find a way to trade back into the NBA Draft's first round and take a point guard. San Antonio may feel that it wants to develop someone with a higher ceiling, and Jones would ultimately take reps and playing time away from that player.

That being said, Jones has been a good get for the Spurs since drafting him with the No. 41 pick in the 2020 draft, and San Antonio won't just give up on him unless a team completely overvalues him and puts the front office in a position to give away too much money.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.

Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.

Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.

Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the SI.com team page here

Published Jun 9, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.