The San Antonio Spurs were rounding out their roster over the weekend as they prepare for the training camp opening this week with a couple of smart signings.
Friday San Antonio officially signed its second-round pick, point guard Tre Jones out of Duke, to a three-year minimum contract using part of their mid-level exception.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥. We've signed @Tre3Jones!
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 27, 2020
MORE: https://t.co/Ujy8nStaH4 pic.twitter.com/sDzzLGUOLL
#41 pick Tre Jones signed a three-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs for part of the MLE:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 29, 2020
20-21: $898,310
21-22: $1,517,981
22-23: $1,782,621
22-23 is non-guaranteed, becoming $500,000 guaranteed on 8/1/22 and then fully guaranteed the day before first game of 22-23 season.
The brother of Memphis’s Tyus Jones, Tre is a strong defensive point guard who could become a solid NBA game manager and rotation point guard if his three-point shot becomes more consistent (it did improve to 36% his sophomore season at Duke) and if he becomes a better finisher at the rim.
The Spurs then turned around and used one of their two-way contracts on third-year forward Keita Bates-Diop, who spent last season between Minnesota and Denver. Diop, 24, averaged 6.8 points per game for Minnesota but struggled to find a spot in the rotation after being traded to a deep Denver team at the deadline.
In a season where the Spurs and every other NBA team will rely more on their two-way players to play a role in a condensed schedule, Diop is a guy Gregg Popovich can turn to for minutes. It’s a good signing in this role.