Danny Green Reportedly Expected to Opt-in to Spurs Contract

Danny Green will opt-in for the final year of his contract with the San Antonio Spurs, the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young reported Thursday. 

Green will earn $10 million in 2018-19 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

When he put pen to paper in July 2015, the perception was Green gave the Spurs a discount. The view was so widely held that he felt the need to state he didn't settle for a lesser salary than he was truly worth. Over time, though, Green didn't look like quite as big of a bargain.

For one, the salary cap flattened out a little more after the spike in 2016, which caused a domino effect on teams' spending down the road.

Green's performance over the past three seasons hasn't matched his work in the five years before that, either.

According to Basketball Reference, he averaged 20.0 points. 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per 100 possessions and shot 42.3 percent from three-point range with the Spurs prior to earning his extension in 2015. Since then, he has averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per 100 possessions and shot 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

While Green's scoring has taken a clear step backward, he remains a solid defender. He was a second-team All-Defense player in 2016-17, and this past season, he held opponents to 34.0 percent shooting on three-pointers and 35.4 percent on attempts greater than 15 feet, per NBA.com.

Add everything together, and it seems unlikely Green would've been in a position to match his current 2018-19 salary if he entered free agency instead. Young spoke to sources who said Green would've likely earned between $5 million and $8 million annually if he became a free agent this summer.

Now, he has one more season to rebuild his value and potentially get one more lucrative multiyear contract a year from now.

Getting Green's option out of the way answers one question for the Spurs this offseason, and it allows the front office to focus more on Kawhi Leonard, who's pressing for a trade out of San Antonio.

Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania reported Leonard met with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, but it appears Leonard will try to force the team's hand.

With Green on board, the Spurs can either rely on him to help fill the void Leonard would leave if he exits, or the team could use Green as a trade asset to try and rebuild the roster.