NBA Rumors: Spurs Unlikely to Match Kyle Anderson's Contract Offer by Grizzlies
The San Antonio Spurs reportedly aren't planning to match the Memphis Grizzlies' offer sheet to restricted free-agent forward Kyle Anderson before Sunday night's deadline.
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News reported it's "unlikely" the Spurs will utilize their right of first refusal on the four-year, $37 million contract.
Although Anderson has flashed some untapped potential since San Antonio selected him with the 30th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, his playing time and numbers have yet to make a major jump.
The 24-year-old New York City native averaged 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists across 74 appearances for the Spurs last season. While his shooting percentage improved to a career-best 52.7 percent, he made just 33.3 percent of his attempts from three-point range.
Memphis' offer is likely based on the hope he could enjoy a breakout campaign in a larger role, and there could be some truth to that prediction.
Anderson ranked sixth among qualified small forwards in ESPN's real plus-minus last season, which put him ahead of marquee counterparts like Jayson Tatum and Paul George. That was mostly because of his prowess at the defensive end, where he rated second at the position to the Philadelphia 76ers' Robert Covington.
In December, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich praised the UCLA product for helping the team "keep our head above water" during the absence of Kawhi Leonard.
"You know, not a great athlete, but really has a high IQ basketball wise," Popovich told reporters.
If Anderson does join the Grizzlies, he'd likely enter the starting lineup alongside JaMychal Green and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt. There would be competition for minutes from Dillon Brooks, Chandler Parsons and Omri Casspi, though.
