San Antonio Spurs guard Jonathon Simmons had a great sophomore season for the Spurs, especially in the playoffs. He even excelled in the team's very first regular season game against no one else but the Warriors, when he put up 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists in a 29-point win.
However, his best games were in the playoffs. In the series against the Rockets, he was incredible on the defensive end, guarding James Harden. In the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors, he averaged around 15 points per game, and was a rare bright spot for the Spurs despite being swept.
In terms of Simmons and his contract, he was playing for the minimum salary and earned just around $875,000 in 2016-2017. The Spurs decided to extend their qualifying offer of around $1.6 million to Simmons, making him a restricted free agent.
Although it is not expected that he takes the qualifying offer as the 27-year-old will certainly get better offers from other teams, but the Spurs still hold the upper hand as they will be able to match any offer, unless it's for an insane amount, in order to keep their player.
Late night news: #Spurs make it official, extend qualifying offer to J. Simmons, making him a restricted free agent https://t.co/Pyfb401enq
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) June 22, 2017
Per Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News, there are at least 12 teams interested in the services of the Houston native. Simmons went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft and famously had to pay $150 just to try out for the Austin Torros in the D-League. After a season in the D-League and impressing for the Brooklyn Nets‘ Summer League team in 2015, he was signed by the Spurs.
Follow Us
Subscribe