San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay promptly opted out of the last year of his contract with the team this summer. Having signed a two-year, $17.2 million deal with the Spurs in 2017, the 6-foot-8 forward netted a raise from the $8.8 million he was bound to make to a swift $10.1 million.
“I always knew I wanted to come back,” Gay said, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “When I opted out, I felt like I had options. But the best option was to just stay where I was at.”
Gay was surprisingly the second-leading scorer for the team after LaMarcus Aldridge with an 11.5 per-game average, despite missing 23 games with an injured right heel and never quite getting back to a 100 percent from the Achilles injury that ended his season in 2017 as a member of the Sacramento Kings.
Kawhi Leonard's trade could prove to be a boon for Gay, as the starting small forward spot seems to be his to keep throughout this season after the likes of Danny Green (traded alongside Leonard) and Kyle Anderson (signed with Memphis Grizzlies) found new landing spots.
“Last year was a great task for me, not just physically but mentally,” said Gay. “Now that I have accomplished that and got past that, I can just become a better player.”
While he feels this 2018-19 season will be a chance to prove he's back to his old athletic self, Gay's main goal is to return to the playoffs for the third time in 13 seasons — one that will make it 22 straight years for the Spurs.
“They don't have many expectations for us,” Gay said. “But the Spurs always exceed the expectations. Don't expect anything less this year.”
The addition of DeMar DeRozan should bring a different flavor into this Spurs team, now resting on different shoulders in hopes to maintain their status as a Western Conference powerhouse.
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