National Basketball Association

San Antonio Spurs: 5 PG options in free agency for Tony Parker successor

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:35 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Gerald Bourguet/FanSided via Hoops Habit

San Antonio Spurs

Apr 8, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) attempts a steal as LA Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles the ball during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

With Tony Parker getting older and out injured for eight months, the time is now for the San Antonio Spurs to find their next point guard. Here are five potential options in free agency.

The San Antonio Spurs have a Tony Parker problem. Not the kind of problem that normally comes to mind with star players and future Hall-of-Famers who grow disenfranchised with their team, but rather, the kind of problem that eventually ails every NBA player: Father Time.

Even before his season-ending quadriceps injury, TP was starting to show signs of his age at 35. Though he drastically elevated his performance through his first eight playoff games, he was coming off a season in which he averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 assists per game — the lowest numbers since his rookie year.

With Parker losing the ability to regularly penetrate and put the ball in the hole, the Spurs' offense relied upon Kawhi Leonard to carry the load. He succeeded in an MVP-caliber season, but with LaMarcus Aldridge's game also dropping off at an alarming rate, San Antonio needs to start thinking about finding a successor for the greatest point guard in their franchise's history.

Now, to be fair, the Spurs may have been doing just that when they drafted Dejounte Murray in 2016. The rookie showed very promising flashes this year and could be the long-term answer for a team that continually strikes gold at the end of the first round.

However, Murray's time won't come for at least a few years, and with Kawhi and Aldridge, the Spurs can't afford to sit and twiddle their thumbs, waiting for him to become a star. Parker won't be back until around January, making this the perfect time to ease into the process of finding of the next starting point guard.

The question is, what options will the Spurs have available to them this summer in free agency? And what must be done to free up the necessary cap space to sign a star floor general that can bridge the gap between Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray?

Here's a look at five possibilities, but first, we need to address one honorable mention in Derrick Rose, since ESPN's Ian Begley reported the Spurs could be interested in the former MVP:

Next: No. 5

San Antonio Spurs

Jan 27, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) drives past San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

5. Jrue Holiday

The New Orleans Pelicans have the inside track to re-signing Jrue Holiday if they so choose, and if keeping Anthony Davis happy is priority No. 1, his comments to ESPN's Zach Lowe about convincing Holiday to stay in the Crescent City are telling.

However, WDSU's Fletcher Mackel reports that Holiday intends to test the free agency waters, and that the Pelicans are "unhappy" about the whole situation — which makes sense, since a potential five-year, $172 million max for Holiday would be a lot for a good but not great point guard of his status.

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As is the case with every free agent point guard on this list, the Spurs would also have to sacrifice quite a bit of bench depth to make this happen, since Holiday could be eligible for a four-year, $137 million deal from an outside suitor.

Now, Holiday can hardly be expected to actually command that kind of money. Mackel speculates that an extension for Holiday might come in around $100-110 million over five years, so another team could conceivably steal him away for four years and $80-100 million.

Still though, even a deal in that range would require some financial finagling for the Spurs' cap situation. Is he really worth it considering his Per 36 Minutes numbers aren't a far cry from Patty Mills, the incumbent candidate to replace Parker?

To be fair, Holiday would be a nice fit with this Spurs team. He shot 53.4 percent on drives, good for the fourth-best percentage among all starting point guards, per NBA.com. That alone would make him a fine addition to this offense and take some pressure off Kawhi.

Holiday is also a solid defender, which would be important for the NBA's top-ranked defense this season.

So what would it take to be able to afford him in free agency? For Holiday (or anyone on this list), it starts and ends with Pau Gasol opting out of the final year of his contract worth $16.2 million.

If he opts in — which should be expected considering his age and diminishing market value — the Spurs would immediately need to pivot and find a trade for the 36-year-old big man without taking back any salary. They'd also need to (secretly) hope Manu Ginobili retires to get his $21 million cap hold off the books, plus renounce the rights to restricted free agent Jonathon Simmons and unrestricted free agent Patty Mills.

That would get the Spurs down to around $81 million with the cap set at $101 million, meaning Dewayne Dedmon (player option) and David Lee (player option) could be roster casualties as well, considering they can opt out and enjoy a pay raise elsewhere — and all this is assuming a four-year, $80 million deal would actually do the trick for Holiday.

So in order to clear room for a point guard who averaged 15.4 points, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game on mundane .454/.356/.708 shooting splits this season, the Spurs would likely have to move Gasol after he opts in or hope he's willing to take a significant pay cut to stay with the team; renounce Mills and possibly Simmons; hope Manu officially retires; and probably let Lee and Dedmon walk in free agency.

That's quite a bit of depth to give up from a 61-win team for a marginal upgrade like Holiday. Though he's only 26 years old and played well for the Pelicans this year, he has a history of injury problems and cost-cutting sacrifices like this should really only be made for a potential star addition.

Holiday is only a slight upgrade from Patty Mills with the financial ramifications in mind, and should be viewed as such.

San Antonio Spurs

Oct 29, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8) and Tony Parker (9, right) talk on the bench during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

4. Patty Mills

Patty Mills would qualify as the Spurs' fallback plan if not for the fact that they'd likely have to renounce his rights to seriously pursue anyone on this list. Still, he's an option worth considering if gutting the team's depth becomes too messy a proposition for R.C. Buford and company.

The other players on this list can make the most money by re-signing with their respective teams. Meanwhile, Mills is a cheaper alternative and fan favorite who filled in admirably for TP in spots all season long. Though the 28-year-old Aussie's upside has been limited to "elite backup point guard," it's possible a more team friendly option would be promoting an internal candidate.

Mills loves playing for this franchise, and perhaps he could be swayed into taking a slight discount to help the Spurs keep the core of a perennial 60-win team together.

That being said, Mills filling in for Parker once in a while is one thing; making the jump to full-time starter is another entirely. Though he's an active defender, competent floor general and floor-spacer, his 21.9 minutes per game this season were a career high.

There's no way to project how he'd handle starter's minutes, even in San Antonio where that designation doesn't matter as much. His 41.4 percent accuracy from three-point range would surely regress, as would the team's win total with him and Murray manning the point.

The Spurs routinely turn overseas unknowns and D-League projects into productive NBA players, but this would be a stretch, even for them. Even worse, Mills may have played himself out of San Antonio's price range on the open market, so unless unwavering Spurs loyalty strikes again this summer, Mills could easily sign with a team for anywhere from $12-20 million a year.

That may seem like a lot for a backup point guard who averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 assists per game this season, but don't forget what Evan Turner (four years, $70 million), Tyler Johnson (four years, $50 million) or even Jamal Crawford (three years, $42 million) got in free agency last year.

A team like the Philadelphia 76ers or Brooklyn Nets could very easily swoop in with an offer that's too attractive to turn down, especially if the Spurs concentrate their early free agency efforts on wooing one of the league's premier point guards.

This option would require the least financial sacrifice, but it's also the most underwhelming one for replacing TP, especially since Gregg Popovich opted to start the rookie Murray over Mills in order to keep his bench rotation intact. Simply put, the Spurs have never tried to force Mills into the usurper role at point guard to replace Parker, and $15-20 million a year might be too large a gamble to do so now.

San Antonio Spurs

Apr 12, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) pursues the play during the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

3. George Hill

Gregg Popovich loves George Hill. Remember, this is the same guy that could barely stomach trading Hill for Kawhi Leonard back in the 2011 NBA Draft. What better way to come full circle than signing a Pop favorite and former Spurs floor general to put alongside Leonard?

Sadly, it wouldn't be that simple, especially with Hill coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career — even with 33 games missed due to injury.

The Utah Jazz were a different team with Hill on the floor, and he averaged a career-high 16.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on .477/.403/.801 shooting splits. The Jazz also went 33-16 with him on the court, as opposed to 18-15 without him, which means they may just have to grin and bear a huge contract extension to keep him around.

In February, ESPN's Tim McMahon reported that Hill's camp turned down an extension with Utah prior to the start of the 2016-17 season in the belief that he could earn something in the range of a four-year, $132 million deal this summer.

That number should shrivel a bit considering how injury-prone he was this season, but as we saw with Jrue Holiday, even a contract in the four-year, $90-100 million range would seriously cripple San Antonio's depth.

To make room for a $100 million contract for Hill, the Spurs would have to trade or use the stretch and waive Gasol (assuming he opts in), hope Manu retires, renounce Mills, Lee and Dedmon, pray Simmons didn't sign an offer sheet elsewhere, and still wouldn't have enough room to offer Hill a deal worth $25 million annually.

From there, it'd be a matter of making a long-term decision on the future of Tony Parker, Danny Green or even LaMarcus Aldridge — thereby defeating the whole purpose of signing an upper tier point guard. George Hill is good, but he's not that good.

He's not a great playmaker, and unless the Spurs were trying to sign a superstar point guard, this much roster-shaving would be excessive, even to make room for a Pop favorite.

Hill's defense, three-point shooting and team-first mentality would still make him a solid short-term understudy for Parker.

But even though the prospect of reuniting Hill with Pop and the Spurs is an enticing one, unless the 31-year-old point guard was willing to take a significant pay cut compared to what Utah might offer, the roster sacrifices that would need to be made wouldn't warrant such a signing.

San Antonio Spurs

Jan 24, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) reacts on the court against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Air Canada Centre. The Spurs won 108-106. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

2. Kyle Lowry

Up until this point, the point guards on this list would require more financial and roster sacrifice than they're actually worth, especially for a team that won 61 games, reached the conference finals and had a 20-point lead on the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 until Leonard got hurt.

However, if the Spurs were able to sign Kyle Lowry or the next player on this list, they might seriously consider making the cost-cutting moves that would be required to do so.

The reservations about Lowry are legitimate, with the playoffs serving as the proverbial midnight that always strikes on his Cinderella regular seasons. The Toronto Raptors also have the inside track to re-sign him, being able to offer a five-year max worth more than $200 million, compared to a four-year, $152 million deal from outside suitors.

That being said, if winning — and avoiding LeBron James in the playoffs for once — is the priority, the Spurs should top Lowry's potential free agency landing spots. He'd be trading one juggernaut for another with the Warriors out West, but the Spurs just won 61 games with a 35-year-old Tony Parker as their starter. Just imagine what Pop could do with a top-10 point guard like Lowry.

The cost of such a move would be extensive, as we've already covered. In addition to Gasol, Mills, Dedmon and Lee being goners, the Spurs would also have to move Danny Green (trade) and Tony Parker (stretch and waive provision) in a salary-slashing deal — all while hoping Simmons waited to sign an offer sheet from another team, so they could go over the cap to match a deal and retain him.

Trading an injured Parker — even if the Spurs actually considered such a heartless move — would be impossible, leaving Green as the salary dump candidate. His defense and three-point touch would be missed, and lining up deals for both Green and Gasol without taking back any salary would be a sizable hurdle in its own right. They could trade Green and use the stretch and waive provision on both Parker and Gasol, but doing that to TP seems unlikely.

However, if Lowry were to express serious interest, a Big Three with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge would be tantalizing. As the Warriors and Cavaliers have shown, super-teams are the only way to keep up these days. A move like this would put the Spurs on the same trajectory.

His playoff demons and injury history are red flags, but on a team that historically thrives in the postseason and strategically rests players to keep them fresh, they wouldn't be such large concerns. A sign-and-trade is another potential option, but it's hard to see any of San Antonio's aging role players being of interest without youth or draft picks attached.

Adding Kyle Lowry would be a coup for the Spurs, but it would require substantial sacrifices to the team's depth. For our purposes, there's one similar option that would be a little more worthwhile compared to Lowry.

San Antonio Spurs

Apr 8, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; LA Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

1. Chris Paul

"Chris Paul to the San Antonio Spurs" was a fun, terrifying Twitter hypothetical a few weeks ago, but now it's actually gaining steam and understandably so — such a union would mark the arrival of the NBA's true third super-team.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Spurs could be a legitimate threat to sign CP3 in free agency this summer. If Paul values winning and reaching his first conference finals over the money, San Antonio would top the Los Angeles Clippers among his best free agency options.

Lob City should still be viewed as the favorite in a potential Chris Paul free agency sweepstakes, since their five-year, $205 million max offer will trump whatever four-year, $152 million deal other suitors can conjure up. The Vertcial's Adrian Wojnarowski recently told CBS Sports Radio that the Clippers are still the leading horse in this race.

However, if the Spurs viewed Chris Paul as a legitimate game-changer in the West — as well they should, despite his glaring flaw of never reaching a conference finals — he'd be the realistic free agent target that's most worth gutting the roster for.

To be fair, such a move would be unprecedented for a franchise built around depth and continuity. But even at age 32, Paul would be a great addition to Pop's system after averaging 18.1 points, 9.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this season. He'd need to tone down his ball dominance a bit, but as Kawhi's emergence has shown, Pop is willing to bend his team's playing style to cater to his players' talents.

CP3 would make Kawhi's job easier as the lead facilitator, he's still a lockdown defender when engaged and he just shot a career-high 41.1 percent from three-point range on a career-high 5.0 attempts per game. His leadership comes off as domineering at times, but on a team with Pop and Kawhi, he wouldn't need to take that kind of approach anymore.

The Spurs would become an immediate and apparent danger to the Warriors (if they weren't already) and though filling out the rest of the roster would be a challenge after passing on Mills, Dedmon and Lee, stretching and waiving Gasol and Parker, and then trading away Danny Green, the resulting Big Three might be worth it.

The Spurs have rounded out their bench with unexpected surprises before; they would need to do it again.

That being said, even if the Spurs could clear out the requisite room for a $152 million offer (or something enticing enough to get CP3 to consider a pay cut), the Clippers can still offer at least $50 million more, not to mention the allure of living in Los Angeles.

Fleeing the Clippers' curse for the Spurs' championship culture might not be worth forfeiting that much money. As much as Chris Paul could make San Antonio a powerhouse, that fun idea could amount to little more than a long shot come July, leaving the Spurs in a bit of a bind for a potential Tony Parker successor to bridge the gap until Dejounte Murray is ready.

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