Is Zach Collins the long-term fit at the five next to Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio?
The Spurs are going to pay to find out, agreeing to extend Collins for two years beyond this one at $35 million, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Collins has one more season on his current deal ($7.7 million) then this new contract will kick in next season.
Collins started to bounce back last season from the three left ankle surgeries he had previously — one of which caused him to miss the entire 2020-21 season — and averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds a game. Collins, a career 34.2% from 3, played almost all of his minutes last season at center.
The Spurs also locked up Devin Vassell with an extension this offseason (four years, $135 million guaranteed) as they start to build out a team around Wembanyama. This will not be a rushed process but Collins, 25, will get the chance to show he should be with the Spurs long term.