As the doors to NBA free agency swung wildly open, one of the first deals to be named was that of Patty Mills and him planning on sticking with the San Antonio Spurs.
The deal -- worth $50 million over 4 years -- makes it the highest signed deal by an Australian in NBA history; over the course of the deal.
After years of productive activity on the floor for the Spurs, Mills was rewarded with this pay day and will now help his Spurs' team attract further free agency signatures.
While the Spurs still have plenty of work ahead of them throughout the Free Agency period, having Mills' agree to a deal that was potentially under his market value goes a long way to helping the Spurs in the long run.
Here is the analysis of the Mills deal from ESPN insider Kevin Pelton:
Because he hit free agency right as he underwent shoulder surgery that sidelined him the first two months of the 2014-15 season, Mills was one of the league's best bargains on his previous three-year, $11 million deal. This time around, a healthy Mills was able to cash in.
I'm a little bummed that my dream of seeing Mills go to an offense-starved team and try to put together Dana Barros' 1994-95 season will apparently never come to fruition. That idea was probably a tough sell for someone who's known only success with San Antonio over the last four seasons, and Mills also managed to make out well financially.
A four-year deal could get a little dicey for Mills, who will be pushing 33 by the end of it and relies heavily on his quickness. (His shooting is a positive factor in how Mills will age. His small stature is a negative one.) Still, I project Mills' production as worth $46 million over the next three seasons, so even if he fades quickly after that this should be a reasonable contract.
Additionally, the Spurs can take advantage of Mills' small $6.8 million cap hold if they decide to use cap space. They could create up to about $13 million in space while also retaining Bryn Forbes and the rights to David Lee and Jonathon Simmons. Alternatively, they can stay over the cap and use exceptions to re-sign several free agents in the name of depth and continuity. Stay tuned.'
With Andrew Bogut, Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles still floating around in the free agency market, expect a lot more news and deals surrounding our Australian NBA stars in the days to come.