The Spurs took Jaron Blossomgame – the 2017 NBA draft’s second-oldest player (behind only Celtics No. 53 pick Kadeem Allen) – with the No. 59 pick.
But San Antonio apparently isn’t rushing Blossomgame, who turns 24 next month, into the NBA.
This is probably a mistake by Blossomgame.
He could’ve accepted the required tender – a one-year contract contract, surely unguaranteed at the minimum, the Spurs had to extend to retain his rights. They likely would’ve waived him, and it’s unlikely another NBA team would have signed him. He’d be in a similar situation – in the league formerly known as the D-League and on that league’s salary scale – as he is now.
The key difference: He’d be an NBA free agent.
As is, the Spurs are the only NBA team that can sign him – and their roster looks pretty full. If Blossomgame plays well enough in the D-League this year to warrant an NBA chance, he’s probably out of luck until after the season.
For giving San Antonio such control of his career, he couldn’t even get a two-way contract? That’d give him a base salary of $75,000 plus $4,080 per day called up to the parent club (maximum: 45 days).
Instead, Blossomgame is looking at a salary around $26,000.
