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Trey Lyles has found his new NBA home.
According to Woj, Lyles is set to get a two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs, who now have money to spend after Marcus Morris backed out of his agreement with the team to join the New York Knicks.
Lyles is finalizing terms on a two-year deal with Spurs, league source tells ESPN. https://t.co/ItulNCc1dn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2019
Lyles was set to become a restricted free agent after the Denver Nuggets initially made a qualifying offer. But they have since rescinded it, giving Lyles freedom to sign with any team he wanted.
This past season, Lyles averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 41.8 percent shooting. His best season as a pro came in 2017-18 when he averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent from three.
The former Wildcat now gets to team up with Keldon Johnson, who was the 29th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. Prior to Johnson being drafted, the Spurs were the lone NBA team who had yet to have a John Calipari-coached Wildcat. Now, they have two.
While Lyles hasn’t quite lived up to his billing as the 12th overall pick of the 2015 draft, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is arguably the best in the business at maximizing his players’ potential. I’d expect Lyles to develop into a solid rotational player for a team likely to make the playoffs next season.
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