Keita Bates-Diop To Return To Spurs On Two-Year Deal

The Spurs and small forward Keita Bates-Diop have agreed to a two-year contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Bates-Diop, 25, is 6-foot-8 and signed a two-way deal with the Spurs in November, appearing in 30 games and averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. So his new deal will presumably keep him in San Antonio.

He has also spent time with the Timberwolves and Nuggets after being drafted out of Ohio State in the second round (No. 48 overall) in 2018. Bates-Diop was named Big Ten Player of the Year prior to being drafted. He entered the offseason as a restricted free agent.

At any rate, this was an intriguing signing given the Spurs’ current roster situation, as noted by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.

“Given Bates-Diop’s underwhelming numbers in his first three NBA seasons, it’s a little surprising that the Spurs were willing to give him a two-year deal, even if it’s almost certainly not fully guaranteed,” Adams wrote.

“San Antonio waived Chandler Hutchison over the weekend, but still has 16 other players on guaranteed contracts — adding Bates-Diop to the mix does nothing to clear that roster crunch.”