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According to Zach Lowe, a senior writer at ESPN, former Michigan State basketball favorite, Matt Costello, has earned himself a contract with a top-tier NBA team — the San Antonio Spurs.
After a strong Summer League, Spurs are signing Michigan State alum Matt Costello to a 2-way deal, sources say.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 20, 2017
Costello will sign a two-way deal with the organization. This is a new collective bargaining agreement. I’m no expert on NBA contracts, but from my understanding, each NBA team is allowed two additional short-term roster spots this season. Costello can spend up to 45 days on the NBA roster, but will spend the majority of his season in the NBA G-League. SB Nation does a better of job of explaining how this works than I can.
This should allow Costello to develop his game even further before possibly being called up to San Antonio for the long-term. San Antonio’s G-League affiliate is the Austin Spurs, who play in Cedar Park, Texas.
Costello had an outstanding summer playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He lead the NBA Las Vegas Summer League in rebounds, with an average of 12.3 per contest. He also scored more than 11 points per game, and shot better than 60 percent from the field.
Bryn Forbes, Costello’s former teammate at Michigan State, is also a member of the San Antonio Spurs organization (and had a nice summer himself). Forbes played in 36 regular season games and six playoff games for the Spurs during the 2016-2017 season. He dropped 27 points on the Dallas Mavericks in April.
Costello will earn a salary of $75,000 while in the G-League. When in the NBA, however, he will make money consistent with the NBA rookie minimum.
Per SB Nation’s Tim Cato:
“When in the NBA, a player with a two-way contract will accrue a day of service and make money consistent with an NBA rookie minimum, which is about $816,000 next season. If a player spends 45 days in the NBA, he could make around $204,000.
In total, a two-way player who spends the maximum amount of time in the NBA would make $279,000.”
Congratulations, Matt! Go Green!