Entering Free Agency: Cedi Osman

After earning the backup wing role off the bench in his first season with the San Antonio Spurs, veteran Cedi Osman enters unrestricted free agency July 1.

Last summer the San Antonio Spurs acquired Cedi Osman in a three-team trade with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

After beginning training camp and completing the preseason with the Spurs, it was clear Osman had earned himself a position in the second unit, where he held that position as a backup wing for the remainder of the season.

Starting July 1, Osman will become an unrestricted free agent. Technically, he and the Spurs could bypass free agency, if Osman and the Spurs were to reach a contract extension before June 30 (according to Bobby Marks of ESPN).

Let’s use a question format to review Osman’s upcoming free agency.

What role did Osman have this season?

Osman mainly played the 3 and 4 position off the bench for most of the season. In the event a starting wing was injured, he would start on occasion. In his words, his role was to bring energy and play the right way off the bench.

What were some of his numbers on offense?

In 72 games, Osman played 17.6 minutes per night, averaging 6.8 points on 5.3 shots (47.9% accuracy), 1.7 assists to 0.7 turnovers, and he was the Spurs’ most accurate 3-point shooter (38.9%) once Doug McDermott was traded in February. Osman attempted 3.1 threes per game off the bench.

Here was Osman’s shot chart this season:

I went more in-depth about how he had an efficient shot selection in mainly looking to attack the rim or shoot 3s when he did take shots this season.

On his rim attacks, two of the ways Osman got his layup/dunks were getting out on the break after the Spurs forced a turnover, or by cutting backdoor plenty of times in the halfcourt.

Overall, the Spurs scored 1.6 fewer points per 100 possessions (40th percentile) on offense with Osman on the floor this season, per CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).

What were some of Osman’s numbers on defense?

Osman tallied 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 1.5 fouls per game. Compared to other Spurs guards and wings, the two areas he stood out were in contested shots and defensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

While Osman hustled and played with energy on defense, his numbers on that end of the floor don’t pop off the page, nor was he a lockdown-type of defender.

Overall, opponents scored 8.3 more points per 100 possessions (3rd percentile) when Osman was on the floor this season per CTG.

Would Osman want to return to San Antonio?

Back on March 29, Osman had this to say when he was asked whether he would like to be back in San Antonio next season:

“Oh yeah, definitely, definitely, I would love to. I really built a great relationship here with everybody, especially with my teammates and I would love to be back, but at the end of the day, it’s a business. We’ll see, we’ll see how it goes and obviously, like I said, I have a great relationship with everybody, so we’ll see.”

Osman just turned 29, so he isn’t yet in that stage of his career where he may only want to look at contenders to try to win a title. If there’s a multi-year deal available with a consistent role, joining a young improving team like the Spurs can’t be ruled out, especially when hearing Osman himself say he’s enjoyed being part of the team.

What are Osman’s projected salary ranges?