Report: Spurs' Gay to decline player option, become UFA

San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay will decline his $8.8-million player option for 2018-19 and become an unrestricted free agent, sources told ESPN's Chris Haynes.

Gay was coming off an Achilles tear when he signed a one-plus-one deal with the Spurs last summer. In his first season in San Antonio, the 31-year-old averaged 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds on .471/.314/.772 shooting across 57 games, mostly as a reserve.

Though he missed a large chunk of time due to soreness in his surgically repaired heel, Gay didn't show significant adverse effects from the oft-career-altering injury. Aside from a dip in his 3-point shooting, his production on a per-minute basis (19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per 36) was in line with his career averages.

In a restrictive cap environment, Gay may be hard-pressed to recoup the annual value of his player option on the open market, but he should at least be able to make up for it by landing a multi-year deal, and could be a candidate for the mid-level exception, which is projected to come in around $8.6 million per year.