Spurs re-sign Aussie guard Mills

SAN ANTONIO, TX – MAY 20: Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs talks with Patty Mills #8. AFP/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO

LOS ANGELES—The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed Patty Mills, a back-up guard from Australia who connected on 41 percent of his three-point shots last season.

Mills appeared in 80 games for the Spurs last season, averaging 9.5 points, a career-best 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in a career-high 21.9 minutes.

His 147 for 355 from three-point range ranked him 11th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage and he made 82 percent of his free throws.

The 28-year-old Canberra native had agreed to terms with the Spurs at the start of free agency on July 1, but the team didn’t announce the signing until Friday.

The Spurs did not release terms of the contract, but the San Antonio Express-News reported it was worth approximately $50 million over four years.

Mills, entering his ninth NBA season and his seventh with the Spurs, was a key member of an outstanding San Antonio bench.

Re-signing him took on added importance in light of the ruptured quadriceps tendon suffered by starting point guard Tony Parker in May.

The French veteran is expected to be sidelined until at least January.