Sometimes, small-market teams have to pay a bit more than the average price of a contract in a medium-to-large market. This is the case for the San Antonio Spurs, who hand out loyalty contracts with big paydays for staying in the Alamo City. These are for players who commit to the organization despite it being in a city that a professional athlete might consider less appealing than somewhere like Los Angeles or New York.
Depending on the player, these contracts end up being worth their value in the long-run sometimes, but in many cases, they don’t pan out.