Cory Joseph has not received word yet on the fourth-year team option of his contract and is approaching his third season with the San Antonio Spurs with a sense of urgency.

“They haven't told me if a fourth year is for sure yet, so obviously you've got to look at it as your last season right now,” Joseph said Monday. “I'm going to be playing hard and playing confident and hopefully make a jump in the right direction.”

If the Spurs opt to extend Joseph's rookie-scale deal, the former 29th pick will receive a raise of $280,502, to $1.36 million.

Last season, Joseph requested assignment to the Spurs' NBA Development League team, the Austin Toros, in order to hone his skills in game situations. He returned to the club late in the season and won the job as Parker's backup as the playoffs approached, appearing in 20 of 21 postseason games and averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 assists in fewer than 10 minutes per game.