One decision has been made by Tim Duncan about his future, but not the decision of the summer for the future Hall-of-Famer.
Multiple outlets including The Vertical and the San Antonio Express News report that Duncan has exercised his 2016-2017 player option for $6.4 million, but that it does not provide indication of whether the franchise icon intends to retire. The deadline for such a decision was Wednesday.
Some thoughts:
This means the money is going on the cap sheet. Theoretically, the team could agree to a buyout with Duncan and waive him if he chose to retire, but for the short term, i.e. as the team attempts to sign Kevin Durant, that $6.4 million is going on the cap sheet. So if they’re going to land Durant (or another big free agent), it’s going to mean major moves like trading Danny Green and releasing Boris Diaw.
Duncan could wind up taking into the fall to make his decision. He doesn’t have to be in a hurry. He can take as long as he wants because he’s not holding up the Spurs in any meaningful way. It would be weird though if he opted in without consulting the Spurs to see what they thought they needed for cap space.
Manu Ginobili also exercised his option for next year and is expected to return.
There was some thought that if this was it for Duncan, he’d just decline the player option and walk away. Now, no matter what, he gets that $6.4 million regardless of whether he retires or not.
So now the wait begins to see whether the Greatest Power Forward in the history of the game decides to hang it up or return for another season. Duncan turns 41 next April.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
