Tim Duncan is set to return next season for the newly champions San Antonio Spurs, and compete for his and team’s sixth NBA title.
A week after helping the Spurs beat the Miami Heat in the Finals Game 5, Duncan exercised his player option for next season, and will earn $10.3 million in the final year of his contract.
Although the team has not announced Duncan’s decision, sources close to process ended weeks of speculations surrounding Duncan’s future.
Throughout the 5-game Finals, the 38-year-old insisted that he had no plans on doing anything.
At the time he said he was going to decide his future at the right. “I’m not saying I’m retiring. I’m not saying I’m not retiring. I’m not saying anything. I’m going to figure it out as it goes. I’ve always said if I feel like I’m effective, if I feel like I can contribute, I’ll continue to play. Right now I feel that way, so we’ll see what happens,” Duncan said.
Duncan’s decision to continue under head coach Gregg Popovich follows the decisions of Spurs Big-3 Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili who are in the final year of their current contracts.
As for the squad that helped the Spurs to win its fifth NBA title, Frenchman Boris Diaw, Australian Patty Mills and Matt Bonner became free agents.
Despite his age, Duncan averaged 16.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks during the Spurs’ 2013-14 playoffs and set the NBA record for most double-double performances in the postseason.
