One longtime San Antonio mainstay hit free agency last offseason, and Tim Duncan and the Spurs were quickly able to work out a three-year contract at a discounted rate. Another Spurs veteran will become a free agent this summer, and Manu Ginobili isn't entirely sure what his future holds, telling Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News that, with his 36th birthday approaching, he's taking things year by year.
"But ask me right now," Ginobili said Sunday, "and I’d like to play two more years for sure."
While Ginobili is currently the highest-paid San Antonio player, making $14.11MM this season, Harvey writes that it's likely the two sides could reach a "hometown compromise" similar to the one the Spurs and Duncan worked out last July. Assuming Boris Diaw and Patty Mills exercise player options for 2013/14, the Spurs will have a guaranteed $38.72MM on their books before making decisions on Matt Bonner's partially-guaranteed contract and free agents like Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Tiago Splitter, and Gary Neal.
Even at age 35, Ginobili has been his usual productive self for the Spurs this season. His 21.4 PER, 19.1 points per 36 minutes, and .448 FG% in 2012/13 are all just slightly below his career marks (21.7, 19.5, and .452, respectively).
Manu needs to retire a Spur but it would be interesting to see what he could do for another team