JULY 23: The Hornets’ deal with Parker is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“We are thrilled to add a player of Tony’s caliber and experience to our roster,” GM Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “We believe his track record of success and playoff resume will add backcourt depth to our roster and veteran leadership to our group. Parker’s experience with Head Coach James Borrego will be an invaluable asset to us moving forward as well. We are excited to welcome Tony to Charlotte and for him to continue his Hall-of-Fame career with the Hornets.”
JULY 6: After spending 17 seasons in San Antonio, Tony Parker will head to Charlotte for the 2018/19 season. The veteran point guard has reached an agreement to sign with the Hornets, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Parker will sign a two-year, $10MM contract with the Hornets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). A tweet from Charlotte forward Nicolas Batum first hinted that Parker – Batum’s teammate on the French national team – would join the franchise.
The Hornets had been on the lookout for a backup point guard after struggling to find consistent production behind Kemba Walker in recent years. Parker, 36, will provide a steady presence at that spot, though he’s no longer the impact player he once was. In 2017/18, the longtime Spur lost his starting job to Dejounte Murray and averaged a career-low 7.7 PPG and 3.5 APG in 55 games (21 starts).
As Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News tweets, there were about five or six teams interested in Parker, but he chose the Hornets because the team sold him on more playing time and a significant role.
Parker’s departure is the latest development in what has been an unusually dramatic year in San Antonio. The Spurs will now be without a point guard who first joined the franchise back in 2001 and has appeared in more than 1,400 total regular season and postseason games with the team.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Parker called Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich within the last hour to inform him of his plan to head to Charlotte. Although the Spurs wanted Parker back, the veteran will reunite with former San Antonio assistant James Borrego, who was hired as the Hornets’ head coach this spring.
This is the second time in recent years that a club headed by a former Spurs assistant has made a play for a longtime Spur. The Sixers and Brett Brown were unable to lure Manu Ginobili to Philadelphia in 2016, but Borrego and the Hornets were able to secure Parker’s services this time around.
Parker’s deal figures to be completed using a portion of the Hornets’ mid-level exception, since the team is over the cap. The trade that sent Dwight Howard to Brooklyn helped Charlotte create the flexibility to complete a signing like this one without going into tax territory.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Why tony
Why Hornets?
Easily the best backup PG Charlotte has had since Lin left even at 36 years old. He knows what Borrego likes to do and he will be able to mentor the young guys(Bacon, Graham, Bridges, and Dionis’ boyfriend Malik Monk)
Watching summer league game. P.J. Carlisemo and another announcer are talking about whether Kawhi would return to San Antonio since Tony Parker is gone. Read Parker is there to help Kemba.
Could be? We assume Parker was talking on behalf of Pop but maybe not? But even if this rift between Kawhi and the Spurs didn’t exist, I suspect that he would’ve left for one of the LA teams as a FA anyway. Isn’t Pop gone after next season anyway?
Not sure. He’s coaching the Olympic team right now.
Big lose for the Spurs …
Not really
He was third backup PG.
Big lose …
Obviously none of us are privy to what might be going on between the Spurs and Parker but it’s sad to see him move on. I really thought Duncan, Ginobli and Parker would all retire having only played for the Spurs in the NBA. But good luck to him.
He was there worst PG, Murray, Mills, white, walker, green, ginobili and bellinelli all need those minutes
It’s not about his performance unless HE thought he was still a starting PG. As it is, he’s going to the Hornets knowing that he’s backing up Walker. He’s a legacy guy. He didn’t start last year either. Spurs aren’t going anywhere. He and Ginobli should be given the “Nowitzki” treatment and allowed to be on the team so long as they come of the bench and are willing to take what’s available in terms of cap space money.
Dirk is still producing. Parker isn’t.
Blame Eva Longoria.
He always said he wanted a longer deal, Spurs must have offered only a one year, if they offered anything at all.
May convince Kawhi to stay for the year now, if too much damage is not already done. Even though it sounds like it’s more of the organization as a whole whom Kawhi is having/has the issues with.
Be interesting to see if they try to keep Ginobli now.
More playing time for Mills now too, which is a good thing, considering the contract he is on.
So they save some money in the Howard deal and then they use it to sign Parker? I guess I don’t get it.
They traded Dwight to open up some money to spend. Needed help at PG so they drafted Graham and signed Parker. Have an underrated starting center in Cody Zeller and capable backups in Hernangomez and Kaminsky.
I guess the save money for 2018-19 but they took on an additional $30 mil for the last 2 years of his deal. I think moving Howard for salary relief could’ve been a lot simpler by stretching his money out. I think the move was more about getting rid of him for chemistry sake.
Their chances of Keeping Kawhi just went up imo
whoah… Very shocked
Spurs on a downward trend. We will see if pop can coach without the twin towers. His gruff demeanor needs to change and improve. Bully coaches are yesterday’s news. His political rants are a big distraction. Coach your team! You are not a political scientist!
Steve Kerr’s political rants didn’t distract the Warriors from winning another title. Also, the twin towers ended the day David Robinson retired
well he does have a degree from AS Air Force Academy in Russian Studies… close enough.
I think the Bully thing is overrated and comes from what a dork like Colin Cowherd spouts out. I’ve heard (and take that as you may. I know a couple of guys) he’s a players coach who’s honest with his players. As for his political opinions, this is the NBA. His remarks about Trump are probably in-line with 85% of the NBA players. Unless management has issues with his free speech then no one else probably opposes him. I think YOU probably don’t agree with his politics and your assuming that the majority of the Black NBA players think as you do too.
Bully coach? Now that’s funny…
Wow. Be weird like seeing Hakeem in Toronto or Ewing in Seattle.
or Jordan in Wash.
I think the ship that was once the Spurs is starting to sink.
This is the true end of an era. Obviously when Duncan left it changed things forever, but this seems even more so the end as I never pictured any of the big three playing for someone other than the Spurs.
Manu still has a year left, but maybe now he retires, though I could see him finishing his deal and both he and Pop retiring together.
I don’t think this helps with Claw, and at this point, if the recent story is true that he “hid” from the Spurs in NY, then he’s not someone I would want back. How immature is that! Hopefully some youth comes back for him, or maybe a flip to the Wolves for Jimmy B, but regardless, get rid of him and get this summer of weird done with.
“True end of an era”!? A backup left, probably to the pleasure of their reluctant star. If LEONARD leaves then you can put a mark in the timeline, but there will be talent in exchange if that happens and the winning will likely continue.
Now, next year could be a different story.
This talk of Popovich retiring, is it coming from Pops? Does the FO want him out? I am skeptical. Maybe if Leonard leaves without compensation, maybe the road back to the top looks not worth it.
Opens up two new pathways for resolution to Kawhi-gate. One is he stays in SA now that the annoying Mr. Parker is one. The other is that Patrick Beverly — a Popovich kind of player if ever there was one — is now an interesting trade chip for the Clippers. Say him and Harris and a first and call it done.
You suggest that Parker is the problem. Most, and I’m not saying it’s accurate, believe that he was just the messenger carrying Pops water and speaking to the media on his behest. If true then moving Parker wouldn’t really change anything in the eyes of Kawhi I would think.
Playing in Charlotte NC must be a 1000 times worse than SA. He should do well.
I live in Charlotte. It sucks.
After seeing Dwyane Wade in another jersey a couple of years ago, it’s not surprising anymore when something like this happens. Still, this is the end of an era. Tony Parker not wearing a Spurs jersey after 17 years is going to look weird. Spurs have some good young guards, and apparently Tony Parker saying what he said is what pissed off Kawhi beyond repair. He deserves to play the last 2-3 years of his career, and at least he joins a teammate from his French national team
I want to see Pop retire after next season, Becky Hammons get the job, and Kawhi to stay.
not trying to be sexist at all because I’m not but why is it that the NBA wants a woman coach? that would feel weird to me a grown man being coached by a woman and vice versa a woman being coached by a man it just seems a bit strange
Grown men don’t get lead by grown women in the private sector and in the government? You don’t think she will work that much harder to prove sexist people like you are wrong? Your stupid is showing and I feel sorry for your mom.
While he’s moving on and it’s sad to see for Spurs fans, he wasn’t as endeared as Tim, David or Manu.
Ah, so sad! End of an era for realz now
If Parker was a source of tension for Leonard, this may be a continued effort by the Spurs to try to work things out.
Parker wouldn’t take it personally anyway, because he’s already the 3rd option at PG at this point. Why not let him go make more elsewhere?
Parker was very good, though I always was disappointed with him been a shoot first PG, having Duncan in his team he should have been a 10APG type of player, not a 4-5 which to me detracts massively from him. But I truly respect him going to another team to play more, that is something you gotta love, instead of being paid to be on the bench, though I think at this stage of his career, 5MM/year is a bit of an overpay, should just be the vet min. Also someone is mentioned how awful is play in Charlotte, I can tell you man, I rather play a billion times in Charlotte than the dump of San Antonio, are you for real, NC is one of the most beautiful states, with great southern culture & food, while San Antonio… man just… no point even saying how much sucks the place.
Have to think this helps the Spurs-Kawhi relationship, but the fans already view him as a complete a-hole. He has been in hiding, like he is in witsec.
I assume the supermax is still on the table. I think they could workout a sign and trade later deal with the Clippers or Lakers, or any team hed prefer. But his reputation has def taken a big hit.