Vince Carter will not be following Kobe Bryant into retirement.
With 18 NBA seasons now on his treads, Carter, 39, made it clear following the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round playoff exit that he has no plans of walking away right now (h/t Hoops Rumors):
Vince Carter has no plans to retire…https://t.co/UUepBFLizX
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 24, 2016
Vince Carter has one guaranteed year worth just over $4 million left on his current deal. It’s not yet clear if he will return to the Grizzlies. He shot under 40 percent from the floor for the second straight year, and Memphis is approaching a crossroads with Mike Conley’s free agency.
But some team other than the Grizzlies will assuredly give Carter a chance to continue his career. He can still be a valuable situational spot-up shooter in the right offense and has showed that, even at his advanced aged, he can clear between 20 and 25 minutes per game without incurring cyclical setbacks.
To that point, Vince Carter is best suited within a slow to moderately paced offense that knows how to space the floor and utilize his catch-and-shoot marksmanship. His shooting percentages plummeted during his two seasons in Memphis, in no small part because the Grizzlies have long eschewed floor spacing for size and grit. So while Memphis may no longer be a fit for the ebbing Carter, there is a fit out there, basically guaranteeing that the future Hall of Famer has a spot in the NBA if he wants it.
Which he clearly does.
