Tim Duncan is coming back for another NBA season!
We think.
Maybe.
The 40-year-old opted into the final year of his contract with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, but he apparently hasn’t made a decision about whether he’ll play next season, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan has elected to exercise the $5.6 million player option on his 2016-17 contract – but that is not an indication he’ll return for his 20th NBA season, league sources told The Vertical.
Duncan, 40, is still seriously contemplating his desire to continue playing, as well as judging how his body feels, league sources said. The Spurs are allowing Duncan to make a decision on his own timetable, but there’s no question that this offseason is the most seriously he’s considered retirement.
Why opt in if he’s still thinking about retirement? Because his salary next season is a bargain that allows the Spurs to pitch other free agents while he makes his decision.
If Duncan had opted out, his cap hold would have been slightly hire than the $5.6 million he’s now slated to make. And the Spurs would have needed to work with that cap hold until he either walked away or agreed to sign a new deal. This way, they can pitch free agents knowing the absolute most they’ll pay Duncan is $5.6 million.
In the end, then, this decision may not be reflective of Duncan’s state of mind. He could be leaning toward retirement or just plain not know what he’s going to do next.
Still, as yours truly has maintained all along, it feels more likely he’ll run it back for another year. Last season would be a weird ending for him. He flamed out in the playoffs, with the exception of that Game 6 loss to Oklahoma City, and while he may not care, you have to imagine he looked at 2015-16 as a transition year anyway. It was LaMarcus Aldridge’s first in San Antonio. No one expected the Spurs to be as good as they were that soon.
Indeed, Duncan isn’t the type to want a Kobe Bryant-like sendoff. But he also doesn’t seem like the kind to walk away from unfinished business. And these Spurs, as they are built now, have unfinished business after missing out on the chance to square off against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
