As is their style, the Spurs have quietly taken care of business this offseason with a series of boring but necessary moves. After locking up role players Danny Green and Boris Diaw (3 years $12 million and 2 years $9.2 million respectively), as well as Aussie Patty Mills (undisclosed), the Spurs took care of their most important off season task by bringing the 36 year old Tim Duncan back for three more years.
The terms are as yet undisclosed, but we do know that the third year is fully guaranteed as a player’s option, and includes a no-trade clause. From a salary standpoint it would be pretty safe to guess the deal would be worth somewhere in the ballpark of what Kevin Garnett received earlier this offseason (so between $30-35 million). The contract should take him to the end of his playing career.
While Duncan is of course no longer the player he once was, the move is a no-brainer. Not only is Duncan a career Spur and club legend, but he also experienced a bit of a bounce-back year last year. He improved his per-minute averages back to roughly the same as his career averages (19.7/11.5/2.9 0.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes), and continued to provide solid interior defense and veteran leadership. He can’t play at that high level for as many minutes anymore, and he can no longer just go to the block and decimate opposing frontlines by himself, but what he provides (efficient production and veteran smarts) is still a pretty valuable commodity in the league, especially considering his size and position (a center for all intents and purposes).
