When Patrick Mills returned from China this season, he signed a two-year deal with the Spurs that included a player option for the second year. Mills will have to make a decision soon, and tells Chris Dutton of The Age that he wants to finalize his NBA future before heading to the Olympics.
"I feel like I need to do my due diligence and really go and see what there is, to make sure I explore every option," Mills said. ''But in saying that, I really enjoy being in San Antonio and being part of that program."
Mills' decision could have an effect on whether or not the Spurs need to pursue a point guard in free agency, as I discussed in my preview of the team's offseason earlier this afternoon. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld wonders if the Magic will hold off their search for a head coach until they see whether the Thunder's Scott Brooks could be available.
- Wizards coach Flip Saunders is "positive" that Kevin Garnett will re-sign with the Celtics, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- HoopsHype has ranked this summer's NBA free agents, from No. 1 (Deron Williams) to No. 187 (Cory Higgins).
- Iman Shumpert, recovering from ACL surgery, tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that he's aiming to return to the court for the Knicks in January.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News takes a shot at predicting what this summer's U.S. Olympic team will look like.
- In a press release, the Hawks announced three promotions: Phil Ebinger and Scott Wilkinson were each promoted to executive vice president, while Ailey Penningroth is the team's new senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
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