The Spurs worked out Carlos Delfino earlier this summer, but they didn’t make the nine-year veteran an offer, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). Delfino, who turned 33 last month, is hoping to return to the NBA, though he hasn’t played since the end of the 2012/13 season, when he broke a bone in his right foot that’s been slow to heal.
The Andy Miller client is still receiving money from the Clippers, who waived him via the stretch provision last summer shortly after acquiring him from the Bucks. Delfino never played for Milwaukee, which signed him to a three-year, $9.8MM deal, with $6.5MM guaranteed, in the summer of 2013, when it appeared he would recover much more quickly from his injury. The Clippers are paying him $650K each season through 2018/19, so they’re probably rooting for Delfino to make it back to the league, since set-off rights could allow them to recoup some of what they owe him if he signs another contract.
San Antonio has deals with 18 players, two fewer than the preseason roster limit, so the Spurs have room to add Delfino if they want to revisit the idea. He averaged 10.6 points in 25.2 minutes per game and shot 37.5% for the Rockets in 2012/13, his last healthy season. All those numbers are better than his career marks.
Will Carlos Delfino ever play in the NBA again? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
I’d be surprised if Carlos has enough left in the tank to make any roster, let alone one of the league’s premier teams. He had his share of injuries even during the prime of his career and never had the quickness to be an impact defender.