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Tiago Splitter

Spurs Rumors: Aldridge, Splitter, Leonard, Duncan

June 29th, 2015 at 5:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sources who spoke with Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News didn’t produce a consensus on the chances the Spurs have of landing LaMarcus Aldridge, with some deeming San Antonio the front-runner while others weren’t so sure. The Spurs and Lakers were the co-favorites, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported Friday, though the notoriously fickle power forward is tough to read. McDonald has a ton more on the weeks ahead for San Antonio, and while his entire piece is worth a read, especially for Spurs fans, we’ll round up the most relevant highlights here:

  • The Spurs are making Tiago Splitter available for a trade, multiple league sources tell McDonald, but while McDonald posits that the most direct path to landing Aldridge would be via sign-and-trade in a deal that sends Splitter to Portland, the Blazers are uninterested, McDonald writes. The Spurs turned away teams with interest in trading for Splitter before the draft, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote last week, but perhaps San Antonio’s position has changed.
  • Kawhi Leonard‘s preferred deal is four years at the max, according to McDonald, not five. Either way, the Spurs are still expected to re-sign him, McDonald notes.
  • Tim Duncan still hasn’t made up his mind about returning, a source familiar with his thinking told McDonald. The Spurs have reportedly been operating on the premise that he and Manu Ginobili will re-sign with them rather than retire.
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Spurs Rumors: Green, Splitter, Popovich

May 5th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The champs from last year are done after round one, though the Spurs were the most accomplished team this year among the last four teams standing in 2013/14. The Heat, Pacers and Thunder, the other 2014 conference finalists, all failed to make the playoffs. That’s of cold comfort to San Antonio for now, though, and here’s more as the Spurs pick up the pieces:

  • Re-signing Danny Green is a priority for the Spurs, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, though Green, who’d like to return, understands his future depends on the vagaries of the free agent market. “San Antonio is home for me,” Green said. “I love the organization. I love the fans. I love the city. In this business, you never know what is going to happen.”
  • Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears increasing suggestions that the Spurs would trade Tiago Splitter and the two years and $16.75MM left on his contract to clear cap space for their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge and others this summer. Still, it’s unclear from Stein’s report whether the Spurs are actively pursuing the idea or even giving it strong consideration.
  • Gregg Popovich pondered retirement more seriously than had been reported, Stein hears, but he consented to come back as he reached agreement in July on an extension that pays some $11MM annually, sources tell Stein, who refers to it as a five-year deal.
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Western Rumors, Kaman, Johnson, Splitter, Mavs

July 21st, 2013 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The top two free agents this summer came from Western Conference teams, and Dwight Howard and Chris Paul remain in the West, though Howard left the Lakers for the Rockets. That helps maintain the perception of the Western Conference as the stronger side of the league, even as the Heat have won the last two championships. Here's more on a few of the West's teams:

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Contract Details: Rice, Billups, Speights, Splitter

July 19th, 2013 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

We've already passed along plenty of new details and information this week on the summer's free agent contracts, with round-ups on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We've got a few more updates worth noting today, so let's dive in….

  • Eric Pincus updated salary details for several teams at HoopsWorld, including the Wizards, Jazz, Raptors, Spurs, Kings, and Trail Blazers.
  • Mark Deeks of ShamSports also provides new contract information for the Wizards, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Pistons, and Pacers.
  • According to Deeks, Glen Rice Jr.'s deal with the Wizards is a two-year minimum-salary pact, with a guaranteed first year and a partially guaranteed ($400K) second year.
  • Deeks also notes that Chauncey Billups and Marreese Speights are the only players known so far to receive actual team options on their contracts. Most other free agents reported to have signed deals with team options actually have a partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed season on their contracts (Twitter links).
  • According to Pincus, Tiago Splitter's contract with the Spurs starts at $10MM, and eventually decreases to $8.25MM in year four. The deal also includes a 15% trade kicker (Twitter links).
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Spurs Re-Sign Tiago Splitter

July 13th, 2013 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 13TH: The Spurs announced via press release that the deal has been finalized.

JULY 2ND, 3:49pm: The Spurs and Splitter have reached an agreement in principle, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

3:06pm: There won't be a fifth year in the Spurs' deal with Splitter, tweets Wojnarowski. However, the average annual salary will stay the same, meaning the agreement figures to be for four years and $36MM+.

2:44pm: The Spurs are putting the finishing touches on an agreement that will keep Tiago Splitter under contract for five more years, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal will be worth about $45MM, according to Wojnarowski. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported that the two sides had "ramped up" negotiations and were expecting to reach an agreement soon, with other potential suitors falling off.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Trail Blazers figured to be one of those rival suitors for Splitter. With the threat of a significant offer sheet from Portland looming, the Spurs decided to make a preemptive strike, working out an agreement with Splitter before he had the opportunity to sign a lucrative offer from the Blazers.

As I noted in that earlier post, an agreement with Splitter may signal that the Spurs don't expect to use room under the cap this summer. With close to $42MM in salary commitments heading into July, a new deal for Splitter and a new contract for Manu Ginobili would use up a good chunk of San Antonio's potential space, even assuming Ginobili takes a significant pay cut. At that point, the team would likely just have the mid-level exception to spend on other free agents.

Splitter, 28, has improved his production in each of his three NBA seasons, playing a career-high 24.7 minutes per contest in 81 games in 2012/13. The Arn Tellem client averaged 10.3 PPG and 6.4 RPG while shooting 56.0% from the field as a frequent starter in the Spurs' frontcourt.

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Northwest Notes: Mozgov, Iggy, Splitter, Wolves

July 12th, 2013 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

With the Thunder and Nuggets still looking strong, and the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers adding reinforcements, the Northwest could have four playoff contenders in 2013/14. Here's the latest out of the division:

  • The Nuggets are getting "increasingly close" to an agreement with restricted free agent big man Timofey Mozgov, according to GM Tim Connelly (link via Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post).
  • The Nuggets' failure to re-sign Andre Iguodala wasn't for lack of trying. Within a piece about the Warriors' newest acquisition, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle says Iguodala passed on a front-loaded five-year, $60MM offer from the Nuggets, and nearly agreed to sign a lucrative deal with the Mavericks just an hour before reaching a deal with the Warriors.
  • According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the Trail Blazers reached an agreement with Tiago Splitter on a four-year, $36MM offer sheet. However, the team backed off when it became apparent that the Spurs would match.
  • Now that the Timberwolves have traded Luke Ridnour, agents for free agent point guards will begin reaching out to the team, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Nate Robinson's camp figures to be among those in contact with the Wolves, though Wolfson doesn't see a fit there.
  • The Jazz hope to use their remaining cap space to take on another contract and pick up another draft pick, as they did in their deal with the Warriors, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
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Tiago Splitter, Spurs Making Progress In Talks

July 1st, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs and Tiago Splitter have "ramped up" their negotiations on a new deal, and are making progress toward an agreement, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein adds in a second tweet that other teams pursuing Splitter appear to be dropping off in anticipation of the 28-year-old coming to terms with San Antonio.

Splitter, who received a qualifying offer from the Spurs worth $4.93MM, figures to be in for a sizable raise on last year's $3.94MM salary. While it's not clear exactly what sort of offers the big man could be looking at, a multiyear deal with an annual salary between $6-10MM seems likely. Even if the Spurs and Splitter don't reach an agreement, he's a restricted free agent, which means the club would have the opportunity to match any rival offer sheet.

If the Spurs were to agree to terms with Splitter, it may signal that the team doesn't expect to use room under the cap this summer. With close to $42MM in salary commitments already, a new deal for Splitter and a new contract for Manu Ginobili would use up a good chunk of San Antonio's potential space, even assuming Ginobili takes a significant pay cut.

This post was first published on July 2nd at 2:32pm CST.

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Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Splitter, Diaw, Draft

June 26th, 2013 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Six days after the Spurs lost Game 7 in Miami, San Antonio GM R.C. Buford publicly discussed the team's offseason today, addressing free-agents-to-be, option decisions, and the next steps for the club. Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News has the details and the quotes from Buford, so let's round up the best of his piece:

  • Manu Ginobili has indicated that he has no desire to play for another NBA team, and that feeling appears to be mutual. "I think all of our hopes are that Manu finishes his career in San Antonio," Buford said.
  • Buford appeared less certain about restricted free agent Tiago Splitter, who the Spurs would like to bring back, but who figures to draw more interest on the open market. "Until we know what the market says, and how that impacts our planning for the future," Buford said. "You can’t answer with incomplete information."
  • The team has yet to receive word from Boris Diaw on whether he'll exercise his $4.7MM player option, though I'd expect him to pick that up at some point this week.
  • Until the Spurs resolve the situations with their own free agents, Buford isn't prepared to say whether or not the team will have the opportunity to pursue outside free agents. "There’s a lot of guys (we like)," Buford said. "You just don’t know if you can afford them."
  • With the 28th and 58th picks in the draft, Buford suggested that the team isn't going into Thursday night with a specific plan on whether to draft for immediate impact or long-term potential. "You don’t know until you get to your pick what’s available," Buford said.
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Northwest Notes: Shaw, Nuggets, Blazers

June 24th, 2013 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of the Northwest Division..

  • New Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw told Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (on Twitter) that he likely won't run the triangle offense in Denver.  As a former Phil Jackson pupil, many expected Shaw to implement the Zen Master's patented gameplan where ever he went.  Most recently, Shaw worked under Pacers coach Frank Vogel and helped take the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals.
  • The Trail Blazers have interest in restricted free agents Tiago Splitter (Spurs) and Nikola Pekovic (Wolves), according to John Canzano of 750 The Game (on Twitter).  Canzano warns, however, that the Blazers should be very reluctant to get involved in a free agent offer sheet that will be matched.
  • Wolves president Flip Saunders doesn't sound as though he's looking to move up in Thursday's draft, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.  The Wolves have the No. 9 and No. 26 picks in the draft but Saunders sees this class as being full of players who are good, not great.
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Real Madrid To Pursue Tiago Splitter?

May 28th, 2013 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 8:09am: Asked about the Real Madrid rumor by Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News, Splitter laughed them off, explaining that it sounds like a campaign promise made by a candidate for team president.

"That’s because they’re having an election," Splitter said. "Every guy who runs for club president promises to bring in this guy or that guy so they can get elected."

Of course, that doesn't mean Real Madrid won't try to make a play for Splitter, but as I suggested below, it'd be a long shot.

MONDAY, 3:59pm: Playing a major role for a Spurs team that appears Finals-bound, Tiago Splitter is building a nice case for a big payday this summer, when he becomes a restricted free agent. And it appears Splitter's suitors in July may not be limited to NBA teams. According to Spanish radio station Cadena SER (via the San Antonio Express-News), Spain's Real Madrid intends to make Splitter their top target this offseason.

While it's unlikely that Real Madrid will be able to compete financially with the offers Splitter will receive from NBA teams, the club can afford to pay more than many international teams. A year ago, Real Madrid landed NBA free agent Rudy Fernandez, signing him to a three-year deal worth nine million Euros — at the time, that translated to about $11.31MM USD.

Still, the bidding for Splitter figures to exceed that territory. Writing for the Express-News, Dan McCarney speculates that Splitter could be in line for an annual salary worth between $6MM and $10MM, and that sounds about right to me. Playing just 24.7 MPG in San Antonio in 2012/13, Splitter set career-highs in PPG (10.3), RPG (6.4), and several other categories, as well as posting an 18.7 PER. At age 28, he's in his prime, and figures to receive a nice raise on this year's $3.94MM salary.

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