SUNDAY, 7:11pm: The pact is for 3 years and approximately $30MM according to Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears on Twitter. Spears credits his colleague Johnny Ludden for the report.
WEDNESDAY, 1:53pm: The Spurs officially announced in a press release that they have re-signed Duncan.
TUESDAY, 12:39pm: The contract also includes a no-trade clause, tweets Spears.
12:21pm: Duncan's three-year deal is fully guaranteed and includes a third-year player option, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Tim Duncan is having good contractual talks with the Spurs about re-signing and it’s very unlikely that he will consider another team, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Then again, it seems like Duncan never thought about leaving San Antonio to begin with. In the middle of the team’s postseason tear, the big man admitted to reporters that he had little interest in testing the open market. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
Jameer Nelson decided yesterday to opt out of his contract, which will make him an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, turning down his player option with the Magic doesn't mean Nelson doesn't want to return to Orlando. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, signing a long-term deal with the Magic is still Nelson's number one goal, and the point guard confirmed as much on Twitter today
"Like I have said over and over," Nelson tweeted. "I'd love to stay a Magic and I would love to play for the best fans in the NBA. And I still have faith that it can happen. So again thanks you guys for all the support."
Here are a few more updates on some soon-to-be free agents….
The Thunder found out on Saturday evening that they'll be taking on the Heat in the NBA Finals beginning on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The Lakers and Spurs will look to the Thunder to continue an over decade-long trend of Western Conference dominance that began during the 1998/1999 season. With a series victory over Miami, the Thunder will bring the streak of the West winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy to four seasons in a row and 11 of the last 14 overall. Let's catch up on the latest rumors and stories making headlines from around the Western Conference…
The Southwest Division's only sub-.500 finisher may not have been the most buzz-worthy team on the court, but that's changed this summer now that the Hornets hold two top-ten picks in the draft. While Anthony Davis is a lock to be picked first overall, we still don't know what the Hornets plan to do with pick No. 10. Last night, we heard that GM Dell Demps and the front office will continue to explore all their options and will make a deal "if it makes sense." Here are a few more notes out of the Southwest….
The Spurs' season came to an early conclusion on Wednesday evening as they fell to the Thunder 107-99 in Oklahoma City. The loss marked the second consecutive season in which the team finished with the best regular season record in the Western Conference but failed to reached the NBA Finals. With an aging roster and Tim Duncan's pending free agency, the Spurs face a summer of slight uncertainty heading into the 2012/2013 season. Here's the latest news and notes out of San Antonio…
Tim Duncan called the loss that ended the Spurs' season last night "very, very disappointing," but told Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News that the disappointment wouldn't be a factor in the decision facing the free agent this offseason.
"Not really," Duncan said. "Bottom line is the summer is going to come. The summer is going to be here, and it is what it is. I’ll figure it out when I come to it. I haven’t even thought about it, and I really don’t care. I’ll figure it out when it happens, just like everything else."
Let's round up a few more morning notes from around the league….
The Spurs continued to look unstoppable last night as the Western Conference Finals got underway, winning their ninth straight playoff contest and 18th straight game overall. While the team's postseason run means it's too early to start thinking about the offseason yet, Tim Duncan suggests to Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports that he has little interest in testing the free agent market this summer.
"Though I shouldn't say that; I have to threaten them that I'll leave," Duncan joked. "No… I'm not going anywhere. You can print that wherever you want to. I'm here and I'm a Spur for life."
Duncan is an unrestricted free agent this summer, though he's rarely mentioned among potential targets for teams with cap space, since he was never expected to leave San Antonio. The biggest offseason question for Duncan may be the length and amount of his contract, rather than his destination. The veteran big man tells Ludden that he expects to play for another year or two, though three or four years may be stretching it. Still, even playing another year or two would be good news for the 36-year-old, who at one point thought knee problems might make this season his last.
"I got to the point where I was depressed and pissed off that my body wasn't doing the things that it used to do, and that I was deteriorating skill-wise," Duncan said. "I'm a competitor. I want to be a staple on a team, I want to be a go-to guy on a team. When that changed, that obviously hurt a little bit. But I found ways to be a part of this team and be a big part of this team."
Coming off a 2011/12 salary of $21.16MM, Duncan is eligible to earn up to about $22.22MM next season, though given his age and decreased playing time, I expect that figure will go down rather than up.
Let's go coast to coast to catch up on the latest news and headlines before King James and the Heat look to make it a series against Indiana…