Report: Duncan will return at discount to help Spurs chase Aldridge
Tim Duncan will reportedly play one more season with the Spurs and is coming back at a discount to help San Antonio chase after LaMarcus Aldridge.
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After the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, the future of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili was up in the air. Will the two veteran players return for one more season or was this the last time we would see the Spurs big three of Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker together?
Parker believes that both players will return for one more year and according to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Spurs also believe that at least Duncan will come back next season. Stein also reports that not only do the Spurs think Duncan will return but he is going to be re-signing at a discount so San Antonio can pursue LaMarcus Aldridge.
The San Antonio Spurs are operating under the premise that Tim Duncan will return in 2015-16 for a 19th NBA season, according to league sources.
Although Duncan and fellow Spurs mainstay Manu Ginobili have yet to make formal declarations about their plans for next season, sources said that the Spurs are optimistic about re-signing both at salaries that will allow the team to re-sign prized restricted free agent Kawhi Leonard this summer and to pursue top-tier free agent LaMarcus Aldridge.
As ESPN.com reported last month and again this week, San Antonio sits atop Aldridge's list of preferred destinations if, as widely expected, he chooses to leave the Portland Trail Blazers this summer.
Aldridge has been rumored to be linked to the Spurs for a while now as his Texas roots and ability to slide into Duncan's spot after he retires, seems like a natural fit. Of course, Blazers GM Neil Olshey recently denied an earlier report that Aldridge told the team that he wasn't coming back but Portland seems to be taking the necessary steps to move on from their All-Star forward. They acquired Mason Plumlee last night and traded away Nicolas Batum for younger talent.
San Antonio has a busy summer in front of them. They are focusing on re-signing Kawhi Leonard and will definitely pursue Aldridge if he does in fact leave Portland. The Spurs will also have to decide if they want to re-sign Danny Green and Marco Belinelli but will have to wait on Duncan and Ginobili first. No matter what happens, the Spurs will be the Spurs so expect everything to work out for San Antonio this summer.
