NBA Rumors: Why Tim Duncan Will Never Play for Another Team

Tim Duncan is poised to remain a San Antonio Spur for life. Both the veteran big man and the franchise understand the importance of maintaining their marriage, at least according to a piece last week from Spurs Nation columnist Mike Monroe.

Duncan is scheduled to become a free agent at season's end, and come July he will begin contract talks with the franchise that drafted him nearly 15 years ago.

Monroe makes a convincing argument, however. It is nearly impossible to suggest that the Big Fundamental will ever stray away from San Antonio to play elsewhere, no matter the financial gain or championship potential.

The 36-year-old power forward who has helped lead the Spurs to four championships since 1999, has also won regular season MVPs, Finals MVPs and made countless All-Star appearances in addition to accumulating a vast amount of wealth over his 15 seasons in the NBA. Duncan would have brought in $21.3 million this year with San Antonio had the season not been truncated because of the lockout.

What else is left for Tim Duncan to accomplish on the basketball court?

Nothing. The only legitimate question becomes what's best for the future of the San Antonio Spurs organization?

Although Duncan has watched his minutes and production slowly decline over the past few seasons, the Spurs' success has remained consistent.

San Antonio has won at least 50 games and made the playoffs in every season since Duncan's arrival in 1997. The only exception came in 1999 when the Spurs went 37-13 during a lockout-shortened season in which they won their first title.

Duncan is still San Antonio's second-leading scorer (15.4 PPG) and top rebounder (9 RPG) this season despite his age and the amount of tread on his tires (1,287 career games including playoffs coming into Wednesday night).

Though it is a rare concept in the NBA and professional sports today, it is possible for players to create a legacy and retire with the same jersey they held up on draft day:

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"Duncan is worth more to the Spurs than to any team with the ability to pay him more than the veteran minimum or mid-level exception. Silver and black are part of Duncan’s basketball DNA. It should not take long to find the right deal." - Mike Monroe

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Duncan is living, breathing proof that the right combination of personnel, coaching and front office can develop into a dynasty and produce a franchise hero capable of maximizing on his ability and longevity.

Regardless of what San Antonio makes of the 2012 postseason as the Western Conference's top seed for the second consecutive year, rest assured Spurs fans, Tim Duncan will never play for another NBA team.

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