Spurs Re-Sign Tiago Splitter to 4-Year, $36 Million Deal

With the 2013 period of NBA free agency underway, we've already seen outlandish offers to players of a lower profile than we'd previously perceived. The news coming out of San Antonio is no different.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the San Antonio Spurs will re-sign Tiago Splitter to a four-year deal worth at least $36 million.

UPDATE: Saturday, July 13, at 2:00 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

The Spurs have made it official according to Paul Garcia of WOAI.com:

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*Original Text*

Splitter, 28, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 24.7 minutes of action with a Player Efficiency Rating of 18.72.

Splitter has shown vast improvement every season he's played in the NBA. Both offensively and defensively, Splitter made fundamental alterations to his game in the 2012-13 season that show up both in the stat sheet and on the court.

With that being said, few expected him to be offered a contract worth $9 million per season.

Splitter played in 81 games in 2012-13, starting 58 and playing both power forward and center for the Spurs. After averaging 24.7 minutes of action during the regular season, the Spurs actually used him less during the playoffs.

Even still, the Brazilian big man developed into one of point guard Tony Parker's favorite options coming off of the pick-and-roll, which is likely a major reason for his lofty price tag. 

It's important to note that, while he is 28, Splitter has just three years of experience in the NBA. While his age may suggest he's a veteran, Splitter continues to develop and grow as a player, and the Spurs clearly see upside.

With Tim Duncan hitting 38 by the time the 2014 NBA playoffs roll around, it appears the Spurs locked up Splitter to be their big man of the future.