San Antonio Spurs Face Summer of Big Spending
For the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday's NBA draft was less about adding talent and more about maintaining maximum financial flexibility for the summer ahead. The organization selected Serbian center Nikola Milutinov with the No. 26 pick, and it may be some time before he actually appears in silver and black.
The pursuit of an international investment is typical of the franchise, but spending on the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge is anything but.
For the duration of head coach Gregg Popovich's tenure, San Antonio's standard operating procedure has involved drafting the right guys and keeping them together—all at a relatively modest cost. The franchise ranked 17th league-wide with just over $70 million in roster expenditures a season ago, a year in which the iconic Tim Duncan accepted just $10,361,446 for his still exemplary services.
Unfortunately, Aldridge won't be quite so cheap. And neither will reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard.
Now it's time for owner Peter Holt to start writing checks. General manager R.C. Buford's list of free-agent targets is likely comprised of a pricey conglomeration that includes in-house talent, big-name prizes and two potential retirees who may not be finished just yet. It's a shopping list that will determine whether these Spurs remain in the hunt for another title.
The Would-Be Retirees
Courtesy of ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the good news is that "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."
Here's the even better news, also per Stein:
"Although Duncan and fellow Spurs mainstay Manu Ginobili have yet to make a formal declaration about their plans for next season, sources told ESPN.com 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.
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That's consistent with a report from the San Antonio Express-News' Mike Monroe, who recently wrote, "There are several NBA player personnel executives who believe the Spurs will offer Duncan a two-year contract that begins between $6 million and $7 million, with a partial guarantee and a player option in the second season."
| Min | Pts | FG% | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | |
| Duncan | 28.9 | 13.9 | .512 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
| Ginobili | 22.7 | 10.5 | .426 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 |
By taking less money, Duncan and Manu Ginobili wouldn't be doing anything dozens of ring-chasers haven't done before them. The difference is that their best chances at another title may well remain with the team that drafted them.
Signing the two veterans early in free agency will be a high priority.
Until they're inked to new deals, Duncan and Ginobili's current cap holds far exceed what they would otherwise make next season. According to Spotrac, their combined cap holds for next season are in excess of $26 million—a figure that could conceivably be much closer to $10 million in the event Duncan and Ginobili take the expected pay cuts.
Those pay cuts aren't for Aldridge exclusively. They also may be a means to keeping (most of) the gang together for at least one more go-round.
Those Who Could Get Away
Duncan and Ginobili may be the longest-tenured Spurs on the line this summer, but that doesn't mean they're the most important on paper. Leonard is a restricted free agent, while sharpshooting swingmen Danny Green and Marco Belinelli are both unrestricted free agents.
Leonard is likely to return, thanks in large part to San Antonio's ability to match any offer sheets from competing suitors. Green and Belinelli are less certain, however. And for a club that relies so heavily on the long ball, that could be a problem.
| Player | Salary/Status |
| Tony Parker | $13,437,500 |
| Tim Duncan | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Tiago Splitter | $8,500,000 |
| Boris Diaw | $7,500,000 |
| Manu Ginobili | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Danny Green | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Patty Mills | $3,578,947 |
| Kawhi Leonard | Restricted Free Agent ($4,433,683 Qualifying Offer) |
| Marco Belinelli | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Aron Baynes | Restricted Free Agent ($2,596,250 Qualifying Offer) |
| Cory Joseph | Restricted Free Agent ($3,034,892 Qualifying Offer) |
| Jeff Ayres | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Kyle Anderson | $1,142,879 |
| Matt Bonner | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Reggie Williams | Non-Guaranteed $1,185,784 |
As a starter with proven acumen on both ends of the floor, Green could be particularly sought-after. Speculating that he could command between $10 and $12 million annually, RealGM's Shams Charania notes, "Green has a strong desire to return to the Spurs, sources said, but free agency could hold more lucrative deals elsewhere."
Charania cited league sources who believe the Dallas Mavericks will pursue Green as a replacement for departing shooting guard Monta Ellis. A number of teams could outbid the Spurs, but that doesn't mean Green is gone for sure.
Unlike Duncan and Ginobili, Green's cap hold (about $7.6 million, according to Spotrac) may well be less than he'll earn upon seeking offers on the open market. So it would behoove San Antonio to wait a bit, adding any external talent before reaching a deal with Green, at which point his new—more expensive—deal would count against the cap.
It's a tricky balancing act for the 2014 Executive of the Year, but it could prove worthwhile.
The Prize
San Antonio's priciest pursuit of all is widely expected to be Portland Trail Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge, a Dallas native who played collegiately at University of Texas at Austin.
Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears noted on Friday, "It appears that Blazers free agent LaMarcus Aldridge has played his last game in Portland. The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers are the front-runners to land the All-Star, a source told Yahoo Sports."
Aldridge is a max-salary player almost by definition. He's the rare post presence who can score inside and out—a seemingly natural heir to Duncan's throne. And for a team that is attempting to capitalize on whatever time Duncan may have left, Aldridge is the kind of go-to weapon who could put San Antonio over the top.
This is an easy decision for Buford and Co. The harder decision is Aldridge's. Those Lakers are set to enter the 2015-16 season with a healthy Kobe Bryant, second-year lottery pick Julius Randle and 2015's No. 2 overall selection DeAngelo Russell. Apart from personnel, there's a perpetual allure to the Lakers as a franchise—a history, an already brilliant legacy upon which to build.
Aldridge could also take a close look at the Dallas Mavericks if, for example, he believes Chandler Parsons is a better building block than Leonard in San Antonio or Russell in L.A.
Should Aldridge sour on his apparent interest in San Antonio, the Spurs could also take a look at free agents Marc Gasol and DeAndre Jordan, both established centers who could conceivably be pried away from their talented incumbent teams. Neither, however, has given particularly strong indication that he wants to leave his current situation.
Aldridge is special in that regard as a virtual lock to leave Portland with serious Texas ties. Gasol and Jordan are long shots by comparison.
| Min | Pts | FG% | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | |
| Aldridge | 35.4 | 23.4 | .466 | 10.2 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Gasol | 33.2 | 17.4 | .494 | 7.8 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Jordan | 34.4 | 11.5 | .710 | 15.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.2 |
In the event Aldridge doesn't pan out, it's also possible that San Antonio forgoes a major free acquisition this summer, instead pursuing multiple targets when the cap explodes in 2016 and conducting a more expansive regrouping. That could explain why, according to Stein, the Spurs weren't ready to part ways with starting center Tiago Splitter:
"It has been widely assumed in league circles that the Spurs would be forced to try to trade veteran forward Tiago Splitter to help create the needed salary-cap flexibility to handle the max deals San Antonio has earmarked for Leonard (and the likes of Aldridge or Memphis' Marc Gasol) and still have room to accommodate Duncan and Ginobili at reduced salaries, if the latter two choose to play on. But sources told ESPN.com that the Spurs actually rebuffed trade interest from teams hoping to pry Splitter away in conjunction with Thursday's NBA draft, raising the possibility that Splitter might stick around.
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Splitter may well be on the trade block, but the Spurs would be wise to wait and trade him only after receiving a commitment from Aldridge. Otherwise, San Antonio might find itself short a big man.
Merely maintaining the status quo isn't an inexpensive proposition. Without an Aldridge or Gasol, San Antonio would almost certainly double down on retaining current talent, perhaps spending big on Green and even throwing some money at other free agents like Belinelli, Cory Joseph and Aron Baynes.
One way or another, Holt will write those checks. To whom is the only outstanding question.
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