(Stephen Dunn/Getty) Tim Duncan will be a bargain on his new contract. The
San Antonio Spurs are building their strongest team of the Tim Duncan era, and almost everyone is taking pay cuts to do it.
Duncan, at 39 years old, was a free agent this summer, but his status
was unknown after the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs.
According to David Aldridge, Duncan is holding off on retirement and re-signing with the Spurs on a two-year, $10 million deal:
Even though players tend to take pay cuts in the final stages of
their careers, Duncan halving his salary from $10 million last year to
$5 million next year is still significant. Duncan is coming off one of
his best seasons in the last five years and rightfully earned an All-NBA
Third Team spot. He is, amazingly, still one of the best big men in the
NBA.
Duncan's willingness to sacrifice money stands out, too, compared to
other players who have gotten "legacy" type deals from their teams.
Kobe Bryant is on the final year of a two-year, $48 million deal he got from the Lakers, despite age and injury concerns.
Dwyane Wade
won his standoff with the Heat and got a one-year, $20 million deal
this summer, even though next summer he'll likely be forced into a pay
cut.
Age will be a concern for San Antonio this year. Duncan will turn 40 next April;
Manu Ginobili (who will re-sign soon) will turn 38 this summer. West will turn 35 this summer.
Tony Parker
will turn 34 next May, and Aldridge will turn 30 this summer. Fatigue
and injuries could be a real problem for the Spurs, despite the common
notion that they're ageless.
Still, the Spurs roster is
stacked, and if Duncan and company can stave off decline for one more
season, they immediately become title contenders again this season.
