Various reports have confirmed that Manu Ginobili has opted out of his final year with the San Antonio Spurs. Although this will make him an unrestricted free agent next month, he is still expected to re-sign with the San Antonio franchise.
Ginobili has been with the Spurs since 2002 and the veteran point guard has played with the Spurs' legends such as Tim Duncan. Last year, Ginobili re-signed with the Spurs on a two-year deal and is expected to make $2.9 million next season, CBS Sports reported.
He had until Wednesday of this week to decide on his status with the team. But, according to ESPN, he has been thinking about his future with the Spurs for some time now.
"I guess in a couple of weeks I'll think more about my future," he wrote in an Argentinian newspaper. "Surely I will sit down with [head coach Gregg Popovich], Tim and some of my colleagues to chat."
"Then we will see what the objectives are and whether something will change or not," he added. "It is still early to see it. It will not depend on my determination of what my colleagues do or anything. But I want to know what the plan is."
Based on his statements, it seems Ginobili wants to know what his role with the team will be for next season. At age 38, his performance has certainly declined. This is why it wouldn't probably come as a surprise if his minutes on the court gets reduced next season.
But, for the veteran athlete, he will likely negotiate a new contract with the Spurs for next season. However, given his current state, and the fact that he will be re-signing with his original team, Ginobili will most likely agree to take on a discounted offer.
If this is the case, then the Spurs will probably be more than happy to take him back. After all, he is already part of the core team and despite his age, he still performs well and is still regarded as a reliable player. Also, the Spurs will probably want to keep their strong payers intact since they were the ones who carried the team to this year's conference semifinals.
