San Antonio Spurs — Tony Parker
The Spurs, obviously, face an interesting summer. They have to figure out what exactly is going on with Kawhi Leonard and if they can keep him going forward. Knowing he’s in the fold certainly impacts their decisions this summer. Kyle Anderson is also a restricted free agent and knowing what his next deal looks like matters too. Plus, will they bring back Rudy Gay?
But perhaps the more interesting question here is how they approach Tony Parker’s free agency. As they head into next season, the Spurs are not lacking for point guards. Dejounte Murray looks like a real starter long term, Patty Mills is good, Bryn Forbes (a restricted free agent) is fine and could be brought back and they just drafted Lonnie Walker, who figures to handle the ball some at the next level. And Parker is 36 years old now — he’s closer to the end than the beginning.
It, though, would not be a very Spurs-like move to have Parker leave now or be cast aside. The likeliest scenario would seem to be that he’s brought back on a cheaper contract akin to what Manu Ginobili has signed of late. It’ll be a pay cut to be sure, but it’s a scenario that makes sense.
A big Parker pay cut will not allow the Spurs to outright, or really do anything to give them more to work with right now. But the way things have gone in San Antonio of late, it would be shocking to see him end up in another uniform. Other players matter more to the long term success of the franchise, but Parker is a legend of the franchise. The expectation here is that he’ll be taken care of.