After announcing that he will not retire and return to play at least one more year, Manu Ginobili has now agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. A player option is included after the first year.
The inclusion of a player option is obvious. If Ginobili decides to call it quits after next season, he can simply opt out of his deal to relieve San Antonio from having to pay him for no apparent reason. Expect Tim Duncan to get a similar two-year deal once he officially agrees to sign.
The Spurs were hoping Ginobili would return to assure bench depth after losing major components like Cory Joseph, Marco Belinelli, Aron Baynes, and Tiago Splitter. However, the Spurs have had an extraordinary offseason so far since LaMarcus Aldridge and David West have chosen to play for them.
West made his decision on Monday, shortly after Ginobili announced his return. He took nearly an $11 million pay cut to join the Spurs and play off the bench.
With his return, Ginobili will enter the 14th season of his career, all with the Spurs. Despite his age, he remains a significant contributor off the Spurs bench, averaging 10.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds last season in 70 games played.
Ginobili’s offensive efficiency has taken a hit, though, as he shot just 42.6 percent which is the third lowest shooting mark of his career. His three-point efficiency last season tied a career-low 34.5 percent. Last time Ginobili shot that poorly from deep was when he was a rookie.
Nonetheless, the Spurs are tremendously pleased to have the two-time All-Star back on the roster and will continue to add depth to their second unit. Unfortunately, San Antonio doesn’t have much money to spend on free agents. They only have their $2.8 million room exception or the veteran’s minimum to offer. Therefore free agents who decide to sign with them will have to accept an inexpensive deal.