Aron Baynes to sign with the Spurs

[Johnny RIngo]

... Anyone else have the gut feeling that this signing might be bigger than "another backup big"?

I mean something just seems "off" with this whole thing -- from the amount of money paid for AB's buyout, to how quickly it happened (what, no rumors first? Usually someone reports on this being a possibility well before it actually goes down), to the lack of any kind of official comment from the Spurs camp, to the Gary Neal-type guaranteed deal, to Gaze coming out of nowhere to lump praise on the Spurs and AB, to the Spurs playing with an uncharacteristic lack of motivation or urgency the last few games (like when someone hears a big promotion is coming there way, then starts to get lazy at work leading up to when the boss calls them in).

All cir stantial, yeah, but I just have this gut feeling that this isn't a typical mid-season signing. Something seems "off" with this one.

Spurs have quite a few blowout wins when they're forced to play guys like Blair/Bonner for long periods of garbage time. Blair gives us nothing seeing as his playing days are nearly over and Bonner has no upside. During those moments, they might as well play a project big.

[TDMVPDPOY]

they shouldve gone out and sign ingles to replace bonner for that stretch big....another lanky left hander


baynes role will be no different to all the other australians who has played on the spurs b4 him, gaze, heal, mills all have one thing in common.....sit on the bench, warm that , wave a towel and hand out hi5s when camera is screening the bench...it is what it is...aussies stealing towel boys jobs....

[Samr.]

Do you think a bigger trade is about to happen?

If you mean "big trade" in the sense of "for a big name now," then no, I think that's the last thing the Spurs are going to do. On the contrary, I believe the Spurs are in anything but a "win now" mode. I think the "after Duncan" team is already built though not yet unveiled, and the true value of AB is going to be the draft picks he allows the Spurs to trade for. Signing Bayne appears to have nothing to do with winning now, and that's what seems "off."

******

Keep in mind that the NBA is a business, and team owners don't own teams as a philanthropic service to the community. They own teams because those teams are supposed to make them money, which means asses in the seats, which means putting a compe ive product on the floor night in and night out. Coaches are coaches, and as much as we may like to give the coach "CIA Pop" credit, keep in mind his paycheck is signed (or more likely, stamped) by one Peter Holt. Peter Holt runs this, because he is the one to profit from this. Holt is also a highly successful businessman; you probably pass by his company (or one of their vehicles) every day on your commute to work.

The cliche as a business owner is that you are supposed to "stay two steps ahead of the compe ion," but in practical terms that means that your job as CEO, president, whatever, is to be simulating what the compe ion will look like years from now and preparing your current product to meet and exceed those future demands. A decade ago, when Duncan, Parker, Manu, Pop slowly started to show that they alone were enough to create a compe ive team (which means asses in the seats, which means money in Holt's pocket), Holt had to start planning for the future. And because he's a smart businessman -- as you can tell by the successful company he runs -- he was able to delegate the appropriate future-orientated tasks to the appropriate personnel.

*****

A decade ago Holt knew he didn't have the deep pockets to compete (and thus make money) against most of the NBA in the NBA free agent market, so he started going over seas where all the sudden his small pocket book by NBA standards still made him a big fish in a small pond there. In business-language, it's called the "blue ocean strategy" -- you move where others aren't. Parker, Ginobili, Splitter, Beno Udrih, De Colo, Mahinmi, Oberto came from that. Countless more could have, but those that did are still a solid haul that proves the strategy worthwhile.

In regard to domestic talent, where the exchange rates weren't as good for Holt, he decided instead to (military metaphor here) "snipe" (sign) the "high value targets" (role players w specific skill set) which furthered his mission (making money by staying compe ive) -- i.e., the FA's who could be bought cheap, who each individually had one or two superior traits, and who combined became the much cheaper equivalent of what teams in larger markets could afford to sign. Steven Jackson, Jarren Jackson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Robert Horry, Gary Neal, Kevin Willis, Roger Mason, Barry, Van Exel, terry porter, samaki walker, antonio daniels, mario elie, jerome kersey. Either big names past their prime where they still have one or two major skills left, or budding names with one or two skills upon which they hope to launch a career. And for players on both extremes, the Spurs were either the perfect launching pad or the perfect landing pad for their careers. What benefited them, also benefited the Spurs, which benefits the fans, the abundance of whom financially benefited Holt.

It's all about competing, because for Holt, it's all about making money. Like I said before, owning the Spurs isn't some philanthropic community endeavor for him.

*******

So now in that light, look at the potential of the Bayne signing -- it looks like the final piece if you're playing a half decade ahead like Holt is. De Colo at PG, Green/Neal at SG, Kawhi at SF, Bayne at PF, Splitter at C. Take their current projections, add in expected "changing of the guard" in the league, and go out about 5 years. In 5 years, that's a very compe ive starting 5. It might not be a championship team, but it's certainly going to be compe ive enough to guarantee asses in the seats which in turn guarantees Holt that he won't have to think of selling the team (which, 5 years out, is something you should probably start working on) because it isn't profitable to him.

*****

Now about that "bigger trade" you mentioned. If Bayne fills the remaining spot in the future starting 5, then it's safe to say now that the Spurs could use some draft picks. Unless those picks' last name is "Leonard," it will probably take them a few years anyways to grow into the Spurs system. Bonner, Blair, Jackson, Green/Neal, and to a certain extent Parker or Ginobili is going to look like some awfully tempting trade bait for a lottery-bound team in "win now" mode because their owner wants to guarantee asses in the seats (and money in his/her pockets). Millionaires and billionaires only got that way because they were smart with their finances to begin with (or their name is Mikhail Prokhorov, and they simply own all of their native country), in that light EVERY team is in "win now" mode because they need to put asses in the seats now in order to make a profit now.

Tim Duncan's REAL value to the Spurs is that he guaranteed at least a decade of Spurs compe iveness, high attendance rates, and thus profitability for Holt. Championships were a bonus; the real reward for us fans was the holding pattern of profitability Duncan provided for Holt. It allowed him to think, and plan, for the future.

*****

Bayne might not turn out to be much of anything at all individually, but that "off" feeling I have with his signing eminates not from the signing itself, but from the fact that it is a manifest indicator that Holt isn't working in "win in 2013" mode; rather, it feels "off" because it appears more like Holt is signing players now in order to win in 2023.

[TrainOfThought5]

If you mean "big trade" in the sense of "for a big name now," then no, I think that's the last thing the Spurs are going to do. On the contrary, I believe the Spurs are in anything but a "win now" mode. I think the "after Duncan" team is already built though not yet unveiled, and the true value of AB is going to be the draft picks he allows the Spurs to trade for. Signing Bayne appears to have nothing to do with winning now, and that's what seems "off."

******

Keep in mind that the NBA is a business, and team owners don't own teams as a philanthropic service to the community. They own teams because those teams are supposed to make them money, which means asses in the seats, which means putting a compe ive product on the floor night in and night out. Coaches are coaches, and as much as we may like to give the coach "CIA Pop" credit, keep in mind his paycheck is signed (or more likely, stamped) by one Peter Holt. Peter Holt runs this, because he is the one to profit from this. Holt is also a highly successful businessman; you probably pass by his company (or one of their vehicles) every day on your commute to work.

The cliche as a business owner is that you are supposed to "stay two steps ahead of the compe ion," but in practical terms that means that your job as CEO, president, whatever, is to be simulating what the compe ion will look like years from now and preparing your current product to meet and exceed those future demands. A decade ago, when Duncan, Parker, Manu, Pop slowly started to show that they alone were enough to create a compe ive team (which means asses in the seats, which means money in Holt's pocket), Holt had to start planning for the future. And because he's a smart businessman -- as you can tell by the successful company he runs -- he was able to delegate the appropriate future-orientated tasks to the appropriate personnel.

*****

A decade ago Holt knew he didn't have the deep pockets to compete (and thus make money) against most of the NBA in the NBA free agent market, so he started going over seas where all the sudden his small pocket book by NBA standards still made him a big fish in a small pond there. In business-language, it's called the "blue ocean strategy" -- you move where others aren't. Parker, Ginobili, Splitter, Beno Udrih, De Colo, Mahinmi, Oberto came from that. Countless more could have, but those that did are still a solid haul that proves the strategy worthwhile.

In regard to domestic talent, where the exchange rates weren't as good for Holt, he decided instead to (military metaphor here) "snipe" (sign) the "high value targets" (role players w specific skill set) which furthered his mission (making money by staying compe ive) -- i.e., the FA's who could be bought cheap, who each individually had one or two superior traits, and who combined became the much cheaper equivalent of what teams in larger markets could afford to sign. Steven Jackson, Jarren Jackson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Robert Horry, Gary Neal, Kevin Willis, Roger Mason, Barry, Van Exel, terry porter, samaki walker, antonio daniels, mario elie, jerome kersey. Either big names past their prime where they still have one or two major skills left, or budding names with one or two skills upon which they hope to launch a career. And for players on both extremes, the Spurs were either the perfect launching pad or the perfect landing pad for their careers. What benefited them, also benefited the Spurs, which benefits the fans, the abundance of whom financially benefited Holt.

It's all about competing, because for Holt, it's all about making money. Like I said before, owning the Spurs isn't some philanthropic community endeavor for him.

*******

So now in that light, look at the potential of the Bayne signing -- it looks like the final piece if you're playing a half decade ahead like Holt is. De Colo at PG, Green/Neal at SG, Kawhi at SF, Bayne at PF, Splitter at C. Take their current projections, add in expected "changing of the guard" in the league, and go out about 5 years. In 5 years, that's a very compe ive starting 5. It might not be a championship team, but it's certainly going to be compe ive enough to guarantee asses in the seats which in turn guarantees Holt that he won't have to think of selling the team (which, 5 years out, is something you should probably start working on) because it isn't profitable to him.

*****

Now about that "bigger trade" you mentioned. If Bayne fills the remaining spot in the future starting 5, then it's safe to say now that the Spurs could use some draft picks. Unless those picks' last name is "Leonard," it will probably take them a few years anyways to grow into the Spurs system. Bonner, Blair, Jackson, Green/Neal, and to a certain extent Parker or Ginobili is going to look like some awfully tempting trade bait for a lottery-bound team in "win now" mode because their owner wants to guarantee asses in the seats (and money in his/her pockets). Millionaires and billionaires only got that way because they were smart with their finances to begin with (or their name is Mikhail Prokhorov, and they simply own all of their native country), in that light EVERY team is in "win now" mode because they need to put asses in the seats now in order to make a profit now.

Tim Duncan's REAL value to the Spurs is that he guaranteed at least a decade of Spurs compe iveness, high attendance rates, and thus profitability for Holt. Championships were a bonus; the real reward for us fans was the holding pattern of profitability Duncan provided for Holt. It allowed him to think, and plan, for the future.

*****

Bayne might not turn out to be much of anything at all individually, but that "off" feeling I have with his signing eminates not from the signing itself, but from the fact that it is a manifest indicator that Holt isn't working in "win in 2013" mode; rather, it feels "off" because it appears more like Holt is signing players now in order to win in 2023.

*Begins Slow clap*

[Two10Whitey]

Holy man. I don't have the energy to read all of that

[chapnis]

I actually read it. Was good, although I didn't agree completely with all of it.

[Hoops Czar]

Oh, I have no doubt Holt is a smart man. In 2007, he didn't want to the buyout of Luis Scola and thought that Scola's game didn't translate well to the NBA, so he traded him for the Rockets. Little did Houston realize that years later, that trade would come back to haunt them as the draft pick they gave up turned out to be none other than Manu "light". I know if I was the GM of the Houston Rockets, I'd be sick to my stomach.

[DanAu]

Very interesting read, thanks for the post, we'll worth the 5 minutes. Certainly puts into perspective the day to day whining and ing we plebs focus on after a single bad performance...

[TDMVPDPOY]

we always wanted a big 7'0, now we got one...yet you clowns are still disappointed?

[Paranoid Pop]

If you mean "big trade" in the sense of "for a big name now," then no, I think that's the last thing the Spurs are going to do. On the contrary, I believe the Spurs are in anything but a "win now" mode. I think the "after Duncan" team is already built though not yet unveiled, and the true value of AB is going to be the draft picks he allows the Spurs to trade for. Signing Bayne appears to have nothing to do with winning now, and that's what seems "off."

******

Keep in mind that the NBA is a business, and team owners don't own teams as a philanthropic service to the community. They own teams because those teams are supposed to make them money, which means asses in the seats, which means putting a compe ive product on the floor night in and night out. Coaches are coaches, and as much as we may like to give the coach "CIA Pop" credit, keep in mind his paycheck is signed (or more likely, stamped) by one Peter Holt. Peter Holt runs this, because he is the one to profit from this. Holt is also a highly successful businessman; you probably pass by his company (or one of their vehicles) every day on your commute to work.

The cliche as a business owner is that you are supposed to "stay two steps ahead of the compe ion," but in practical terms that means that your job as CEO, president, whatever, is to be simulating what the compe ion will look like years from now and preparing your current product to meet and exceed those future demands. A decade ago, when Duncan, Parker, Manu, Pop slowly started to show that they alone were enough to create a compe ive team (which means asses in the seats, which means money in Holt's pocket), Holt had to start planning for the future. And because he's a smart businessman -- as you can tell by the successful company he runs -- he was able to delegate the appropriate future-orientated tasks to the appropriate personnel.

*****

A decade ago Holt knew he didn't have the deep pockets to compete (and thus make money) against most of the NBA in the NBA free agent market, so he started going over seas where all the sudden his small pocket book by NBA standards still made him a big fish in a small pond there. In business-language, it's called the "blue ocean strategy" -- you move where others aren't. Parker, Ginobili, Splitter, Beno Udrih, De Colo, Mahinmi, Oberto came from that. Countless more could have, but those that did are still a solid haul that proves the strategy worthwhile.

In regard to domestic talent, where the exchange rates weren't as good for Holt, he decided instead to (military metaphor here) "snipe" (sign) the "high value targets" (role players w specific skill set) which furthered his mission (making money by staying compe ive) -- i.e., the FA's who could be bought cheap, who each individually had one or two superior traits, and who combined became the much cheaper equivalent of what teams in larger markets could afford to sign. Steven Jackson, Jarren Jackson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Robert Horry, Gary Neal, Kevin Willis, Roger Mason, Barry, Van Exel, terry porter, samaki walker, antonio daniels, mario elie, jerome kersey. Either big names past their prime where they still have one or two major skills left, or budding names with one or two skills upon which they hope to launch a career. And for players on both extremes, the Spurs were either the perfect launching pad or the perfect landing pad for their careers. What benefited them, also benefited the Spurs, which benefits the fans, the abundance of whom financially benefited Holt.

It's all about competing, because for Holt, it's all about making money. Like I said before, owning the Spurs isn't some philanthropic community endeavor for him.

*******

So now in that light, look at the potential of the Bayne signing -- it looks like the final piece if you're playing a half decade ahead like Holt is. De Colo at PG, Green/Neal at SG, Kawhi at SF, Bayne at PF, Splitter at C. Take their current projections, add in expected "changing of the guard" in the league, and go out about 5 years. In 5 years, that's a very compe ive starting 5. It might not be a championship team, but it's certainly going to be compe ive enough to guarantee asses in the seats which in turn guarantees Holt that he won't have to think of selling the team (which, 5 years out, is something you should probably start working on) because it isn't profitable to him.

*****

Now about that "bigger trade" you mentioned. If Bayne fills the remaining spot in the future starting 5, then it's safe to say now that the Spurs could use some draft picks. Unless those picks' last name is "Leonard," it will probably take them a few years anyways to grow into the Spurs system. Bonner, Blair, Jackson, Green/Neal, and to a certain extent Parker or Ginobili is going to look like some awfully tempting trade bait for a lottery-bound team in "win now" mode because their owner wants to guarantee asses in the seats (and money in his/her pockets). Millionaires and billionaires only got that way because they were smart with their finances to begin with (or their name is Mikhail Prokhorov, and they simply own all of their native country), in that light EVERY team is in "win now" mode because they need to put asses in the seats now in order to make a profit now.

Tim Duncan's REAL value to the Spurs is that he guaranteed at least a decade of Spurs compe iveness, high attendance rates, and thus profitability for Holt. Championships were a bonus; the real reward for us fans was the holding pattern of profitability Duncan provided for Holt. It allowed him to think, and plan, for the future.

*****

Bayne might not turn out to be much of anything at all individually, but that "off" feeling I have with his signing eminates not from the signing itself, but from the fact that it is a manifest indicator that Holt isn't working in "win in 2013" mode; rather, it feels "off" because it appears more like Holt is signing players now in order to win in 2023.

Baynes actaully helps right now, you're talking like Baynes wasn't brought in mid season to help in an area of weakness and like we're steamrolling the league. It just isn't the case.

Also in your mind Baynes is a PF somehow (guess I shouldn't be surprised the PF and Center position are inversed in SA thanks to Tim Duncan).

I think Baynes allows Holt to take a swing and try to make a big trade involving Splitter for a better PF without the risk of going full midget. We now have two real centers that can rebound like centers should.

The PF position on the other hand is kinda problematic Boris and Blair each got a shot and didn't satisfy, Tiago is getting his shot but he doesn't provide spacing, doesn't provide that many rebounds or that great of a defense, he's just not very athletic, off the ball he's kinda underwhelming not to say useless, he's just not a great fit... The offense is now looking like ... I think Baynes allows to trade Tiago for a better PF, there's no fear of going full midget anymore and they can think freely about that very possibility. I think it's a lot more about now than it is about 10 years from now, getting young players is just a bonus.

Anyway we'll get the first answer as to Baynes role quickly, if he doesn't play any minutes but garbage time once in a while, all the people claiming he's not there to help win now will be proven right but I don't believe that for one second tbh.

I wouldn't be overly surprised by a "big" trade including Tiago either. He's not a great fit and will command a lot of money, exactly the situation of GHill. Would be wonderful if they could get an Ilyasova, but a Derrick Williams helps now and fits the win now and rebuild at the same time narrative and would be easier to get...

[Paranoid Pop]

Also Pop is basically saying that Tiago is his new favorite player lol. The signs are there.

[Chinook]

Splitter is a great fit on the Spurs, as run the pick-and-roll a lot. He probably shouldn't be starting at center, though. The Spurs need a mobile, defensive-minded stretch-four in order to reach their ceiling. But by no means do I think signing Baynes should give the Spurs enough comfort to trade Splitter. He Aron does well for the rest of the year, however, I could see them being comfortable not overpaying Splitter in the off-season. I think it's likely they'll try to keep all three, though.

I don't think Splitter could bring in a player that raises the Spurs' ceiling higher than it is with him this year.

[ElNono]

I gotta see him play first. But on paper the guy has all the ingredients to be the guy we need.

[Chinook]

(Your whole post.)

I respect your opinion, and you make a lot of good arguments, but I respectfully disagree with you on a few premises.

1) I don't think it's fair to give Holt as much credit as you're giving him. He probably isn't the one who created the Spurs' plan. Rather, I think he set a budget, and Pop and R.C. suggested alternative ways to get players while respecting this budget. I give Holt credit for putting (or keeping) good people in control of the franchise, but rarely do owners have such a positive effect on personnel decisions. Holt may have suggested insourcing European talent, but that's just a vague guideline at best.

2) The Spurs do draft-and-stash players for the future, with Ginobili and Splitter being the best successes of that. But they do not sign players for that same reason. The Spurs have been in win-now mode for 26 years (with a couple of lulls here and there). They rarely have true developmental projects on their roster. From first to last, all players have a pretty defined role, and there have only been one or two players in any given year that have been allowed to sit and learn. Furthermore, the Spurs' track record of actually developing these end-of-bench players is pretty poor. I can really only think of Alonzo Gee as a long-term project that ended up a starter (and not even in San Antonio), but there are probably others. When it comes to their roster, one of the big complaints of some fans has been that they always sacrificed "five years down the line" for "a slightly better shot at this year."

3) I don't consider Baynes a potential building block. Like Splitter and Green, Baynes is youngish, but at 26, he's really not a guy that I imagine taking the torch from Duncan in three years and being part of a core for the next decade. Planning on him being a big part of the future means the Spurs are going to try to stay around as a middling playoff team for a few years after the Big Three are gone instead of going into full rebuild mode right away. That's fine by me for a while, but it is not a great plan to return to a championship level in the near future.

4) That being said, I like Baynes as a signing for this year, as he can definitely help with the Spurs' lack of size when the team plays without Duncan and Splitter. The fact that he's a good rebound and finisher make him valuable in games where Pop rests the Big Three. I think this deal was made more for next year, however. I think it gives San Antonio an alternative to giving Splitter a blank check. With time to learn the system and more importantly to find his role, I could see him getting big minutes next season, whether Splitter is there or not. If he can show a consistent jumpshot, then he may be a better choice to start next to Duncan.

I agree with you that the Spurs will probably just stand pat now. They value chemistry too much to make major changes during the season very often. But if they were to make a trade, I think it's obvious they'd look for one of two things: A legitimate, T.J. Ford-quality backup point guard, and another power-forward who Pop can trust more than Bonner or Blair. I would prefer they look at the latter, but it wouldn't shock me if they went for the former, either. Good guard play is becoming increasingly important nowadays. The Spurs can't afford to have poor play-making and handling off the bench when their main compe ors can exploit it so easily. I could see Jack, Neal and even De Colo (so much for building for the future) being moved for a player that the Spurs consider a missing piece. With Joseph looking legitimate in Austin, there are just too many guards on this team right now to allow the backup point situation to be this bad.

[benfti]

sorry, have to do this

I seriously think we should sign Baynes, he would be worth about 50 bucks and he just bangs down low. Would open up holes all day long

posted that on 7/30/2012

[PingPong]

Poor Baynes. Too much expectations around a raw scrub destined to be 4th or 5th big playing few minutes in the garbage time.

[benfti]

Baynes reminds me of Donk in the Croc Dundee movies. LOL Big dude for sure.

spot on!

[LASToog36]

i feel if the croissant keeps bein too passive especially when an easy layup or tre is abailable... the croissant could end up on blairs vacant seat on the bench... i hope baynes puts guys like d jordan and ibaka in posters

[Strategic]

i feel if the croissant keeps bein too passive especially when an easy layup or tre is abailable... the croissant could end up on blairs vacant seat on the bench... i hope baynes puts guys like d jordan and ibaka in posters

I will need to see him play some league minutes before I hand him my MVP vote. The two you've mentioned have a tendency to play above the rim.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i feel if the croissant keeps bein too passive especially when an easy layup or tre is abailable... the croissant could end up on blairs vacant seat on the bench... i hope baynes puts guys like d jordan and ibaka in posters

if this bayne mofo can fill the area of the teams needs, he could rapidly move up the rotation..

im too not sold on the teletubby who passes up open shots for stupid penetrations and creating the extra pass thats not needed when he has an open shot or open layup, he has the ability to knock down 3s and stretch the floor, but all his doing is being passive on offense...

[smaka]

Why does Olimpija never pay its players? It seems like every player who plays there ends up complaining that they didn't get the money owed to him. I wonder if Baynes got any money. Probably not, tbh.

Baynes did get the money, it has been said many times in Slovenian media, that Olimpija is really careful about paying him regularly. So yeah, I'm pretty sure Baynes is one of the few guys in the last decade who played for Olimpija and got their money payed..

Why does Olimpija never pay its players? Because they've had a big minus on their bank account for a couple of years now... And some sponsors didn't provide money regularly, etc, so the club practically wanted to make sure they pay its best players, and therefore "forgot" about most of other players, who were less likely to leave the club due to financial situation. They still owe salaries for coaches for last season, for some players even from previous seasons...

But still I'm pretty sure Baynes was payed, otherwise he would already leave for Maccabi in December, because Olimpija could not keep him from going.

[DrSteffo]

I dont think there is anything strange with this signing or the timing of it at all since Blair cannot play anymore. Makes so much sense.

[Captivus]

I really like this signing.
If this guy can play in the NBA he would get more minutes quickly. Hope he can.
Don’t know if someone posted this link, interesting…
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/...or-acquisition

[bthewigwam]

Bruno, a.k.a Enterprising Poster , gettin some love on Spurs Nation blog.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...s-aron-baynes/

[Mel_13]

Thanks Mel! Yes just like I thought. Splitter will then have all the leverage to sign whichever QO he wants, which means he can make Big3 money if he wants to. If, for example, no one comes calling or he doesn't like any of the QO handed to him, how much money will he make that year? Will the Spurs then be able to negotiate an extension?

Only the Spurs can make a qualifying offer to Splitter. The amount will be 4.9M for one year. That qualifying offer secures their right to match any offer sheet that Splitter may sign with another team.

Once the qualifying is tendered Splitter has 3 choices.

1. Sign the qualifying offer and play for 4.9m in 2013-14. Then in the summer of 2014, he would be an unrestricted free agent.

2. Sign a new contract with the Spurs. The Spurs can offer him a contract, up to five years in length, that starts at any salary up to the league maximum and can include annual raises of up to 7.5%.

3. Sign an offer sheet with another team that uses cap space or a salary exception. If a team has sufficient cap space they can present an offer sheet to Splitter for a contract, up to four years in length, that starts at any salary up to the league maximum and can include annual raises of up to 4.5%. The Spurs get three days to decide whether or not match the offer, during which time the cap space of the other team is on hold. If Splitter signs an offer sheet that will be his new contract. It's just a matter of which team he will play for.

Splitter obviously has some leverage, but much less than he would as an unrestricted free agent