Tony Parker is already a Hall of Famer. He’s a San Antonio Spurs legend that built his four-time championship resume as a member of the “Big 3” in his 17 years in the league.
He says he wants to hit that magic number 20 but he’s not sure that he wants to do it in the Alamo City.
Parker made a little more than $15 million this past season and it’s doubtful that he’ll make nearly that much with his next contract. The Spurs are looking Parker’s recently-expired deal as a way to make room for Kawhi Leonard’s supermax extension or, if Kawhi leaves, create enough cap space to draw one or two major free agents.
It’s unlikely that the Spurs would give Parker extra money to finish his career in San Antonio the way so many would like. They’ll pay him what he’s worth to the team. But another team may be willing to pay more while Parker gets to 20 years.
“It is not sure yet that I’ll stay with the Spurs. I am open to all proposals. I would like to have my entire career in San Antonio. The sport is a business and we will have to make choices. I had 17 years with the Spurs,” Parker said. “I would always be nostalgic but this is not the end of the world if I change my club. I figure two to three years more. If I go somewhere else, I’m 50-50. I do not see myself outside basketball yet and I want to stay three more years to do the 20 seasons.”
This past season, Parker was replaced in the starting lineup by Dejounte Murray. He didn’t have his best season but he didn’t play without Kawhi Leonard and was coming off an injury that kept him out several weeks to start the season. Still, Parker’s numbers have seen a decline even since he was shifted away as the focal point of the offense.
He’d still be incredibly valuable as a true ball handler coming off the bench who understands Gregg Popovich’s offense and, as we saw in the playoffs, is still capable of taking over stretches of games against the league’s best teams.
But Parker’s future in the NBA will be decided by a combination of how the Spurs deal with Kawhi this offseason and if another team makes him an offer that the Spurs can’t come close to matching.