No one ever seriously thought Manu Ginobili would play for another team besides the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. Except, maybe Manu Ginobili.
The Spurs were forced to more than triple their original offer for Ginobili this summer after the Philadelphia 76ers, of all teams, made an unexpected push for the 38-year-old guard.
Ginobili said he never wanted to leave San Antonio, but that he was forced to entertain other options.
From The Vertical's Michael Lee:
“It was not my main option. I never wanted to leave San Antonio,” Ginobili told The Vertical. “But I had to listen to all the options that are there.”
Had Ginobili actually signed with Philadelphia, it may have become the most surprising signing of the free agency period.
Manu still left some money on the table remaining a Spur. Philly was offering a three-year deal starting at around $16-17 million a year. He came back to San Antonio on a one-year, $14 million contract.
In his 14th season in the NBA, Ginobili appeared in 58 games for the Spurs and averaged 9.6 points. It was the first time since his rookie season that he averaged less than double-digits.
The Spurs lost one legend this summer when Tim Duncan decided to call it quits. Ginobili might be next to go, just not quite yet.
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