It appears that Tim Duncan's return to the San Antonio Spurs bench is short lived. After just one season as head coach Gregg Popovich's assistant, the two-time MVP is calling it quits, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
The Spurs' Tim Duncan is stepping away from full-time coaching after spending last season on the bench on Gregg Popovich's staff, @NYTSports has learned
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 11, 2020
After retiring from the league in 2016, Duncan spent a few seasons away from the NBA before returning and serving on the coaching staff alongside Popovich. The Spurs finished the 2019-20 season with a 32-39 record, forcing them out of the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons.
While Duncan's production during his lone year on the sidelines can't be measured, it does add to the mystery of what's to come with the Spurs in the offseason.
The San Antonio franchise has both Demar Derozan and LaMarcus Aldridge under contracts going into next year, which didn't return much profit last season seeing as how they were eliminated from playoff contention. With that in mind, the Spurs' front office may be looking to move on from both players and forcefully look into a rebuild, a phase they were trying to avoid while they still had Popovich under their belt.
San Antonio doesn't have any first-round picks incoming for the foreseeable future. They could be looking to make a move to solidify their future by shipping off both players in return for a decent package of picks along with some young role players for the meantime. Aldridge, at the least, likely isn't in the long-term fit for a Spurs club looking to get back into good graces. If not, they could be heading for a similar route in the 2020-21 campaign.
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