Tim Duncan opts in for final year of contract with Spurs

Tim Duncan has elected to opt in for the final year of his contract instead of testing free agency this summer or working out a longer-term deal with the Spurs, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Duncan will make $10.3 million this season.

The five-time champion signed a three-year, $30 million contract in 2012 with the option of becoming a free agent after the second year. It wasn’t a question that Duncan would stay with the Spurs, but the method was still up in the air. Duncan could have opted out and signed a new deal for less annual dollars, but elected to run it back for one more year instead. The Spurs are slated to have significant cap space in 2015, and Duncan’s current arrangement allows both parties to play it out for one more year before deciding their future.

Slimmed down and still a major defensive presence, Duncan has not shown like a 38-year-old. The three-time NBA Finals MVP averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game during the regular season, and his numbers didn’t dip during a 23-game run to another title. Duncan averaged 16.2 points on 52 percent shooting from the floor, the first time he’s shot better than 50 percent since the 2009-10 postseason.

Duncan’s role with the Spurs has diminished to some degree in recent years, but during the 2013-14 title run, there were signs of his old dominance. Duncan chose his spots well taking to the post, but for the most part, San Antonio succeeded by spacing the floor and whipping the ball from one player to another until their opponents’ defense broke.