The San Antonio Spurs have extended qualifying offers to Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal, making them both restricted free agents, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
NBA free agency: Spurs extend qualifying offers to Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal
Both Splitter and Neal played key roles in San Antonio’s run to the NBA Finals.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The qualifying offer extended to Splitter is worth $4.5 million for San Antonio. Drafted by the Spurs in 2007, he made his debut with the team in 2010 after spending time overseas. This past season, he averaged a career-high 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 24.7 minutes per game he was on the floor.
Pounding the Rock: Should the Spurs try to bring Splitter back?
Neal's qualifying offer was much lower, at $1.1 million. He served as Tony Parker's backup off the bench and was another key rotation player for San Antonio last season. In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, he went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in an astonishing shooting performance.
The qualifying offers make both Splitter and Neal restricted free agents. They can field offers from other teams, but San Antonio now has the right to match any offer should they choose.
Without Splitter and Neal, the Spurs have $41 million in guaranteed salary going into 2013-2014. With the salary cap at $58 million, they have the ability to make a single maximum contract offer or break it down to fill out their roster with role players. If Splitter and Neal accept their qualifying offers, the Spurs will have much less freedom to maneuver.
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