Ready to shake things up after falling short of another title, the San Antonio Spurs have free agent forward Andrei Kirilenko "in their sights," ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports. He's expected to opt out of his deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to hit the open market later this month.
Andrei Kirilenko rumors: Spurs have versatile forward ‘in their sights’
The team that loves international players wants to add arguably the league’s best Russian player.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Set to make $10.2 million by staying in Minnesota next season, Kirilenko will instead pursue a long-term deal as an unrestricted free agent. It’s likely he’ll get it as one of the most talented and versatile players available, though that high value also casts doubt on San Antonio’s ability to land him.
In his lone season with the Wolves, Kirilenko continued to be an effective two-way player, averaging 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in 64 games.
Assuming the Spurs look to bring back free agents Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal, affording a sizable deal for Kirilenko could be difficult. It's possible the Russian forward takes a discount from the franchise to position himself on a title contender, but other teams will surely be able to fill his bank account.
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