Since the Spurs season ended, fans and writers alike have been playing armchair GM trying to predict the changes in store before next season starts.
One name that has come up recently, has been that of Nuggets center Nene. The 6-11 Brazilian is expected to opt out of the last year of his contract with the Nuggets, worth about $11.6 million.
With Antonio McDyess leaning towards retirement, and Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol exposing the Spurs’ weaknesses up front, Nene would certainly be a more than welcome addition.
But is Nene in San Antonio even possible?
In a post on SpursNation today, Tim Griffin said in order for Nene to even be an option, Tim Duncan would have to exercise his early termination option.
It’s uncertain whether Spurs majority owner Peter Holt would authorize the big payment that Nene likely would command.
The Spurs would likely need for Duncan to exercise his early-termination option this summer and sign a longer-term deal for less money to give the Spurs the financial flexibility to even think about signing a player like Nene — or anybody else of his level for that matter.
Aside from Duncan exercising his ETO and Holt agreeing to the deal, there has to be a season in order for this to even be an option.
But if the Spurs can make it happen, they’ll have a double-double machine to shore up the frontcourt with Tim Duncan, while DeJuan Blair and Nene’s countryman Tiago Splitter come off the bench.
A silver and black dream indeed.
