Spurs making push for Butler

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Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs were very active working the phone lines as they were reported to have been in contact with the agents of three free agent small forwards Josh Howard, Maurice Evans, and Bostjan Nachbar. CB

On Wednesday, the first free agent the team had a level of interest in was Dallas Mavericks’ free agent Caron Butler. Now according to David Aldridge’s Hangtime Blog on NBA.com, the Spurs have emerged as a strong suitor for Butler.

The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as a strong suitor for free agent forward Caron Butler, according to a source.

Though the Chicago Bulls are still the favorite to land Butler, the article said the Spurs and Mavericks are still in the hunt. Per Aldridge’s sources, Butler will be meeting with the Bulls in the next few days before exploring other options.

Aldridge also explains why Butler could fit in with San Antonio’s system.

San Antonio could be looking for a replacement for veteran Richard Jefferson, who has struggled in his first two seasons there after being acquired in the summer of 2009. Butler would be a perfect fit in the no-nonsense Spurs’ locker room, and with Tim Duncan entering the last year of his contract, and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on the backside of their careers, San Antonio is preparing to transition quickly from the post-Duncan era with a new core group including guard Gary Neal, center Tiago Splitter, forward/center DeJuan Blair and rookie forward Kawhi Leonard, acquired in a Draft night trade with Indiana for guard George Hill.

As training camps set to open next week, it’ll be interesting to see what moves the Spurs make in free agency and potentially in the trade market.