Pop: Losing both Ginobili, Duncan 'would've been awful'
After Manu Ginobili re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a one-year deal, word leaked out that the Philadelphia 76ers had pursued the 15-year veteran hard, pushing up his price.
On Thursday, Ginobili admitted that he never had any real intention of leaving the only NBA team he's ever played for.
"It was not my main option," Ginobili told The Vertical's Michael Lee. "I never wanted to leave San Antonio. But I had to listen to all the options that are there."
Ginobili and the now-retired Tim Duncan had made a habit over the last few years of giving the Spurs hometown discounts, both leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table to stay with the dynasty that produced five NBA titles in 15 years.
Yet in the wake of Duncan's retirement, it appears that an already-sentimental Gregg Popovich couldn't fathom the thought of losing another franchise cornerstone.
"Losing Tim made it absolutely imperative that we keep (Ginobili),” Popovich told Lee. "To lose them both at the same time, it would've been like death by a thousands cuts. It would've been awful."
Ginobili will reportedly earn $14 million in 2016-17. He earned a combined $17 million over the past three seasons.