Manu Ginobili will announce whether he plans to retire or return to the NBA for another season in a self-penned column for Argentine newspaper La Nacion, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
Monroe reports that Ginobili will make his announcement "when the time comes," but that may be sooner than later given the fact the 13-year veteran becomes a free agent on Wednesday. He'll turn 38 four weeks later.
It's even money on Ginobili's decision. While fellow Spurs like coach Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker have guessed that he and Tim Duncan will return, the shooting guard has also lamented the physical toll of the NBA following the last few seasons.
"Some days you feel proud and think you did great and other games I say, 'What the hell am I doing here when I should stay home and enjoy my kids?'" Ginobili said after the Spurs were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in May.
The Spurs brass reportedly believes that Duncan and Ginobili will return at discounts, partially in order to accommodate Kawhi Leonard's expected max deal and allow the team to make a run at free-agent power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
There has been a sense among some that Duncan is more likely to return for another run than Ginobili, whose points per game output and 3-point percentage were some of the lowest marks of his career this season.
