San Antonio Spurs center Matt Bonner (L) with head coach Gregg Popovich. (Photo : Getty Images)
Twelve-year NBA veteran Matt Bonner is rumored to be drawing near the end of his 10-season run with the San Antonio Spurs as the club has yet to sign him to a contract this summer.
The 36-year-old Bonner is not yet considering retirement, but he is said to be "fully aware that he likely won't return for another season" with the five-time NBA champions, as per ESPN.
"Currently they haven't signed me," Bonner said, via News 4 San Antonio. "Unless something changes going into the season, I'm probably not going to be with the Spurs."
Those words signal a drastic change for the two-time NBA champion and former Florida standout as he and his wife and kids are residents of the said city. If it will be his choice, Bonner said that he wants to work something out with the Spurs moving forward into his career.
"My kids were born and raised here and my wife has been here the whole time," he said during an interview last June. "I've been here 10 years. Regardless of what happens, hopefully we can come back and do something with the Spurs."
At the moment, San Antonio has 17 players signed in its roster, which means they can still get three to complete the training camp and preseason squad, but the team will have to trim it down to 15 before the new season starts this October.
However, it seems like Bonner will even not be a part of the preseason roster.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound stretch big man has not received any calls from interested teams so far as his age may also be a factor why the Spurs and the other teams are shying away.
Bonner only played in 30 games for the Spurs last season and have started in two. He averaged 2.5 points and 0.9 rebounds, the lowest by far of his career, as he was only fielded in for 6.9 minutes per game. He did not play at all in the playoffs this year, which is the first time it happened in all of his 10 years with the ballclub.
Bonner had been known to provide hustle, defense, and uncanny outside shooting coming off the bench for the Spurs. His three-point shot was one of his strengths, shooting 41.4 percent from downtown throughout his whole career.
