Parker unsure if Spurs will keep him
NEW YORK – Tony Parker(notes) has split the majority of his offseason between Los Angeles and New York. During the short time he spent in San Antonio, he kept hearing the same question:
Are you staying?
His response: I’m the wrong guy to ask.
More than a few rival team executives think the San Antonio Spurs are open to trading their point guard for the right deal. For now, Parker, who will be a free agent at the end of next season, doesn’t have many answers about his future.
“Everybody keeps telling me, ‘Don’t go, don’t leave,’ ” Parker told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday while preparing to play in Steve Nash’s(notes) charity soccer game. “I’m like, ‘It’s not in my hands.’ I don’t decide. I have one more year on my contract, so we’ll see what happens. Obviously because I have one year on my contract I will be in all the rumors. That’s normal.
“Hopefully, I will stay in San Antonio. If not, it’s a business.”
Parker averaged 16 points and 5.7 assists last season while being limited to 56 games because of ankle and hand injuries. Second-year guard George Hill(notes) took over in Parker’s absence and started all but the last two playoff games.
Parker will make $13.5 million in the final year of his contract next season. He said he has not discussed a contract extension with the Spurs, but expects his agent Steve Heumann to talk to team officials in July.
Parker’s preference would be to re-sign with the Spurs and stay in San Antonio, which he considers his “home base.”
“I’m not nervous at all,” Parker said. “I’ve had great years in San Antonio, so we’ll see what happens. Whatever San Antonio does, I’ll understand. It’s a business.
“I wish I can stay in San Antonio, but it’s not in my hands.”
