Spurs waive Rasual Butler to make room for Kevin Martin
The San Antonio Spurs have waived veteran Rasual Butler to create roster space for the signing of Kevin Martin.
Martin committed to sign with the Spurs last week, but the franchise labored over the decision to release Butler or Matt Bonner, league sources told The Vertical. The Spurs waited until Wednesday to inform Butler of the decision because coach Gregg Popovich missed the team’s two-game road trip that ended Tuesday night, sources said.
The Spurs always have either Popovich or general manager R.C. Buford tell a player in person that he's been let go, sources said.
Bonner’s chemistry with Spurs veterans, including Tim Duncan, factored into the decision to keep him. Bonner, 35, has played 10 of his 12 NBA seasons with the Spurs.
Butler made San Antonio’s regular-season roster out of training camp and was a valuable presence off the bench and in the locker room. He averaged 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 46 games for the Spurs. Butler, 36, is not playoff-eligible because he wasn’t waived before March 1.
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