Gregg Popovich negotiating deal to remain in San Antonio next year for 24th season
Gregg Popovich has spent nearly his entire NBA coaching career in San Antonio — and he doesn’t intend to change things up now.
Popovich announced on Monday during his season-ending news conference that he will be returning for a 24th season as the Spurs head coach, and that he is currently negotiating a new deal with the organization.
"I'm currently in negotiations and could very well end up with either the Portofino Flyers or the Positano Pirates," Popovich said, via the Associated Press. "I think it's like one-third Positano, one-third Portofino and one-third San Antonio. So, we'll see where I end up."
That deal will reportedly be for three seasons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It will also make sure Popovich remains the highest-paid coach in the game.
Sources: Once Gregg Popovich formally commits to his 24th season as San Antonio Spurs coach, he's expected to sign a three-year contract that will keep him as the NBA's highest paid coach. Story on ESPN. https://t.co/ryvdmKoYMg
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 30, 2019
Despite the length of the deal, the Spurs will allow Popovich to continue to operate on a year-to-year basis, according to Wojnarowski.
Popovich was hired as the head coach of the Spurs in 1996, and has led the team to the playoffs in each of the last 22 seasons — tying an NBA record. The 70-year-old has won five NBA titles in San Antonio and has compiled 1,245 career wins, the third-most in NBA history. He trails Don Nelson, who holds the top spot on the list, by 90 wins.
He wrapped up the final season of his five-year contract extension that he signed in 2014 with the franchise last week, following their loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series.
Popovich is also set to coach USA Basketball in the FIBA World Cup in China in September and at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.
At the end of his conference on Monday, Popovich told reporters that he would see them next fall, confirming that a deal will get done and he’ll be back on the sidelines, per the San Antonio Express-News.
“We live in a dangerous country because nobody has the courage to do what needs to be done,” Popovich said as he left the room, via the Express-News.
Popovich happy with Spurs’ progress this season
For the first time in a long time, the Spurs looked a lot different this season.
The team had eight new players on its roster this year, the most ever on a Popovich-led team. They lost team veterans Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, too, and Kawhi Leonard left for Toronto — ending a seemingly tumultuous relationship with the organization.
His departure also brought in DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl, adding even more pieces for Popovich to fit into the puzzle. And, to make things more complicated, point guard Dejounte Murray suffered a season-ending knee injury in the postseason.
"I didn't know what to expect, to be honest," Popovich said, via the Associated Press. "I didn't know how this group would respond to that kind of adversity, but they showed us a lot in continuing with the program and trying to do what we wanted them to do. So, that was very impressive to me."
Yet looking back on it, Popovich said it was one of the more enjoyable seasons he’s had because he was able to see players develop through the year.
"With the eight new players, with the trade and some injuries, I think that when we all reflect on the season they achieved a lot more than a lot of people gave them credit for," Popovich said, via the Express-News. "What I tell the players, and what I told them again today, I wish that the season started today with everything that we have learned through this last year about each other.
“These guys never played with each other before — none of them have — and it's a new system for everybody to try to do that. At the same time, it's very difficult to do that in a team sport. But they hung tough and they showed a lot of character."
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