Manu Ginobili, Spurs Nearing an Extension

There’s been all season about Manu possibly hitting the free agent market, but the Spurs are smartly about to lock him up for a few more years. The Express-News reports: “Manu Ginobili is close to finalizing a contract extension that could keep him in a Spurs uniform for the remainder of his NBA career. How close? ‘It’s closer than it’s ever been,’ Ginobili told the Express-News before Wednesday’s game at Phoenix. ‘There are small things to take care of, numbers to crunch, but I’m optimistic. We should have something in a day or two.’ Yahoo! first reported Wednesday afternoon that the framework of a deal was in place that would pay Ginobili $40 million over the next three years. ESPN.com reports the figure to be $38.9 million. If so, that would represent a raise over his current contract, which pays him more than $10.7 million this season. Ginobili, his agent, Herb Rudoy, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stressed the deal has not yet been finalized.”