Gregg Popovich says he had to convince a Spurs player to take a $21-million contract offer from another team
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Boban Marjanovic emerged as a sort of cult hero for the San Antonio Spurs last season, and it paid off.
The 7-foot-3 Serbian center signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Detroit Pistons in the offseason, reaping the rewards for the potential he showed in averaging five points and three rebounds in nine minutes per game.
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"We knew he was gone," Popovich told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio News-Express. "It happens to every team. You lose a guy because you have to pay people and you can't pay them all."
However, according to Popovich, he also had to push Marjanovic to take the offer.
"He's such a good kid, at some point I had to work to get him to understand that $21 million was different than $3 million. I said, 'Get your ass out of here. Go. You've got to do it.' But he felt bad."
With the Spurs already tying up about $52 million to Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tony Parker, then bringing in Pau Gasol and re-signing Manu Ginobili for a combined $39 million, they couldn't afford to bring Marjanovic back at that price.
Still, it's refreshing that Popovich didn't try to convince Marjanovic to stay in San Antonio on a discount when bigger paychecks awaited him in Detroit.
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