If the Summer of Kawhi feels familar, it’s because the Spurs have been here before. Most fans will remember the Summer of Tim Duncan (a.k.a. 2000). Duncan was worried about the state of the aging Spurs (among other things), and Gregg Popovich was tasked with convincing him to stay and proving he could build another championship squad.
Suffice it to say, he succeeded. Duncan stayed after some serious flirtation with the Orlando Magic, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili soon followed, and together The Big 3 formed the arguably the greatest basketball trio of all time with four championships and near-unmatched success.