Ian Mahinmi left the Spurs in the summer of 2010 as a 23-year-old project who hadn’t worked out. The 6-foot-11 center moved onto Dallas, where he was part of a championship team in 2011.
From there he moved on to Indiana, where in four seasons with the Pacers he developed into what the Spurs had always hoped he would: A bona fide NBA rotation player.
Now 30 and apparently set to explore the free-agent market after the Pacers agreed to terms with Al Jefferson on Thursday, Mahinmi could be headed back to where it all began.
The Spurs are among the handful of teams with Mahinmi on their radar as the free agent frenzy heats up.