With the recent acquisition of DeMar DeRozan, a reluctant participant in the Spurs purging of Kawhi Leonard, it becomes more important that Manu Ginobili opt in for one more season.
Tim Duncan has retired and Tony Parker has relocated and Manu is all that is left of the Golden Age of the Popovich Era. What was once believed to be a smooth transition into the next era has taken a detour, albeit a positive one.
Ginobili’s locker room presence, knowledge of the Spurs culture, and generally amazing attitude will bridge the gap of what is now becoming the true end of the Big 3 into whatever is to become of LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, and Rudy Gay (or Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV).