Spurs Will Not Pick Up Option on Ian Mahinmi

by Timothy Varner

Ian Mahinmi’s career continues down a challenging path.  French language sources are reporting that the Spurs will not exercise their option on Mahinmi.  I spoke with Bouna Ndaiye, Ian Mahinmi’s agent, and confirmed the French language reports.

What does this mean for Ian Mahinmi and the Spurs moving forward?

Much of what determines Mahinmi’s future with the Spurs will happen on the practice floor. The Spurs could still offer him a contract next summer. But he’ll have to earn it. If he fails to produce on the court, whether in practice or live games, his most aggressive suitors will come from Europe.

Ian Mahinmi must baby step his way to another contract, and those initial steps would seem to include practicing his way onto the active roster.

San Antonio’s best move  may be to trade Mahinmi between now and February, something he might welcome. Ian Mahinmi needs to play to improve,  and that’s impossible so long as he remains on the inactive list. Compounding matters, the athletic French center is out of D-League eligibility.

By not picking up his contract,  the Spurs have further reduced his already modest trade value. That is, other teams will show great reluctance to swap assets, even marginal assets (a second round pick), with the Spurs if they have no guarantee Ian Mahinmi will stick with them beyond the season.

The Spurs’ frontcourt is not terribly difficult to project. Tiago Splitter is the obvious offseason target, and Matt Bonner stands a good chance of receiving an extension from the team. Theo Ratliff and Marcus Haislip will have to give the Spurs incentive to go with them for another season.

In other words, it’s reasonable to project a frontcourt of Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, Tiago Splitter and Matt Bonner next season.  But Duncan and McDyess are old enough that taking a long careful look at a promising young but not pulled-together big like Ian Mahinmi makes sense, especially as a deep reserve who is already system-smart.

Put differently, there isn’t much tape on Ian Mahinmi. His best chance at earning another NBA contract is leaving it on the floor during practice and, on those night’s he’s not inactive, in garbage time. Let him give the Spurs reason to mea culpa and divvy up a new contract.  But it’s on Ian Mahinmi to force the Spurs in that direction.

Some fans are tossing around the words “bust” and “failure” in description of Ian Mahinmi. But that isn’t quite right. Mahinmi is talented, but unproven. He’s a player who must make good on the promise of greater things. He’s 23. There is time. But, as the Spurs have just reminded him, the clock started ticking a few months ago.