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Boban Marjanovic's wife, Milica, dishes out what her family will miss the most about San Antonio.
Boban Marjanovic's wife, Milica, dishes out what her family will miss the most about San Antonio.
Detroit Pistons center Boban Marjanovic is introduced during a press conference. Mrjanovic was formerly with the San Antonio Spurs.
Detroit Pistons center Boban Marjanovic is introduced during a press conference. Mrjanovic was formerly with the San Antonio Spurs.
Boban Marjanovic was one of the most popular Spurs during his brief tenure with the team last summer before he left over the summer for a mammoth free-agent contract at Detroit.
His association with his new team appears to not be working out as it's becoming clear that the Pistons have too many centers.
The 7-foot-3 Serbian signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Pistons last summer. The 28-year-old is averaging 7.3 minutes per game in 20 games thus far, averaging 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is owed $14 million over the next two seasons by the Pistons.
It's resulted in a logjam at the position which the team reportedly is attempting to rectify.
Basketball Insiders.com reports that the Pistons are exploring the trade market for both Marjanovic and Baynes, another ex-Spur.
Baynes' contract is coming up this summer and most around the league believe he will decline the team's player option.
Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy has told reporters over the last several months that one of the reasons the team invested in Marjanovic is because they believed that Baynes would opt out and become unaffordable. Basketball Insiders reports that to re-sign Baynes would cost $11.375 million in the Early Bird exception and would require cap space for the Pistons.
The Pistons are 22-27 and still in the playoff hunt, only a half-game behind No. 8 seed Charlotte in the Eastern Conference. If they continue their struggles as during a recent three-game losing streak, it would appear to be an ideal time for Marjanovic to get more playing time during the second half of the season with the idea of him supplanting Baynes in the rotation.
The 28-year-old Marjanovic's averages are down from what he posted in San Antonio last season, when he averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 9.4 minutes as a rookie.
If another team offers the Pistons some valuable commodities for Baynes, it would speed up Marjanovic's potential for more late-season playing time.
They will be receiving more offers until the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
It will be interesting to see if any other team values Marjanovic as much as the Pistons did when they signed him to his deal.
Tgriffin@express-news.net
Twitter: @TimGriffinBig12
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